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June 11, 1992 - A New England Serendipity SojournL June 11, 1992 • The Suffolk Times • 7A A New England Serendipity Sojourn By Paul Stoutenburah We just had to get away and so with some quick preparations — like putting the camper on the pickup and dewinter- izing it — we were ready for a few days camping. Where? We hadn't the slight- est idea. We drove to the Orient Point ferry, which brought us through some of Long Island's finest scenery, and then headed north. Once aboard the ferry we headed east and rounded Orient Point Light where there was only one lonely fisherman trying his luck for blackfish right off the rocks at that historic light. The sea was calm and the trip uneventful. At New London we disembarked and headed along Route 9 and then north on 91. Our water scene had quickly changed to new green growth. To me this new foliage always seems to have a special radiance about it that disappears as the season wears on, but for now it was glorious under a bright sun and blue sky. Connecticut seemed to have so many wooded areas; mile after mile we trav- eled along fine roads lined with this new greenery. Much of Route 91 passed through this splendid forest cover with- out so much as even a house or sign of man. Before we knew it we were in Massachusetts and found ourselves driv- `We were alone except for one other couple and a lone fisherman on the lake' ing slowly through Northampton, a town anyone would be proud of. Old stone buildings, gracious homes, sweep- ing parks, all the good things that make a place stand out. By now we were scanning the map for a campsite. A state park caught our eye just outside Goshen. Soon the brown - and - yellow signs told us we had arrived at a place not planned on but one most welcome at this time of the day. As we tunneled into the forest on a fine road we could feel the trees close in around us. Great white pines lined the roadside, wildflowers sprinkled here and there where the open light could nourish them into their shy but beautiful wonder. Tired and Hungry We were both hungry as we pulled into Site No. 3 and popped up our camper. In no time Barbara had a gourmet feast: lobster, fresh asparagus, a giant salad and one of Long Island's finest wines to top off the occasion. We dined in the luxury that engulfed us, the scent of the woods and a stillness that was almost unreal. We had brought a portable radio along but thoughts of it were much too intrusive. With our stomachs satisfied and the sun setting, we would have to take a walk to the lake we had seen on our way in. Being the off -season we were alone except for one other couple and a lone fisherman on the lake. Occasionally a fish would rise to break the mirrored water, leaving its telltale ripple of an evening meal. Barbara's eyes picked up the dainty Painted Trilliums growing alongside the footpath. Then we saw a small white flower, which proved to be one of our spring's first blooms, the delicate Focus on Nature Starflower. Unlike the trilliums, this low, early bloomer is found throughout our own East End. Later we'd even find another familiar wildflower, the Lady's Slipper, its pink almost faded to white in the deep forest. Ferns were every- where. Their masses filled the wet spots along the lake. On our way back to the campsite we passed whole sections of the roadside covered with the blue and fading For - get-Me-Not. There were thousands upon thousands of these tiny flowers bright- ening our way and this was just a little spot in the 1,500 -acre forest preserve. Further back off the road edge were the familiar fern-like Horsetails, those relics of an ancient time when the first trees grew without leaves. These miniature reminders were the only thing in the woods to tell us of our early beginnings. We have these Horsetails at home and, like here, they grow in a damp area. Before we'd leave we'd see both blue and white violets, the familiar Sarsaparilla and carpets of Canada Lily, Princess Pine, High Bush Blueberry, the yellow - flowering Cowslip and Pinkster Azalea. All of these can be found out on our East End. Short Evening Nightfall found us content and as the gaslight hissed on the table we both made a feeble attempt at reading but it was no use. Without a word we both rose and climbed into bed. I couldn't even remember lying down. Sleep, that wonderful pacifier, had claimed us both. Early to bed, early to rise proved it- self once again and in the crisp, early morning we ate and were anxious to be off on the road. "Let's head for Ver- mont. It's but a short ride away." And so we headed north for Vermont where we enjoyed a day and night in a won- derful state park in the Green Mountains and then on to New Hampshire. Lunch at the Otter Brook picnic area couldn't have been nicer. Great clumps of Pinx- ter Azalea bloomed in its soft radiance along the river bank. I had pho- tographed it years ago on Long Island but that didn't compare to the profusion of it here. I had to photograph it again. We also found a clump of low -grow- ing poplars that were fruiting now. In some areas as we drove along these air- borne seeds gave the impression it was LADY'S SLIPPER —This is probably Long Island's best known orchid. With more and more cleared land we see less and less of this delicate pink wildflower. snowing in June. The tufted seed pods floated everywhere and, like snow, col- lected in drifts along the curb edge. We stopped briefly here and there to visit in the many beautiful towns and villages on our way to Bear Brook State Park. When we arrived it was about five in the afternoon and we selected a spot right on the water. We ate dinner in rather a rush so we could get our canoe off and christen it in Beaver Pond. We shoved off and drifted on its mir- rored surface. Paddling was almost ef- fortless as we moved along the lush, green banks. Big, circular sandy spots on the pond's shallow edge told us fish were busy guarding their nesting sites. Dolly Marshaff Kennels Dog and Cat Boarding V Bathing andgrooming k We have warm hearts for cold noses! 0,Jk 49 Tanners 91 gkLane, P.O. Box 171, WWesthmVton, 91 f York 11977, 516 - 288.3535 Pickup and Defivery available ...and urge our readers to save time, gas and money (not to mention the local economy) by shopping locally, too. Kingbirds (flycatchers) dropped down to capture insects that were just emerg- ing as adults from their underwater nymph stage. The huge bass rushed out in front of the canoe and in the shallow water we could just see the fin as it charged away. In one section the yellow Spatterdock water -lily filled a cove. Canoeing would add a new dimension to our camping from now on. It would be another way of seeing the world around us. We almost held back on paddling for we didn't want to end the spell, but thunderheads were building and so with a new cool breeze behind us, we slid back across the pond, con- tent with our day.