Sir_Name 

A view of Gillette Castle from the Chester-Hadlyme ferry crossing the Connecticut river with @greg3rd48.







Gillette Castle:

Gillette Castle State Park straddles the towns of East Haddam and Lyme, Connecticut in the United States, sitting high above the Connecticut River. The castle was originally a private residence commissioned and designed by William Gillette, an American actor who is most famous for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes on stage. Gillette lived at this estate from 1919–1937.

Atop the most southerly hill in a chain known as the Seven Sisters, William Hooker Gillette, noted actor, director, and playwright, built this one hundred and eighty-four acre estate, the Seventh Sister. The focal point of his effort was a twenty four room mansion reminiscent of a medieval castle. The woodwork within the castle is hand-hewn southern white oak. Of the forty-seven doors within the structure, there are no two exactly the same. And each door has a handsome external latch intricately carved of wood. Even the Castle's furnishings are indications of Gillette's inspirations. The built-in couches, a movable table on tracks, and light switches of carved wood all point to his creative genius.

The ferry:

The Chester - Hadlyme Ferry, which began service in 1769, was orginally operated by Jonathan Warner who owned the land on both sides of the Connecticut River. Warner's Ferry, as it was called back then, connected King's Highway in Fort Hill, Parish of Chester to Norwich Road in Lyme. The ferry was often used throughout the Revolutionary War to transport needed supplies across the river.

The Original ferry was pushed across the river using long poles. A steam-powered barge began to serve the ferry crossing in 1879. The ferry was named the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry in 1882 while it was operated by the Town of Chester.

In 1917, the ferry was turned over to Connecticut Department of Transportation. The present ferry, the Selden III,was built in 1949. It is an open, self-propelled craft, 65 feet long and 30 feet wide. The vessel can accommodate 8 to 9 cars and 49 passengers. The Selden III provides a convenient, direct link between Chester and Hadlyme at Route 148.

The 65-foot-long diesel-run ferry is a quaint wonder and a convenience for business and pleasure conducted across the river. For tourists, attractions include Gillette’s Castle in Hadlyme on the east side, and, on the west side of the river, the Essex Steam Train. The ferry ride is actually a continuation of scenic Route 148, from Chester to Hadlyme. Traveling east it’s a real distance-saver to take the ferry when driving from Chester to Lyme: it’s 20.3 miles overland via the East Haddam bridge, but only 8.3 miles via the ferry and then some.

rumrunn6

Wifey and I were in East Haddam Sunday visiting the old Johnsonville Village Saturday - also in Ivoryton & then Essex on the river. Saw several cyclists but don’t envy those narrow winding roads!

Slightspeed

A dumpster train on Ventura Beach, waiting for a dumpster locomotive and ...
Sadly, a memorial to Akaska Airlines Flight 261, 88 lives lost, just off Hueneme Beach.


Dumpster train?

Akaska #261 Memorial sundial.

stardognine

This sign is at the rest area, just west of Fenner, CA, on I-40. This is around 50 miles into the Mohave Desert, so not really unusual there, but to most of us, it is. 😁😉

BTW, old route 66 crosses under I-40 right there, and 66 is completely closed, going west-bound, so don't try riding that way. 😉 And water stops are very infrequent on I-40, so don't go "un-supported", you can't carry enough water.

gaucho777 

I sometimes pass this C&V 4-wheeler on my way to work:

Lascauxcaveman 

Traction Avant!

[puts the film Diva back into Netflix queue again.]

ryansu

I read somewhere it was the preferred car of the Gestapo in occupied France or maybe that was in a Alan Furst Novel

steelbikeguy

it's getting to be that time of year.....




Steve in Peoria

Lascauxcaveman 

Probably the preferred car of everyone in or just passing though France, back in the 30s and 40s (and much of the 50s.) What else was readily available? And as technologically advanced?

When I win the lottery, I'm going to buy one of these and park it in my new garage next to my Chrysler Airflow and my Cord convertible.

bwilli88 

Slightspeed

Seeing the Citroen above reminded me of the 2CV sighting on the way to Eroica CA 2018.

Unca_Sam

Much of Ohio's Ohio to Erie trail runs parallel (or on) disused rail lines. You're never too far from a piece of the past.


At the IGA. Cultural changes take some time to percolate out to these small communities. (Look at the aisle description)

stardognine

^^^ At least they have a limited supply of ethnic foods, a step in the right direction. 👍🙂 If you want ethnic food, just go up to Cleveland, and pretend you're Polish or German. 😁😉

stardognine

And if you want to see the London Bridge, you'll have to come out to Lake Havasu City, in Arizona (on the Colorado River).🤔🙄 Don't complain about my posts, I just call 'em as I see 'em. 😁😉

noglider 

Here are my pictures from the Ruff Stuff ride we take every year on the Old Croton Aquaduct Trail. This year, we held it on October 20. The weather threatened rain, so only six people participated. The rain didn't come until late into the ride, so it was no big deal.

The trail is pretty rough, and no one had suspension on their bike. This year, I rode my Raleigh International with narrow-ish tires.

Here are some samples.

DQRider 

I rode the Sakatah Singing Hills Trail on Saturday. Colors are peaking around there now.







.

BFisher

Out catching some rays...

Drillium Dude 

Is that a copperhead?

DD

BFisher

I believe that's an Eastern Garter. They usually have a brighter stripe along the center of their backs than this one, but they have that almost checkerboard pattern along the sides. Non-venomous. Used to catch these all the time when I was a kid.

Funny thing, on that same ride there was a huge murder of crows gathered in the trees. I can't even guess how many there were, but they were LOUD! It was really cool. Another cyclist came by and was like, "What's with all these crows?"

thumpism 

Here's a copperhead, the first one we found in our yard. There have been many others since and they all look like this, light brown with darker hourglass shapes on a thick-ish body. Pretty snakes and not aggressive but I still would not want to be bitten by one.

thumpism 

Drillium Dude 

Thanks! With nothing in the photo for scale, it looked like a bigger snake, and the head looked triangular (typical of many venomous snakes) in the first pic. Now I can see the resemblance to the garter snakes we have around here.

Funny you mention crows. We have a local murder that congregates on the football field of my college every evening. It's sorta creepy to watch literally a thousand or more crows flying across town in groups of 20 or more every evening - and yeah, they don't do it quietly, either

DD

Drillium Dude 

There's a snake in that picture?



DD

justslow

My experience with copperheads is exactly the opposite - very aggressive and belligerent snakes with a nasty bite. Never been bitten but have been forced to back up quickly by their surly behavior.

BFisher

I thought the same thing about the head shape when I first rode up on it. It was pretty big compared to the garters I usually see around here. Maybe a foot and a half to two feet?