One minute I run past cows grazing on golden fields on an empty road, a few minutes later I dodge traffic (cars, bicycles and pedestrian) on the crosswalk by the co-op. With a large campus split between a city of academic halls and a village of agricultural buildings, I like to think that UCONN offers some very diverse running terrain.
Many of my dormmates run to alleviate stress and explore. They come back to the dorm with route suggestions. Yet, I like to venture out without advice or a map and just run. Of course, today I happened to get lost in a cornfield, or at least an array of tall grass that resembled one. Where is one of those large maps of campus that are posted on the side of the road when you need one? Eventually I found my way out of the organic labyrinth but I enjoyed the brief escape from the city-like feeling of campus for a few minutes. The buzz of cicadas replaces the honking of cars which makes for a tranquil atmosphere. It’s like the agricultural version of Tod’s Point: the water is replaced by fields and the pungent smell of the seashore takes the place of the odor of cows. But in order to have fresh homemade ice cream, I suppose you need livestock. And while I hear on TV that “Happy Cows Come From California”, the more often I travel past the ag fields and taste The UCONN Dairy Bar ice cream, I’m begining to think that perhaps “Happy Cows Come From Connecticut.”
However, not all campuses have livestock. Some have subways. Some have mountains or oceans nearby. What did/does your college campus look like? Imagine that you are running (or walking) through campus on an average fall day–what would you see?
