Mixed terrain from Hartford to Middletown

It is impossible for me to ride through the Wethersfield and Rocky Hill meadows without a shit-eating grin on my face. Each time I find myself on these gorgeous, narrow, dirt and gravel roads right next to the Connecticut river, just a few miles from my house in the South End, I kind of can't believe how nice it is to be there.

Rocky Hill Meadows road

I ride these roads to the Rocky Hill Ferry a lot, particularly in the summer months. The ferry is fun in its own right, and the roads on the Glastonbury side immediately adjacent to the river are incredibly nice. Tryon Road runs between the Connecticut and Balf Bluffs Open Space--a narrow road with little traffic and a river view is the stuff that dreams are made of.

Tryon Road along the Connecticut River in Glastonbury.

There is not yet a really good direct route to Middletown from Hartford, so I took a rambling loop through the Meshomasic State Forest to get there on traffic-lite roads. The highlight of this route is Woodchoppers Road, a rusticated, thin strip of packed dirt that gradually climbs through the forest into the highlands of Portland, CT. 

Woodchoppers Rd.

For just the second time I road over the Arrigoni Bridge into Middletown, a 1930s gem. The only way to finish this ride, IMHO, is with the buffalo tofu wrap at ION. It's amazing, especially on the first day of summer vacation.

Connecticut River from the Arrigoni Bridge in Middletown.