Category Archives: Rhode Island

Bridges

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I guess by now you know I like bridges. I get a thrill out of driving over really steep bridges like the Mount Hope Bridge in Bristol, RI

  even the Sagamore Bridge over the Cape Cod Canal

 and I just  love photographing little wooden bridges or iconic covered bridges.

 To me, bridges are just cool.

I remember being a passenger on a huge combo bridge tunnel when I was a kid. I think we were in the south maybe crossing Chesapeake Bay. I’m going to find that bridge and drive it for myself one of these days.

But today I wanted to share what I have learned about the Newport Bridge also know as the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge.

First of all it is a suspension bridge. One of those bridges where the bed is held up by cables running down from vertical supports also called “Suspenders”. I think they look so fragile and beautiful.

The Bridge is operated by the RI Turnpike and Bridge Authority and spans the east passage of Narragansett Bay. Newport RI is located on Aquidneck Island. The only way into or out of Newport is over a bridge of some kind. The Newport Bridge connects Newport RI with Jamestown on  Conanicut Island, RI. The other bridge connecting Jamestown to the mainland is Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge, which is also a neat bridge that may be a subject for another time.

But back to the Newport Bridge, it is a modern 4 lane highway, 2 lanes in each directions and is part of RT 138. The bridge is the only toll road in Rhode Island. The toll is $2.00 / axle so for cars that makes it $4.00. It is also unique because Rhode Island residents with a Rhode Island EZ Pass pay a deeply discounted rate.Nonresidents pay full price. This discount is so unusual because it is the only toll in the US that gives a resident discount to non-adjacent neighborhoods.

The main span of the Newport Bridge is 488 meters (1601 ft), ranking it number 70 among the longest suspension bridges in the world, and making it the longest suspension bridge in New England. The overall length of the bridge is 3,428 meters (11,247 ft). Its main towers reach 122 meters (400 ft) above the water surface, and the roadway height reaches as high as 66 meters (215 ft).

The bridge was constructed from 1966-1969 at a cost of $54,742,000.

At night the bridge is illuminated by strings of lights that follow the graceful sweep of the suspension cables. I’ve been checking maps to try to find a good  spot to take a night picture.

Bicycles and walkers are not allowed on this bridge. However I may have just discovered a loophole. On Sunday, November 13, 2011 A fund-raiser called The “Inaugural Citizen’s Bank Newport Pell Bridge Run” will debut. The entry fee is $50.00. Proceeds from the run will benefit several local charities including the Special Olympics of Rhode Island.

Now I’m no runner but maybe I can be a “walker” if I pay the fee and that will get me on the bridge for  pictures…maybe? I am going to have to make some calls and if I get the OK then I will have to try to get the day off from work. The race starts at 6:30 am!

I promise if it am successful you will be the first to know! 🙂

Fall is in the Air

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Yes Labor Day has come and gone and with it we reached the traditional end of summer. It seems strange that it could be so hot and sunny one day and the next have a nip in the air but that’s New England for you.

The nights have been very chilly even though the days are warmer, not hot. These are beautiful days. Warm enough not to need a jacket so you can still travel “light”. One of the things I hate about winter is the way you have to bundle up to keep warm.Those extra layers make me feel like a stuffed sausage..barely able to move. Hopefully we still have a month or so left before we have to break out those winter clothes.

There’s a beautiful moon right now. I think they call it the Harvest Moon. Like I said, the nights are cool but that makes for good sleeping weather, no need for air conditioning when an open window lets the fresh air in.

Driving into work I noticed that the air temperature is cool enough in  the morning to create the fog layer on the river.

 I love those wispy mists and the effect they have on the landscape.

Those billowing clouds mark the location of the brooks, rivers, ponds and lakes of the area giving away their hiding places in the valleys and glens.

Spring and fall are the only seasons we get that effect.

We’re not quite into leaf peeping season but the signs are there. Some of the trees are getting a hint of color foreshadowing things to come.

 Squirrels and chipmunks are busy gathering in the last seeds of summer getting ready for the sparseness of the winter months.

As I stood admiring that full moon tonight I mentally checked off items from my summer bucket list. There’s more on it than crossed off but there’s still time to try to get a few more things in. I didn’t get to Salem. Remember I was going to take the Harbor taxi. I don’t know if it’s running now but I can still drive up there and October is a big month for Salem. Maybe I should really try to fit a day trip in.

Apple picking season is upon us too along with the Fair Season…Marshfield Fair & Topsfield Fair come to mind and I know there are others. One of the biggest is the Big E in Springfield Ma. That runs from Sept. 16- Oct 2. It’s a bit of a hike but it might be worth a day trip.

I have this feeling that I should take a day trip to Narragansett RI. I don’t know why. I just have it in my head. I’m not even sure how far it is from here or how to get there but RI is just a few minutes away from Taunton and RI is tiny. So how long a drive could it be? I bet it’s an easier day trip than the Connecticut River trip I took last March!

All in all I think there will be plenty of things to do and places to see before I head off on my next vacation in January. You can be sure I will share them all right here! 🙂

Audubon Education Center, Bristol RI

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I finally took the time to try to find the Audubon Education Center again. Last time I tried to find it was back  in the spring and I never did locate it. Got some great pictures of swans but didn’t find the center. So Today was a beautiful day, low humidity, a nice breeze, sunny, 80+…what more could you ask for on a summer afternoon? A good day to get lost…correction, go sight-seeing.

According to mapquest, and anyone who has ever used mapquest know that’s not the most reliable source, but anyway, according to mapquest the Center is about 30 minutes from my home. Perfect. So after lunch at about 1:30 I hopped in the car and headed off. Everything was fine until I got to the intersection of RT 103 & 136. There was supposed to be a RT 114 but there wasn’t any. I know where 114 is near the MT. Hope bridge so I drove down there.

I even crossed the bridge but there was no Hope St. I turned around in the parking lot for  Mount Hope Animal Hospital so I decided to stop in there and ask.

It was back over the bridge but just past Roger Williams University I took a left fork. That was RT 114 North. It’s a beautiful road. In fact the sign called it Scenic RT 114. It is also Hope St! Yeah, making progress, sort of. I was on the wrong end. The house numbers were in the 200’s. I was looking for 1401. Got a ways to go. Good thing it’s Scenic. 🙂

I made one stop because I spotted a great white egret in a pond by the side of the road. It was wading around and catching fish. It was getting a very good lunch. I sat on a stone wall and took pictures for a while.

It reminded me of my last trip to Florida. Finally I  figured it was time to move on or I wouldn’t get to the Center today either.

The road follows the coastline and then turns inland a little to pass through a section of little shops.

Leaving the “village” behind I eventually spotted the sign for the Audubon Center.

 It’s a beautiful new building with class rooms and a gift shop. Adult admission is only $6.00 and if you have AAA you get $1.00 off that. After I paid my admission I talked with a volunteer for a bit. Turns out that I didn’t have to pay the admission if I only wanted to walk the trail. That’s free. The admission is for the exhibits.

I didn’t mind paying it this time as I wanted to check everything out. The first exhibit was really cool. I could see kids getting a big kick out of it. Behind a darkened glass is a diorama of a cornfield. There are 3 lighted buttons. When you press them a section of the cornfield lights up. There’s skunk, an owl and a 3rd animal. Then there is the meadow exhibit and a Woodchuck Den that you can walk into and look around. There’s a salt marsh

 and a tidal pool.

They have raptors like hawks

and owls.

There’s a sculpture of the seals

that make their home in the bay and a huge Right Whale. The fish exhibits are live fish.

Leaving the center you follow the path to the trail and travel through all of the different habitats.

They have a butterfly garden too.

You enter through a hedge tunnel and find little benches where you can sit surrounded by flowers and watch the butterflies and bees. I saw loads of Monarch butterflies and even one yellow Swallowtail butterfly.

Growing up I collected  butterflies and I would have loved to see a Swallow Tail alive like that.

I wandered down past the meadow

and as I approached the woods that led to the marsh I spotted a large bird over the tree tops. I wasn’t sure if it was a hawk or an ospry but it was clearly a predator. I suspected a hawk because I think it was too far inland for the osprey but I could be wrong. It was out of sight very quickly so I turned my attention to the path entering the woods.

I liked the boardwalk over the marsh. It’s the longest part of the trail. It ends at Narragansett Bay. The grasses are taller than I am. There were wildflowers sprinkled through the cattail and sea grass.

The trail is about 7/10 of a mile so it isn’t long or hard, perfect for a leisurely stroll.

 I watched some boat traffic on the bay and then turned around to retrace my steps.

As I looked at the green algae-covered marsh I wondered if anything was alive in there with the water so low. As if in answer a little head poked up and there was a frog.

 I looked a bit more and spotted several other frogs. In the brush by the water I saw some kind of bird moving too.

As I left the forest to rejoin the meadow I spooked the same hawk again. This time it was a lot closer. It took off from the tall grass and brush right in front of the trees. I must have jumped a mile, I bobbled the camera and when I actually got it in my hands realized it wasn’t even turned on. Mr. Hawk wasn’t waiting around for me to get my act together so I missed a great shot.

I continued to trudge up the path as I mentally chastised myself for such a stupid mistake. Some wildlife photographer I’d make! Past experience has taught me to always be ready with the camera ON! See what happens when you break that basic rule?

Anyway a little farther up the path was a bench. I thought, I’ve seen him twice. He was clearly feeding  this time. If I sit quietly could I be lucky enough to see him a 3rd time? I decided to give him 1/2 hour to return. I got the camera ready and settled in to wait. It didn’t take 1/2 hour. It was only about 10 minutes when I spotted him winging back toward the brush. Unfortunately he was keeping the trees behind him and staying in shadow. No way to get a picture.

He flew into the trees and I just sat quietly waiting. Another 10 minutes went by. I was just about to give up when he shot out of the trees and up into the sky giving me a clear shot. Because of the angle of the sun it would have to be a silhouette but I’ll take what I can get.

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That was the last chance. He made a couple of passes over me and then took off behind the tree line.I could hear his “keee keee” call so I knew he was gone for now. It was almost 5 pm anyway and the Visitor Center hours end at 5 pm. Time to head home.

Going home I followed RT 114 north through East Providence until it crossed RT 44. I made a right on RT 44 and was homeward bound. Much easier  if a little longer than Mapquest’s directions.

The Audubon Educational Center is located at 1401 Hope St, Bristol, RI and is a great place to spend an afternoon.

The Battle of Rhode Island 1778

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Have you ever heard of the Battle of Rhode Island? I hadn’t. But when I was in Portsmouth at the Green Animals I ran across a reference to it. It was quite an accident. I saw a scenic pull off and decided to investigate and there was a story board.

The Battle of Rhode Island was also known as the Battle of Quaker Hill and took place on August 28, 1778.  It was the objective of the Continental forces to recapture the island then known as Rhode Island (now called Aquidneck Island) from the British forces. It was an important objective of the colonials that the coast remain in Rebel hands to facilitate communication amongst the coastal colonies.

Rhode Island was a key , strategic location. Whoever controlled the island controlled Narragansett Bay.

The Battle was inconclusive resulting in a standoff. But the Continental army was plagued by recruitment issues and desertion so on the evening of August 28, 1778 the rebel force retreated to Bristol and Tiverton giving control of the island to the British .

Today the location of the battle is a National Historic Landmark.

Let’s get our summer bucket list going

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Officially summer begins on June 21. As far as I am concerned it begins when attractions start to open, Memorial day and sometimes before depending on the weather. That said, I have been in “summer mode” for a while. As I recall I started a Summer to-do list back in the spring. Now that summer has officially started I thought it might  be a good idea to update the bucket list.

I already know that there will be way more on my list than I will ever have room for! But first things first. I need to get in touch with my friends from Lally Laggy Farm in Lydon. I promised I would come back out and actually visit the farm, see their beautiful creme draft horses and feature the farm for them. So to that end an email is winging  its way through cyberspace requesting a visit.

At the same time that I met the folks from Lally Laggy I mentioned Fruitlands but only in passing. I think I should make an effort to return there and share my new experience with all of you.

I was trying to fill the New England National Parks Passport by Dec. 31 so I could get the 25th Anniversary Passport as a gift. Well, I had to buy one because I ran out of room in my other Passport so I’m not working on a deadline anymore. I still intend to collect all of the stamps, I just can relax a little.

So here is a new list of things I want to do or accomplish over the summer.

  • Lally Laggy Farm, Lydon, Ma
  • Fruitlands
  • Boston African-American Historical Site, Boston, Ma
  • Boston Harbor Islands National recreation Area (Harbor Cruise!)
  • Boston National Historical Park, Charlestown Navy Yard
  • A water shuttle to Salem, Ma including a visit to theEssex National Heritage area and the Peabody-Essex Museum
  • The Coastal Wine Trail of New England (My research suggests a minimum of 3 days to complete)
  • Lovely Historic Newport RI…Cliff Walk again?
  • Gillette Castle Cruise, Connecticut River
  • Cruise from Plymouth Ma to Provincetown
  • Climb the Mount Hope Bridge for scenic pictures.
  • Find and visit the Audubon society Of RI
  • Rent a Bicycle and bike the Cape Cod canel
  • Check out the various Glass Blowing locations from Newport to Cape Cod. After Chihuly it will be that much more interesting.
  • Climb the tower in Provincetown for spectacular photo ops.
  • Take a Whale Watch trip
  • Zoos! Southwick, Franklin Park, Buttonwood, Capron, Roger Williams, a huge list of Zoos and I can bring Nancy and her kids to these! Fun!
  • Museums and Aquariums…great indoor exploring on a rainy day!
  • Check out the Antique Carousel at Newport’s Easton Beach Rotunda
  • Work on my collection of New England Lighthouse photos
  • Green Briar Jam Kitchen and Thorton Burgess Society, Sandwich Ma
  • Walk the Freedom Trail
  • Take a Trolley ride through Boston
  • Take A Duck Boat Ride in Boston
  • Visit Boston Public Garden , The Swan Boats and The top of the Hancock Tower
  • Let’s not forget Fenway Park! How much are the “cheap seats” for a Red Sox game???
  • And lets not forget I have 7 days in July in New Hampshire! Cog Railway, Scenic Tram, Scenic Trains and Moose tours.
  • Moose tours and train reminded me… it’s inexpensive and easy to take the “Downeaster” to Portland, enjoy lunch and an afternoon of exploring before grabbing the train back to Boston…sounds like a nice day adventure.
  • Ghost tour, Boston has them, Plymouth has them and I bet Newport has them and I don’t even have to wait til October!
  • Helicopter Ride over the Newport Mansions? maybe
  • Garden in the Woods, Framingham

I think that’s it for now but of course it’s all subject to change. I know it’s way more than I will ever get to in one summer. Is there anything I missed that someone wants to hear about? Now’s the time! 🙂