Biology & Geology This is a big page with lots of stuff. Outdoor stuff. You won't find nature or Audubon centers here, as they are on the massive museums list. I'll let you sort out whatever else you're looking for. Animals (Aquaria, Zoos, Hatcheries, Wild & Weird Animals) Farms Worth Visiting Plants (Gardens, … [Read more...]
NHL: Portland Brownstone Quarries
CT National Historic Landmark Portland Brownstone Quarries Portland Many of us Connecticut residents who hit the museum circuit have heard apocryphal stories about Portland brownstone being pretty much the most important building material of the 19th century. Or something like that. While that's not remotely true, … [Read more...]
RWA: Lake Hammonasset
Mad Killing It, Yo Lake Hammonasset, Madison & Killingworth January 2021 All Regional Water Authority (RWA) properties require a purchased permit to access. As with many of these Regional Water Authority properties, there's a white-blazed forest road that circumnavigates a reservoir. Which is perhaps the most … [Read more...]
Kettle Hole Trail
HOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLE! Kettle Hole Trail, Ledyard January 2016 When my son Damian was younger, one of his favorite words to say was "hole." Now, Damian didn't develop any speech until around five or six years old, and wasn't able to clearly communicate until maybe seven or eight. But "hole" was one of his first … [Read more...]
Chapman Falls
Devilishly Handsome Chapman Falls, East Haddam I am all-too aware that my pictures of Chapman Falls are some of the weakest on the internet. I know that hundreds of people visit Devil's Hopyard State Park every day and take better pictures of these falls. I've been to the state park, one of the more popular … [Read more...]
Bailey’s Ravine Falls
AYYYYYYYYYYYYYY(ers) Bailey's Ravine/Ayers Gap Falls, Franklin September 2018 There are, quite literally, still thousands of things for me to do in Connecticut. Many of those things are not exciting. Many are. Very few land on the mythical list of “stuff Steve thinks Steve really should have seen by now.” This is … [Read more...]
Mile of Ledges
Miles of Smiles Mile of Ledges, Burlington September 29, 2018 It is quite rare for me to revisit something for this site. With so much still to do, it simply doesn’t make logistical sense to spend an afternoon retracing steps or re-experiencing a museum. But sometimes it’s the right and best thing to do. Such was … [Read more...]
TSTL’17.12: Mashomoquet Brook State Park
The Sky's the Limit 2017 Hiking Challenge #12 Mashamoquet Brook State Park, Pomfret August 13, 2017 Here we are again! Another TSTL Challenge point! For this one, I employed my kindly and fatherly “Let’s see how close we can get to the goal in the car to save your tender young legs” approach. I’ve hiked … [Read more...]
NCLT: Talcott Ravine
No, Really! It’s a Real Ravine! Northern CT Land Trust (NCLT): Talcott Ravine, Vernon ~1.2 miles, May 2017 Be honest with yourself; if someone said, “hey, let’s go check out that ravine in Vernon,” what would you think? You’d think that person is either lying, crazy, or both. Well, the ravine is real. … [Read more...]
Matianuck Sand Dunes Natural Area Preserve
Duuuuuuuune Matianuck Sand Dunes Natural Area Preserve July 2013 "Instead of the gym tomorrow morning, I'm going to the beach." "Um. What?" "Yeah, I'll be home usual time, don't worry about it." "Um. What?" "I just want to hit the sand in the early morning light. It invigorates me." "Um. What?" I … [Read more...]