Leg 14, July 7 2008

5 miles total walk, Start and finish: Fort F Griswold State Park, Groton,CT.

This was notable for being the first walk in three legs where we saw blue sky, sun and sunlight.

This two part walk was planned as being, one, a connection to the end of our last walk on a bland road and two, a great milestone: to hit the Thames River. Did a loop of sorts with a short in and out on Meridian St to get Rte 1 where we stopped. Wasn't expecting much as I knew this road only bicycle commutes a few years ago. Well it was a surprise- a ribbon of sidewalk with cut cross on either side and take away the cars a pleasant green way of sorts.

I tried to imagine what the colonists heading to the fort that day in 1781 must have felt? ....fear..patriotic fervor....excitement....

WE got a late start and it was already getting hot at our turn around point. Two stupid moves on my part lost about half of my water right there, most of it on mt shorts and sneakers.

We cut across just north of Fort Griswold to a bunch of houses, maybe called Groton hights? A lot of nice houses most old, one I saw from 1700 others turn of the century. Nice uniques houses and well kept. Gee, I grew up a few miles away, and commuted on Rte 95 for twenty years but never had been here before?

Got to Bridge St headed west from the WW II Submarine memorial and from old pictures this looks like the spot where the old highway bridge used to meet land in Groton. The woods were locked in with bush and I couldn't even see openings for a bushwhack to the water.

Went south on Thames St another place I have rarely been on, Very nice and and victim of urban desertion, whereas it seems to have once been very active place but now dwindling in disuse?

Tried to get to the water and finally got within spitting distance behind a restaurant. Some of the homes were nestled so closely together with all sorts of nooks and carnies, it looked like Benefit St, but without the pretense.

A giant of a house on the east side is signed the Avery/Copp house and web research show it to be a museum open to the public. Cool.

it was getting hot and I saw Domino do something that I hadn't seen her do before, she plopped her little body in a big puddle to cool off. From these vantage points, one can see New London nicely and we saw a couple of trains go across the new RR bridge.

We had one more hill to get back to the car which was parked right next to the monument. we got up there in no time, had little energy for further explorations(we had just been there on Memorial Day) so s we sat under the shade of a maple tree on a picnic table in a very refreshing southerly breeze. this was our third straight walk where we ended with rests at picnic tables on grass.

Now about bridges: Since Domino does not like bridges-she HATES them-I just can't get her to cross them, whether it be a footbridge on some trail or a big bridge cross the CT River, she hates them. I have decided to skip bridge crossings and end walks at one shore and start at the other. I know that the NL/Groton bridge sucks for any type of passage never mind walking the mile distance with a fraidy cat dog.