Another round of lighthouses

August 11 – This morning we left for New London on the coast of CT.  It’s about an hour to get there.  Not

New London Ledge Light

bad.  We headed for along the coast where I had a map indicating you could get a good view of several lighthouses.  The two that we could see were New London Ledge Light which is out in the water and you have to take a tour to get to it and New London Harbor Light is in a great spot for viewing but all you could see was the top as it was scaffolded all the way up for reparations.  There is no place to go for the stamps so I will have to write to get them sent to me.

Bill wanted to go to the U S Navy Submarine Force Museum

Sub from late 1700's

so that was next.  We followed the signs and ended up on the Naval Base by mistake.  Those guys are fully armed and he took Bill’s license info and told us where to exit and get to the museum which is off base.  He had another officer go into the road and basically block us off from going anywhere but the exit.  The museum was just a half

In the sub

mile further down the street.  It’s pretty huge, but then we are talking about torpedo exhibits and that kind of stuff.  The movie was excellent.  It was about the development of subs and then how they were used in various wars.  Outside is docked the USS Nautilus which is the first atomic powered submarine.  We got to go on it and in it and all through it.  We’d been on a sub before but it’s been a long time.  You cannot be claustrophobic and live on one that’s for sure.

Coast Guard Chapel Light

Then we visited the Coast Guard Academy.  Their chapel has a working lighthouse for the steeple.  We had to give our licenses that were scanned and off we went.  In addition to the chapel we went to see the football field, baseball field and the commissary where we were allowed to buy only items with the insignia on them.  I saw a group in training working on drills.  We could have done more walking around but we were really hungry and wanted some late lunch.

Avery Point Light

No luck on the late lunch yet as we headed to the Avery Point Light.  It was the last lighthouse built in CT and on the grounds of industrialist Morton F. Plant’s estate.  The property is now a branch of UConn.  Bill spotted the tower as we drove up and went to a parking area he thought would be closest.  He stayed in the car and I walked to it and got my photo.

Stonington Lighthouse

Still no lunch!   We left for Stonington Lighthouse.  It is located on a point with a nice park and beach and set back a little.  It just looks like a stone house with a small tower.  It is all original and now houses a lighthouse museum.  I be getting really hungry about now!

Our next to last stop of the day was Mystic Seaport.  I thought that was the town.  Well I had the address of the lighthouse and we could not find the number, but did find a little seafood place on the water with all outdoor seating.  It was after 4 and it was my lunch/dinner combo.  I had

Waiting for a handout, not from
my long awaited dinner

clams strips and 2 orders of slaw, forgoing the fries.  Bill had chicken as usual.  Stuffed and ready to search again we drove more slowing down the street and the number was for the admin office of Mystic Seaport.  We parked across the street and called the number and found out that the lighthouse stamp was at the visitor center, which she gave us directions to just up the street and where to park.  I thought it was a visitor center for the town.  It was almost 5 and we knew they

View of seaport from our lunch spot

probably closed at 5 so Bill dropped me at the corner and parked and waited.  I was able to get the stamp in the VC and asked where the lighthouse was so I could take a photo.  I was told I’d have to pay to go in and they were closing in 5 minutes.  Then I asked where the Charles Morgan whaling ship was docked and was told it is also a part of the “park”.  Good thing we already got to go on it for free when we were in Charleston Navy Yard.  It would cost us $48 to visit Mystic Seaport.  It is a 19^th century village with strolling musicians, shops, demonstrations, a chapel, museum and the lighthouse and several ships to board.  It’s not a town but a town is all around it.  A little way west is the town of Old Mystic, so guess this is really New Mystic.

Mohegan Sun Casino

So, we got back on the road and the Mohegan Sun Casino was on the way so we made a relatively short stop there.  I spent the last of our cash, $30, while Bill had a soda and checked out the shops.  On the way out we each had a Krispy Kreme donut and mine was as good as they have always been.  It has been years since I had a chocolate Bavarian crème donut!

The ride home was uneventful and no, I didn’t cook supper.  I did make stuffed peppers for tomorrow since I didn’t want the meat to go bad.  We were pooped so just had a snack later and watched some TV.