Rocky Neck Beach, V
10:00 AM - 2:30 PM, Sunday, 25 August 2024WEATHER: 78°F WITH A 'REAL-FEEL' OF 89°F; HUMIDITY 73%; PRESSURE 30.23 IN; WIND SPEED SW-4 MPH; CLOUD COVER 25%; VISIBILITY 13 MI.
The summer of ‘24 is almost over and Nicole had wanted to have one last go at ‘family beach day’ before all of the kids were back at school. The day was off to a somber start as, unfortunately, not everyone was able to attend. Although they were deeply missed, it was nice to see that the ubiquitous morning cloud cover burned off eventually, so overall a good day.
Although this was my fifth trip to the beach at Rocky Neck State Park, I had not been there since 2020, and I forgot how nice it was. We usually go to Hammonasset Beach, and although there is nothing wrong with that per se, this beach was just a great fit for what I wanted today.
I believe there are only two entrances to the shore line from the parking lot(s), and on this occasion we parked on the far western end and entered through the railroad underpass tunnel. The alternative would have been to park and enter at the opposite end which has a nice boardwalk along a brook. This side of the beach, however, is prone to being restricted do to “potentially hazardous bacteria” which would have spawned in the stagnant waters of the salt marsh. See our post, Rocky Neck Beach! from 2016.
Area Walked is Highlighted
We arrived ‘relatively’ early and set up a little way down the recently renovated beach-walk. The grounds crew did a great job at raking the sand the night before because it was soft, smooth, most of the footprints around us were our own.
The entrances to the beach proper always fill up more densely over the course of the day, of course, but since we were just a ways down it was very comfortable throughout our entire time there.
[The following three paragraphs are tongue-in-cheek and everyone’s identity should be obscured.]
I never used to notice how taking a picture of the beach would almost always include an omnipresent and attractive female beachgoer or two. I’d like to thank Nicole for pointing this out to me. Recently I’ve started creating my beach collages with these vixens highlighted to acknowledge the fact, and so as to get out in front of any unwarranted impropriety.
Take for example the following; I wanted a picture of the cute interaction between Mr. White and his daughter, and I knew the individual in the jean cut-off shorts and leopard print brassiere was in frame when I took the picture, but it was not my intent to capture her nor was she the focus of the shot. Can I be blamed?
Also, in case it is not obvious, the Amtrak train is not really there. I superimposed it. I had wanted to wait for a train to pass-by again because I think it would have been cool, but I don’t know their schedule.
I thought the water temperature was fine and it was nice to catch it at high tide.
“The beautiful, gently sloping, soft sandy beach, picnic areas, birdwatching, train watching, sprawling trail systems, and salt marsh viewing platforms make this park ideal for weekenders, vacationers, and day-trippers. Rocky Neck provides something for all members of the family.
Located on Long Island Sound in the town of East Lyme, Rocky Neck is 710 acres of pristine beach and coastal thicket situated between a salt marsh and tidal river. The park’s varied terrain offers something for everyone. Clear waters and the stone-free beach with expanses of white sand make it ideal for swimming. The geologic glacial features, steep walls, and boulders bring climbers out to the beach. Crabbing and fishing attract anglers in every season.”
Our portion of the group took a walk up to the top of the nearby hill to get a better view from the Ellie Mitchell Pavilion. I wish I had brought slip-on sandals or wore my shoes because the small stones on the initial path were a bit much on my feet. At the top they had a map with a few locations I had never heard of, i.e., Baker’s Cave, Tony’s Nose Overlook, and I’m told I went to the [now closed?] Nature Center, but I don’t remember it. The State has an official downloadable map on their park’s website with all of the hiking trails.
Bonus content: as we were leaving, we were asked to wait while the Park Service, using a(n) United Rentals - Club Car Carryall utility terrain vehicle, was stopped on the boarded beach-walk in front of us while they picked up someone. No problem… for us. Well, the vehicle immediately got stuck when the driver tried to turn around on the beach instead for reversing out. How the guy in the lounge chair [highlighted top-gold] didn’t get blasted while it was spinning it’s rear wheels in the sand, I’ll never understand.
Then the two rangers [violet], who were there to deny anyone to pass while this operation was ongoing, were seemingly too enthralled with the action to halt the guy in a pink shirt and kaki shorts as he made it through. The entire process took forever so I’m not hating, I’m just not sure why all of us couldn’t have been allowed to pass by.
Also, note that the ranger closest to us never even took her hand off her hip while some random guy [bottom-gold], not even the one in the lounge chair, pushed the vehicle out.
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I'm not sure why the two pictures in the collage below look so pixelized [now]. They are fine when they are uploaded, and my understanding is that this website [unlike Facebook] doesn't reduce their quality if they are under 20MB. Unfortunately, all the detail I wanted to highlight is now lost.
This embedded eight-year-old WTNH Channel-8 YouTube video might add a little more insight into what the beach has to offer.
Driving times are approximate:
New London = 0 h, 20 m.
New Haven = 0 h, 45 m.
Tolland = 1 h, 0 m.
Hartford = 1 h, 0 m.
Torrington = 1 h, 20 m.
Boston = 1 h, 45 m.
NYC = 2 h, 0 m.
The tags below are hyperlinks that open the pages with all other instances of that tag: