Today, we drove down to Connecticut and rode on the 
Windsor Locks Canal Towpath. It was a great day for it -- a little cool perhaps. There are no signs advertising the path on any of the main roads, so you have to know about it to find it. We had originally read a newspaper article about the trail and I had to retrace our steps, backtracking once, to find it again. There is a gravel parking area with a short dirt path to the beginning the canal. A metal grate bridge leads over the entrance to the canal, where the remnants of the lock can still be seen. The towpath is a causeway between the Connecticut River and the canal. There are scrubby trees and brambles and a steep drop on both sides for the entire length of the ride. We saw many turtles lounging on logs at the margins of the canal. Near the halfway point, an aqueduct carries the canal over a stream that runs underneath to join the Connecticut River. A train bridge marks the 3/4 point and provides some shade and seating to enjoy the scenery. At the end, the canal runs between train tracks and a series of old, defunct factories. The last factory before the end was the Montgomery Company, whose sign said "Since 1871, Makers of Decorative and Electric Tinsel". Evidently the company was killed off through a leveraged buyout in the 80s. The canal continues on but, warn signs, through private property.
On the way back, we discovered that, like rail trails, canal trails are flat, but not level. We also realized that we had had the assistance of the wind all the way down the trail. The 4.5 mile trip back was more tiring than the trip down and we were glad to get back to the car.