East Windsor Errands

Running errands on this Saturday morning seemed more like early September, than the second week in October. With the sun shining, the temperature danced around 60 degrees with fall barely in sight. Crossing Bridge Street, over the Connecticut River, you might see some graffiti or some folks fishing. You will always see cars lined up waiting at the lights at both ends. Standing in the center of the bridge, looking towards Windsor Locks, you will see the abandoned Montgomery complex. If you turn your sites towards East Windsor, you will see the blocked out windows of the local bar. Though, standing in the middle, straddling the East Windsor-Windsor Locks town line, you can see for miles down the historic Connecticut River. On a day this warm, standing above the lazy river, below the floating clouds, I can't help but wonder about all the people who have followed this river for hundreds of years to new destinations.

Windsor Locks Canal State Park

While we were greeted by a gray sky, the air was warm on this lazy September Sunday; making it the perfect day to wander along the Windsor Locks Canal State Park. This hidden gem runs 4.5 miles along the Connecticut River between the center of Windsor Locks and Suffield, Connecticut. This was the historic towpath along the canal that shipped freight nearly 200 years ago. Today it has been repurposed into a recreational trail filled with families fishing, couples biking and the ambitious jogging. To enter the path from the Windsor Locks side, you must brave the small driveway along the front of the old abandoned factory. This quickly opens up to a spacious parking area and the gates to the path. In the spring, the path is wide-open, but by this time in the fall, the brush has flourished and begins to narrow the path. There was an interesting dichotomy to walking along this path on this afternoon. Immediately to our left was the stagnant canal, sitting quietly; while to our right rolled the waters of the flowing Connecticut River. The canal had been cut off from its powerful source to now lay dormant, no longer serving its industrial purposes. We walked about halfway up the flat trail to the aqueducts before heading back to where we entered. This path provided an opportunity to explore nature and walk along a little piece of New England's industrial history.