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ACTIVE OUTDOORS: COASTING IN CONNECTICUT
TIM JONES |
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Tim Jones/ Daily News Correspondent
Thursday, July 27, 2006
When most people think of Connecticut, natural beauty and outdoor pursuits aren't the first things that come to mind --maybe not even for the people who live there.
Certainly a high percentage of the cars you see at recreation areas farther north have Connecticut plates. After a couple of days of exploring, I had to wonder if these folks know what they are missing in their own back yard. The Nutmeg State may be
small in size and densely populated, but it's a great place to play outdoors. You just have to look for opportunities in the hills, along the rivers and, especially, along the sheltered coastline of Long Island Sound.
Business took me to New Haven (www.newhavencvb.org) recently and, of course, I found time to go exploring.
A longtime friend, Steve Muskie, who just happens to be an outstanding writer and outdoor photographer, told me about kayaking around the Thimble Islands, not far from New Haven. (You can see his view of the Thimbles at www.outtakes.com/thimble/thimblestne.html.) His description of paddling dozens of tiny islands inhabited by sea birds, seals and summer folks intrigued me. I had to see them for myself.
The harbor at Stony Creek, the jumping off point for the Thimbles, is a perfect little coastal gem, busy on a summer morning, but not bustling. Two motor-launches offer narrated sightseeing tours around the Thimbles, which give you a look at the islands
and a sense of their history. But these tours are about as physically engaging as watching a travel documentary on TV. Take the tour if you want for the history and human interest, but the best view of the Thimble Islands is from a kayak you paddle
yourself.
Don't worry if you're not an expert kayaker. Except in a hard south wind, the waters here are well-protected and easy to paddle. This is a great area to test the waters, so to speak, for your first time in a kayak.
If you're not comfortable jumping in a boat and heading out on your own, Connecticut Coastal Kayaking (860-391-3837; www.ctcoastalkayaking.com) offers guided trips. They'll supply the boats and instruction you need to get started.
Not needing the extra service, my paddling friend Renny and I rented a couple of wide, stable but surprisingly nimble Heritage kayaks from Action Sports (203-4815511; www.actionsportsct.com) in nearby Branford and headed out on our own. They even delivered the kayaks to the launch site, and met us there four hours later. Great service.
We spent our four hours quietly poking around in and among the islands, admiring the pink granite rock formations on the uninhabited islands and enjoying the views of the homes, which ranged from elegant Victorian cupcake houses to a houseboat
anchored next to a tiny island that had a gazebo in the middle. One of the houses was once owned by Gen. Tom Thumb of circus fame; a hidden cove in another island was purportedly the hideout of the infamous pirate Capt. Kidd. We were accompanied in our journey by herring and black-backed gulls and floated quietly
over elegantly pulsating jellyfish. Except when the occasional working boat rumbled by or a tour boat passed with its loudspeakers blaring, the islands were quiet.
By the end of the day, our upper bodies had had a great workout and we'd seen most of the islands up close and personal in a way you'd never see them from a tour boat. We'd experienced natural beauty and peace and quiet you'd never expect to find only three miles from busy I-95.
I bunked that night in nearby Madison at the Dolly Madison Inn about a block from the beach, and spent most of the next day exploring Hammonasset Beach State Park (http://dep.state.ct.us/stateparks/parks/hammonasset.htm).
There's a lot to do here. The park roads are flat and well maintained for biking or inline skating. There's an abandoned roadway that makes a pleasant mountain bike ride, and the hiking trails looping around this peninsula park get you away from the
bustle of the beaches, into areas of sea strand, marshes and coastal forests that help you feel like you've really escaped from civilization. I saw more shorebirds than people in most of my exploring.
That afternoon, I went on a guided two-hour canoe trip on the Hammonasset River offered by the Meigs Point Nature Center (203-245-8743). The trip was easy enough for beginning paddlers -- some of the participants had never been in a canoe and they had a great time.
Coastal marshes are a wonderful place to paddle a canoe. The water flows gently and the surrounding lands are alive with bird life. Paddling along, we got closeup looks at two kinds of egrets stalking small fish in the shallows, cormorants, marsh wrens, redwing blackbirds and two different pairs of ospreys nesting on platforms built for their benefit in the marsh. Fiddler crabs scurried on the muddy fringes of the marsh. It's a beautiful spot, and having a trained naturalist along just made everything more visible and more interesting.
More to do
After spending part of two days on the Connecticut coast, I didn't feel like I'd even begun to explore the outdoor opportunities. While in the city on business, I saw kayakers and windsurfers playing on the harbor. There are all kinds of places to explore in a canoe or kayak along the Quinnipiac River. The ridges above New Haven are laced with hiking trails. You can even sail in the tall ship Quinnipiac out into the harbor for a sunset cruise (not active, but after a day on the water in a canoe or kayak, it's a pleasant way to relax).
Freelance writer Tim Jones covers travel and outdoor sports. Contact him at timjones@active-outdoors.com.
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Tim Jones is the Executive Editor of www.EasternSlopes.com, Your Four-Season Guide To The Good Life In The Mountains
Tim Jones
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