Connecticut, Hop River Trail

New England Trip, Day 3 We drove just 30 minutes from the hotel to the trail head which should have provided an early start to our ride, but my tire had gone flat.  I couldn't find a leak in the tube so I put the tube back, pumped it up and hoped for the best.

From the new parking lot, we crossed a new bridge over the Willimantic River on to the Hop River Trail.  Connecticut has a lot of biking options.  Our trail choice proved to be a good one as the rails-to-trail led us through yellow and gold autumn-shrouded forests.  The weather was excellent once again.

Yellow and gold autumn-shrouded forests

A gradual elevation gain on the outbound journey provides a nice boost to tired riders on the way back.

Burnap Brook

Perfect spot for lunch

Backstory

Chillin' at Bolton Notch State Park

No question about it, New England is rocky.  When the last Ice Age's glaciers receded, they left behind millions of tons of stone.  Early farmers cleared these plow-impeding stones from their fields and piled them on the edges.  

The supply of stone seemed endless. A field would be cleared in the autumn, and there would be a whole new crop of stones in the spring. This is due to a process known as “frost heave.” As deforested soils freeze and thaw, stones shift and migrate to the surface. “People in the Northeast thought that the devil had put them there,” says Susan Allport, author of the book Sermons in Stone: The Stone Walls of New England and New York. “They just kept coming.”

This process was replicated at thousands of farms across the region.  This collective act of labor built 240,000 miles of stone walls -- equivalent to building Great Pyramid of Giza 60 times.

New England loves rock walls

The trend continues today as office buildings and shopping centers feature stone walls as part of their landscaping.  After our ride, we sidetracked to Nathan Hale's Homestead secluded in the Nathan Hale State Forest.  It's apparent that Nathan came from a well-to-do family as the homestead is impressive (lots of stone walls).  While we were there, staff was giving a tour for a prospective wedding reception. 

Nathan Hale's Homestead
("I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.")

There is some controversy about whether Hale's actually made this statement moments before his hanging as a spy.  I'm not one to ruin a good story so let's give him full credit for a heroic death.

Mysteriously, my tire remained inflated until the last day of the trip.

Route on Hop River Trail

Next stop Snowdon Chalet, in Londonderry, VT.

State:	Connecticut
Date:	2019-10-18
Route:	Hop River Trail, Willamantic (Mackey's) to Bolton Notch State Park
Distance:	28 miles