Category Archives: Travel

A New Day

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What a difference a day makes…or in this case a night. It was humid and foggy when I went to bed but I woke up to sunshine! A lot of the humidity seemed to have passed, as much as could be expected when one is on  a small island surrounded by  the ocean.

The one remnant of yesterday’s adventures was that my legs are sore and very tired. They ache. I can really tell that I over-did it yesterday. I guess that’s what they mean by being a weekend warrior..but I did it in one day. So the only thing I have on my to do list today is to make it out to the other lighthouse.

The first order of business was to find some place for breakfast. That wasn’t too hard. The Pastry Shoppe had their version of egg mcmuffins as well as cinnamon rolls and Danish and various breads. Juice was Nantucket Nectars by the bottle.

Breakfast over,  I tested my legs by walking up to the porch of the Harborside Motel. Not promising. If they were just sore I figure I could walk it off but my right calf kept cramping. I sat down on the porch and let the morning sun wash over me. There was a breeze off the harbor. I could just spend the day there watching the world go by. It was so nice…and so not me ! No, no matter if my legs hurt or not I need to find some way to get to that 2nd light house.

As I sat there debating my options… bike rental, moped, taxi….the taxi company with the friendly driver  pulled up to the taxi stand. I hobbled over to ask about the “Tour”.

Apparently all of the taxi companies also offer a tour of the Island.  It’s a nice drive, about an hour-long and the driver doubles as a tour guide telling you about the history of the island. It’s $55.00  and the rate is the same for all of the different companies.

The driver I was talking to was named Jim and he said he would stop so I could get pictures too. That decided it. I climbed in and he let his dispatch know he was doing a “tour” and we were off. He had a small photo album of old pictures so I could see what the island used to look like. A familiar refrain seemed to be …Right here was ____________until it burned down . Some of the places that burned down were rebuilt but many were not.

We made it to the Southeast Lighthouse but since I had already told him I’d been there the night before he just drove past. We stopped a little farther down the road where a dirt path took us to the top of the Mohegan Bluffs. There was a stairway down to the bottom.

I’d like to climb down there someday but my tour stop wasn’t long enough for that today.

We passed through a “Hollow” that Jim explained had miles of hiking trails and was all preserved land. No one can ever build on it. We reached another little town where we passed the New Shoreham Police Department. Jim explained that the town was New Shoreham but the island was Block Island. That explained some of the confusion I had when I was looking for accommodations.

Then we reached the North side of the island and the lighthouse came into view.

 Now I could see why the locals said it wasn’t an easy walk. The shoreline was not a sandy beach but covered with rocks and stones. It would be hard walking and very easy to turn an ankle. It ‘s a pretty lighthouse.

 I took my pictures from the parking lot and once I had them we started back toward the ferry terminal.

Hard to believe it was almost lunch time. I felt sure I’d be spending some time roaming   around looking for a place to eat.Even though I’d taken the easy way with the tour, I still had some walking to do if I was going to find  the “Poor People’s Pub” for lunch.

Checked in and Ready to Explore

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Now that I was settled in my lovely room in the Ashley House it was time to explore. I stopped in the Pastry shoppe and bought a decadent chocolate frosted brownie. I sampled it right away but saved half for later. I figured I’d need a treat after I finished my little jaunt.

As I started up the alley I ran into the tour guide again. He was looking for me. He wanted to be sure that I had found Ashley House and gotten checked in OK. I thought that was really nice of him. We chatted for a few minutes and then I headed on my way.

Everyone said it was an easy walk to the south lighthouse so with my camera around my neck, a spare lens in my bag and my tripod slung over my shoulder I set off to find the lighthouse.

I noticed that the street immediately began to go uphill but it was a gentle rise and I was merely meandering. I stopped in the parking lot of the restaurant “Fins” to take a picture of their parking spaces. I loved the idea of a series of fish stencils instead of plain old lines.

I made note of the statue in the little square and as I took my left around the  statue the incline became a bit steeper.

Halfway up the hill I spotted yellow iris’ and interesting lamps so stopped for a photo-op.

More flowers followed.

Then to my surprise I thought I saw a llama! Looking closer I could see there were several llamas and other exotic looking animals. I’d stumbled upon Abrams Animal Farm.

Apparently it’s a little petting zoo and the wool is used for yarns and fabrics.

Not too much further I reached what seemed to be the top of the hill and the road began to wind back down. Ahead of me I could hear the surf even before I saw it. This was one of my favorite spots. I climbed onto the guard rail and sat and watched the waves break on the beach.

 There were loads of flowers and their fragrance filled the afternoon air. It was still misty and overcast. It made me think of a rain forest rather than New England.

I could see that the road was going to start climbing again so I took some pictures and began the next leg of my trek. I thought I must be getting close because there were some bluffs right there.  ( Silly me).

As I trudged on I passed a beautiful church whose manicured grounds led right up to the edge of the bluff. It would be worth going to that church just for the view!

I was beginning to wonder how much farther I had to go because this was not turning into an easy walk…at least not for an overweight, 60 + female with a load of camera equipment.

Duck on fresh water pond with ocean beyond

Just about the time I thought I should  pack it in and go back I saw a sign that pointed on up the road and read simply “Lighthouse”. So just as before I figured I must be close and continued to trudge on upward. Except for that short down hill section where I watched the breakers it had been all up hill!

I was now farther away from the water. There were large homes and fields. Well maintained stone walls separated the fields as I trudged along. As people drove by they all waved like they’d known me forever.

I rounded another corner and there ahead of me in a field on my right was a pheasant! I recognized it from pictures in outdoor magazines but I’d never seen one live and in the wild before. It’s a beautiful bird. I began to hustle on up the hill to try to get close enough for a picture without spooking it. The closer I got the deeper it went into the scrub and brush but it didn’t flush. I stopped and lifted the camera. In that moment I knew I was too out of breath to hold the camera still. The bird was fast disappearing from view. I felt my opportunity slipping away so I took a chance. The shot was pretty bad but it’s a record of the experience so here it is. Proof it was really a pheasant!

After that fiasco I plunked myself down on rock wall to consider my situation..keep going or turn back. It felt like I’d been walking forever and may I remind you it was all uphill. Fog was starting to roll in and I could hear a fog horn in the distance. I decided to keep going just a little longer.

Perseverance pays off! I reached the top of the hill and there it was! The Southeast Lighthouse.

 As I walked down the driveway I was greeted  by a black and white cat that seemed to say  “What took you so long? I’ve been waiting for you”.

Block Island at Last

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High Speed Ferry Returning to Point Judith

The ferry cast off and as soon as we cleared the jetties it was apparent that we were going to hit some heavy seas. I was on the top deck (a true glutton for punishment) which was open. The deck below was enclosed and warm but silly me wanted to stay topside. It was kind of like riding a bucking horse.

The bow would go up and up and then ever so slowly we’d begin to tip into the trough and then picking up speed the stern would rise and with a crash of spray the bow would slice the waves at the bottom of the trough.

Up and down! I watched the rollers moving toward us and tried to judge how much the boat would buck by the depth of the trough approaching.

 All though it was cold and wet the 55 minute trip passed quickly. Pretty soon we were passing another jetty into a calm harbor.

The waves were crashing over the sea wall making a spectacular scene.

The Ferry unloaded quickly and I found myself standing in the middle of the parking lot a bit lost. In my rush to catch the ferry this morning I had left my reservation confirmation in the car. It had the address for my guest house. I thought it was right near the ferry but I didn’t see it as I looked around but I did see a Chamber of Commerce building.

At the Chamber I asked for directions to Ashley House. At first the woman at the desk seemed puzzled but she quickly brightened up and told me to go through the Harborside Inn.  As I headed over there I was approached by a taxi/tour driver. He also said I’d find it in back of the Harborside Inn so I short-cutted down an alley and sure enough..there it was. Only one problem. There didn’t seem to be an entrance.  But there was an ice cream and pastry shop so I asked there how to get into the Ashley House. The girl took me out to the front and around the corner to an alley, pulled open a door and pointing said “Up the Stairs”. So up the stairs I went following a long corridor of polished wood floors and doors along the length but after I wandered the whole length and went back down the other stairs, I found myself back out side and still no place to check in.

I began to retrace my steps to the Chamber building for more detailed directions when I bumped into the Chamber lady leaving. She asked me if I’d found Ashley House. I told her yes I found the house but where do I check in?. She then went into more detail. The Harborside Inn owns Ashley House and if I go to the front desk of the Inn they will do the check in and give me my key. It seems so obvious in retrospect.

Check-in, once I found it, was quick and simple. The clerk even gave me a map and a list of restaurants that were open. Since this was still the “off-season” many of the restaurants and shops were still closed although you could see them being freshened up with new coats of paint and displays set up for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.

The clerk pointed out the 2 Lighthouses. She said the southern lighthouse was an easy walk from town but the other lighthouse was more challenging.  I thanked her and headed to Ashley House to find my room. I was anxious to see what the inside of the rooms would be like after my trip down the corridor.

I wasn’t disappointed. It was a beautiful room with a large sleigh bed, a TV and a private bathroom with shower. That was important to me as a lot of the guest houses on the island have shared bathrooms. I was very pleased.

 It was beginning to lighten up and the rain had stopped so maybe I’ll be able to get a sunset picture after all! But first I need to stop in at the Ice Cream shop and buy something as a way of saying thanks. Without the clerk’s help I could still be wandering around looking for the entrance!

On the way to Block Island

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Block Island is about 13 miles off the south coast of Rhode Island. On a clear day you can see Montauk Point Long Island, N.Y. Block Island is also known as New Shoreham. I wish I’d known that when I was searching for accommodations. I eliminated any in New Shoreham because I didn’t realize it was part of Block Island. The island isn’t that large. It’s about 3 miles wide and 7 miles long. It is part of The Nature Conservatory. 40% of the island has been set aside and protected. The only way to get to the island is by ferry or by plane.

There are 2 lighthouses on the Island and a chance to photograph them was the impetus for my trip. I planned it about 2 weeks ago. We’ve been getting a lot of rain so I was hoping we would have dried out by the time I headed out on my trip. Canceling was not an option.  Next week is Memorial Day weekend and the room rates triple with the start of the summer season.I couldn’t afford that…not just to get a couple of pictures. National Geographic hasn’t discovered me yet! 🙂

So you can imagine my disappointment to wake up to pouring rain Tuesday morning. The weather person was all smiles and telling all the viewers that there was only 40% chance of rain. We might get a passing thunderstorm but  it wouldn’t last more than 30 minutes. I guess they haven’t looked out the window.

I got everything in the car and went to the “Facilities” for one last stop before I got on the road…oh oh  the flush mechanism on the toilet seems to be on the blink. I spent more time than I should have trying to get it to work but only ended up leaving a note of warning for the Pet Sitter. Then I was on my way. That is until I checked the driving directions. When I downloaded them I thought I had the directions to Point Judith. Now here in the car I realize all of the directions were to Newport.

No time to go back now, I tried my GPS…no luck. So I pointed the car toward Narragansett and crossed my fingers that I’d find the ferry. Of course I got caught behind a car doing 20 miles under the speed limit. I began to resign myself to the possibility that I will miss the 11 am ferry.

Made it! But it’s still raining and none of the Ferry Parking lots seem to be open. I finally found one…$20 for the overnight. I took it and headed as fast as I could toward the ferry terminal. I should have taken my time. I missed the boat (literally) by 10 minutes. The next one wasn’t until 3pm. With the rain coming down like it was, I didn’t even feel like exploring. Instead I sat on the benches in the terminal until wind kicked up. Then I moved to the benches in the restroom area. At least it was warm and dry there.

There didn’t seem to be much open in Point Judith so about 1:30 I went in search of lunch. There was a little restaurant and bar on the 2nd floor of one of the retail buildings. I lugged my stuff up the stairs and entered the bar. There was only one other patron and the bartender. You could say I got exceptional service. And the fish sandwich was wonderful. If you are ever in Point Judith and want a place to eat I recommend Clam Jammers.

It was clear that Point Judith Harbor had an active fishing fleet working out of there. Trawlers where coming in and going out the whole time I was waiting. Finally the ticket windows opened and the Ferry came in from Block Island.

 At about 2:30 they started loading. The trip on the “traditional” Ferry takes about 55 minutes. It’s about $25.00 for a round trip ticket so the price isn’t bad. They also had a High Speed Ferry but it was much more expensive and I didn’t think an hour was all that long anyway.

I had one of the seasick patches and had applied it in the morning so I was ready. Let the cruising begin! I’ll be able to handle any rough seas now!

I couldn’t help but be thankful that my “travel” philosophy is not to take any little mishap too seriously. It made the rough beginning to my little jaunt a bit easier to take.