Gillette Castle State Park, Connecticut - August 26, 2021
It’s the unexpected little gems off the beaten path that seem to brighten up our spirits. We didn’t know much about Gillette Castle beforehand, so we had no expectations. It’s what made the experience feel like a wonderful discovery.
Wednesday was one of our longer drives from Endicott, New York to Lake Compounce, Connecticut. On the way, we crossed over the toll bridge over the Hudson River on I-84. This was the second toll bridge we’ve crossed in New York. There are no toll booths. If you don’t have an E-ZPass, then they will mail you a bill. A sign said to call **826. When Right Buddy (RB) called, a recording gave her some additional information and texted her a link. Following the link, it takes you to star-star.com. Then after a few button clicks, you are taken to tollsbymailny.com. There you can search for your toll bill by your license plate number and pay it online. Next time we’ll just go straight to tollsbymailny.com.
Our original plan was to spend the night in a Cracker Barrel parking lot in Bristol, but it was hot out, so we wanted to run our roof top air conditioner which requires electrical hookups. Lake Compounce Campground (previously called Bear Creek Campground) is next to an amusement park by the same name. The amusement park was closed, so the campground was pretty quiet with not a lot of campers. There wasn’t much shade on any of the campsites.
Unbelievably, we did not stop for ice cream along the drive to Lake Compounce. We settled for ice cream novelties from the campground store. They tasted refreshing in the afternoon heat. It was hot and humid outside, so we cooked our dinner on our butane stove in the picnic shelter for the shade. Showers after dinner helped revive us from the heat.
Thursday morning, we visited Gillette Castle State Park in Connecticut on the way from Lake Compounce to Mystic. William Gillette was a stage actor in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was best known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. Gillette designed the mansion that is now called Gillette Castle for his private residence which was completed in 1919. The mansion, which Gillette called the Seventh Sister, is built from field stone with beautifully crafted woodwork inside. In addition to the mansion, Gillette built a one-quarter scale railroad, with the three miles of track encircling his property. One of the two train engines is restored and on display at the visitor center. The visitor center also has a short film which gives a nice overview of William Gillette’s life, the mansion, and the railroad.
The castle is open to the public, for $6 per person. We spent about half an hour touring the mansion. There were so many interesting and unique details that Gillette designed. The stone, carved wood, and grass mats are integrated together in simple elegance. It was one of the first buildings to have indoor plumbing and electricity. William Gillette was an inventor and the building reflects that.
After a picnic lunch in the state park, we continued our drive to Mystic. Of course we stopped for ice cream. This time it was Cowlick’s Creamery in Waterford. Chocolate and minty mint chip were on RB’s waffle cone and vanilla was the flavor of Left Buddy’s (LB’s) shake. We believe Cowlick’s serves Hershey’s ice cream. If LB had known that before he ordered, he might have ordered chocolate.
It was another hot and humid day. When we reached the Seaport RV Park in Mystic, we worked a little bit on our laptops in the shade of the picnic shelter. Then LB lay down for a short nap in the air-conditioned van while RB cooled off in the campground swimming pool. Feeling refreshed, we cooked dinner outside when the shade of the nearby trees reached our campsite.
Although the heat and humidity may have slowed us down a little, it did not melt our sense of adventure. Spending time inside the thick stone walls of Gillette Castle and wandering around the wooded grounds was an enjoyable and interesting way to spend the day.
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(RB)