Quaking Mad The Oatmeal Lots, Milford This whole thing fascinates me. When I first learned of the Oatmeal Lots, I thought they were all over the country. Turns out, they were not. They were in only one place, and that place was Milford, Connecticut. Starting in 1902(!), Quaker Oats oatmeal boxes came with a coupon … [Read more...]
Book Review: Barkhamsted Lighthouse
You Never Know What Comes in My Mail... Barkhamsted Lighthouse By Kenneth Feder I'm on a current kick of ripping through a giant stack of books I've had stacked for years. Literally years. Literarily years? Literally. Many of these books are what I lump into the category of "Connecticut books," which surely … [Read more...]
Tidal Marsh Trail
Target This Hike Tidal Marsh Trail, North Haven April 2019 I must admit that I didn't plan to target his hike behind Target. Calvin and I spent the bulk of the day in New Haven, but then ventured out here - to North Haven's sea of strip malls, chain restaurants, and box stores - in order to find a little museum. … [Read more...]
WWII POW Camp (RIP)
POW! Right in the Kisser! WWII POW Camp Windsor Locks Windsor Locks is, in its own way, one of the weirder towns in Connecticut. Sure, it was once a thriving "port" city thanks to the locks along the Connecticut River that gave the town its name. Today, there stands a mile of empty factory shells that stand … [Read more...]
CLCT: Sweetheart Mountain
Sweeeeeeeeeeet! Canton Land Conservation Trust (Canton & Burlington) July 28, 2018 It appears the CLCT has cleared the trails I couldn't hike properly. Which is nice. Son has another Bouncy birthday somewhere in Canton, check. Dad can't wait to, um, foster his son's independence, check. Canton has an unhiked … [Read more...]
Historic Plainville Campgrounds
A Methodist to the Madness Historic Plainville Campgrounds July 2018 Here's the deal. I had half a day to "complete" Plainville. It was then or... never. Okay, not never never, but since one of my remaining things to do in town is only open on weekdays, it would have been a while. And so I set out in a … [Read more...]
Firetown, Simsbury
This seems like an important thing to have. CTMQ's Houses, Ruins, Communities & Urban Legends … [Read more...]
The Stack: Ghost Highway Ramps
*For Informational Purposes Only* The Stack, Farmington This page is, um, purely hypothetical. It describes what I'd imagine a visit to the ghost highway ramps of Farmington would be like. First, some very real background. Remember the first three dozen times you drove on I-84 through Farmington and thought to … [Read more...]
Christmas Village
HO-HO-HO... NO-NO-NO Christmas Village, Torrington December 2017 I do not like lines. I avoid them at all costs. If you read everything I ever write on CTMQ, you’ve noticed that I’ve done my best to avoid lines at the places in Connecticut with lines: Sally’s Apizza, Pepe’s Pizza, Lake Compounce, and a few … [Read more...]
Globe Hollow
Not a Cairn in the World... Globe Hollow, Manchester January 22, 2017 Hoo boy, get ready to have your mind blown. The official town trail description says that the “Globe Hollow Trail” is 1.7 miles long, but there are many more miles of trails here. I couldn’t then – and still can’t now – quite make out … [Read more...]