Driving home from New York City to Rhode Island today, we took the Throggs Neck Bridge to the Hutch to 95 North. The route is a familiar one because I travel often to New York to attend meditations at the Sri Chinmoy Centre in Jamaica, Queens. While on the Hutchinson/Meritt Parkway, we saw deer in the woods and geese, but no wild turkeys – a common sight at other times of the year.

We have some typical haunts and stops along the way when we are making the journey in a leisurely fashion. Some are shopping oriented,  some food oriented and some nature oriented. Route 1 in Orange, Ct. boasts a Trader Joe’s, L.L. Bean Outlet, Talbots Outlet and Starbucks all in practically the same shopping plaza. Just down the road and around the corner is a Christmas Tree Shop which unlike its name sells all kinds of stuff cheaply, not just seasonal Christmas items.

In the summertime, we like to get off 95 in Connecticut and drive along Route 1 (Boston Post Road) as it hugs the coast of Long Island Sound. Madison, Ct. has a quaint and adorable Main Street with nice shops and cafes right near the water. Usually we get ice cream in downtown Madison at The Beanery since they sell coffee, sandwiches and baked goods along with Gifford’s ice cream.

In the fall, you’re likely to find us at Bishop’s Farm in Guilford, Ct. buying apples, apple cider and freshly baked donuts or cookies. They have pumpkins galore and you can even make your own scarecrow at certain times of the year.

Today we tried something new and different for us. It seems like we have passed the sign for Rocky Neck State Park (Exit 72 off of 95 North) a million times but today was the first time we ever took the exit and decided to see if it was a short distance from the highway. Sure enough! We traveled probably less than a mile off the highway to arrive at the entrance. We got in for free since it is off season until the end of April. Someone parked near the booth where you would ordinarily pay to get into the park rolled down their window and explained to us that we could drive about a mile into the park to get to the beach area.

We were doubting that we had arrived when we came to a parking area because all we could see was an embankment with train tracks, overhead wires and metal fences. One sign said walkway to beach so we got out and went exploring in search of the the ocean.

There is a walkway under the train tracks – a kind of an underpass. Right through this opening you see a fantastic beach with very white sand and a rocky area extending out into the ocean. It is gorgeous and so unusual with the train tracks right up against the edge of the beach. While we walked around on the beach picking up shells and playing race the waves, a train actually came by on the tracks. I cannot picture ever seeing such a close  juxtaposition of these elements together anywhere else.

When I got home, I looked up the State Park on the Web. Here is a link to the park’s official website. It is located in East Lyme, Ct. on the Long Island Sound and contains a large pavilion constructed in 1931. It contains camping facilities and is noted for its white sandy beaches and clear water.

Here are some photos I took while we were there shortly before sunset.