2005 RBF Bluff Point Picnic Run

Tuesday dawned as every other day: the sun came up and the world was pleased. On this particular Tuesday, however, a branch of the Running Blog Family was more than pleased; they were darn excited because they were anticipating their first family get together, at Bluff Point near Mystic, CT.
Susan and I drove down from Rhode Island. The Running Chick and Sarah came down from upstate. Bill, our host, brought little Jake along with his trail bike (and training wheels).
A few photos were taken as we loosened up and waited on Bill and Jake to arrive. He gave us a coach's preview of the trail ahead and then we were off.
The trail was wide enough to jog two by two, ran mostly flat and often times rocky with a few swales here and there. To me, the woods were reminiscent of times long ago when I ran in similar Nutmeg state woods. The river on our right peeked at us every now and then and, finally, after a mile and a half we were at the beach on Long Island Sound.
We glided along at an easy pace so everyone could chat as we jogged, talking about other bloggers, past and upcoming races and strange but true stories about ourselves. Dianna was a little self conscious about how much skunk stench might still be in her running gear. Running in her draft I was able to report no evidence of her dog's late night encounter.
At the beach Sarah, Dianna and I looped higher up into the woods while Bill, Jake and Susan tracked back to the car park. Helping little Jake along the trail on his bicycle was a bit of a strain on Dad so getting back took almost as much time as what the three of us took up in the woods. We did pick up the pace a little, maintaining the slowest common pace - mine, and continued to share stories and observations.
As we came out of the woods, we were welcomed by the sight of Bill starting a fire and Susan setting out all the fixings for dinner. It was a vision that made me smile with a joy and expectation. We spent the remaining hour or so of sunlight eating and hydrating, taking more pictures, relaxing and getting to know each other. I had a great time and would recommend my new friends to anyone who comes to Connecticut. The state is not so big that a visit to an adjoining state should rule out making an effort to contact them for a fun run. It would be worth it.