Walk 2024: Day One

Kicked off my eighth Walk Across Connecticut in Suffield today! This is my favorite week of the year because I get to talk to hundreds of people about what they want to see from their United States Senator. 

Here’s a quick recap of day one: 

Normally, I walk across the state in a t-shirt and shorts (and the same sneakers since 2016), but I started today in a slightly more formal outfit - a button down and khakis. It’s Memorial Day, so I arranged my route so I could pay my respects and walk in East Windsor’s parade. 

Before I got to the parade route, I stopped by Vinnie’s Little Acre. Vinnie started selling strawberries from his family’s farm in Windsor when he was 10 years old. 71 years, he just had his best sales year in a decade. He wants more housing in the town’s business district.

This walk is a lot of me walking up and introducing myself to somebody who’s walking their dog or out mowing their lawn - like Maureen in Windsor Locks. We talked about her family and the cost of living. Her kids are raising their own families now, and like so many others, they’re struggling. We’ve made progress to lower costs, but there’s a lot more we can do to shift economic power to people, and away from corporations.

Over the past two years, it’s been amazing to see how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is making massive investments in Connecticut. Today, I walked by the site for a new train station in Windsor Locks with State Rep. Jane Garibay, funded by $17.5 million from that legislation we passed in addition to $59.11 million in state bonding and $10.54 million through Amtrak. Talked to lots of people who are excited about better train service in this area!

From Windsor Locks, I crossed the bridge over the Connecticut River into downtown East Windsor for the parade. Thanks to First Selectman Jason Bowsza for hosting me. This is an important day to say thank you to the brave men and women who fought and died to protect the greatest country in the world, and pay respects to the loved ones they left behind. 

After a quick change into my normal Walk attire, I was back on the road. Luckily, the rain held off for the parade, but it soon started raining pretty hard. I had my raincoat with me, and there were still lots of people out and about to meet. We talked about gun violence, housing, property taxes, rail service, and a lot more.

This route goes through some of the more rural parts of the state, so that means there are lots of great farm stands along the way. I walked through Flower Power Farm and found this unexpected guest - a dinosaur!

I escaped the rain for a quick lunch at Nonna’s Pizza in East Windsor. A great local spot. The special today was Hot Dog Pizza. I love hot dogs probably more than most, but I opted for the ham and cheese sub. 

My walk took me right past the massive solar farm in East Windsor. It’s one of the biggest ones in the state, and it’s the future of how we generate industrial-scale solar energy. It takes up a lot of land and can be controversial, but it’s part of the way we transition away from mostly foreign-produced oil and toward domestically-produced renewable energy. It’s made possible in part by the Inflation Reduction Act.

In Ellington, I caught up with State Representative Jamie Foster (and her son, Ben!). We’ve been working together for a long time on basic responsibilities of government like making sure everyone has access to clean drinking water. But that’s not the reality for everyone. There are a lot of people in rural communities in our state who can’t drink their well water. Jamie played a pivotal role in breaking ground on Connecticut water expansion, and it’s a great example of a state-federal partnership. I was proud to help ensure this project got the federal funding it needs to get across the finish line. 

You never know who you’re going to run into on the Walk. Stumbled upon a little turtle in the middle of the road and brought him to safety. 

Part of what makes this week so special is I meet some really inspirational, special people - people I would never meet if I just sat in my office and waited for them to contact me. There are some people who have concrete ideas for me to take back to Washington and others who just want to share their story. 

Grabbed some afternoon ice cream with Vernon Town Councilman Bill Dauphin. Last year, he won a special election that ended Republicans' 18-year majority on the town council. We talked about his priorities and how I can help.

I spent about twenty minutes walking with Bruce in Rockville. He’s 41 years old and has had a really tough past ten years after an awful motorcycle accident. He broke his entire body, had multiple surgeries, and sunk into a deep depression. There were years when he wouldn’t leave the house. But he knew that couldn’t be his future. He always had this dream to go backpacking through Southeast Asia, and he decided he was going to pursue that dream. He finished his surgeries, got back in shape, and mustered the courage to book those tickets. That trip was his turning point, and he left with a sense of purpose and belief in himself. He just got back a couple months ago and started his first job in years. He feels like his life has turned a corner, and man, what a blessing to be able to meet people like that who can give you inspiration.

It was a rainy end to the day, but I logged almost 18 miles. Rain or shine, I’ll be out walking tomorrow, but here’s hoping for some more sun.