Two Lane Adventure to "Podunk" and Back

Did you know that Connecticut has a Lovers Leap? Yes, it is a State Park located on the Housatonic River in the town of New Milford. It is a walk-in park that sits on 127 acres. Within the park is the Lover's Leap Bridge, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Lover's Leap Bridge is a wrought-iron lenticular truss bridge over the river. It is a 173 foot single span bridge, resting on coursed stone abutments. It was built in 1895 by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company, and originally Pumpkin Hill Road ran over it. This was one of the last bridges manufactured by the company. Prior to 1977, the bridge was used by both vehicles and pedestrians but is now closed to vehicular traffic.

If you enjoy flea markets, be sure to stop by Elephant’s Trunk. It is famed to be New England’s largest flea market. It started out as an eclectic boutique in an old Victorian house. The owner called it "The Elephant's Trunk Too." The original Elephant's Trunk name came from a shop located in Mt. Kisco, New York. The original logo designed for the boutique contained an elephant with a chest full of gems strapped on its back. When the boutique closed, the logo was transferred to the Flea Market. When you think about it, it is appropriate, since there are treasures and gems to be discovered here every week. The Elephant's Trunk Country Flea Market began in 1976. The first markets found aisles named after New York City streets or alley-ways. The market was held on Sundays, and in 1976, the presence of fifteen vendors was a "big" day! The market in those early years found dealers set up on the lawn in front of the house. As the flea market grew, uniform dealer spaces were created. As more dealers came in, more fields were added to create our current design. It remains a treasure chest of deals each week!

If hunting for a treasure or two is more your speed, Connecticut has an antique trail to explore. The antiques trail winds through historic and scenic Connecticut, representing all five regions – Fairfield, New Haven, Mystic, Hartford and Litchfield. It features collections of varying styles, periods and price ranges to satisfy all antiques enthusiasts. Many of New England’s earliest antiques collectors lived in Hartford, and the state continues to attract antiques lovers from all over. The Connecticut antiques trail is a convenient way for residents and tourists alike to discover, explore and enjoy the very best destinations that the state’s antiquing community has to offer. Go on line and you are connected with everything from auction houses and historic inns to quaint boutiques located in every region of the state. The web site will help you plan the perfect Connecticut day-long antiquing adventure, weekday getaway or weekend escape.

 

When you travel two lane roads, you do get to see some very unique things. On Route 66, between Marlborough and Hebron we came upon a few painted rock outcroppings.  The first one we came to looked just like a large eagle head with small American flags around the base of it. The second one is a large disembodied snake's head painted on an outcropping of rocks along the roads edge. Just another example of the oddities we have in America!

 

We arrived at the Hebron Lions Fairgrounds for the 19^th Annual Podunk Bluegrass Festival. How would someone come up with a name like Podunk, for a Bluegrass festival? The word “Podunk” is often used, somewhat unflatteringly, to refer to a small, inconsequential, out-of-the-way town. At the Podunk Bluegrass Festival they create a small community of sorts, they are not inconsequential. “Podunk” is derived from an Algonquin word used to describe a confluence of streams or rivers. However, “Podunk” was also the name of a small tribe of Native Americans who lived on the east side of Connecticut River, in present day South Windsor and East Hartford. Early histories of the area describe several “Podunk” villages along the Hockanum River, which flows right through Martin Park, the festival home from 1996 to 2011. The whole area was referred to by the Algonquin as “Podunk”. So, if anyone asks you, you can tell them that yes, Podunk is a real place, and yes, you know how to get there! Even though the festival is not on the banks of the river anymore, they will always be Podunk!

If you have children or grandchildren, take them to the Antique Radio Museum in Connecticut. At the Vintage Radio and Communications Museum, you can learn about the history of electronic communications and experience the evolution first-hand.  Tune radios over 80 years old... talk over candlestick telephones ... send a message in Morse Code... crank a phonograph and listen to 100-year-old records... see what television was like when the only color choices were black and white. Learn about the telegraph, telephone, mechanical sound recording, wireless telegraphy, radio and television, and the seeds of computers, satellite communications and the Internet. It's all at the museum. The museum is also home to the DeGeorge Memorial recording studio for music and vocal recordings and for transcriptions of vintage sound recordings to modern digital format.

Old Newgate Prison is a former prison and mine site in Connecticut. It is now operated by the state of Connecticut as the Old New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine Archaeological Preserve. Normally open to the public, it is currently closed for restoration. The site includes a colonial-era copper mine, and the remains of the state's first official prison. State records indicate that copper was discovered at this site on the west side of Talcott Mountain, then part of Simsbury, in 1705. A mine was in operation in 1707, created by digging a vertical shaft and tunneling horizontally, with additional vertical shafts dug for ventilation. The mine operated until 1745. About half of the extant tunnels can be seen. The Colony of Connecticut then converted the tunnel network into a prison, naming it after London's Newgate Prison. The first prisoner for whom the state has surviving documentation, John Hinson, was committed for burglary in 1773, and escaped in 1774. During the American Revolutionary War, the prison was used to house Loyalists who fought against independence, as well as British prisoners of war. During this time the holding areas in the mines became known as "Hell", and the prisoners were employed as miners. In 1790 it became a state prison, the first such in America. Most of the above-ground facilities present today were built between then and 1802. These include the main prison wall, and five brick-and-masonry buildings, all of which now stand in ruins. In 1827, the remaining prisoners were transferred to the new, "state-of-the-art" Wethersfield State Prison. Attempts were made to reactivate the mines in the 1830s and 1850s, but these ventures failed. The site has been considered a tourist attraction since the 1860s. Nearby Peak Mountain offers a bird's eye view of Old Newgate Prison from the Metacomet Trail. The mine complex was acquired by the state historic commission in 1968. In the 1970s the state rehabilitated the old guardhouse for use as a visitor’s center and museum, and took other steps to stabilize the ruins. They also constructed a sloping tunnel to provide visitors access via stairs to the mines. Old Newgate Prison was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, and was designated a National Historic Landmark two years later. The site is now owned and administered by the State of Connecticut as a museum. In 2006 an episode of Treasure Hunters sent the contestants to the prison.

In historic Pittsville Massachusets, the reconstruction of prime industrial property at the heart of the City, and an energized arts and entertainment scene in the downtown, Pittsfield establishes itself as a cultural center for the region with the prospect of renewed economic vitality. We saw some very unique signs in the second story windows at a corner building. Good thing we had a red light to study them a bit! One of them had a web site, Emptysetsproject.com. The Empty Set Project Space is active sporadically as a gallery. The signs displayed in the windows are part of a series titled “BIG SALE!” The project began in 2001 and now includes posters for over 190 different items. The signs look like old fashion grocery signs, except they aren’t selling food. “BEST WISHES 3/$1.” The entire BIG SALE inventory is available for purchase. The Project Space was dedicated to exhibiting new works by emerging artists in all media and is currently in cryogenic stasis. At present, the space houses the studios of Monika Pizzichemi and Michael McKay.

Established in 1783, Hancock Village thrived as an active Shaker community during most of the following two centuries. Divided into six family groups along north-south and east-west axes, Hancock was a typical Shaker community with communal dwellings, craft shops, a meetinghouse, and barns. Like most Shaker communities, the designs for the buildings at the Hancock village were driven by function and utility. No extra materials or time were wasted in their construction. Emphasis was placed on efficiency, and although architecturally conservative, at the same time they are quite intriguing. The Round Stone Barn, the most notable Hancock building, is an architectural gem and the only Shaker barn of its kind. Built in 1826, its circular design was a model of efficiency and a curiosity to Shakers and "the world's people" alike, including

farmers and progressive thinkers such as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville. The elegant beauty of its simple form and details typify Shaker design. In the past, the barn was a center of community activity. Hay was unloaded from wagons into a wooden lined central storage area on the top floor spanning 95 feet in diameter. One level down, 50 or more cattle were kept in stanchions, posts used to secure the animals, which radiated outward from a central manger. Finally, at the bottom level lay the manure pit, accessible by wagon. Unfortunately, this architectural model of efficiency succumbed to fire in 1864. The wooden interior and roof were quickly rebuilt thereafter, with the whole building undergoing complete restoration in 1968. The largest Shaker museum in the east, Hancock opened as a living history museum in 1961. It contains 20 historic buildings, extensive gardens, and a significant collection of Shaker artifacts. The Round Stone Barn continues to impress visitors and scholars alike with the ingenuity of the Shakers. The village also includes Shaker craft demonstrations, historic breeds of livestock, and its restored 19th-century water system.

We traveled most of the day today on Route 20. The New York State Scenic Byway designated section of U.S. Route 20 is 108 miles in length, I think we traveled most of that today. The Route 20 scenic byway corridor celebrates Central New York's diverse heritage, natural beauty, and agricultural vitality, and is defined by rolling hills and broad vistas framed in a working landscape, lakes, tranquil communities, and historical places. It's all about the drive! Route 20 offers rolling hills, spectacular views, working landscapes, tranquil communities and deep history. That's US Route 20, the longest highway in the United States stretching 3,365 miles coast to coast from Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts to the junction of US 101 in Newport, Oregon. US Route 20 is also New York State's longest highway; 372 miles from the border with Massachusetts to the border of Pennsylvania. The area stretching about 30 miles either side of the Scenic Byway is considered the Scenic Byway Corridor. The corridor features even more idyllic communities, numerous specialty shops, local farm markets and numerous

community events. Along Route 20, travelers pass New World Dutch, English, and gambrel-roof dairy barns, the numerous drive-ins and motor courts of the 1930s-1950s, all against the backdrop of the productive fields and tranquil pastures that first brought prosperity to the region. This leather stocking region is rich in history. In the last 1700’s, the construction of the Cherry Valley Turnpike, now known as Route 20, brought prosperity to this small village. Soon followed the Cherry Valley Academy (a renowned girl's finishing school), Oliver Judd's iron foundry (a sample of his work is at our present day Lithia Spring fountain), the National Central Bank established in 1818 (presently the NBT Bank), and is the oldest bank in New York State west of Albany. You cannot forget the exquisite views of the valley. We ended our journey on Route 20 near Richfield Springs, tomorrow we head out to rendezvous with some more friends from Majestic Oaks Carefree RV Resort in Zephyrhills Florida.