Happy Halloween!!

Colchester, CT  2020

 

Worthington Block , 1883

Colchester, CT  2020

RIP

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Colchester, CT  2020

 

SpongeBob Strawpants

Colchester, CT  2020

 

Republican Scarecrows

Colchester, CT  2020

 

Scarecrow Display

Colchester, CT  2020

 

Gazebo

Colchester, CT  2020

 

Hayward House Inn ca. 1775

Colchester, CT  2020

 

Priam Vineyards

Colchester, CT

Next stop on the Connecticut Wine Trail was Priam Vineyards in Colchester, CT.   You can't miss this place with this bright red wagon parked near the entrance.  It sort of looks like an army field ambulance, like the kind you'd see on re-runs of M*A*S*H, but I could be wrong.  In any event, it does serve well as advertisement for this vineyard.  A very modest and somewhat rustic tasting room was adorned with the sign below, which expresses my sentiments exactly.

I looked around on the Sunday we visited, and other than the staff working the tasting room, I didn't see anyone working.

Comstock Covered Bridge

East Hampton, CT

There have been bridges at this location since the 1700's.  In 1873, the towns of Colchester, and East Hampton agreed to share the cost of a new bridge to span the Salmon River.  It cost a whopping $3,958.59 to build back then, which was a substantial sum for the times.  Laborers back then would get  paid a dollar a day.  The bridge has been restored a couple of times since then, the last time being in 2011.  It is one of only three remaining historic covered bridges in Connecticut.  Now I'll have to find the other two. 

Rock Outcroppings Along the Air Line Trail

Colchester, CT

No hike on any of the trails in Connecticut would be complete without some pictures of the various rock outcroppings and other geological features one can see.  Although other state parks in Connecticut have descriptions of the geology, I can find no such descriptions of the geology along the Air Line Trail State Park.  This could be due to the fact that the trail covers about 50 miles, and probably traverses too many different geologies to be adequately described in a couple of short paragraphs.  Ultimately it was the geology encountered when the Air Line Railroad was built that led to it's failure.  The various hills, valleys, and streams that had to be crossed limited the track that could be laid and prevented the use of larger and faster trains making the longer shoreline route between New Haven and Boston faster and more economically feasible.  

Meet Lulu

As I started my walk along the Air Line Trail on my way towards the Lyman Viaduct, I noticed this cyclist, who started out along the trail about the same time I did.  She took her time riding, fairly slowly, but soon passed me and rode out of sight.  Not too much later, I noticed her coming back towards me, again riding slowly and stopping often.  As I approached her, she asked me to take her picture with her cellphone while on her bike.  I haven't mastered the skill of approaching strangers for a portrait just yet, but if they ask me to take their picture, then I'm very comfortable in asking them if I can take their picture with my camera.  So I used her cellphone for a couple of pictures, and then took a couple with my camera.  As is often the case when these situations arise, I didn't have the most flattering portrait lens on my camera, since I was using a wide angle zoom to photograph the landscapes along the Air Line Trail.  Oh well, one uses what one has and makes do, I guess. 

She introduced herself as Lulu and told me she came to ride along the Air Line Trail to learn how to ride her bike.  She never learned how to ride a bike in her youth, and thought the trail would be a perfect place to perfect her skills without worrying about riding in traffic or running into other pedestrians.   She wanted an additional type of exercise, to complement her running and thought cycling would be fun.  I emailed her my pictures.  I hope she likes them.  As she rode off,  I thought she was doing pretty well in learning to ride.  

Colchester, CT

Lyman Viaduct II

When seeing the Lyman Viaduct today as shown here, it is hard to imagine exactly what is buried beneath the sand and gravel.

Colchester, CT

One can look down the side of the viaduct and see Dickenson Creek 137 feet below, which still flows through the viaduct thanks to some culverts that were installed when the original trestle was buried.  

I was impressed with the size of the "gravel" rocks seen here.  Most of the gravel is at least as big as one's fist if not bigger.  I wonder how they were able to dump so much sand and gravel here and pile it up 137 feet for a distance of over 1100 feet.  I don't think there are any roads nearby or other ways to access this area.  I wonder if trains were used to dump the gravel?  However, if one looks carefully, you can find some hints of what lies buried beneath, like this rusty bolt sticking out of the ground....

Or the rail running in front of this bench.

The Lyman Viaduct

I was on a mission during my recent hike along the Air Line Trail State Park.  Having learned about the trail and the history of the Air Line Railroad I set out to find one of the engineering marvels I had read about, the Lyman Viaduct.  A quick Google search for the viaduct will turn up all sort of images and some history.  Originally built in 1873, the Lyman Viaduct carried a single track across Dickenson Creek supported by a wrought iron post deck truss design. It was over 1100 feet long and rose to height of 137 feet above the creek.  A picture of what it looked like back in the day is shown below and reminds me of the classic train scenes one sees in old western movies.

It must have been a very impressive site to see, and the views afforded along the viaduct to train passengers must have been magnificent.  As the trains became heavier, the structure became unsafe. So to support the heavier loads, the valley was filled in with sand and gravel, burying the entire trestle and preserving it intact.  Even though it is easy to see pictures of what the viaduct looks like today, I needed to see it for myself.  Here's what I found.

Lyman Viaduct, Colchester, CT

I know long time residents of Connecticut know all about this, but I find this fascinating.  More pictures along the viaduct will be posted in the coming days.

Atop the River Road Bridge

Colchester, CT

This is what the Air Line Railroad looks like today.  Most of the original line is now a linear state park and is a trail popular for hiking, horseback riding and cycling.  This is how the trail looks as it crosses over the River Road Bridge, the subject of yesterday's post. 

Just Love

Colchester, CT

Winter Brook

Hebron, CT

This must be a pretty fast flowing stream.  Despite our cold winter, this stream had not frozen over. 

Federated Church

Colchester, CT

The white steeple of Colchester's Federated Church looked striking against the deep blue sky on this particular Saturday.  Such skies have been rare in Connecticut this winter.

Stately Homes

Colchester, CT

I've always liked houses with wrap around porches like these.  Colchester has a number of houses like this.

Joe's Main Street Barbershop

Colchester, CT

It's great seeing a barbershop with a nice looking barber pole.  I would've stopped in for a haircut, but I didn't need one on this particular morning.