Batz&*^% Crazy! Kimball Trail & Batz Property, Ellington April 2019 Please don't be alarmed. Yes, I'm combining two trails, miles apart from each other, onto one page. I don't even know why I'm doing this, as it's not often that I do. Both properties are owned by the town of Ellington, both (more or less) have one … [Read more...]
NCLT: Ernie Boothroyd Nature Preserve
Finding Balance Balanced Rock Trail, Ernie Boothroyd Preserve, Northern CT Land Trust Ellington After finding the trailhead here, out in the far eastern reaches of the Ellington panhandle, I was immediately struck by how nice the sign was. It's clearly quite new, but the creator used some great fonts and the … [Read more...]
NCLT: Swann Farm
My Swann Song (For a Week or Two) Northern Connecticut Land Trust (NCLT): Swann Farm, Ellington 0.5 miles, March 2019 Normally, I would write up a half-mile hike, hit publish, link it at the appropriate places, not really tell anyone, and call it a day. But this half-mile hike, which is certainly not a hike I'd … [Read more...]
Hockanum River Trail: Windemere Avenue
That's Some Kinda Bridge Hockanum River Trails: Windemere Avenue ~1.3 miles one way, March 2019 If you are reading these Hockanum River Trails south to north, you have already read the Dart Hills North Trail page. If you haven’t, it’s a fun one and you should. I’ll wait. We’ve made it. All the way up to the … [Read more...]
Cold Creek Brewery & Tavern
Cold Creek Brewery & Tavern Ellington Multiple 2015-2019 visits With the explosion of breweries in Connecticut between 2012 and (at least) 2020, there were bound to be some weird bumps along the way. One such weird bump is Cold Creek in Ellington. The brewery appeared to be fairly successful; operating like any … [Read more...]
Metcalf Nature Preserve
I Met a Calf Metcalf Nature Preserve, Ellington ~0.75 miles, March 2019 Regarding my title above, I didn't actually meet a calf on this hike. But since it's in Ellington, you believed me, didn't you? Of course you did. Ellington is one of Connecticut's fastest growing towns which means there are new houses … [Read more...]
NCLT: Sunset Hill Trail
A Good Lesson on Winter Sun Angles Northern CT Land Trust (NCLT): Sunset Hill Trail, Ellington ~0.5 miles, March 2019 It has been another long winter here in Connecticut... not so much because of excessive snow or cold, but because my son Calvin is seven and has a very full social calendar. Fuller than mine has … [Read more...]
The Ellington Eight
Just a Quirk of Geography Ellington There are two towns in Connecticut that border 8 other Connecticut towns. One is Shelton, though several of its border towns are "across" the Housatonic River. Shelton's border towns are Monroe, Oxford, Seymour, Derby, Orange, Milford, Stratford, and Trumbull. However, the … [Read more...]
Hockanum River Trail: Franklin Street Trail
Goose Steppin' Hockanum River Trails (The EHRTC): Franklin Street Trail, Vernon & Ellington ~.75 mile one way, March 2019 If you are reading these Hockanum River Trails south to north you have already read... there's no single way to hike the Ellington trails, so I have no idea where you've come from. But you … [Read more...]
CTMQ’s Guide to Ellington
Everything Ellington I’ve been exploring and writing about Connecticut since 2006. After a decade, I began compiling CTMQ guides for each town in the state. I plan on “completing” Ellington CTMQ-style... as well as the other 168 towns, cities, and boroughs in Connecticut. After all, that is the ultimate goal of … [Read more...]