Recovering
on Block Island, RI
Block
Island – a better place to relax and rejuvenate could not be found. We spent
several days roaming this tiny island on our bikes. For its petite size it has
some hilly roads, but the views and exercise were a welcome change to days on
the water.
Block Island has an anchorage
in Salt Pond that offers nearly 360 degrees of wind protection. However, we enjoyed nearly perfect weather
during our stay. Block Island lies a
mere 10ish miles off the tip of Long Island but seems a world apart from New
York and a major cultural shift from Charleston. The buildings are mostly cedar
shake with a New England feel complemented by the sweeping oat grass dunes and
shorelines. The Salt Pond boat dock is a short mile or so from the heart of the
old harbor – a nice bike ride or walk to the touristy shops and provisions as
well as numerous tempting restaurant options. We managed to sample a few and
stock up at the grocery stores.
To
justify our caloric intake, we biked to all three lighthouses on the island –
fortunately not all in one day. The North
Light was an 8 mile ride with a mile beach walk – but well worth the effort to
see this granite structure built in 1867.
The next day we did a circuit that
included famous sights such as the painted rock, the Mohegan Bluffs, and
Southeast light. Steve climbed to the
top – a special treat since very few operating lighthouses allow visitors. This is also a historic building constructed
in 1873 but moved in 1993 since the cliff on which it was perched was eroding. The special tours are part of a fundraising
effort to restore the main building.
Somehow
we also found the energy to peddle out to the Coast Guard lighthouse that
guards the entrance channel to the Salt Pond and browse the Saturday Farmer’s
Market. In between there was plenty of
time to relax on the bluffs or our back deck and recover from our nautical
travels. The sunset bagpipe serenade was not tough duty either!
Note
that the cats did not complain about the long travel days and enjoyed their usual
play time without missing a beat.
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