You’re either here because you found me online or because I know you IRL.
This will serve as a place for me to share my day-to-day antics and journal my thoughts. As you might already know, I don’t like modern social media :)
Interests:
Skiing, rowing, biking, hiking, & travelling
Technology, free software, & lurking more
Going on message boards and complaining about games I've never played!
Yesterday, June 23rd, I went hiking on a six mile loop at Talcott Mountain on the borders of Avon, Bloomfield, and Simsbury, Connecticut. I started just before eleven o’clock, and while the heat was bearable in the morning, it became pretty hot towards the end in the afternoon. I hiked along the Metacomet trail starting at Penwood State Park, not far from King Philip’s Cave. Right at the start, I had to cross the busy CT-185 with no crosswalk opposite the parking lot… Not a great first impression. After surviving that, I snaked through the woods and traversed across a power line trail for about a mile and a half before crossing paths with a lone white-tailed deer. After expressing my regards, I carried on until mile 2.6 where I reached Heublein Tower. This tower was built in 1914 as a summer home for the German Heublein family. It is modeled after the contemporary style of buildings found in Bavaria at the time. Here, I took a short Clif bar, water, and picture break as well as a moment to enjoy the cool wind at the summet.
All Downhill From Here
To begin my descent, I looped around the backside of the tower and headed on down. I was really loving the support of my new hiking boots from L.L.Bean here on my first day out with them. At the bottom, I reached the northern shore of MDC Reservoir #6. From here, I took a left and followed the walking trail around the reservoir. I then promptly missed my turn thanks to the overgrown trailhead and the “stay on trail” sign (not helpful!). Thankfully, I realized this rather quickly and got back onto my trail. Sadly, this section was not very enjoyable. By now, it was the peak of the day and nearly 90°F. The start of this section was largely exposed, overgrown, and swarming with bugs. I sadly rubed up against some poison ivy somewhere along here. Finally, this section went back into the woods and connected back to the start of the trail just before where I saw the deer. I made my way out, survied the road crossing once again, and went to put my …
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All Downhill From Here
To begin my descent, I looped around the backside of the tower and headed on down. I was really loving the support of my new hiking boots from L.L.Bean here on my first day out with them. At the bottom, I reached the northern shore of MDC Reservoir #6. From here, I took a left and followed the walking trail around the reservoir. I then promptly missed my turn thanks to the overgrown trailhead and the “stay on trail” sign (not helpful!). Thankfully, I realized this rather quickly and got back onto my trail. Sadly, this section was not very enjoyable. By now, it was the peak of the day and nearly 90°F. The start of this section was largely exposed, overgrown, and swarming with bugs. I sadly rubed up against some poison ivy somewhere along here. Finally, this section went back into the woods and connected back to the start of the trail just before where I saw the deer. I made my way out, survied the road crossing once again, and went to put my car’s air conditioning on full blast for the ride home. All in all, very much befitting of a mountain hike, this one had its ups and downs… 😛
Song of the Week
Tree Critter by Todd Edwards, from the Hoodwinked movie sountrack. Quite the blast from the past, eh? You could almost fool me if you told me The Hives sang this.
Yesterday, June 12th, I went with a friend on a beautiful 30 mile bike ride through northern Connecticut.
Farmington River Trail (Miles 0-18)
We started in Farmington at the start of the Farmington River Trail and rode north for 16 miles, passing through Unionville, Burlington, Collinsville, Canton, and Simsbury. Traveling alongside the Farmington River provided plenty of picturesque scenery as we passed by the various dams, bridges, and town centers. Around miles 10-13, there is an on-road portion with one major road crossing at CT-44, but this section quickly transitions to quiet back roads afterwards. Around mile 13, we traveled through Massacoe State Forest and Simsbury Town Forest. Just before the end of the trail, we took a short ~2 mile extension through West Simsbury and then stopped for a Clif Bar break in the beautiful Stratton Brook State Park.
Farmington Canal Heritage Trail (Miles (18-30)
The ride back on the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail was significantly less exciting, though still enjoyable. After picking it up at the FRT’s northern terminus in Simsbury Center, we rode south for 12 miles along this mostly straight path down through Avon and back into Farmington. This trail was also noticably less shaded at parts which was less than ideal in the day’s peak 87°F heat. All in all, it was a great day for a ride and probably my favorite bike route in Connecticut.
After going to the Alice Cooper concert on Friday, my friend struck me with a proposition: taking a road trip down to Philladelphia to see a Metallica concert for $4 tickets. How did we get such cheap tickets? His father hooked us up with row six veteran’s tickets for Memorial Day weekend. The drive down wasn’t bad. There was no way we were going to pay $18 each way on the New Jersey Turnpike, so we took the shunpike and only added ~30 minutes to the drive. Parking, however, was an absolute mess. It took about an hour to get in and out each way, and we parked in lot T, though parking went all the way out to lot Z… The cost of parking was $40, tenfold the price of our tickets… No matter, we still went on to see the show. It was actually three concerts in one, spanning four hours. The bands were Metallica, Pantera, and Suicidal Tendencies, the last of which we missed while parking, but I probably wouldn’t have liked anyway. The stadium was packed to the brim with a capacity of 63,000 people not including those standing. The concert was LOUD even with earplugs. Pantera was about what I expected, not as much my thing, but Metallica was very enjoyable. My favorites were Whiplash, Wherever I May Roam, and Enter Sandman. We ended the night with a casual 1:00 AM tailgate and grilled up some hot dogs to satisfy our hunger.
Visiting Downtown Philly
I had never been before, so I stopped by the next day for just under an hour. Saw Independence Hall, saw the Liberty Bell, struck up a conversation with an Irishman, admired the fancy Wawa in the Public Ledger building, and left before the parking fee increased. All in all, it was a fun weekend. Happy belated Memorial Day to all of our fallen veterans.
I’ve fallen a bit behind with this blog after having such a busy week, and now I’m trying to play catch up. Last Friday, May 23rd, I went to see Alice Cooper perform at Mohegan Sun. This guy is 77 years old, and he still puts on quite the show! We’re not worthy! My favorite songs were Poison, Lost in America, and Bed of Nails.
Sunday, May 4th, I celebrated Mother’s Day by going on a hike with my mother in People’s State Forest (Chaugham’s, as I’ve always known the hike), in Barkhamsted, CT. This is another fun place to hike. I hadn’t been here in some years, so I ended up parking in a different spot from where I remember being used to. The trail combination we went on was pretty muddy at parts due to the recent storms and a little overgrown in places, but overall, it was very manageable. We hiked about six miles altogether, three in and three out. We sadly had to turn back only a third of a mile before reaching Chaugham’s Lookout in order to make it to our dinner reservation on time. No ticks this time, at least.
Some History Behind the Name
James Chaugham was a Narragansett Indian who lived in the mid-18th century. Hailing all the way from Block Island, RI, he married Mary Barber in Wethersfield, CT. Rumored that her father disapproved of the marriage, the couple moved northwest through the Farmington River Valley, eventually settling out in Barkhamsted and establishing a small community. You can read more here and here.
