Monday, September 25th, 2006
The absolute best time to go to Rye Playland is at the end of the summer. Just be sure to check their schedule to make sure you pick a day before they close up. Their hours get quite sparse towards late August - early September. This time of year is the best because the park is nearly empty. No heat and sweat, no kids running around dropping ice cream on your shoe and no lines. Yes, no lines.
We parked in the side lot and met Craig at “Ye Old Mill.” The official story of this ride is…
“As you enter this dark ride on a small boat, a voice tells the story of the gnomes who are protecting their jewels. You’ll encounter a giant dragon and a terrifying troll during this eerie journey.”
…but this may give you a better picture:
It’s a pretty cool ride. You float around a small canal in a little boat, that might tip over at any moment…seriously…be careful. Things move and make noise, but overall, it’s not too scary.
We went on only the best rides. The Log Flume and the Double Shot are musts…
…and of course all the roller coasters. You can never get sick of going on the famous Dragon Coaster…over and over and over…did I mention no lines?
There is something about Playland that you might not expect. I would call it a certain aire. As you walk around and have all sorts of fun, the sun starts to go down and it gets a little chilly. If you are there on a clear evening, you can go out on the pier and try to look across Long Island Sound.
The best part is just hanging out on the pier looking back at the park waiting for it to get a little bit darker, because the best part comes next.
The Ferris Wheel at night. Who says Rye Playland isn’t romantic? Riding the ferris wheel with a nice cool breeze messing up your hair offers a deserved break from reality. This might be the most memorable part of the day. You have to make sure you go on the ferris wheel almost at closing time to feel the full effect.
Besides the rich history of Playland, there were some movies filmed here, such as Tom Hanks’ “Big” and Wood Allen’s “Sweet and Lowdown.”
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Sunday, September 17th, 2006
Beautiful Sundays are meant for riding motorcycles…and flying airplanes. Well, that’s just what we did. My friend Craig and I went for a nice bike ride up to Sherman, CT on an exploration mission. We had no goal and that’s the way we like it. We rode our motorcycles…and had them pose for a photo…
I wanted to show Craig a house that I almost purchased the Spring of 2005 located on Green Pond Rd. in Sherman, CT. We rode by it, took a look and agreed that it was too small. Good thing I walked from that deal. Anyway, we continued up the road because I was raving about how the house came with lake access to two private beaches on Candlewood Lake. We went through the gates and started climbing a hill and then rolled down the other side…ooh, an unexpected surprise. A small lake called Green Pond. No one knows about this little pristine treasure, because no one is allowed in unless you live on that road. It was really, really nice. There were a few people sitting on the small beach and the lake was surrounded by the thickest Hemlocks. I love that…totally private.
Enough of that. We rode up and back out towards the main road. I was in back of Craig…when he made a sudden right. I read the partly hidden sign located on the entrance of the small road he just turned into. It read “Candlelight Farms Airport.” Hmmm…what was this? Well, apparently, there is a really cool grass airport located right behind the tree line. This is actually the one that the chopper landed on in the movie “Mr. Deeds.” We continued to ride down the dirt road until we got to the hangar.
There was a bi-plane sitting outside and a guy there who was giving scenic rides. His company is called Preston Aviation and he lives in Florida in the winter and Connecticut in the summer. His plane is a Stearman PT-17, built in 1941. This plane was in awesome condition.
Ok, fine. This sounds like fun. Craig went up first for a half-hour. He came back down and said it was a gorgeous view and I just had to go up. I climbed in to the 2-seater and was pretty excited. This airplane is totally open, so your head sticks out. Great for nice warm days.
Craig was right. It was gorgeous. We flew over Candlewood Lake and parts of Sherman and New Milford. He let me fly a bit and snap lots of photos. Way too many to put in this entry. We also did some lazy eights.
Flying over this lake is a very scenic adventure. I will be sure to come back after I get my license.
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Posted in Family & Friends, Flying, Travels | 1 Comment »
