Connecticut Photo Adventures: Day One
Connecticut is a state that stands out for its beauty, both natural and man-made. Known as the Constitution State, and having the first main body of settlers come in 1636, the southernmost state in New England is highlighted by natural beauty and historic landmarks. These characteristics provide the perfect views for artists of the lens to capture breathtaking images.
That prompted my friends and fellow photographers, whom I had met while I was a member of I Love Cuba Photo Tours, Hugo Pech and John Yates to travel from Las Vegas and join me in a three-day adventure. The main excuse was to photograph some of the state’s locations, but they also wanted to catch up after almost five years without seeing each other in person.
With those things in mind, I did the normal research and kept in mind some of the places that I had visited in the past. I was aiming to help them have an experience that helped them capture some nice images, even though it did not match to the one they had in Cuba with me.
The day of the arrival we ended up going to Cromwell, which was going to be our home base, and discussed the itinerary for the upcoming three days.
This is what we did in Day 1.
Heublein Tower, Talcott Mountain and Breakfast
We had been anticipating rain, and fortunately it was not as horrible as we feared. Our first stop was going to be the Heublein Tower, a historic site in the Talcott Mountain State Park, which is located in the towns of Simsbury, Bloomfield and Avon. The hike up to the tower (1.25 miles) was slowed down by the mud and by us stopping to take the occasional photograph. Our target was going to be the tower, so we did rush a little to make it there.
The beauty of the rocks you can find on the trail to Heublein Tower made for a great photo.|Credit: Reynaldo Cruz Diaz
Already on the way, it was a reality that we were not going to be able to photograph the tower in its full glory. Early in the hike, it had become evident that the clouds, which were already keeping us from enjoying the view of the valley, were going to be all over the tower. However, when we made it there, we managed to capture a few photos, and the influence of the mist allowed us to capture some ghost-like photos.
The misty morning gave Heublein Tower a ghostly appearance.|Credit: Reynaldo Cruz Diaz
The tower, built in 1914 by T. R. Fox and Son, stands 50m (165 feet) tall on a spot that raises 300m (1,000 feet) above sea level. It was supposed to be the summer retreat of Gilbert Heublein, a food and beverage tycoon who founded A.1. Steak Sauce and Smirnoff vodka. It has been in the National Registry of Historic Places since 1983. Local lore has Talcott Mountain, including the imposing Heublein Tower, as a place of hauntings—a commonality in Connecticut and all of New England.
After the descent, we had breakfast in The Coffee Spot, a very welcoming spot across from the Simsbury Cemetery. The shop, which is in a Victorian-era house from the 1880s, has a pet-friendly atmosphere where people can go, meet with friends, relax and even do some work. At the same time, it served as a reminder of our adventure in Havana, where we always went to houses to eat our every meal.
The 1880s house that currently hosts The Coffee Spot.|Credit: Reynaldo Cruz Diaz
It was the perfect stop before embarking in our next expedition.
Cemeteries, Waterfalls and Covered Bridges
As we headed to the Kent Falls State Park, we decided to make a stop at the Cornwall Cemetery, which has graves from over a hundred years ago. The stop was peaceful, and the cloudy atmosphere gave some of our pictures an aura of mystique. It was then that it started raining and we decided to get in the car and leave, not without taking some other photos of the place.
This grave from 1897 was one of the most attractive in Cornwall Cemetery.|Credit: Reynaldo Cruz Diaz
The drive to Kent Falls State Park was smooth in spite of the wet road, and the falls were indeed beautiful. This time, the rain did prevent us from taking better photographs, but in fairness, as John pointed out, there would have been a lot more people if the weather had been better. It rained more intensely and it made us protect some of our gear as we all used tripods and neutral density filters to decrease our shutter speed and be able to capture the silky water of the falls.
As a bonus, there was a covered bridge (not as big as the one we would see later, and only accessible to pedestrians) over the small brook that emerged after the falls. We stood there for a fair amount of time, as the lack of phone signal also gave us a little bit more freedom from “civilization”.
Bulls Bridge would be our next stop, a covered bridge crossing the Housatonic River in the northeast part of the state. Built in 1842, the bridge extends 33m (109 feet) and has a Town lattice design. It was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1972.
The rain was intense, and in order to take the photos we moved down the rocks of the Housatonic River. The water was wild, but we managed to stay away from it, and took a few good photographs of our own.
Brewery, dinner and Kent Station
Once we were done, we figured it was time to try to stay a little dry. Also, we could all use a drink and a peaceful setting, so we went straight to Kent Falls Brewing Co., a very remote compound located at 33 Camp Rd, Kent, CT. While we just wanted to look at the place and have a nice beer, I had my own concern, as fog seemed to have seeped into my lens.
This information sign at Kent Falls Brewing Company instantly made us feel welcome.|Credit: Reynaldo Cruz Diaz
While my friends waited for the beers (we ordered only flights in the Tasting Room), I removed the UV filter to make sure it was all okay. Fortunately, the minute I did that, the condensation disappeared. So, I thought that maybe it was a good idea to be done for the day, or at least check the filter every time there was a chance for a photo.
There was a very friendly cat named Sneezes, an “employee” of the brewery, who moved to our table the minute we started drinking. Other people started showing up, and they were all very friendly and talkative to us. After our drink, we decided (encouraged by the workers) to take a small stroll around the property, whose farmland has been in use for over a quarter of a millennium.
It was a very soothing stop, and it got us in the mood to have dinner.
Excellent food, nice ambiance: nothing could go wrong at Kent Pizza Garden.|Credit: Reynaldo Cruz Diaz
KPG Kitchen & Bar (KPG standing for Kent Pizza Garden) was a good choice, where we enjoyed a peaceful and quiet moment and a very nice meal. Patrons were very nice and friendly, and the atmosphere was an adequate one for a group that had been on the road, photographing and getting wet in the rain since the early hours of the morning.
After our meal, our exhaustion was taking over, but it would have been a mortal sin as photographers to miss the opportunity of shooting the Kent Station Pharmacy. Built in 1872 as Kent Station to serve as the local train station for the Housatonic Railroad, the building preserves the beauty of Victorian-style architecture. This style can be found in many places in New England, often times giving us the sensation of being back to the 19th century.
Final thoughts
Despite the rain, we did see great views, managed to capture good photographs, and spent time as friends catching up and talking. The Heublein Tower pictures would not have been as ghostly, and Kent Falls State Park would probably have been packed if it hadn’t been for the rain.
New England weather was making its introduction to my friends, cutting our trip of the day short (we skipped our last two activities because all we wanted to do was go back to the hotel, shower and relax). Yet. we did our best in the situation, and all of us got excellent photos.
Day 1 was in the books, and we had a nightcap while discussing and preparing for Day 2.
