CT Places: Talcott Mountain

Talcott Mountain state park is located on Rt 185 in between Simsbury and Bloomfield. It's only 1.25 miles from the trail head to the tower, but it's a difficult hike, not for the beginner or people in less-than-ideal health. I believe there may be a back way to get to Heublein Tower which doesn't require as much walking, but I don't have any knowledge of where it is or if that shortcut even exists. I just know I've seen cars up there, and women with strollers up there, when there were no other cars besides mine in the parking area below O.o

Anyway, the trail starts off nicely, then quickly turns into a nearly-vertical rocky slope- there are a couple of benches to sit and rest at on your way up, but it's rough going. Here's some pics I took from the top of the trail, looking down over the Avon valley- my camera battery died before I could get to the tower, so I'll have to go back again and shoot some more pictures another day, but I'll include a stock photo from the DEP website so you can see how cool it is.

CT Places: Fisher Meadows

This is one of my favorite places to go in the Farmington Valley area. There's tons of walking trails, a small playground, picnic tables, some with coverage from the sun, and lots and lots of sports fields, aka, wide open spaces. On the property is a small lake (or maybe it's just a pond?) you can go canoeing or kayaking in, and I'm not sure how the fishing is, but I've seen plenty of people having a go at it. Fisher Meadows is a great place to spend an afternoon, alone or with a group- there's pretty much something here for everyone.
Located right near Route 10, on Old Farms Road in Avon, it's adjacent to the Farmington River, and even has a few trails which will lead you to it. It's officially open from dawn to dusk, though the town of Avon website says that, with permission, you can use the property for camping as well! Check it out if you get the chance- here's some pics from my most recent walk around the pond, where I saw a snapping turtle laying her eggs!! She let me get REALLY close to her- I guess she was too preoccupied with the task at hand to chase me away :)