The quaint New England state contains long coastline and glamorous towns.
Connecticut gives off small town vibes. Though the southwest portion is a run-on of the NYC metro, the rest of the state is full of charming towns, including: Hartford and New Haven. Like many of its New England counterparts, Connecticut has some lavish and enormous mansions, with some situated along the shores of the Long Island Sound.
Essex Steam Train
My family and I spent one night in the Constitution State in the small town of New London. From there, we headed to the even smaller town of Essex for a ride on the famous and historical Essex Steam Train. Essentially, it was a juggernaut with a lengthy succession, then the head train let off a thick cloud of steam. It surely looked large enough to haul many tons of cargo. Its appearance reminded me of something that would have been used during the 1800s or early 1900s to transport industrial goods. Part of that assumption is true, as the steam trains used for tours were built in the early 1900s. Our ride was a brief one, and through a part of the large Connecticut River Valley. The car we sat in was old-fashioned, as there were bench seats made of wood and no windows, allowing the air to nudge against me as we began to move along.
We traversed through a thick green forest, with nothing else in sight as we were entrenched in the heart of nature. Loose tree branches, rocks, dirt, and logs scattered next to the rail tracks. The forest seemed endless as I pondered whether anything else was surrounding us like a creek or log cabins. It was beautifully peaceful, to say the least. There was an eternal shade from the sun because the trees were blanketing us, and the only sound was birds chirping.
At last, we reached a large lake or pond that provided a gorgeous backdrop of the surrounding forest. The place was quaint, with not much tourist traffic except one small riverboat cruise. It turned out the cruise was another explorer of this valley, something my family was not aware of. Many passengers from our train got off and headed for the second part of their adventure. For us, riding through nature in this train was a historical experience that I am glad we went full steam ahead with.
