Rhody Rambles 2016

After the time spent in New Hampshire, it was time to go to Rhode Island.

A leisurely breakfast was had at an old-school New England breakfast place the morning after the trip.

Homemade corn beef hash (not overly salty crap from a can) with some home fries and eggs.

For the uninitiated, home fries are potatoes made with lots of garlic, onion and seasoning. Hash browns are bland. Home fries? Much better.

Delicious.

And that breakfast set the stage for the trip: A leisurely time with no real set agenda. And enjoying what I knew from my formative years.

That night I continued in that vein with my brother and friends by enjoying a leisurely sunset at a cove not far from where I grew up.

But I wanted to explore a little bit.

The following day I went to the ocean. A bit of rocky New England coast along Black Point. Free parking, natural New England coast and fewer people than the beaches proper.

A good place to take a stroll, enjoy the ocean and catch up on some reading.

The stroll lead to far end of a state beach. Away from the majority of the crowds. And a scenic place to call home for a little bit.

Remnants of an old cottage.

After a while it was time to head back.

I continued to catch up with family, friends and enjoy the coast this past week. Stories were told, conversations were had and many reminders were experienced of how deep the roots go back in this place. And I ate my quotient of chowder, stuffies and clamcakes for at least another year. :O

Watch Hill, RI. A peninsula that juts into the Atlantic. Lots of money here including a famous pop singer’s mansion. The ocean will be here far longer. I suspect.

But I still needed a walk.  (Esp after all the previously mentioned seafood !)

Saturday was hot and muggy. Perfect time to be at the beach.

And a perfect time for lots of traffic, congestion and crowds. I did not have plans to see anyone until later that evening.

So I took a hike in the woods.

The granite ledges, hemlock groves, oaks and the occasional maple are something I do not see in Colorado.

If New Hampshire reminds me of the Rockies in some ways, there is no equivalent of the southern New England woods where I live currently.

I went to Tillinghast Pond.

As with most areas of New England, it is 2nd or even 3rd growth forest. With some remnants of the farming days of nearly two-hundred years ago.

And on this Saturday, I had the roughly seven miles of trails hiked to myself.

Most of the trails were cart roads from the farming days. Not the most challenging trail.  But still a pleasant walk.

And some wildflowers were even in bloom.

Alas, the woods had suffered this past year. The gypsy moths have really decimated the woods. The tree cover was more akin to winter than the height of summer in many parts.

Even with all the highly visible damage from the gypsy moth invasion, I still managed to find beauty in these pleasant woods.

A highlight was the pond itself. A classic calm and large body of water surrounded by lush woods.

The walk continued. Many remnants of old farms were spotted. The old stone walls that are ubiquitous in New England were present.

Practical craftsmanship that is beautiful and efficient.

Quintessential New England summarized.

My hike was almost over.

And with good timing.

In the hot and humid weather my shirt was soaked.  My body was sweaty.  In this terrain sweat does not evaporate. It clings onto you.

I was ready to get a cold drink, head to my brother’s house and see my new niece again.

One last look was had to the pond before I drove off.

On the drive out, I could not help but stop at the site of a Baptist  congregation that has been in existence since 1750. The building itself has been in existence since 1822.

A thriving hamlet at one point  was in this area. Only the church is really left. Another example of the practicality and craftsmanship of those early New Englanders that ends up being beautiful.

Unknown to me until later that evening, the graveyard in back is apparently home to a local ghost legend. I’ll let others Google that legend if you are curious. The woods and the church were more interesting to me. 🙂

Here it is Sunday. I leave back for Colorado in a few short hours.

I need more wild space than Rhode Island can provide.

But even in a congested and busy area, there are always little spots of solitude and wildness than can still be found.

All the photos