From Watertown, we drove further east to New London/Groton. I originally wanted to see the Mystic Lighthouse. But we decided to go to the Avery Point Lighthouse instead. The Avery Point Lighthouse sits on the same Peninsula as the University of Connecticut (UConn) Southeastern Branch. They have a lot of neat buildings on this Campus: the Branford House, a library, a bookstore, a University Police Department, a Project Oceanology Building and Marina, a Marine Operation Building, etc. The Long Island Sound has a lot to offer, studying marine life and other nifty subjects. We walked around the Campus and saw more lighthouses in the area. Where the Thames River runs into the Long Island Sound is the New London Ledge Lighthouse located, right in the middle of New London Bay. It’s been humored, that lighthouse is haunted by a former keeper named “Ernie”, who committed suicide by jumping off the top of the lighthouse into the bay. It’s been said, that his wife decided to leave him for another man. The Coast Guard witnessed unexplained knocking and door opening & closing repeatedly during nighttime. The New London Harbor Lighthouse is right across the Thames River. There are a lot more in and around this bay area. But we focused on these three lighthouses.

Walking towards the Shennecossett Yacht Club, we heard quite a commotion on the Thames River. We wondered, what was going on. The U.S. Coast Guards made so much noise, that we first thought someone is in deep trouble. Come to find out, the Coast Guards were guiding a Submarine out of the river and the bay to the sound into deeper waters. Later, I found out that there is a Naval Submarine Base and a museum, where the Nautilus is located upstream of the river. That was very interesting. I haven’t seen a submarine in 31 years. When I was 16, I had the chance to see the “Wilhelm Bauer” (U-2540) submarine in Bremerhaven, Germany. Anyway, seeing the submarine entering the Long Island Sound was the highlight of this trip to New London/Groton.

Kevin and I had lunch at Chester’s Barbeque before we drove back to Danbury. In the late afternoon, I couldn’t do much due to a nasty migraine. But those come and go from time to time. We decided to take it easy for the rest of the evening.

… to be continued …

05/06/2021