New England Trip: Day 2
It was dark and rainy when we checked into William's Grant Inn in Bristol, RI. The forecast had been shouting about an incoming Nor'easter for the last couple of days. Apparently, we just missed the brunt of the storm. In the morning it was cool with a stiff breeze, but sunny -- very nice biking weather.
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| B&B |
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| William's Grant Inn (recommended) |
At breakfast, we met the B&B owners. A friendly couple, they explained they would shutting down for the season at the end of the week. Except for a few weekends over the holidays, they would be closed until next spring. They added it was a well-deserved break as they had worked every day since last May. Apparently, the life of a B&B owner is a difficult one. Most B&B owners only last 5 to 7 years. They were in their third year and still going strong.
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| East Bay Trail |
We loaded our bags in the car parked at the B&B and rode to the bike path a few blocks away. We noticed a lot of leaf clutter on the trail, but didn't realize the power of last night's storm until we reached the first of a dozen trees blown across the path.
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| Narragansett Bay |
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| Nice day for biking |
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| Brickyard Pond |
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| "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving." |
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| "Hours: 12-7 or whenever" |
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| One of a dozen blow-downs blocking the trail |
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| OK, time to turn around. |
The last blockage was the biggest and about as far as we wanted to bike anyway, so we used it as our turnaround point.
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| Colt State Park |
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| The British navy shelled Bristol when the town refused to supply 30 cattle and 400 sheep. |
When we returned to Bristol, we noticed a promising-looking restaurant advertising seafood. We stopped in for an afternoon snack of clam chowder and crab cakes -- ah, the benefits of bike touring -- unlimited eating.
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| Portside Tavern's chowder and crab cakes! |
Fortified by our afternoon snack, we drove half an hour to a most remarkable walking trail in Newport -- the Cliff Walk. The Rhode Island Constitution of 1843 guaranteed public access to the 3.5-mile Cliff Walk “for purposes of fishing and the gathering of seaweed.” In the late 18th century, Newport became a playground for the rich who built opulent "cottages" overlooking Easton Bay. The most famous cottage, "The Breakers," was built by the Vanderbilts and is open to the public. Of course, the rich property owners tried to block public access to the path along the cliff and rocks below over the years.
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| The fishermen won access rights against the rich land owners |
Fortunately, the "fishermen" went to court over and over to protect their rights and now the Cliff Walk is designated a National Recreation Trail.
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| The 3.5 mile Cliff Walk starts out paved and gradually turns to rock hopping along the beach |
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| Easton Bay is a popular surf spot after a Nor'easter |
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| Must get more rocks |
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| The Breakers |
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| Route on East Bay Path |
Next stop -- Connecticut. I wanted to stay at a "haunted" B&B, but Mona said she'd be a stronger biker if she got a good night's sleep -- Hampton Inn, it is.
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