DEEP Sky’s the Limit site: Horseguard State Park in Avon
View from the scenic overlook at top
The Cliimb
Wildflowers were abundant; hemlocks were in good shape
CT Historic Gardens: Stanley-Whitman House, Farmington
Lunch: Claudia’s, Farmington
Gorgeous day to take in our next DEEP Sky’s the Limit Challenge site, close to home and very familiar.
The Little Falls were flowing nicely
the Big Falls even more!
Gray tree frog found dead along the road; beautiful coloration on its underside
Excellent Lunch at Lyman’s Orchard Apple Barrel; long gone before we thought to take any photos! Beautiful to eat out at the picnic tables.
Spring has sprung at Goodwin State Forest in Hampton CT
Lunch at Pine Acres Family Restaurant, Chaplin, CT
Cherry and I started the 2019 DEEP Sky’s the Challenge on March 18, 2019. Our first stop: Barn Island. Beautiful day, gorgeous views.
And a yummy lunch at Mystic Market (many other places were closed because it was off season and Monday)
Cherry and I received our rewards for participating the DEEP’s Sky’s the Limit Challenge. We earned a beautiful hand-carved walking stick, DEEP medallions, and certificates of completion.
The list of sites for 2019 will be out in mid-February. Will we do this again? Let’s see!!
Yay, we did it! We went to all 14 of the DEEP Sky’s the Challenge sites for 2018!
Paugussett State Forest entrance: Hunting warning, so we wore bright colors
Lake Zoar looking north
The falls were roaring today! Gorgeous woods and walk
Lake Zoar looking east
I inhaled my lunch before Cherry was half done with hers: Yummy falafal, lamb wrap, baba ganush, and even halvah to go…wow.
So. We did it! We printed out our photodocumentation and sent it off to DEEP with the hopes of winning a walking stick (well, at least Cherry is hoping for that). It was a great challenge and of course we enjoyed our time together.
NEXT????!!!!
24 August 2018
Cherry and I head to our penultimate DEEP Sky’s the Challenge hike: Seth Low Pierrepoint State Park!
(text from DEEP website): Seth Low Pierrepont State Park Reserve was a gift to the Connecticut State Park and Forest Commission from Seth Low Pierrepont upon his death in 1956. Mr. Pierrepont was a millionaire and ex-diplomat who served as a United States official in Lisbon, Rome, Paris, Santiago and Chile. He also worked as chief of the American Division of the State Department. Mr. Pierrepont purchased the estate from the Scott family in the early 1930’s.
Then lunch of hotdogs and homemade ice cream at Cherry’s good find: Heibeck’s Stand (along with their adjacent owned garage bathrooms!) (text from their website): The History of Heibeck’s began when George and Katherine Dlhy (pronounced Delhee) Heibeck moved to Georgetown in 1931. Katherine (known as Dodo by many) cooked in her own kitchen and served home cooked lunches in the two front rooms of the main building. She made her own pastries, pies, and cakes. The office employees at the Gilbert and Bennett Wire Mill were regular customers. As soon as they moved to Georgetown, they started improvements to the property, adding redwood log siding and a porch to the main building, and started building Heibeck’s Stand, which was originally located about forty feet from the main building and then later moved and attached to the main building where it is today.
And finally a quick visit to the Weir Farm National Historic Site gardens where I received my note card gift. (text from their website): A National Park for the Arts: Visit the home and studio of America’s most beloved Impressionist, J. Alden Weir, and walk in the footsteps of generations of world-class artists. Set amidst more than 60 acres of painterly woods, fields, and waterways, you’ll soon see why Weir described his home as the “Great Good Place.” Weir’s farm is a national legacy to American Impressionism, the creative spirit, and historic preservation.
Posters of CT Historic Gardens by various artists made into note cards
Hard to believe but we have only one more hike! It’s a tough one, too. We will wait until it cools down in September to finish up.
