Our journey down the Connecticut River has brought us into all manners of New England towns. Some are just a post office and a library like Guildhall, some are the stopover of cruising motorcycles like Lancaster, while others still are the summer getaway destination of urbanites like Littleton or the residence of a row of Bullfinch Houses like Orford. Each is unique and interesting in their own right, usually sporting a main drag of delightful shops with a brewery or two. These towns right on the river are the best part of this trip and keep us unconcerned about resupplying.
The paddling difficulty has increased, as no matter which way this squiggly river turns, we are constantly in a headwind. (Metaphor anyone?) Crossing the reservoirs last week especially treacherous, and resulted us taking an extended stay in Littleton due to high winds. Littleton was fun! We stayed at the historic Thayer Inn, and visited what is probably the last true bodega outside NYC. After our extended stay, the winds held off just long enough to finish the reservoir at Moore Dam.
This trip has been an amazing education on the history of civil engineering works. Every possible bridge type is present: lattice truss covered, all manner of box trussed for trains, bow truss, arched truss, arched suspension, and modern bridges with their boring spans of continuous steel, something unimaginable to the builders of yore. The dams are also diverse, from massive earthworks designed to hold back reservoirs, to hydroelectric plants, to small retainers to power the paper mill. At times, the only evidence of a structure having been built at all, is rebar protruding sharply from forgotten chunks of concrete or the solitary abutments from fallen bridges standing monolithic in the river. And while every dam provides a portage trail, these can be obstacles in their own right: ten story embankments or staircases not designed for canoes. We have cataloged every bridge, dam, and ruin we have encountered as part of the river experience.
Over all, the camping has been pleasant and the weather generally hot and sunny. Our guide book has proven invaluable, and we have enjoyed exploring locally on the natural highway that is the Connecticut River.
New England Architecture
All Manner of Bridges
Damn! Look at that Dam!
Lounging at Camp
