A Look To the North

By David Beers

Many Norfolkians reading this are probably Connecticut-centric in their geographic thinking. This means we tend to favor and gravitate to in-state locations for work and play. Traveling south, east and west along the well-worn routes to Winsted, Torrington, Salisbury, Goshen and North Canaan is much more common than heading north. As a result, we tend to think of Connecticut spots as closer than some out-of-state locations. For example, which is closer to Norfolk, Albany or Bridgeport? Albany is three miles closer as the crow flies.

How often do we head directly north up Routes 272 or 183 into Southfield, Mill River, Sandisfield and New Marlborough, Mass.? For me, it is pretty rare and definitely not often enough. There are great things to see and do just a short drive north. Downtown Norfolk to downtown Southfield is only an eight-mile drive, and yet it seems farther.

One sunny late September day, two of us decided to break the mold and head north up Route 272 for an adventure. The first stop was Thousand Acre Swamp for a loop hike around Thousand Acre Lake and a side hike to East Indies Pond. The swaying hiker suspension bridge took us to where the colors were peaking spectacularly in the wetlands.

Back in the car, we continued our drive up a winding limestone road to the Southfield Store for a coffee, where the clerk asked if we had a garden. We said we did, and he gave us the day’s used coffee grounds as garden mulch. Bonus!

We next set off to purchase a quart of soup at the self-serve Farm Country Soup kiosk behind the Southfield Post Office, also stopping to check out the all-wood post office with its low, hand-hewn beams and worn wooden floor that smells wonderful. If only that floor could talk. The post office is on the ground floor of the historic whip factory building.

With a couple more hours of sunlight left in the day, it seemed premature to head home. So, farther north we went to the hamlet of Mill River. Mill River is off the major roads and can be hard to find, nestled in the narrow Konkapot River Valley. The first time I stumbled upon it years ago, it was a pleasantly unexpected sight. New Marlborough Town Hall and the town library reside here, along with Ormsbee’s Garage and the Mill River General Store.

The general store is quintessential New England, with a large front porch, worn floorboards and the post office within the store. The store has recently changed ownership and now concentrates on offering more healthy food items. We enjoyed an ice cream on the porch in the waning light before heading over to the library.

The wood-paneled library is much larger than it seems from the outside, with high ceilings and large windows. I was shocked to find a recent copy of the Northern Logger magazine on the shelves. I proceeded to a cozy chair to read, with the birds eyeing me from the large bird cage at the circulation desk.

We were not quite done exploring Mill River. Heading north, we took the first left onto Hayes Hill Road. Crossing the river, we noticed along its right bank impressive bear-sized blocks of granite stacked like Legos, the remains of a mill. Bearing left brought us back to the library and store. It was now dark, and we headed home for some warm soup. 

Crossing back into Connecticut, I was already feeling inspired to make plans for more explorations into the great, and somewhat unknown, north. I encourage everyone to give it a try.