From Hartford · Connecticut River Valley: Durham to Old Saybrook

This full-day version starts in Hartford. The first 21 miles go out on back roads, mostly CT-3 and CT-17, to Durham, where the good part begins. The core stretch, Connecticut River Valley: Durham to Old Saybrook, runs 49 miles to Old Saybrook.

The ride home is the quick way: 41 miles on CT-9 and I-91 back to Hartford. All in, it's about 112 miles and 3.5 hours in the saddle, before any stops for gas, food or photos. There's time to take it easy.

Full-day version that starts in Hartford: it adds the ride there and back to Connecticut River Valley: Durham to Old Saybrook. Here is what you'll find on the core stretch:

The Connecticut River valley end to end: from Durham you drop to Killingworth, take CT-148 to Chester, cross the East Haddam swing bridge by the Goodspeed Opera House and ride River Road past Gillette Castle to Hadlyme, then on through Lyme to Old Lyme and Old Saybrook. The East Haddam bridge has a steel grate deck that gets slick in the rain, and CT-148 has a 90-degree bend to take easy. In season (April to November, on a schedule) you can cross on the Chester–Hadlyme ferry instead of the bridge: check the hours before you go.