Steve Fagin

The melodious call of a wood thrush greeted hikers who entered a wooded path in Preston the other morning.

On one of the hottest days and biggest summer holidays of this century last Friday, friends and I bicycled past cars that had backed up bumper-to-bumper through downtown Westerly — all of us heading to the beach.

As friends and I bicycled toward the parking lot at Bluff Point Coastal Reserve in Groton one sunny morning last week, a man who had just stepped out of his car waved to us.

Ocean Beach Park may be one of the region's most venerable, popular places to swim or stretch out in the sand, but bicyclists who pedal less than 3 miles from New London's 86-year-old landmark can enjoy a refreshing dip in Long Island Sound at a little-known, off-the-beaten-path beach in Waterford.

While some towns in the region have longer shorelines, few offer more public beaches than East Lyme. And there's no better way to cool off on a steamy midsummer day than to take a refreshing dip.

One sunny, steamy morning recently, friends and I pedaled our bikes to Old Lyme's White Sand Beach and found the shore deserted.

After bicycling over the Baldwin Bridge from Old Lyme to Old Saybrook one sunny morning last week, friends and I pedaled to town-owned Harvey's Beach overlooking Long Island Sound, eager to jump in and cool off.

While hiking on a narrow trail in Montville the other day, four of us paused at a flooded stretch — it took only a moment to realize there wasn't an easy detour through dense tangles of thorny vines that lined the path. That left only one option.

A bald eagle soared overhead, while a great blue heron and multiple egrets stalked the reeds the other morning, as Steve Finton and I paddled on a calm waterway that reflected blue sky and puffy white clouds.

A few minutes after launching our kayaks at a public ramp beneath rumbling traffic on the Gold Star Memorial Bridge in New London last week, Andy Lynn and I edged closer to shore to avoid a submarine that was heading down the Thames River. The crew stood at parade rest on deck while we paddled north toward Mamacoke Island.