2020

2020 – Year in Exploration

Other Years: 201620172018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023

Stats:

  • 1 website complete crash
  • 6 months rebuilding
  • 99 locations explored
    • Coming back to update this with a breakdown
  • 150,878 website views
  • 1,017 hours of YouTube movies watched
Story of 2020

  • exploreCT.org’s 2020 mirrored the tumultuousness of the real world. I had the stirrings of server problems at the end of 2019 continuing through January and February until [The Great Crash] came in March.
  • I was forced to delete my site, lose my backups, and rebuild from square one
  • Rebuilding was much slower than I expected taking a full six months to get [Back to 100%]. But, the site was stronger, faster, better; or so I thought.
  • In the Fall, cleared from rebuilding the site, I had a list of changes accumulated that I was looking to fix. I would update one aspect, fix a gap, tweak and customize only to realize doing so had broken elements of my site and exposed weaknesses I didn’t know where there.
  • These broken elements and weaknesses were technical jargon filled messes. But, I treated it like a puzzle in a video game. I had to solve this puzzle by reading notes left by others (questions in online forums) piecing the disparate information together while figuring out how it applied to the unfamiliar style of puzzle in front of me. Let me tell you, it was SO satisfying to finally unlock the puzzle and fix the issues.
  • Heading into 2021, the site is (for now) at its best point ever and well positioned to in breadth, depth, and usefulness.

Windsor Meadows State Park

★★☆☆☆

41.813168, -72.647661

Windsor Meadows State Park Connecticut State Park 155 acres in Windsor, CT Parking: Medium sized lot near E Barber St, Windsor, CT Trail Map       …

Windsor Locks Canal State Park

★★☆☆☆

41.986295, -72.605278

Windsor Locks Canal State Park Connecticut State Park 4.5 miles in Suffield and Windsor Locks, CT Parking: North End: Medium lot near near 1212-1100 Canal Rd  Suffield,… Read more…

Quinnipiac River State Park

★★☆☆☆

41.399797, -72.866317

Quinnipiac River State Park Connecticut State Park 323 acres in North Haven, CT Parking: Small lot near 10 Banton St, North Haven, CT Trail Map     …

Lake Williams State Park

★★☆☆☆

41.629718, -72.301327

Lake Williams State Park Connecticut State Park in Lebanon, CT Parking: Small lot near 1644 Exeter Rd, Lebanon, CT Trail Map          Trails: Less…

Haddam Meadows State Park

★★☆☆☆

41.481174, -72.510483

Haddam Meadows State Park Connecticut State Park 175 acres in Haddam, CT Parking: Several lots near 20 Parmelee Rd, Haddam, CT Trail Map         …

Captain George Comer Memorial State Park

★★☆☆☆

41.470236, -72.407336

Captain George Comer Memorial State Park / Harris Reserve Connecticut State Park / East Haddam Land Trust 1.8 acres in East Haddam, CT Parking: Small lot near…

Brainard Homestead State Park

★☆☆☆☆

41.466588, -72.462986

Brainard Homestead State Park Connecticut State Park / Scenic Reserve 25 acres in East Haddam, CT Parking: Shoulder parking near 76 Creek Row East Haddam, CT Trail…

Bluff Point State Park

★★★☆☆

55 Depot Rd, Groton, CT, USA

Bluff Point State Park Connecticut State Park 806 acres in Groton, CT Parking: Large lot near 55 Depot Rd, Groton, CT Trail Map         …

Bent of the River

★★☆☆☆

185 E Flat Hill Rd, Southbury, CT 06488

Bent of the River Sanctuary Audubon Center 700 acres in Southbury, CT Parking: Medium sized lot near 185 E Flat Hill Rd, Southbury, CT Trail Map    …

Southford Falls

★★★☆☆

41.458784, -73.163979

Southford Falls State Park Connecticut State Park 169 acres in Southbury and Oxford, CT Parking: Large lot near 175 Quaker Farms Rd, Southbury, CT Trail Map   …