I’m finding it a bit ironic, to some degree, that I’ve ended up back in and around my hometown for our last week in the United States (at least for some time to come). I was born in Manchester, lived in Hebron, had a best friend in Columbia when I was young, and my father still lives in the area.
So now 35’ish years after I left this part of Connecticut we’ve capped it off with intensive walking in prep for our Camino de Santiago travels, selling our car, and spending the little U.S. currency we have remaining, all right here in the Hebron area.
I’m excited to leave and head off to explore the world in-depth with Hillary. I’m excited for our son who is starting his adult life in Shanghai as an NYU student. And, I’m actually quite happy that the last week was spent here.
Apart from spending time with my father, his wife Carol, my half-brother Adam and his family, we’ve walked a lot, on rail trails that I didn’t even know existed here (and may not have when I was younger).
The Air Line Trail (or Trails)
With over 50 miles of trails, the Air Line Trail (or Airline Trail ???), which takes its name roughly from having been laid out “as the crow flies from NYC to Boston”, is more like a series of gravel trails. There are different spur’s that connect, including the Colchester Spur which we walked.
A work in progress since the late 1960’s, much of it only came into being about the time I was leaving Connecticut for Massachusetts. The trail network has a huge number of parking lots allowing easy access from multiple points.
We started our walks from four different spots during our time here. The trails are generally in great shape, wide, gravel covered, and used by walkers, bicyclists, horseback riders, and bird watchers alike.
For more than half our walks, many of which were 15 miles long, we explored different sections of this wonderful trail system. If you are anywhere near this area and like to walk or ride, the State of Connecticut maintains a great website with maps, things to do, and places to stay.
Hop River Trail
Like the Air Line Trail, the State of Connecticut maintains a great website on the Hop River Trail with maps, trailheads, activities, plus places to stay and eat nearby. Like the Airline Trail, the Hop River Trail is well maintained, wide, with crushed gravel and is used by walkers, bikers, horseback riders and more.
Walking this trail was particularly notable for me. Growing up, I often accompanied my father to the veterinary hospital where he worked. We would take Rt 316 (Wall St/Hebron Rd) to where it intersected with Rt 6 (Grand Army of the Republic Highway). When I was growing up there was always a broken railroad bridge at this intersection. Now, however, there is a wonderful pedestrian bridge in its place! For us, this location with ample parking served as a jumping off point for two different days of walking, one toward Bolton and the other toward Willimantic.
The segment toward Bolton was particularly noteworthy for me as it traveled along parts of Rt 6 that I had known well as a child. It also traveled through a tunnel at Bolton Notch, a site close to my fathers office (he is still working today in his late 70’s), and a location where I tried rappelling for the first time ever (and was scared out of my mind).
The segment toward Willimantic is quite a bit quieter, is separated more from the road, and follows the Hop River more closely. The only down side is a missing stretch of trail at Kings Rd forcing a detour onto the road that we preferred to skip.
The Leftover Bits From Our Time in Connecticut
While we spent a very large chunk of time carrying our packs and walking the rail trails surrounding Hebron, we did hit a few other things as well.
One day we drove down to East Lime and Essex, inspired by Nomad Mania, to see the Florence Griswold Museum and all the history and art exhibits. Likewise we stopped by the Connecticut River Museum where we learned more about its history, place in the revolutionary war, and later its importance to shipping in the region.
It was particularly fascinating to learn about the old submarine developed in the colony to sink British vessels. This submarine was entirely hand powered. One crank to submerge, one to advance forward, a lever to steer. One had to deal with an intake of water at your feet as you submerged to reduce buoyancy. Once you found your target you would literally use another crank to drill into the target before releasing the barrel packed with gunpowder, attached by chain to the drill bit in the target, set a timer, and crank as fast as you can to get away before the timed detonation. Yikes!
At then end of our trip to Essex we stopped by The Griswold Inn for lunch at in their tap room which has been serving guests since 1776. Amazing food, attentive staff, and history all around the tap room itself.
Finally some honorable mentions. We found amazing local cheese across the street from our super Airbnb in Colchester at Cato Corner Farm (must try the Womanchengo), enjoyed a fun afternoon at Hop Culture Brewery, also literally across the street, and finally enjoyed another fun dinner at the very cool Irish pub, the Inishsor just minutes down the road.
Nice summary! Thanks for sharing😊