Thursday, June 23, 2016

Recovering on Block Island, RI

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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