Mom was off to Boston and we had a
day to wander before our next “reservation”.
We broke camp early and headed off to another state park – Wells. As always, we really didn’t know what to
expect and were so thrilled when we drove in the crazy-to-maneuver campground
and found a site directly on the waterfront!
With a gentle breeze, an amazing view and a full day ahead, we RELAXED!
Of course I needed to hike so I
picked the trails we’d follow and we headed out. About a mile in, Rob realized his hat was
missing. Being bald (by choice of course!),
we HAD to find it and did an about face almost all the way back to the
start! Oh well, an extra mile. The hike was nothing special but was some
good exercise and a nice break. We spent
the evening enjoying our site and a great crackling campfire and an exquisite
grilled tuna dinner by the waterfront.
The next day opened another new
chapter to our journey with our arrival at Ann and Trav’s lovely home in New
Hartford, CT. Our first approach was to
a wrong address and we found ourselves on a seriously steep incline (noted by
Rob as getting less than 1 mile per gallon on our climb!) before finding yet
another wild turn around and an equally steep descent! Minutes later, however, we arrived at our destination
for the next chapter and (after of an even more harrowing mid-driveway about
face) we got settled!
The hospitality of friends and
family along the way has been beyond comprehension and this was no
different. Ann and Trav who hail from
CT, live across the street from us through winters at home in Charleston. Trav was traveling when we arrived so we
spent the next couple days getting to know Ann better.
From the first moment, Ann was the
consummate hostess! Offering every
possible assistance from showers to laundry and more, we had everything we could
possibly need at our disposal. Over the
days we spent together we enjoyed numerous cozy meals, fun game nights, Rob’s guitar
serenades and a wonderful fire in the fireplace to warm celebrate the increasingly
cold nights. She even took on a Scrabble
game with us two crazy competitors! 
It was especially fun to take Ann
out in her own surroundings and share our love of hiking with her. We first tried the Sessions Woods area where
we had a great hike to a beaver pond and a waterfall. A surprise benefit was the exceptional nature
center at the trailhead with an impressive selection of stuffed animals and
birds as well as quite the array of educational displays.
The next day we hiked up Jones
Mountain, a nearby destination Ann had been wanting to explore. It was a treat of a hike, not too long but with enough challenge to
make for a great exercise opportunity. Donated
to the area by the Jones family, it featured an old carriage path complete with
lovely stone bridges and house foundations to explore. Being that the Jones Mountain hike was not too
long, Rob and I treated ourselves to a second hike that afternoon in another wonderful
state park nearby.
As if hosting us and our monster
mobile housing unit wasn’t enough, Ann and Trav graciously allowed us to leave
the rig with them while we took a trip to NYC for a few days. Ann drove us to New Haven to catch our train
while Trav was right there upon our return and we had our final night with all
of us in attendance.
With Trav’s return, we had a
chance to catch up on our recent adventures as I cooked up a meal of
jambalaya. The laughs increased as did the empty bottles
of wine and we made good use of the time together and our final night in
Connecticut. Closing the visit the next morning, we said
our goodbyes thankful for a chance to have strengthened a neighborly friendship
so far from home.
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