Connecticut is too cool! How do I love thee; let me count the ways:
- No obnoxious tolls
- Courteous drivers
- Beautiful scenery
- Throwback beauty
- History
- Awesome vibe…
…but I digress. Seriously, you gotta put Essex Twn on your bucket list! What an amazing place. It literally looks like it came from the pages of a story book. It was established in 1664; so…she’s no spring chicken. Essex was bigger and brighter than the rain that lingered. Liz actually thought she saw the Gilmore Girls downtown.
How did they wind up in Essex?; you might have asked.
For starters, our pre-planning led us to only plan short mileages for traversing the Atlantic Coast. So, today was just a 145 mile day. Add to that the weather factor - here's the map:
That's us in the middle of that red spot just to the left of the black pin locator.
Amazingly, Connecticut outshone the inclement weather. Yes, it was clousy and wet, but it didn't dampen the charm of the area. Since we had so much time on our hands, Liz decided we should visit Essex Twn, CT. She had two (2) things on her list; 1)The Connecticut River Museum and 2)The Cheese Shop of Centerbrook. The Cheese Shop won hands down.
Connecticut River Museum - interesting history from War of 1812
The Cheese Shop of Centerbrook - YUM!!
Talk about an area chocked full of history, just read up on Essex and the War of 1812. Lots of stuff happening here for sure. The museum was hosting two Jr. High classes and giving them some up close and personal looks at their heritage and history. Fun for them, a bit distracting for other visitors.
Next we hit the cheese shop. OMG! We immediately decided that lunch would consist of: 1/4 lb. Tres Leches cheese, 1/4 lb. of Sharp Whiskey Cheddar cheese, 1 roll of Usinger's Beef Summer Sausage, one package water crackers, one bottle of Pino Noir, and one pristine patron parking lot wherein to consume the aforementioned dauntingly, delicious delicacies. Worked out rather nicely, if I do say so myself.
It Cherry Blossom Time here in New England. This, too, is a first for us. We've never been here when the cherry trees were abloom. Rather nice!
It rather poured for most of the 40+ miles in Rhode Island. With the back roads and New England speed limits, that equates to about one and one/half hours of nasty driving. When we arrived at our humble abode here in Middletown, RI, we looked back on the entirety of the day...and smiled.
Great that you are catching the Cherry Blossoms.
ReplyDeleteIt lends a beautiful color to the scenery.