Derby/Shelton...One Town Or Two? More of Connecticut

Derby is proud to tell you that they are the smallest "city" in Connecticut.  With just under 13,000 people, they may be right.  It's also been ranked as an All American City back in 2000.  It sits on the Naugatuck River which separates it from the town of Shelton.  To look at these two cities, you would think that they were all one big city.  But just as in the case of Budapest or Buda and Pest, they wish to keep their separate identities.  I respect that.  I love that Derby has it's Derby Day and Shelton has it's Shelton Day.  However, for the tourist, it's a single venue.  If you go to visit one, you will visit both.  Because of the streets and bridges, you might visit one of them entirely involuntarily.

I chose the obvious, which was to visit them both at the same time.  In my quest to visit the state parks, I realized that they each have one, along with the fact that they share a riverfront and it's filled with parks and greenways.  What I found was something spectacular.

Derby/Shelton sits along Route 8, the major thoroughfare for the western part of Connecticut.  They are cities with a small town feel.  Kids wander the streets without their parents and ride their bikes to the parks.  Public transportation is area, not city provided in the bus system; however Metro North does stop there with one combined stop for Derby/Shelton.  One thing I can tell you is that the people of this area spend their time along the Naugatuck River; the entity that divides them.  They work, live and play on the river.  It is lined with parks, walks, houses, and even the rowing house for Yale University.

My visit started at Indian Well State Park in Shelton.  I'd heard about the waterfall.  What I hadn't heard about was this gorgeous park next to the railroad along the river with a boat launch, pavilions, beautiful beaches and a huge bath house to change your clothes in.  There is nothing that isn't scenic about this place.  I came down Route 34 to get there that day, so I came down the opposite side of the river and saw it from across the way.  I thought that there must be another state park in the vicinity, because I couldn't imagine that this park was the one that I read about where people only talked about a waterfall.  The park is outstanding for a waterfront park.  The beaches are gorgeous, even though there will be no lifeguards for the foreseeable future thanks to cutbacks here in the state.  Ironically, the one thing that I did not see was a waterfall.

So I took in the view for a while and consulted Google.  They told me that the trail to the waterfall was directly across from the parking area.  There were several parking areas, but I was parked in the biggest one and there was a trail across the street.  I grabbed my things and took off to where the trail was.  It was called the Pawgusset Trail and it ran right up the hill on the other side of the street.  It was marked, which Google said it was not, but I thought I would try it anyway.  It was the only trail I could find.

I found a lot of things along that trail.  I found three housing additions, a construction site, a sign telling me that I was on the trail to the well that feeds the waterfall.  I even found some random birdhouses in the woods.  I found some unusual trail markers.  I found other people looking for the waterfall.  I saw squirrels, and chipmunks, and a relatively unhappy ground hog.  What I and no one else could find, was a waterfall.  I followed every trail I could find to no avail.  Then, on my way down, I saw a man with watershoes on.  I asked him, and it turned out that he'd lived there his whole life.  He told me that the trail to the waterfall was across the street from a parking area down the road from the park.

I did what the nice man said, and there it was.  With a sign at the beginning of the trail warning you not to climb on or jump off of the rocks; I knew I'd found the right spot.  Sure enough, I followed a trail lined with beautiful wildflowers for a little over a quarter of a mile and I found the falls at Indian Well.  Of course, Connecticut is having a huge drought, so there was little to no water, but I found it and that's all that counts.  Now that I know where it is, I can see how beautiful it must be when there's water, so I will be back.

The next stop for me was the middle of the two towns and the river.  The Naugatuck River Greenway is the centerpiece of Derby/Shelton.  Most of the greenway is in Derby.  The great thing about this place is that it offers such a variety of scenery.  You never know what you'll find.  There are all kinds of bridges to see and walk on.  You even walk right under Route 8.  You also walk both over and under the railroad.  You can sit and watch trains go by, enjoy the wildlife, check out the scenic vistas, and get some exercise all at the same time.  The main walk is just around three miles, and it's worth taking the walk.  It's urban scenery at it's finest.

I'd walked many miles that day, but I had one last state park to check out.  Osbornedale State Park is in Derby.  It's a scenic park with meadows running up the hills and a great little lake.  There's a pavilion for picnicking, and there's a sign that says you can swim.  I didn't really see a beach, but I didn't take the time to look around a lot either it was getting late and I had to get home.  It was a beautiful little park and right up the road are the Osborne Museum and a wildlife sanctuary to go with it.  Delightful properties and some beautiful places to spend some time.

One thing that Osbornedale seemed to come with was a gaggle of Canadian Geese that were very tame and friendly.  They posed very well for me to play with my camera.  They work for corn, which is a pretty good deal.

So, the wonders of Derby/Shelton are all around, but I promise you that they all center around the river.  It's a quiet community with a ton of restaurants serving all kinds of food.  There are a lot of little stores instead of chains, although the Home Depot is visible from the greenway.  It's an area of hidden treasures and great parks.  Although it sits right on one of the busier roads in Connecticut, it seems as though you are a million miles away from the hustle and bustle.  It's small town life in a world that is no longer living small town life.  It's like a step back in time, but yet with a modern flair.  The wonders of Derby/ Shelton are fun and relaxing, all at the same time.  So come and see the smallest city in Connecticut and it's partner and check out life along the river and enjoy!

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https://www.facebook.com/adventuresforanyone?fref=ts
https://www.fictionpress.com/u/530752/Nina-Kindred

More of Connecticut in Groton!

Groton, Connecticut is really something different.  It's part of what I call a megalopolis of parks and water.  I started my explorations of the area years ago just like everyone else did in Mystic, home of the Seaport, the Aquarium, and a whole lot of shopping.  There you can go to the beach, eat fresh seafood, and of course, get a Mystic Pizza.  But, if you start working your way west, you just keep on trucking.  Noank is gorgeous.  Groton's Long Point is fabulous.  On the other side you have the waterfront in New London.  You also have Fort Trumbull, Ocean Beach Park and all of it's shoreline.  Next you come across Harkness State Park in Waterford and all the scenery there.  Well, in the middle of all that sits Groton.

Groton is run on submarines.  There is a submarine base there with a great museum.  They also build submarines in Groton.  If you don't like submarines, don't go there and certainly don't live there.  This town is almost all business, and that business is submarines.

That being said, if you do like submarines, you should check out the Nautilus Museum at the Groton Submarine Base.  The Nautilus was the first nuclear submarine to go under the North Pole.  The sub is famous and it was made in Groton.  The museum is really interesting and tells you a lot about how submarines work and their history in battle.  The submarine itself is fascinating.  I love military museums.  I find it amazing that our military personnel go through as much as they do without even talking about battle.  They deserve our utmost respect.  Submarines are truly functional.  They are dark and cramped and the bunks would give me nightmares.  Hats off to the amazing military folks who live like this to help protect our country.

As I mentioned, Groton and it's partner, New London, have a long military history.  It goes back to the Revolutionary War.  This is the land of Benedict Arnold.  I never knew that much about his history until I visited Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park.  This place is amazing.  It's the ruins of the old fort that was there during the Revolutionary War.  It was an earthen fort for the most part, with a wooden building in the middle of the earthen ramparts.  There were tunneled walks for coverage and all along the bottom wall is where the guns were.  This fort, along with Fort Trumbull across the way, were the guardians of the Thames River where it meets the sea.  Unfortunately, the battles that were fought here were lost to Benedict Arnold and his British forces after he switched sides during the war.  What we have today, is a lovely monument that you can climb, beautiful grounds to wander that have a great view of the river and New London, and a good museum.

The museum tells you a lot about the time of the revolution in Groton and New London, and it tells you all about the Arnold family and Benedict's turn of events that made him choose to fight with the British.  It's interesting stuff.

The view from the monument is amazing too.

However, Fort Griswold is not the only state park in the area.  Just a couple of miles away is Bluff Point State Park.  This is a  great place to spend some time.  It used to be that people had cottages along the shores of this park.  They would come down in their horse and carriages and spend some time along the shore at the beach.  They would go swimming or clamming and have a great time.  It was good for rich people.  Until the hurricane of 1938 came along and trashed everything.  The rich people decided to not bother to rebuild and we all got a beautiful state park.  You can still ride horses there.  You can swim and go clamming.  You can walk for miles as well.  It's a beautiful park with some great shoreline.  It should not be missed.

Almost right around the corner is state park number three.  Haley Farm State Park is just that.  It used to be a farm.  It's a lovely piece of property that the locals insisted on maintaining once the days of the farm were over.  You can get some great views of the water, walk a field, watch the train go by and see some great ruins.  There are remnants of the apple orchard that they used to have and some of the biggest stone walls I've ever seen.  There are foundations from the buildings on the old farm and even some fences.  It's all very scenic and it's nestled in a residential neighborhood and a little difficult to find.  It is quieter than some other parks, so if you like to have the place to yourself, you will love it there.

So, while Groton is an industrial town with a military history, it has a lot of beautiful scenery to offer.  Just walking along the river is amazing.  Sure, you can go to the adventure park and climb through the trees, but you could also walk where farmers used to be or see a beautiful shoreline.  Groton is much more than most people give it credit for, and I hope that people pay more attention now.  So, don't overlook this city.  Don't pass it by on your way to Mystic.  It's worth the stop to learn history, see amazing technology, and enjoy the beauty along the shore.  And who knows?  You might be like me and get to see a submarine coming home from a tour of duty.  So, come and enjoy!

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More of Connecticut with Race Day!

As I spent my spare time investigating my state of residence, Connecticut, this summer, I couldn't overlook the high octane chances of race days in the state.  I don't normally go to racing events, which people refer to as a sport and I disagree.  But, for the sake of investigation, I went out and saw the spectre.  Lime Rock is probably the best known of the motor speedways in Connecticut.  Nestled in the northwest hills in a place that has virtually no residents, this is one of the state's premier racing venues.  I was fortunate in that I got to attend the Le Mans series race weekend where there are cars from all over the world.  This is not your local stuff, folks.  This is real professional racing, and if you follow it, you know that Le Mans is an international circuit.  If you watch Grey's Anatomy, you will also note that Dr. Dreamy, Patrick Dempsey is one of the circuit's race car drivers.  He wasn't there this year, but he does come.

One of the great things about Lime Rock is the atmosphere.  You can pretty much wander wherever you want.  There are lots of places to view the race from and there's lots of good food and drink available.  It is a road track, so you won't get to see the whole track from anywhere, but you can choose your spot.  Your tickets do not limit you to one seat.

Other advantages of attending events at Lime Rock are pit row walks where you get to see the cars up close and personal, meet and greets with the drivers where you get to see them and their cars in the off track work spaces, and you may even get to take your picture with the Michelin Man.  It's a lot of fun, and the access and freedom of seating are two of the biggest perks of this environment.  You will pay for all of this, however.  Lime Rock is the most expensive track  in Connecticut to attend an event at.  But, Lime Rock is also a club.  So, if you are a member, you get plenty of chances on the weekend to race your own car at Lime Rock.  Pretty cool.

In the wilds of northeastern Connecticut is Stafford Motor Speedway.  This track is an oval and caters to a variety of events.  They have weekly local racing and NASCAR's Whelen racing.  It's a casual track with general admission and no assigned seating.  They do also turn their infield into a monster truck venue a couple of times a year, so that the locals can see something different.

One of the perks of Stafford is that the locals are the friendliest bunch in the racing world in Connecticut.  These folks will make you feel right at home no matter what's going on.  They love to get out and party at the race track.  The food here is also fabulous.  The pricing here is good with most events being less than $20, but weather is a factor here.  The police in Stafford Springs will shut the place down if they think that the storms are too much.  It's not even in the hands of the operators here.  If they shut down, they do offer rain checks, which is good.  But, they do not offer refunds which can be frustrating for those of us who don't have every weekend free to go to the races.

There are two other raceways in Connecticut.  I didn't learn a lot about them this summer.  Hopefully, I will get a chance to next summer.  The speedway in Thompson has several events and has been a NASCAR historic speedway for years.  They have both major and local events and they do change their status from time to time.  They are currently a road course instead of an oval course.  It doesn't sound as if that's always been the case.  I'll learn more when I get a chance to get over there and see for myself.

The other one is Waterford's Speedbowl.  This is a small oval track that does both local and Whelen racing.  It's a short track, hence the term bowl.  This place would remind you a lot of Bristol with NASCAR.  It's again, a weekend spot with friendly locals and lots of different styles of racing.  The pricing here is also moderate and the seating comes with great views.

Racing is just one of many things that most people don't associate with Connecticut, but it's here and we do enjoy it.  I never thought that I would enjoy going to races, but I have to say that I will be back and come to see some more.  It's not even so much about the racing for me.  It's the wonderful cars, the wonderful participants, the wonderful fans and the great atmosphere.  It's something that makes you happy you got off your couch and went somewhere for the day.  I mean, you can watch Lime Rock's Le Mans race on television.  You probably have a better view of the race that way.  But you don't get to meet the spectators, the race car drivers or Dr. Dreamy sitting on your sofa.  So, Once again, come see us in Connecticut and experience racing Connecticut style.  You'll be glad you did.  You'll be surprised.  You'll have a lot of fun.  You'll enjoy.

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