Bolton Notch State Park Bolton & Vernon It's funny when you realize after 14 years of writing this website and hiking all around the state that there's more to do at a state park you thought you'd entirely explored already. Such is the case here, at Bolton Notch. Now, granted, I like to find and write … [Read more...]
Hockanum River Trail 23: Windemere Avenue
That's Some Kinda Bridge Hockanum River Trails: Windemere Avenue, Vernon & Ellington ~1.3 miles 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 can go … [Read more...]
Hockanum River Trail 22: Franklin Street
Goose Steppin' Hockanum River Trail: 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 can go back to … [Read more...]
Vernon: Complete!
Vernon: Complete! Rein’s Deli Here is the CTMQ Guide to Vernon with my list and stories about everything I've done there! After a decade of writing CTMQ, I decided to try to “complete” towns. In that decade of traveling and writing, I had already done a lot of stuff in many of our towns already. However, I … [Read more...]
Valley Falls Farm Heritage Center
If a Museum Falls in a Valley... Vernon (Google Maps location) June 2017 CT museum visit #355. The organization responsible for this place received a $6,200 grant in 2023 to make it into more of a true museum. Would I bother with this place if not for my goal to completely complete Vernon? No. Of course … [Read more...]
New England Civil War Museum
Don't Burpee Here! It's Civil! Vernon (Google Maps location) December 2016 CT museum visit #337. I was speaking with a friend just two days ago. He lives in Vernon. Aware of CTMQ and what I do, he asked if I’d been to the New England Civil War Museum and then laughed. I said yes. He chuckled, “It’s... … [Read more...]
Hockanum River Trail 20: Dart Hill North
Not a Waste Hockanum River Trails (VGV): Dart Hill North, Vernon ~1.4 miles one way, May 2017 If you are reading these Hockanum River Trails south to north, you have already read the Dart Hills SE & SW Trail page. If you haven’t, it’s a fun one and you should. Better yet, start at the beginning with the HRT … [Read more...]
Talcottville Outdoor Museum
The Main Thing Here Is.. Vernon (Google Maps location) May, 2017 CT museum visit #350. I am hastily writing this page and probably won’t ever call attention to it. This is not a museum. [Update: Now that I've written it, it turned out to be way longer and more interesting than I initially thought.] Now, … [Read more...]
Hockanum River Trail 18&19: Dart Hill SE & SW
Dartin' Around Vernon Hockanum River Trails (VGV): Dart Hill SE & SW, Vernon ~2 miles total, February/May 2017 If you are reading these Hockanum River Trails south to north, you have already read the Pleasantview Marsh page. If you haven’t, it’s a fun one and you should. Better yet, start at the beginning with … [Read more...]
A.K. Webster Preserve
That Soccer Field Still Gets Me... Northern CT Land Trust: A.K. Webster Preserve, Vernon May 2017 Ah yes, that soccer field. I noted it several years ago while poking around Valley Falls Park. I climbed high above the Hop River Rail Trail (which also hosts a mile or so of the Shenipsit Trail here) to check the … [Read more...]