10th to 15th June 2024
In the first week of arriving in the USA I was fortunate enough to stay with Family. If you're reading this now thank you very very much for accommodating me during this first week, I had a wonderful stay and you made me feel more than welcome. Here's what I got up to while I settled into sleeping 5 hours later than I'm used to \and driving on the right.
In thanks to the recommendations from the family I explored a few local trails while staying with them.
A morning run, Sega Meadows was still holding it's morning dew when I visited. Very quiet and very quaint, it was an enjoyable, short and pretty run. I even saw my first deer! Although I have seen many since then, the first you see is always special.
On my way back from the far end of the trail, I followed a small dirt path down to the river. Check out this truly gorgeous view. Lovely little spot and so near to home for my American relatives.
Later on that week I was told to go to Pinnacle View, a viewpoint within the Macrocostas Preserve in western Connecticut. A short path through a field leads up to proper hiking trail running. The path did lead to a slower pace but all in all a more enjoyable time.
About halfway through the run I realised there may be bears in this wood. Knowing I hadn't seen another soul out walking I have to admit I spent the rest of the run nervously scanning the horizon and listening for the breaking of small branches. I'm glad to say the only sounds came from squirrels and birds while I was there, although the thought definitely partially ruined my enjoyment of the run. Needless to say this viewpoint was totally worth the fear and exercise.
After spending some time here I can tell you one thing for certain about people in rural Connecticut - they're obsessed with a perfectly kept lawn. Driving around the nearby towns and villages I see dozens of people on huge ride on mowers cutting their rapidly growing grass down to a height and consistency you could play golf on. It seems to be a big part of home ownership in these nice areas, and potentially something that if neglected your neighbors make fun of you about.
As a result of this there seems to be lots of spare or broken lawnmowers around. The youngest from my American family's side is studying Mechanical Engineering at College and like his father is very good when it comes to petrol engines and mechanical parts. Here's him fixing up an old engine from another lawnmover.
He asks me one day if I'd like to come with him to pick up 2 free but broken down lawnmowers from someone who lives just over the border in New York state. Of course, keen to do anything novel (which to me this is), I say yes. My cousin hooks up his $2000 "slightly rusty but still running" F-150 to a short trailer and we head out to the address he's been given from Facebook marketplace.
I found out upon returning home that I left that bottle there on the side of the truck bed when we set off, and as a result it now has a nice dent in the side. Well done me.
The truck cab is spacious and unlike 90-something percent of all cars people drive in the North East, it's manual. Maybe it's the car culture of buying new cars every few years, but basically everyone in the area drives automatic. For a nation that loves cars I would have thought they'd all want manual gearboxes for better control.
We arrived at the rural abode that was flogging these mowers, dragged them down from a hill they had been parked on and worked out which should go on the trailer and which on the bed of the truck. It seemed weird to me that a house owner would have two of what seemed to me near identical lawn mower. Maybe it was a husband and wife activity here, where they both cut the grass together and got the job done in half the time. Either way it was double the free parts for my cousin to tinker with.
Here they are attached and secured. My cousin explained to me it's very common in America to slap whatever you've attached to the back of your truck and say "that's not going anywhere".
Fortunately they didn't and both the mowers and ourselves got home in 1 piece.
Next up, Washington D.C. Otherwise return home.