Road trippin’ Rhode Island

Posted on April 25, 2021April 25, 2021 by Dusty Roads | 2 Comments

Rhode Island Road Trip

Taking a break from my virtual exploration of Colorado, I took advantage of a sunny, warm spring day in New England by taking a little road trip to Rhode Island. My friend Joe, a professional photographer from Florida, was visiting for a couple of days so we didn’t want to waste a beautiful day inside. I remembered reading about a field of daffodils in Rhode Island. That would be perfect for a spring day. A google search revealed Blithewold, mansions , gardens and Arboretum. After a quick breakfast at IHOP we piled into the car and headed off to Rhode Island.

You wanted Daffodils

Blithewold Mansion is located in Bristol Rhode Island right near Roger Williams University. It was really easy to find and only about a 30 minute drive from my home in Taunton , MA. Right next to the parking area was a wildflower garden filled with tulips and flowering tress and shrubs. A stone arch completed the tranquil setting.

Tulip Gardens

Stone Arch

Blithewold Mansion

Just past the Tulip Garden was a white gravel drive that led to the Blithewold Mansion itself. Unfortunately we would learn that it was daffodils or the Mansion. The Mansion is closed in April and May. The daffodils bloom in April. So if you plan to visit you won’t get both daffodils and a mansion tour. We watched a small wedding take place in a tiny garden next to the mansion with views looking over Narragansett Bay. Beyond the tiny manicured garden were the first of the daffodil fields. You’ll find benches placed at strategic places along all of the trails.

field of daffodils

Daffodils seem to spill between the trees

The Trail by the Bay

After taking a break by a potting shed, we explored a dirt road that just begged us to wander. It made me think of Robert Frost’s The Road Less traveled. It was a lovely walk. There was a stone and water garden that had not been opened for the season yet but Joe took a peak. He said it was very pretty. The path took us along Narragansett Bay. All in all there are 33 acres of gardens and trees to wander and explore. We only spent a couple of hours but it was time well spent. If you like nature and gentle strolls along the ocean, I highly recommend a visit to Blithewold.

Shore Walk

Over Hill and Dale the Surprises Keep Coming

Posted on August 7, 2017August 4, 2017 by Dusty Roads | 2 Comments

Another Hill another Garden

As I started up the next hill I looked longingly at the water garden. It is such a beautiful peaceful place. So far it is my favorite garden but there’s so much more to see.

Hydrangea Shrubs in Bloom

It’s summer in New England so hydrangea are in full bloom. They are everywhere. It seems every house has a hydrangea shrub in the yard somewhere so of course the gardens were full of them. In fact, a whole section is dedicated just to these beautiful flowers. Did you know that the colors are determined by the PH level of the soil? I did not know this. I thought they were all different variations. Amid the profusion of blooms a gentleman sat quietly with paint and easel. What a wonderful sight. I wish now I’d taken his photo but I didn’t want to disturb him at the time.

Up and Down and Around

Leaving the hydrangea behind I headed down hill for a change. There was a bench at the bottom of the hill with a handicap sign. Under that was a placard that explained a tram would come by to pick you up if you wanted a ride. Ok then! Lets take the easy way and ride! It wasn’t long before an electric tram came silently along the path. When I climbed on the young driver played tour guide. He wanted to be sure I got to see everything I wanted.

Next Stop a Carousel

After a few more turns and another hill we arrived at the end of the road. The tram was turned around and as I departed others loaded on for the return trip. This building housed the Carousel and the American Art Collection. I only had eyes for the Vintage Merry-Go-Round. It’s in gorgeous shape. The Carousel is an original Looff from 1908. It’s history is fascinating but more than I have space for here. You can follow this link to continue reading about this beautiful piece of Art.

https://heritagemuseumsandgardens.org/exhibitions/1908-looff-carousel/

Gardens of Fun. Beauty and Adventure all in One!

Posted on August 5, 2017August 4, 2017 by Dusty Roads

The Heritage Museums and Gardens

Where can you have a fun day surrounded by flowers and gardens and even have an adventure? Located on Upper cape Cod in the little town of Sandwich , Ma you can find a gem of a Museum. The Heritage Museums and Gardens don’t stop with just flowers. There are exhibits, a carousel, antique cars and even a Zip line. Truly something for everyone.

Checking out the Little Museum and Grounds

I had perfect weather for a little outdoor exploration. I was looking for something new to me that wouldn’t require a 3 hour drive. Sandwich, MA is just about 40 minutes from my home…as long as you avoid the Cape Cod Traffic. For the 2nd time in 2 weeks I headed south on Rt 495 and the Bourne Bridge. Once I crossed the bridge it was just a short drive to RT 130 where I spotted the signs for Heritage Museum and Gardens. As I pulled in I was pleased to see there was parking available. Quite a few people were strolling around following a path down a hill. I bought my ticket for the gardens which included the Museums and started up another paved path.

Flowers, Nature and a Windmill

Flowers lined the path providing a riot of color and lots of photo ops. There are a series of buildings that I didn’t explore this trip. One building houses the antique car collection. Another holds an art collection. There’s a cafe that seemed to be doing a brisk business. As I wandered along I heard falling water. I looked around and spotted a man-made waterfall peeking through the trees. I wasn’t sure how to get to it but figured I’d find it eventually. First I wanted to check out the windmill. Daylillies ring the lawn area around the Windmill while a gorgeous garden blooms near the entrance to the space. Benches are placed strategically around the grounds.

Lilly Pond and falling water

I left the Windmill Garden and started down the hill. I briefly considered that I’d have to walk back up it later but I was too interested in seeing the next garden to worry about the return trip. The next Garden was at the bottom of the hill. A large expanse of green lawn gently sloped up to the waterfall I’d seen earlier. The water was falling into a circular pond loaded with Lilly pads. The lawn was surrounded by more daylillies. I could imagine this as a wonderful wedding venue. Here too benches were set around the pond so you could sit quietly and enjoy the gentle sounds of falling water.

North Dakota

Posted on October 4, 2013October 4, 2013 by Dusty Roads

I’ve been to the southern cousin, South Dakota, but not North Dakota. Lets see what I’ve been missing here.

The big thing that comes to mind is prairies.

North and South Dakota have always made me think of those rolling plains and herds of buffalo. After the Homestead Act opened the prairie lands to farming and the prairie grasses were uprooted for agriculture, the dry winds began to blow leading to the Dust Bowl years of the 1930’s. By then the sea of grass and the great buffalo herds that sustained the Plains Indians were almost completely gone.

In 1933 the federal government stepped in and began buying and restoring the damaged prairie lands. But it wasn’t until 1960 that a system of national grasslands was implemented.

As bad as the damage to the grasslands was, what was done to the buffalo was even worse. Those great herds were gone not just because of the destruction of the prairie but because the white men went on a planned campaign of extermination. Sorry folks, I just get very upset over the way humans handle themselves sometimes. (Between you and me, not much has changed in my opinion) But I’m getting off track here. My point is that The Little Missouri National Grassland is a part of that network of national Grasslands. One million acres of ecologically diverse mixed-grass, prairie, canyon and forest surround Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Antelope, deer, coyotes, bighorn sheep and buffalo make their home here and I want to see it!

And Speaking of Native Americans, the largest Native American Powwow takes place in September in Bismarck, North Dakota. The United Tribes International Powwow attracts thousands of dancers and drummers from many tribes. The Native Americans compete in 22 dance categories for upwards of 15,000 visitors. We missed a Powwow in South Dakota when we got lost on the Pine Ridge Reservation but that would have been small compared to this. I’ll have to plan my visit to see this!

Another historic site that would be good to see is Fort Mandan and the Lewis and Clark Trail. Near by to the restored fort is the Knife River Indian Villages Historic Site. Ruins of several villages including Sacajawea’s are preserved here.

And the last thing on my North Dakota list is the International Peace Garden. The brain child of Canadian horticulturist Henry J Moore, became reality in 1932. Moore had envisioned a grand garden the would straddle the U.S. – Canadian border, dedicated to our two nations friendship and peaceful coexistence. Many of the roads , bridges and shelters were built in the 1930s by the CCC, Civilian Conservation Corp. Today the Peace garden has 2,339 acres of gardens, forests, manicured landscapes, fountain and walking paths. Its only 200 miles north of Bismarck. I should be able to squeeze that in don’t you think?

That concludes the states starting with “N”, and my grand total now is 12 seen / 22 to go.

Coming up next …the “O” states. There’s only 3 of them.

Chihuly Gardens

Posted on July 17, 2013July 17, 2013 by Dusty Roads

I’m back at the Space Needle and the first thing I did was purchase my ticket to the Chihuly Gardens. Many of the exhibits were familiar.

They had been part of the show that visited The MFA but now they appeared to be permanent exhibits. Although some were inside in exhibit halls many of the larger pieces were outside including my favorite one.

My favorite is a made up of purple “candles” placed around a fallen log.

Next to the log a pod of black glass “things” seem to be swimming out from under the log. It made me think of seals or maybe dolphins. I checked this out from all sides. It is definitely my favorite.

The thing about Chihuly is that all of his pieces are beautiful and amazing.

I still had plenty of time before sunset but most of the other places were closing for the day so I headed back up the Space Needle. I might as well enjoy the views while I wait for sunset.