Today I headed to Chaplin, CT, the 13th smallest town in the state.
Named for Benjamin (not Charlie) Chaplin, the town has a population of 2,151, and is in Windham County. As is often the case with these small New England towns, it was started as an ecclesiastical society for people who didn’t want to travel too far for church. The town’s website has the full story.
This is my first town with a population greater than 2,000!
For some reason, I managed to do a poor job when it came to finding a restaurant in town. When I did my initial search the only thing I could find was a biker bar called the Bach Dor Cafe, however on my way there I passed a very nice looking little breakfast/lunch place called Blondie’s. Blondie’s closes at 2:00, which is when the Bach Dor opens, so I had timed my arrival perfectly to not be able to eat at Blondie’s. After arriving at the Bach Dor, I pulled my phone out to confirm that Blondie’s was, in fact, in Chaplin, and to try to figure out how I had missed it during my initial search. In the process of doing so, I discovered a pizza place in town that I had also missed. I am not a clever man.
There are a few biker bars in Connecticut, and this is definitely one of them. I was hoping to camouflage myself at least a little bit, so I took my motorcycle for the two-hour ride over, in spite of it being only about 50° that day. I didn’t need to bother because at 2:00 on a Monday, I was one of only three people in the place, and the only motorcycle in the parking lot.
Of course, when I got there, I discovered that while they are open at 2:00, they don’t really serve food at that time. The waitress was very nice though, and she fired up the fryolator to make me some french fries to go with my Sam Adams. Unexpectedly, they did have a decent beer selection that went beyond Bud Light.
They have some eclectic decor inside. I have to admit, I found myself wondering what the vibe is here on a nice weekend day in the summer when all the motorcycles are out. Would they hang a Moto Guzzi rider like myself by the ankles from the rafters? I may have to come back and find out some day.
I asked the waitress, “Does that shirt say ‘DOG FUCKER’?”
Yes.
Apparently “dog fucker” was the catchphrase of a long-time patron, and when he passed away they held a memorial event that included t-shirts. It’s how I’d want to be remembered.
After heading out from the Bach Dor, I went looking for Diana’s Pool, a local hiking area along the Natchaug River. The parking area might comfortably hold 3-4 cars, and swimming and picnicking are emphatically disallowed.
Heading upstream a little ways you’ll find this interesting rock formation, the other side of which…
…looks like this…
…which faces what I assume is Diana’s actual pool. It was a pretty area, but the sun was starting to settle in the sky, it wasn’t getting any warmer, and I had over an hour to get home in borderline rush-hour traffic, so I suited up and headed out.
Having done 14 towns so far in my project, starting from the smallest and building to the largest, I have always assumed that they would get progressively more interesting as they got larger. I’m starting to rethink that. Sure, larger towns will have more choices when it comes to attractions, and the attractions may be more well-known, but I have had some really satisfying days in towns with populations <2,000. In fact, I’m starting to wonder if the opposite will prove to be true. Will I have more fun in Cromwell, with 14,225 people, than I did in Franklin or Norfolk or Scotland? It seems very unlikely. Sometimes it’s the journey that makes the day, sometimes it’s the company that makes the day, and sometimes it’s just the day that makes the day, for reasons I can’t quite put my finger on. It’s food for thought, but I suspect I may miss the smaller towns when I get them behind me.