Four Great Fall Bike Rides in CT (for beginners)

Fall 2020 was the year of bike riding for us.  In the past, trying out some of Connecticut's bike paths were on my bucket list, but there never seemed to be enough time between school, work, extracurricular activities, and busy weekend errands.  

This year, we found the time!  Of course, when I finally made the commitment to begin scanning stores to buy Little Lewie a new bike, most stores were sold out.  (Unsurprisingly, bicycle riding had become a phenomenon in the age of COVID, especially during those early months when there were less cars on the road, and bike riding became the perfect  solution for social distancing.)  Since we weren't prepared to pay $500+ for a bike, we repurposed our old ones.  My rusty old bike got some WD-40, and my mom's bike, with the exception of having flat tires, was almost in perfect condition.  Thankfully, Little Lewie didn't care about using a "girl's bike," and he was actually quite happy with my mom's padded bike seat!

Since we are beginners when it comes to bike riding at best, we chose four great bike paths, each known for being relatively flat, paved, and scenic.  Since Lewie hadn't been on a bike in about a year (the last time was during our Yellowstone trip), he told me that he had forgotton about how much fun bike riding could be!! For me, I enjoyed the time spent with my son and the beautiful scenery around us.  Connecticut is such a beautiful state with so much variety.

Hammonasset Beach State Park - Experience Connecticut's Coast

Being "Connecticut's largest shoreline park," Hammonasset Beach State Park boats over two miles of beach with a well-paved path for walking/biking.   The path follows the beach, some marsh areas, and goes right into the campground.  Since we're beginners and like to bike at a slow, relaxed pace, the ride took us about 45 minutes to go from one side to the other and then back.  Of course, the best part of this trip is being able to enjoy the beach afterwards.  Since we went off-season, the snack bars were closed, and it was too cold for swimming, but we still had a chance to walk on the sand and take in the sights and smells of the ocean.

West Hartford Reservoir - Experience Forest and Lakes

The well-paved trail around West Hartford Reservoir was easy to follow, and we loved that it had separate lanes for walkers and bikers.  Every once in a while we'd have a stray walker veer into our territory, but a quick "Excuse us" would help us get by.  Since we're beginners, this trail was the hardest because it was slightly hilly.  A few times, I had to gasp get off my bike and walk it uphill (red face and all), but going downhill made it so worth the embarrassment!  My favorite part of this ride is when we we followed the edge of the lake before we made another exhilerating downhill turn.  The rush of the wind against our faces was fun!

Farmington River Trail: Canton to Collinsville - Experience a Small New England Mill Town

The Farmington River Trail is one of my favorites.  I've gone on many walks here, but we've never taken our bikes.  The trail is fun because it follows the beautiful Farmington River and then climbs over a cool bridge, which dumps us right into the heart of Collinsville's Historic District.  Having been a mill town since the start of the Collins Company, an axe and tool factory established in 1826, its one of the few nineteenth century manufacturing villages (out of 200+ in the State of Connecticut) that still survives and "has retained [its] historic and architectural integrity of both individual structures and their setting." (Collinsville Historic District)  The best part of this trail is that it can be combined with a fun day of learning.  Bike racks make it possible, so you can stop in Collinsville to eat and to visit the Collinsville Historical Museum, which is located right across the street. (They have a great collection of artifacts and some wonderful docents that help explain the rich history of life in New England back in the 1700's, 1800's,  and 1900's.)

While I've been to the museum before, on this particular bike trip, the museum was closed due to COVID.  However, Lewie and I were able to enjoy a delicious outside breakfast from Lasalle's Market and Deli.  Oh, and they serve ice cream any time of the day, so I may have gotten a chocolate milkshake for breakfast while Lewie feasted on some French toast and chocolate ice cream for dessert. (I can't imagine what could make a bike ride more fun!)

Farmington Canal Heritage Trail: Cheshire to Hamden - Experience an Historical Canal and Railroad Route

The Farmington Canal Heritage Trail is an 80+ mile greenway in New England.  In Connecticut, it spans 54 miles through 11 towns, running from New Haven to Suffield.  The canal heritage trail has an interesting history, especially from 1825-1848 when an actual canal was constructed as a means of water/boat transportation to bring cargo between New Haven, Connecticut and Northampton, Massachusetts. (The decision to create this canal came from the fame and success of the 363-mile Erie Canal.)  It is said, "On average the Farmington Canal was 36 feet wide and four feet deep with a 10 foot wide towpath.  The canal boats themselves were 85 feet long and were pulled along by horses or mules."  Unfortunately, the canal was poorly constructed, which meant it had leaks, and at some points, the banks collapsed.  It was never able to turn a profit, and for this reason, "the shareholders of the Farmington Canal Co. petitioned the legislature for authority to build a railroad," which would replace the commercial operations of the Canal. (History FCHT)

Admittedly, Lewie and I only had a chance to explore about four miles of this route from Cheshire to Hamden.  In this area, "the canal route" is dissected by many side roads where our riding must stop to avoid oncoming traffic.  (In some cases, no cars are coming, and we can cross without stopping.)  We usually begin our trip at Lock 12 Historical Park, which is one of the last existing places where remnants of the canal can be seen.  (A lock is a device used for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on a canal waterway). Then we proceed into Hamden before turning around to come back.  I didn't take pictures from this year's journey on the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, but here are some fun pictures from the first time we did it in 2017.  (Lewie was nine.)

There are still more bike routes to explore here in Connecticut, but so far, these are our favorites.  I hope in 2021, we'll be able to find the same time again to enjoy them like we did in 2020.

Lake Tahoe - You Have My Heart

When I knew we were taking a trip to Yosemite, the first thing I did was map out a trip to Lake Tahoe.  I soon learned that Lake Tahoe was about three hours away from Mammoth Lakes, so I made sure we spent a day there before going home.

You see, Lake Tahoe has a special place in our heart.  In 2005, Lew and I scheduled a trip there without knowing much about the place.  It cost us $500 for both of us round trip--this included plane tickets and lodging.  (I laugh about how much cheaper it was to travel back then.)  We were engaged to be married and thought this would be a fun, last-minute, August vacation before the summer ended.

Little did we know that we would soon fall in love with the place.  We kayaked, hiked, rented a jet ski, and even rented a Harley.  (It takes two full hours to travel around the entire lake.)  The water was so clear, we could see to the bottom of our toes, and the night sky was so dark and crisp that we could see so many stars--even shooting stars.  It's honestly one of those trips that I find myself reminiscing about the most.

While we hiked, we soon saw that Lake Tahoe was a family destination.  There were plenty of campgrounds with children and their parents.  Knowing Lew and I were soon to be married in 2006, I daydreamed about coming back when we had a family.  How cool would it be for our own children to experience this place!

Now, fast-forward thirteen years later, and we came back!  Granted, we didn't stay overnight, which is something I would like to do, but we did get to rent bicycles and ride to the historic Camp Richardson.  We put our feet in the water (the water is still cold there in June) and stopped for some ice cream before traveling back.  The beaches and the water were just as beautiful as I remembered, and I honestly cried when we left.  Maybe it was the memories of being a couple, maybe it was the joy of now being a family and bringing Lewie here, or maybe it was the spiritual connection I feel to this place.  I was sad to leave, but it was definitely an amazing way to end our trip.  I promised myself we will be back again.  Although, I am not going to wait another 13 years to do it!

Maybe I can make Lake Tahoe part of my five-year plan?  I'm not ready to say goodbye.

First Bike Adventure with Little Lewie

A few days ago, we went on our annual Delaware trip to visit family.  (It's more like a long four-day weekend, than a full vacation.)  We stayed in Rehoboth Beach, and just like last year, I eagerly awaited the opportunity to ride our bicycles on the boardwalk. 

Last summer, I requested a small bike with training wheels for Little Lewie, and I ran after him on the boardwalk trying to make sure he did his best to avoid any collisions with people, other bikers, etc.  It was fun, but it was a lot of pedaling for Little Lewie, and his excitement was worn away by sheer exhaustion.  In the end, I think I had more fun following him taking pictures than he did riding.

This year, thank goodness, was different.  I worked with Little Lewie this spring to help him learn to ride his bike without training wheels, and so he was eager also to test his new skill on the boardwalk.  We rented a bike he felt comfortable with, and then I rented a three-speed bicycle for myself.   The lady working at the bike rental shop gave me a map of the Rehoboth Beach area and showed me trails and backroads we could explore.  "The boardwalk is tough for young riders because there's so much traffic.  He'd be better off going on the backroads with you where there's very little cars or people," she advised.

I thought about it for a moment and decided she was right.  We both had bicycles now; why not take them out for a true bike adventure?  We followed Surf Avenue on the coast, which led us right into Henlopen Acres (a beautiful seaside community filled with multimillion dollar homes).  In Connecticut, such a place would have been labeled as a "private community" where outsiders are not welcome, but not here!  The very quiet roads and tall trees provided a park-like setting, and so we had a blast exploring the area, and I didn't have to worry about Little Lewie getting into any accidents.  Even more, the tall trees provided shade--which is not like the very hot, unprotected boardwalk.

This employee at the bike rental shop has the same name as Lewie.  Little Lewie really wanted a picture with him.  I think he reminds him of Lew, Sr. (our beloved Papa who past away last September)

We ended our second adventure with a cup of Rocky Road ice-cream--my favorite!

Little Lewie and I LOVED our bike adventure.  In fact, we loved it so much, we came back for a second time and explored new roads inside the community.  The folks at the bike rental place didn't even charge us for a second day's rental; they were so nice!

In April as I coaxed Lewie to push his bike without training wheels and practice gliding, I was daydreaming of a day when we could go riding and exploring together.  Little did I know we would have our first bike outing two months later!  We're on a "roll" now (no pun intended); I'm ready to begin planning some more--and Lewie, well he can't wait too.  He told me he loves "exploring."