A final few images from the soggy late summer. The Farmington River reaches the Pinchot Sycamore, and damage to the new paved trail in northern Bloomfield.
Stay safe.
September 13, 2021 | The Wet Summer that Was
Tag: Bloomfield
June 1, 2021 | Do You Believe in Ferries?
I’ve heard tale of mythical entities from ages past that dwell deep in the woods of our fair state. If one hazards the trip to a certain mystical location along the banks of the Tidal River, you’ll be suddenly whisked away. No one knows for certain the final fate of these poor souls, but rumors persist that they can invariably be found on the opposite shore.
This ride starts on the Bloomfield green, then meanders through backroads in an all-out effort to avoid Cottage Grove Road. The charm point here is a sidewalk between Ellsworth and Eagleton, bridging the cavernous divide between cul-de-sacs and joining the disparate locations of Bloomfield and Windsor together as one.
As with all battles to avoid 218, this one ends in abject failure, but at least the crossing is purely lateral and, ignoring a stack of dismembered tree parts that absolutely should not be trespassed upon, we arrive at Windsor Meadows State Park.
Next we grit our teeth traversing the Bissell Bridge and Route 5 before ignoring the unrelenting quaintness of Glastonbury, slowly closing in on our destination…
Goal!
And with space warping magic…
Now we’re in Rocky Hill!
On the way home through Wethersfield, I’m delighted to find the town has been taken over by bicycles.
But this one’s both decorative and useful.
November 14, 2020 | Lawful & Orderly / Old-New-Gate
A gray day. An overcast day. A perfect day to visit a colonial-era prison!
On the way up: North Bloomfield’s “Rock Garden of Encouragement” has been supplemented by a “Bridge of Remembrance”.
Further up: some familiar blue blazes just off the road… It’s the Metacomet Trail, second only to the Farmington River in “things you’re likely to randomly run into” cycling north metro.
And more bystanders enthralled by Grand Toro:
Finally: the wall, our destination.
The museum is closed at the moment, but the outside displays include the stocks and pillory. Included is a helpful caption explaining the difference, and a list of various nefarious deeds that might land you in one.
A slightly more upbeat attraction: a plaque decoding the view from the hillside.
A descent and veer onto Copper Hill Road, and we run into yet another trail: the greenway home.
And the sun emerges. Hoping for a brighter future for us all.
October 11, 2020 | Planes, Trains, and Velomobiles
After one too many rides along the Farmington, it’s time to take a ride along the truly mighty Connecticut River.
The ride starts taking in the respective town greens of Bloomfield and Windsor, with a quick detour by Windsor Station to see the train roll by.
On the way up to Windsor Locks, we actually do pass over the Farmington River. This is a bit upstream from where it drains into the Connecticut River.
A quick sail through the historic district, and it’s off to the Canal Trail…
In ages past, the canal let ships navigating the Connecticut bypass a particularly treacherous portion of the river. Today the area is presided over by bald eagles, who magnanimously allow humans passage through their territory.
Grand Poombah 
Humans 
River, trail, canal
From the Suffield end, we turn west and battle headwinds on exposed roads, passing Bradley Field.
And back through Poquonock, for one more encounter with that other river.
May 28, 2020
May rolls around, bringing with it warmer weather more snow.
But eventually it does warm up a bit, and the rides resume. The ironies of the social distancing era have included crowded stores, crowded greenways, and non-solo bike rides (with the quaranteam).
Trips up north brought us to the banks of the mighty placid Farmington River, cutting through Tariffville Gorge…
Chicken coops in the backwoods…
But possibly most interesting/unexpected was this “rock garden” of encouragement in North Bloomfield.
