Leg 25
Well today is notable for a few things, first of all it was the 25th hike and gee i sure am not making much east west progress for that many hikes. This was only my second point to point walk: the rest have been loops or in and outs. Today was also the first use of a train.
The walk was pretty simple, park at Old Saybrook RR station, walk the Post road to Westbrook and then take the train back. Not the best of roads, I scouted it out last week to look for some scenic shore roads- all i found were signs. History wise, walking this road was interesting I guess.
Rte 1 is Rte 1, a few pinch points where I had to carry Dom across a few short bridges. she does OK with the traffic but hates bridges with metal guardrail and she also hates those sewer grate things.
The road just west of the station is built up with a couple of shopping centers and strip malls. most of these had some green grass to walk on. the first narrow part was over a little marsh and we caught sight of an egret.
Except for s short section on Old post rd, we stuck right on the post road. I overestimated the time to the train and would have arrived at the station an hour and half early. We slowed down a bit and headed down one of the roads to the sound-from a hill-Ryley hill to be exact, Walking south we caught glimpses of the sound's whitecaps, the road ended at a T and the left was signed, the right was signed dead end- it went on for few houses and we came to some condo land(Ryley road was bordered by huge condos that looked like big college dorms- yech.
Killing time in Westbrook was easy, I got a meatball grinder from a pizza place on the Green and threw the ball for Domino. It was pretty cool-the temps were in the 40s but a stiff breeze and lack of activity made it seem colder. We sat on the steps of a gazebo looking at the old library and next to and old stone water trough.
We headed up to the RR station on a crappy road for walkers, (Rte 153) no shoulder heavy traffic, grates-one grate was full of cat litter-someone was simply disposing of cat litter in the sewer grate-so much cat litter that it was almost overflowing and it stank a lot.
The Westbrook RR station is small: simply some decking with a few benches enclosed in clear plastic, a nice warm and windless place to wait, this was an experiment for us, on shoreline East trains you can take dogs in a crate. I brought a little dog carrier and this was out first time using it. It was too small for Domino so just her head stuck out. We got on the train and she got real scared,even a little shaking. I knew that she nervous because she would not eat a treat!
After going up and down the stairs from the far side tracks, she calmed down a bit, I am sure that she would rather stay home and just throw the ball in the yard,
Despite and old road walk, the best part was Old post road-a quiet little road with a few colonial houses and maybe a much older house.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
24, 1 April 2009
Leg 24, 1 April 2009
Start and Finish: Saybrook Point. Distance 6.2 miles(from gmaps) weather overcast all day. 8am starting the 30s and 40s finish
Today we parked at the Saybrook Monument Park and walked to the train station; I was expecting a boring walk because it was all on roads I knew to be busy, but it turned out to be an excellent walk. The walk along the water was beautiful and with all the old houses it was like a walk through CT history. On top of that, the people I came across were very friendly.
We explored the town park a bit, reading the signs telling stories of various things, the old forts, ferries across the river, old railroads and a boardwalk over a salt marsh. John Winthrop too.
We took a long cut on North Cove Rd, which went right along a cove of the river. It was a very nice walk full of big houses, some dating back to colonial times. The views of the water were great and full of ducks. There were several places to sit and rest. Another thing was a total lack of signs along the water. The traffic was light.
We then headed north to the train station. I had been here a few times in the past on the bicycle and remember it as a busy street with many stores just before rte 1. It was a pleasant surprise to walk it, at first it was lined with houses, some with those little signs saying that they were built in 1600s. came across a millstone enclosed in an old metal fence with another sign saying that was once the site of a ca. 1600 windmill. interesting.
Further north, the street widened and became four lanes, there was a nice business section with room for cars to diagonal park, wide sidewalks often separated from he street by ribbons of green grass. The buildings were one story and with big front windows, kind of a place time forgot-frozen back in the 40s or 50s. all sort of stores, some with outdoor seating. No MacDonald's stop and shops or dunkin doughnut here- they are on the next leg's walk.
I turned around at the train station and stopped by the Chamber of Commerce where a nice lady gave me a map of Old Saybrook, I was hoping to find a a road parallel to the main drag to take me back but the hopeful roads to the east were alldead ends.
The southern part reminded me of Sturbridge Village, walking by so many old houses, churches, greens, but this village was altered a bit but then frozen maybe 50 years ago or so. How many taverns can one place have? There were several. One place had a sign saying that "Lafayette made a purchase here" This building probably an old colonial tavern, looked like it was altered to make it into an ice cream take out place a long time ago and now some other type of store we find.
We made our back on North Cove Rd and stopped at one of the several benches we saw, no 'no trespassing' or' private signs' here so we stopped for an early lunch, peanut butter and jelly and hot chocolate. this was a public boat launch and Domino had some room (and energy) to chase the ball.
Just before we got to the car we came across a dog that looked a lot like Domino(man i have to start bringing the camera) the guy walking him said that he was 15, blind but still got along. The guy was in love with the dog. The guy was 85.
We ended the walk by doing to a little part of the park just north of dock and dine the restaurant. we tried to pick out the shore of Lyme where we last stopped but couldn't pick it out.
And now for the trains: I tired to scout out a walk for next time, hard to do. The roads along the water are all dead ends and full of private road" and "private signs" and t looks like a long stretch on rte 1.
Start and Finish: Saybrook Point. Distance 6.2 miles(from gmaps) weather overcast all day. 8am starting the 30s and 40s finish
Today we parked at the Saybrook Monument Park and walked to the train station; I was expecting a boring walk because it was all on roads I knew to be busy, but it turned out to be an excellent walk. The walk along the water was beautiful and with all the old houses it was like a walk through CT history. On top of that, the people I came across were very friendly.
We explored the town park a bit, reading the signs telling stories of various things, the old forts, ferries across the river, old railroads and a boardwalk over a salt marsh. John Winthrop too.
We took a long cut on North Cove Rd, which went right along a cove of the river. It was a very nice walk full of big houses, some dating back to colonial times. The views of the water were great and full of ducks. There were several places to sit and rest. Another thing was a total lack of signs along the water. The traffic was light.
We then headed north to the train station. I had been here a few times in the past on the bicycle and remember it as a busy street with many stores just before rte 1. It was a pleasant surprise to walk it, at first it was lined with houses, some with those little signs saying that they were built in 1600s. came across a millstone enclosed in an old metal fence with another sign saying that was once the site of a ca. 1600 windmill. interesting.
Further north, the street widened and became four lanes, there was a nice business section with room for cars to diagonal park, wide sidewalks often separated from he street by ribbons of green grass. The buildings were one story and with big front windows, kind of a place time forgot-frozen back in the 40s or 50s. all sort of stores, some with outdoor seating. No MacDonald's stop and shops or dunkin doughnut here- they are on the next leg's walk.
I turned around at the train station and stopped by the Chamber of Commerce where a nice lady gave me a map of Old Saybrook, I was hoping to find a a road parallel to the main drag to take me back but the hopeful roads to the east were alldead ends.
The southern part reminded me of Sturbridge Village, walking by so many old houses, churches, greens, but this village was altered a bit but then frozen maybe 50 years ago or so. How many taverns can one place have? There were several. One place had a sign saying that "Lafayette made a purchase here" This building probably an old colonial tavern, looked like it was altered to make it into an ice cream take out place a long time ago and now some other type of store we find.
We made our back on North Cove Rd and stopped at one of the several benches we saw, no 'no trespassing' or' private signs' here so we stopped for an early lunch, peanut butter and jelly and hot chocolate. this was a public boat launch and Domino had some room (and energy) to chase the ball.
Just before we got to the car we came across a dog that looked a lot like Domino(man i have to start bringing the camera) the guy walking him said that he was 15, blind but still got along. The guy was in love with the dog. The guy was 85.
We ended the walk by doing to a little part of the park just north of dock and dine the restaurant. we tried to pick out the shore of Lyme where we last stopped but couldn't pick it out.
And now for the trains: I tired to scout out a walk for next time, hard to do. The roads along the water are all dead ends and full of private road" and "private signs" and t looks like a long stretch on rte 1.
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