Day Ten, 24 June 2008

Loop from Pequot Woods and back by public roads. 5.1 miles.

Started at Sandy Hollow road with intention of an in and out to reduce miles for next walk. After work.

I started with intention of going into Pequot woods and maybe some of Judson Rd depending on sunlight as it was getting late in the day. Apparently a thunderstorm must have come by because the trails were wet, even though I saw no rain in New London at work or at home each on either side this walk. After five straight legs of this walk on the paved road, I was looking forward to woods walking again . These trails have rocky rooty muddy sections and I remembered the return as being in a stream bed. Yes it was nice to walk int he woods, but it was dark and somehow gloomy with a late evening sun. Probably sacreligious to say that. The end of the trail hit Rte 1 on a overgrown path with grass and briers. I stopped to look at map on a sign and where was Domino? Sitting right on edge of traffic on rte 1. Wow.

I didn't have enough light to do much more walking, so I went on the roads to the next wooded area, Beebe Pond Park. The first road was Judson Rd-a nice enough road in a quiet neighborhood type place. The sky was full of those big summer clouds so I decided to skip going back through Pequot Woods and try to dead reckon my way back on public roads. I didn't have a map with me, I had just been there on my bike so i kind of knew the roads, just not how far.

I passed our turnoff to the woods to Beebe and continued on quiet roads to rte 1 just wets of the big hill out of Mystic. I started on Allyn Stet Connector but it was too noisy and busy with cars, so i tried to find Pequot Rd and what a nice quiet road that is. I passed the James Mason statue site, a place that Nancy had just me about last year.

A bit of history: James mason was a colonial soldier in the Pequot war, 1635-1636 and the statue commemorated his battle at the Mystic Fort located nearby. The war between the Pequots and the New England colonies and this battle ended it. Not really a battle but a massacre of elderly and children according to some. A bit of revisionists history here, as the Pequot tribe delveloped money from their casino income and subsequent power, the statute was removed. Makes me wonder anyway about who writes history and how accurate the recording of history is? I have wondered where the fort is and I asked a fellow dog walker on this walk and she said no one really knows.

I got back to the car and it was getting dark. Just prior to that we stopped to rest on a couch sized boulder on the corner of Pequot and Sandy Hollow roads the rock was nice and warm. complete a little indentation puddle for water. Watched the last rays of bright sunlight and then boom the sun went away quickly.

Another Milestone: this was the tenth walk in this journey.

Next leg. Beebe to ??? I was hoping to car pool and do one long wak through Pequot woods, Beebe Pond, Haley farm and Bluff Point for a grand tour, but i don't think that is a going to happen.