Weekend Recap

We had a wonderful weekend of hiking, a classic car show, grilling hot dogs and burgers, and lots of ice cream. First stop, the annual Memorial Day weekend classic car show. We have been wanting to go this annual classic car show for a few years now, but we usually celebrate Yanni's birthday on the same day. Here is his Fiesta party from two years ago and his last year Diner themed party. But this year we have to plan it for another time, most likely in June.

My favorite classic car is a Dodge Charger, and I was not disappointed with the beautiful Chargers and Challengers I saw. There were so many beautiful classics.  I love hearing the owners/restorers tell their stories of how they first got the car and all the work they have put into making it a beautiful classic. I especially like when they have an album of photos showing how the car looked before and all the steps they took to restore it. We look at these beauties and have no idea how many hours they have put into making these cars look this way.

I have never seen so many men in one place taking photos. I finally felt like I belonged, because usually I am the odd one out pulling my camera out to take a picture every few seconds.

After the car show we enjoyed some yummy burgers and hotdogs and then went for a long and challenging hike in the woods and then up the rocky hills to Castle Craig, which is a tower on the very top which has been around since 1900 in Meriden, Connecticut.

We hiked for a few hours using paths that were mostly clear and well traveled, but then we decided to climb up the rocky and steep hills, which had some serious cliffs. This blue blazed trail was not well traveled. The rocks are not very stable and one wrong move you  could fall off the cliff on your right. I just kept looking upward and forward, jumping from one rock to another, feeling like Rambo in the woods. I couldn't take pictures of it, because instead of holding the camera I was holding to my dear life and any rock I could grab.

So happy when we finally reached the top. As soon as I got up there, I found a warning sign from the trail I just came from, and it says "Stop-Proceed with Caution - This section of the Blue-Blazed Hiking Trail traverses a portion of the Metacomet Range, a series of high traprock ridges that drop precipitously at the cliff edge. A fall from the ridge will result in serious injury or death." I was like great, I wish I had that warning before I came up this way.

The Castle Craig Tower stands 32 feet high on 976-foot east peak in Meriden's Hubbard Park. It has the distinction of being the highest point within 25 miles of the coast from Maine to Florida. Meriden, Connecticut industrialist Walter Hubbard donated the tower and the surrounding park. Thanks, Walter!

The view from the tower is breathtaking, literally breathtaking. It was so high and I got a little scared. It was so small up on the tower, maybe 5 people can be up there are the same time, but there were so many people trying to squeeze up at the top, and it was so windy, I just felt like I could be picked up by the wind and blown off this thing.

Besides, all the cliff hanging experiences and the feeling of almost falling off this tower, it was a beautiful experience. The view of Connecticut from up there was worth the long hike.

Hiking up the steep rocky hills were a challenge, we were so glad we did it, but our legs, on the other hand, might not be so glad in the morning. When we got up there we realized that most people simply drive up to Castle Craig. A hike can take hours and a drive can take minutes.  I am so glad that we challenged ourselves and hiked it.

I hope you had a beautiful weekend!!