Judith Point Lighthouse: Day 3

Miles: 222.6

Total Miles:  1,296.6.

Today was a much more relaxed day, as we knew it would be. We didn’t have far to go, and we would be doing some rubbernecking and gawking along the way. Had we been able to stick to our plan yesterday, today might have been somewhat different. But, we didn’t get as far as we had hoped yesterday; leaving us a little short distance-wise, than we had hoped.

We were up and at breakfast on time this morning so we were able to get on the road by about 0745. I was up first at 0500, then Debs at about 0530 and we were stuffing our faces at 0630. After we ate and checked out, we drove about 100 yards to a gas station and filled with gas. That is why we didn’t start gambling our lives on the Connecticut highways until 0745.

Debs started out driving and, boy, was I ever so glad she did. We were driving due east, and the sun looked to be about 100 feet above the pavement, hitting us square in the eyes. The drivers in CT are oblivious to the speed signs and nearly all drive at least 10 mph faster. This also includes their semi-truck drivers as well. We are in no hurry, of course, so there is a constant blur of high-speed vehicular traffic looking out the left windows of our car. I was actually kind of glad I am blind in one eye, but it would have been better if it had been my left eye!

Debs kept her cool despite all of the obstacles she was confronted with, which included me loudly sucking in my breath a time or two. When we finally got off of the freeway it was a great relief to the both of us. All kidding aside, these people drive very fast and when you are not familiar with the roads, it makes for a tense moment or two.

Another thing of interest is that in the state of CT, they do not list the services to be found at the freeway exits. They either use symbols depicting a bed, telephone, gas pump and a fork and spoon, but they leave you guessing as to who is providing these services. Also, once you exit the freeway and come to the first intersection, they go all out and provide an arrow pointing in the direction you should go to find the bed, telephone gas pump and fork and spoon, but don’t tell you how far or who it is you should be looking for. Maybe we shouldn’t be so brand conscious or picky?

Helpful road signs

Today started out bright, sunny, clear and COOL! When we got in the car this morning it was 54 degrees! We have just left an area where we haven’t seen any temperature below 72 degrees since last April and that is even with air conditioning. The heater in our Toyota was working well, thankfully.

We wandered for several hours along Hwy 1 and 1A that followed the coastline most of the way. At one point we found ourselves in a little town called Watch Hill, where no one lives who is not in the top 0.5% of income earners in the entire U.S. Massive homes with intricately manicured yards were the norm. The road wound around through these mansions as though it was designed to give you the best view of what real opulence looks like. The downtown portion was very small and made up mostly of little boutiques and cutesy little shops selling stuff that I have never seen anyone buy. Downtown is really all on one side of the street as the other side is the yacht harbor. There were boats there of every size and description including one almost big enough to raise the ocean level at least an inch. Who said greed doesn’t pay?

Small yacht at Watch Hill

We did stop at the town’s local deli and picked up a couple of sandwiches for lunch that we planned to eat when we got to the Judith Point Lighthouse about 40 miles away. When we got to the lighthouse, it looked as though everyone else had the same idea. The parking lot was nearly full and a lot of people were sitting on the park benches overlooking the ocean while enjoying the warmth of the sun. We ate our lunch in the comfort of our car then got out and walked around enjoying the view.

Lighthouse and USCG

The lighthouse is located within a fenced area it shares with an active Coast Guard Station. The fence has warning signs all over it telling people to enter at their own risk and that they will be subject a physical search of any of their belongings. The signs had little impact because there was a constant stream of people walking through to the other side of the fenced area and where surfers were, well, surfing. Debs and I stopped to read the signs to make sure we wouldn’t be shot if we stepped on the property and while we were standing there, a U.S. Coast Guard person (PC) invited us in.

Surfer at Judith Point

He was in civilian clothes but was parked in a reserved spot so we assumed correctly that he was in the USCG. We told him that we were just checking to make sure we wouldn’t be used as a bad example of trespassing it we stepped through the gate. He thanked us for reading the signs as “…most people don’t,” he said. We gave him the “third degree”, asking him about his job and if he liked being stationed there, which he was happy to answer for us. After talking to him for a few minutes, we stomped all around the place just like everyone else.

Interesting rock piles…why?

When we left the Judith Point Lighthouse, we intended to follow as much of Hwy 1 or 1A as we could right up to our hotel for this evening. After a couple of hours of stop and go traffic lights we gave up and let Sadie take us the quickest way she could.

Debs in front of the Judith Point Lighthouse

Today has been a very nice day and if the weather holds, we expect tomorrow to be even better. We don’t plan on driving too far, only as far as Portsmouth, NH, and will putz around near Gloucester, MA where the TV series “Wicked Tuna” is filmed. Who knows, maybe we will get a “stand-in” spot or even be “discovered!?” I guess I had better take a shower tonight or they may think of using me for the bait.