The Merritt Parkway's southern half ends in a way that feels like a small ceremony. Near Trumbull, the road crosses the Housatonic River on the Sikorsky Memorial Bridge, named for Igor Sikorsky, the Russian-born aircraft designer whose helicopter factory is just downstream in Stratford, and on the far side the road becomes the Wilbur Cross Parkway and carries on east through the state. For a rider finishing a run from Greenwich, that crossing is the natural full stop.
Trumbull itself is a comfortable suburb, named for Jonathan Trumbull, who was governor of Connecticut through the Revolution and a friend of George Washington. It has no great sights, but it has the shopping and service strip that a long ride sometimes requires, with fuel, food and parking easy. Bridgeport, the old industrial city nearby, has the Barnum Museum for anyone who wants to learn about P. T. Barnum, the showman who was once mayor.
What makes the finish worthwhile is the parkway's character. By the time you reach this end, you have passed dozens of bridges, each with its own Art Deco flourish, and the road has settled into a pattern of gentle curves between old hardwoods. There are no trucks, the tolls are long gone, and the road has a quiet, almost private air. It is also narrow, with short ramps and little room for error, so the best approach is to relax into traffic speed and not push.
Timing counts. The parkway is at its best on a clear spring or autumn weekend morning, and at its worst on a Friday afternoon, when it becomes a long, slow crawl. In winter, salt and ice make the shaded sections tricky, and in rain the old surface can be slippery near the overpasses. If you are continuing east, the Wilbur Cross Parkway is similar in character, running through low hills toward New Haven. Pick up fuel before you start, because the parkway has no stations, and Trumbull's commercial strip makes a handy last stop before turning for home.