For my last day in Connecticut, I started at Yale University in New Haven. I had scheduled a tour of the campus, in which a smart, articulate undergraduate provided a mix of history, student folklore, and information about campus life. It included one or two prospective students but also people like me looking to see the well preserved campus. I have known one or two Yalies over the course of my life, and all of them have been pretty happy with their experience there, so the guide’s enthusiasm was not surprising. The tour did not disappoint and I was pleased to see so many well-preserved, older buildings.
I took Tamu for a walk on New Haven Green, one of America’s oldest, which was a cemetery before it became a Green. Our Yale guide insisted that the site is haunted as a result because the tombstones were simply removed to create the green.
This was my last day in Connecticut, so I headed eastward along the northern shore of Long Island Sound, stopping here and there to find a pin in the shape of the state. I stopped for a walk and got some local advice to head toward Old Saybrook and see the mouth of the Connecticut River as it joins the sound, stopping at interesting places along the way.
I drove along the shore adjacent to the Thimble Islands, but it was difficult to navigate the area as it was not well marked and water was over roads (although it had been dry my whole stay). I headed to Guildford and visited the Henry Whitfield State Museum, site of 1639 stone home, still well preserved and then undergoing an archeological dig supervised by Yale.
From there, Tamu and I headed to Hammonasset State Park, where we could walk along the beach. It was relatively empty, so Tamu and I trekked through the sand together, soaking up the last bit of Connecticut sunshine on Long Island Sound before ending our vacation. It was not summer, but the temperatures allowed me to take off my shoes and feel the sand in my toes, a last indulgence before the autumn turned again to winter. I could not get a decent look at the lighthouse out in the sound, as Tamu pulled and played on this stunning late afternoon. We headed to Old Saybrook for a quick walk on the pier as the sunlight faded.
Our magical time in Connecticut had reached its end. I packed up Tamu and the cats and headed out the next day for a 17 hour trip to Louisville, Kentucky. The state had brought some magical days, and its size made it easy to see almost everything we wanted and stay in one place. It was a great visit.