Thanks for the info, I'll add some of the off Rte 1 roads you mentioned. The ride is taking place instead of the annual Closer to Free ride. We were planning on riding the century, but since there are no organized rides this year, participants are encouraged to do their own ride on Sept 12th.
I've driven over the Gold Star bridge many times and did not realize there was a bike/pedestrian lane there until I started mapping the ride. Any info on that would be helpful.
I agree, Mystic is a great place to visit. My wife and I have done in state vacations there both before and after we had kids. Unfortunately we will not have time to visit on this ride.