New England Trip 2012 – Day 6 – New London, Connecticut

New England Trip 2012 – Day 6 – New London, Connecticut

We had started out the morning with a visit to Essex, CT, followed that with a quick visit back to Old Saybrook where we had stayed the night before and then we headed back out on the road again heading toward the Connecticut/Rhode Island border. Most the time when I am traveling, I try to stick to the less traveled country roads and avoid the interstates so that I can more easily pull off to the side of the road when I see something that I want to photograph. The only drawback to that approach is the lower speed limits and the potential of getting caught up in local traffic.

I was somewhat surprised to learn that Propane was such an important “gas” in Connecticut.  In Ottawa, when someone refers to “gas” they are normally referring to Natural Gas and not to Propane. I just had to stay alert and watch traffic ahead of me instead of all of the Autumn foliage along the sides of the road :-).

As we passed the Niagara Engine Company No. 1 and   F. L. Allen Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 station I pulled off to the side of the road and depressed the shutter just in time to have my shot blocked by a passing vehicle.  Hard to complain when the vehicle happens to be a fire truck.

We had decided that we would have a late lunch when we arrived in New London, Connecticut so, as soon as I found a parking spot, the search for a restaurant or cafe began in earnest.  As luck would have it, we parked very close to a small cafe called “Muddy Waters”.  With a name like that, the food must be good!!! :-).

As it turns out, the cafe had a small outdoor deck seating area out of its back door (as well as a an interestingly decorated seating area inside). It was cool but nice out on the deck and, although not the most wonderful spot for photographing the harbor, provided a few photo moments as a ferry or two passed by and an Amtrak train whizzed by on the tracks below.

The soup and sandwich that I ordered tasted as good as it looked and a brick wall was there between bites :-).

While Adell looked over the maps and tour guide books, I headed down to the pier to see what else there might be to interest my camera. The street that we had parked on had many vintage buildings which probably each had its own story to tell and I was happy to be walking rather than driving.

New London, CT was the boyhood home of Eugene Gladstone O’Neill (1888 – 1953), a very well known American Playwright, who was awarded a Nobel Prize and four Pulitzer Prizes during his lifetime. A very nice bronze sculpture in his honor overlooks the harbor.

The train station was a short distance away from the exterior is a pretty impressive building. Inside was the normal collection of railway station benches and ticket wickets and on one wall there was a large painting and a number of smaller exhibits.

It was pretty quite around the tracks and docks when I was there but I expect that, if I happened to be there at the same time as a train was arriving and a ferry was arriving, things might get to be a bit hectic for a moment or two.

Pretty soon, it was once again time to get back into the car and cross over the next bridge that we came to.  In this case the bridge would take us along our route to another state, Rhode Island but, before heading there, I just had to stop to photograph more fire hydrants. The seagulls (Ring-billed and Herring) probably thought that they deserved a bit more attention than an orange fire hydrant!!!

 

About Ron

Ron has long had an interest in photography and traveling and, in recent years, has had more time to devote to both activities. Long a Pentax user, Ron switched to Nikon gear when he went digital. The advent of the digital SLR camera, and the ease of the internet blogging process, has provided a venue for sharing his photography and travel experience at the local, national and international level. More about Ron
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