I did 1,200 feet of climbing in a 2 hour, 32 mile ride yesterday (I live near Storrs, CT - the northeastern part of the state), and that was only a moderately hilly ride around here.....I hear ya about hills in every direction you look. People not from around here figure it's the northeast....there's no huge mountains, so the terrain can't be THAT bad, right? I would say venture east towards the foothills and work on your climbing.

Also, I think you mentioned that you have a triple - if you're getting your ass kicked that bad on hills, don't be afraid to use the granny gear from time to time.....it's early in the season, no point in injuring yourself trying to push too hard. Remember....hands on top of the bars with a light grip, upper body still and eyes focused about 60 feet down the road, and pick a gear/cadence you can maintain without blowing up.

P.S. The CT river starts a tad bit further north than where you're located.