August 28, 2018 - Plymouth to Long Island Sound
Approaching Plymouth, over Plymouth Bay, looking north.
   
That's Plymouth dead ahead, with a million boats inside the Plymouth Breakwater.
   
A good look at Plymouth.  Plymouth Rock -- iconic landing site of the Mayflower in 1620 -- is down there middle left if you know where to look for it.  It's on my bucket list to see.
   
The National Monument to the Forefathers (Pilgrims).  I had to look it up afterwards; didn't know it at the time.
   
By pure luck, a pretty good shot of Plymouth Rock.
   
I was getting pretty tired, so I stopped at Plymouth airport (KPYM) to take a break and stretch my legs.  There is a little onfield restaurant in the upstairs of the FBO building.
   

I departed Plymouth Airport and headed south to Buzzards Bay.   The plan was to follow the coast along Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound, and Long Island Sound all the way to the Big Apple.

Notice all the boats.  Every little bay or harbor I would see today was packed with boats.  For every General Aviation airplane there must be 500 boats.
   
Passing by New Bedford, Massachusetts.  During the 19th century, the city was one of the most important whaling ports in the world, along with Nantucket and New Londonn.  New Bedford has a whaling musuem that sounds interesting.  I've never spent any time in this part of the country and had to compare my pictures with Google Maps to see what they were.
   
Fort Rodman.  A Civil War-era fort that guarded the entrance to New Bedford.
   
The good sized Sakonnet River heads north into Rhode Island.
   
Newport, Rhode Island straight ahead.  I was interested because my family lived here when I was only two years or so old.  My Dad was going to the Naval War College which is located in Newport.
   
East of Newport:  St. Georges School - a private boarding school, only $58K/year!    The public high school I went to didn't have facilities quite this nice.
   
Easton Point
   
That big building in the middle is "The Breakers", the summer house of the Vanderbilts in the late 1800s.  Nice little summer cottage.
   

A good look at Narragansett Bay.  I did not know it at the time but the Naval War College is on that island just to the right of the beginning of the big bridge.  That island -- Coasters Harbor Island -- is essentially a Naval Base which also includes the Navy's Surface Warfare Officer's school.
   
Cruise boat out in Narragansett Bay.
   
I wonder what the deal is on this Frigate is?
   
Looking east at Fort Adams in the center foreground.
   

Well, this guy doesn't have to worry about mowing the lawn, raking the leaves or shoveling snow.
   
Southwest Point.
   
Beavertail Point.
   
Nice oceanfront houses.
   
Point Judith Country Club
   
Some very nice houses next to the country club.
   
The entrance to Point Judith Pond which is the biggest "pond" I've ever seen.
   
About to fly over Groton-New London Airport's Class D airspace.  I listened to the tower frequency; not much going on.
   
About to pass over the Thames River.   The white-roofed buildings center left is General Dynamics Electric Boat, where they build submarines for the US Navy.
   
And to the right of the bridge is the New London Naval Submarine Base.  I spent a week here as a Midshipman learning about the submarine Navy.
   
Speaking about submarines, down below is the first nuclear-powered submarine, USS Nautilus, now part of the Submarine Force Museum.
   
Further up the Thames River are some operational boats.
   
Looking east down the Thames River.  New London, Thames:  the Rhode Islanders must have really missed the home country.
   
There is I-95 down there.  You think it's heading south, but actually it is heading due west at this point.
   
Looking south, Long Island is now visible across Long Island Sound.
   
Looking north, nothing but forest.  Not what I expected to see in Connecticut.
   
New Haven and the Quinnipiac River.  New Haven is home to the famous Yale University.
   
Flying over Sikorsky Memorial Airport.
   
Bridgeport, Connecticut.
   
Long Island Sound is narrowing; I can see the Big Apple in the distance.
   
I cut across New Rochelle and Yonkers, staying below 1,500 feet to avoid the Class B, to get to the Hudson River, then turned south.
   
 
   
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