That's why some of the richest farmland outside of the Middle West is found in the Connecticut River valley. Hurd State Park, just above, offers picnic sites with fireplaces. The village of Middle Haddam, on the east bank, looks like a Colonial settlement. A quaint New England setting, it was a shipbuilding center when America was young. As you continue upriver, you pass a small forested island all of two-acres in size.
Dart Island is a state park that's popular with shad fishermen when the run is on.
Then the river narrows. The high tree-covered banks are really a ridge line that continues straight across the river. This is the Straits, a cut through rock ledge that forms a particularly scenic section of the river. The upriver terminus of the Straits is marked by Bodkin Rock. Cities like Middletown, to your port as you continue your cruise, are screened from riverview by well planned trees.