Where’s this?

Up near UConn Storrs.

Natchaug River, Chaplin, CT. The Still River comes in from MA and becomes the Natchaug. This is the actual lower Diana's Pool, just upstream from the bridge. The real Diana's Pool is just further up and is quite a sight. Check on Google Maps and look at the photos. It looks like it might be such a great place to cliff jump but the torrent of Diana's Pool would certainly sweep you and bash you into the rocks or tangle you in submerged trees and branches. People swim there often. Not supposed to. People drown there often. The cliffs and rocks are impressive and struck me at first as out of place for CT. Not far downstream after is the confluence with the Willimantic River, where it becomes the Shetucket River, and eventually the Thames.

That's in Chaplin. I grew up a couple houses away from Diana's pool, family had property with 13 acres against that river (natchaug river). Dangerous to swim in that area, just ask diana. Also, leeches. Still we would do it.

This looks so cool! :o

>Also, leeches.

Wait, what? You can get leeches in river water? I always thought the only real risk was in stillwater.

I never heard the story of Diana. Please share.

E: I couldn't wait.

The story is of the fair and heartbroken young Diana, who fell or jumped from the high cliffs to her untimely death. Is there a high streamside cliff or falls in CT or New England that doesn't share this mythos? Lover's Leap, Diana's Pool. In fact, looking it up, I see places called Lover's Leap all over the world. I'm intrigued anytime a mythos is shared across cultures, such as great floods or resurrection.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lover%27s_Leap

Holy shit, it's everywhere.

And it's Ancient. Even Sappho is said to have leapt to her death over lost love in 570 BC.

In the summer the river can slow to a trickle. It's also dotted with oxbows and old impoundments on the river, some side channels, and on tributaries. So there are plenty of places for stuff like leeches and sunfish, or worse, fallfish, to take up.

Be a lot cooler if we restored the natural water course and cleared some of the more swampy parts, as with any river. Less leeches. More trout.

Looks like good fishing

Gotta hunt for them.

The day after Sandy, a friend of mine who guides rafting trips called me and a few other people up and we did England Rd to just below 198 a couple times. Diana's pool was a class 5 at that point, according to my buddy. It was nutty. Lot of fun. Except the part about getting the raft back up to the road. That sucked.

Reminds me of the Pequonnock river in Trumbull

Looks a little dirty.

So much runoff stirs up a lot of sediment and picks up tannins and stuff.

I guess my “dirty Diana” dad joke flopped

Oh haha. Yeah big flop.

Delete this

Why?