Roast Meat Hill Road

I was a kid when I first passed by a street called Skunk Misery Road and remember being very impressed with such a bold name. Were the skunks miserable or the people who lived there? Skunk Misery Road was the strangest name for a road in my book until the day I saw: Roast Meat Hill Road. Over the years I passed by that street sign many times but never actually drove on the road itself. I'm not sure why that is. Maybe I was afraid of what I might find there. Last weekend something told me that it was time to finally go down that road.

I actually drove past it a couple of times because the top of the road sign had been removed where it intersects with Route 81. Why did someone remove the top of the street sign? Did someone want it as a souvenir or is someone or something trying to keep people away from this mysterious area? Then I noticed this little stone sign set on the ground and covered with leaves. When I brushed the leaves way, it revealed the street name I was looking for. It looks like a scene from one of those movies where a hand is ready to pop up out of the ground, doesn't it?

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Even before I started my drive along Roast Meat Hill Road, many questions came to mind: Do any vegeterians live on this road? If a child becomes a vegeterian, is he excommunicated from the neighborhood? Do the neighbors get together for a yearly ritual in which they partake in the roasting of meat? Is there a neighborhood cookbook which features a variety of roasted meat recipes? What's it like for residents of this road to place phone orders? Do people believe them when they give their address? --And the most important question: How did Roast Meat Hill Road get its name?

I came across some strange and interesting things as I passed through this area, like this old well , for example. Perhaps it was used by people many years ago to quench their thirst after they gorged themselves on roasted meat.

I walked down one of the nature trails that I found and was shocked to find this piece of meat wedged between some sticks. Was it roasted? It had the consistency of beef jerky and was actually quite tasty! Is this evidence that the descendants of ancient meat roasters may still exist in these very woods? If so, where are they? Where do they live?

When I saw the inner structure of this tree it all started to come together. That's it! They're living inside the trees! They must be a carnivorous version of those cookie-baking elves!

Just around the corner on Route 80, I found this car wedged up in the middle of the tree. Is this just the work of someone with a warped sense of humor, or was it those meat-roasting gremlins wreaking havoc on the neighbors?

Is this really a nature center or is it just a front for a secret meat-roasting factory?

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Okay, let's get a little bit serious now. I apologize to any residents of Roast Meat Hill Road who may come across this blog post. Of course, none of these wild ideas are true-(at least not that I know of). I was just having a bit of fun with such a unique name for a road. Roast Meat Hill Road is actually a beautiful country road with nice homes, farmland and a few historic buildings. I found out that they even have a nature center called The Platt Nature Center (above). There are hiking trails behind the nature center and another one across the street that leads to a reservoir. I did see some birds along the nature center trail including Tufted Titmice, Northern Cardinals, House Finches, and a few woodpeckers. I decided my best bet would be to come back in May and search the reservoir vicinity for spring migrants. It is also right down the road from Chatfield Hollow State Park which is known to be a pretty good birding spot.

My favorite sighting was that of this little Black-capped Chickadee searching for bits of??? -in this dying tree. Hmmm-I wonder what kind of food he found?

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Oh yes-I almost forgot. What is the origin of the name Roast Meat Hill Road? An internet search turned up an urban legend about how several cows were struck by lightning on a farm along this road many years ago. If anyone has more information about how this road got its name, please let us know.

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What is the strangest name for a road that you've ever seen in your area?

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By the way, don't forget there's a total lunar eclipse tonight. It will be in its totality between 10:00pm and 10:52pm here in CT.