Christmas Vacation!

Bill always gets the holiday week off, so we took advantage of the time to get out and do some exploring. It is also a great time to use the coupons and sales to get some needed items like a new coat. I finally found one that is duck cloth, warm inner but not heavy so I can have something to wear when we go on adventures.

We had one day that was considered warm, warm enough that my hands didn't freeze, that is. It was a great day to go for a drive and enjoy the ocean. It seems everyone was out enjoying it, as well. A few were doing some parasailing which looks like fun to me, though I am not sure I have the strength to control the sail.

Lots of surfers, birds and action going on at the beaches, but I realize, I need a zoom to get good shots of those. I did catch this little guy who was running back and forth on the beach.

The treat was, as we were coming home, the sun was going down. We went down a side road and stopped at the pond to watch the sunset. A wonderful way to end a day.

Another day we went to the Watch Hill lighthouse. It was a bit cool and breezy but a perfect place to sit in the car and just enjoy the views. From here you can see the rhode island and the long island sounds.

Today we went to go to a park on the opposite side of Westerly. The river runs through Rhode Island, and empties into the ocean. The park was small but a nice little walk with views of a graveyard across the river.

I found a road from here that took us across, into Connecticut and to Barn Island. We have been here to paddle, and I wanted to just go for the views.

When we got there, I noticed a lot of people parked at the hiking trails. We have never been on the trails, I assumed they were just short walks to look at the estuaries and it was too swampy to walk. Well, I had to go check it out and I was surprised to see nice trails that led through the area with views of the inlets and areas in the woods.

Lots of old growth trees, reformed by the weather and storms.

We even got to see a blue heron, another time I wish I had a zoom. The area is so beautiful and peaceful, definitely coming back to do more hiking when it isn't so cold.

Before we headed home, we went further down so I could get some shots of a church with my wide angle. I plan on using churches in my area to do new pieces, so I took shots and this one was an experiment in art photography, you can see some of the church, lots of character for a new piece.

I hope everyone is having a nice week and rested from the holiday festivities. I did make something new this week, but was so tired when we got home, I didn't get a chance to finish it off. A few more days of goofing off and then it is time to start working on my projects again. I hope it will be a productive year for all of you. May the new year bring good health and blessings to you all.

Weekend Wanderings!

I hope everyone got to enjoy the weekend. We had beautiful weather but hotter than I would have liked. On saturday I wanted to go for a shorter walk to a new area. It said 3 miles, but I wasn't thinking, that was for one side of the park, in one town, once you cross the bridge, you are on the other side which added another 3 miles. So, we walked over 6 miles and it was hot and the mosquitos were out in full force.

I had a map, so we headed to the bridge. What I didn't know was, we went on a different trail so we actually went in a different area and found a different bridge.

As you can see, the bridge had a long wooden walkway. That is because the area is swampy and swampy means mosquitos. I am glad I had bug spray with me.

After we walked up and down granite hills, we came out to the back side of the bridge we were looking for. The original bridge was used as a crossing to move granite to the next town. Then another was built and the floods carried it away. Hopefully the new metal bridge will last longer.

The views from the bridge were worth a rest stop. Rushing waters on one side, calm on the other. This is the river we paddle on, but a section we haven't been on, something for a future paddle.

I finally had my bearings for where we were on the map, so the next stop was a historic grave. The grave sits near the river and I found this grave from a revolutionary war veteran.

Our final destination was the overlook. A beautiful place for a lunch break. A place I will definitely go back to and hike on the other side of the trails which criss cross the river.

Sunday was another hot day but we had to finish the new door frame and walls, so we did some shopping for supplies and Bill got that started. While we waited for the dust to settle, I decided it was the perfect time to go for a paddle at our town harbor. The tide was high in the afternoon, so the best time to enjoy the coves.

We paddled up to the breakers and enjoyed the cool breezes and the water was warm enough to sit in and cool down.

We went into town and enjoyed people watching, or maybe they were watching us;) A perfect way to end the weekend.

Weekend Wanderings!

Another beautiful weekend and of course the perfect weekend for paddling. Saturday was cooler, so we did a river paddle. Except for a few people passing by, we had the river to ourselves and the critters who crossed our path. We saw a beaver, a blue heron, hawks and lots of turtles but nothing that would sit still long enough for a photo.

The river is long and winding and passes under several roads and railroad bridges. This is an old trestle bridge.

We always stop at the state park, wilderness canoe campground. I think it would be fun to camp there, but it is really buggy at the sites which are up on the hill.

The blueberry bushes are all empty but their are grapevines lining the river.

Sunday was warmer so we went to the salt water marsh and paddled out to the breakers. We bought our umbrella and just enjoyed sitting on the beach.

We had our own little spot to sit and cool down in the water while we watched the boats go by.

The ocean is just over the dunes, a perfect place to walk around and enjoy the cool breezes.

On the way back, we passed this guy. I am glad I didn't meet him while we were swimming in the water. It is called a Lion's Mane jellyfish and they can grow up to 120 feet long with their tentacles.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, as well.

River Paddling!

Today was cool and cloudy, perfect day for the river. This is a river that snakes through the lower half of Rhode Island and comes out to the ocean. We only did a portion of the river, it was 4 miles one way, so 8 miles is a lot for me, wonder why I am so tired.

This is also why I get so tired, Bill just paddles at his rate, forgetting that I am half his size and strength:) That and the fact, that I had my big camera case which weighs a ton and I am basically pushing that too. I never did get to use my good camera, too hard to take out while paddling, so these are with my pocket camera.

This is our first stop, it is a wilderness campground for kayakers. The water was too cold and icky to swim in today. This is me waiting for Bill to get his skirt back on, he is sooooo slow.

This is where we stop, I don't do rapids, even small ones.

This is the old pump house area, someone actually lived here, at one time.

On the way back, we spotted this blue heron. They always fly away if you get close, but this one kept trying and stumbling, so not sure if it was hurt or a baby who hasn't learned to fly. We also saw lots of turtles and a hawk who flew over us, down the river in search of fish, but he was too fast to get a shot of. 

Saturday Stroll and Slithering things!

Today we went back to the Big River Management area, it is over 8,000 acres, so lots of places to explore.
The trails are not well marked, just the major ones, so back track on some, when we find the trail is not that great for hiking, a lot of areas are watery mud pits.

This time we found a trail that lead over some small streams and ended at a place they call indian rock.
If I had not glanced over at the right time, on the trail, I would have missed this. It is hard to get a shot through the trees, but in the right position, you can really see the face, very neat.



We took a few different paths and had no idea which was was which. Too many paths in the area, so I decided I would keep going right and I had to end up back where I started and I was right, lol. We did find a an area where an old home must have been and nice rock cliffs. But I wanted to see the other lake, so we went back and found the main trail to the lake.

We found the lake and the path, but the water was so high, it had spilled over into the path.



I had no idea how far the water went down the path, it wasn't that deep, but it was this that made me decide It was time to leave the swampy path. There were quite a few swimming around.



We got a nice view of the end of the pond, but we need to start on the main trail next time, on the opposite side to get to the beach area of the pond. I hope you had a nice day, as well.

Floods are not Fun

I am amazed at all of the devastation I have seen on the news and in photos.
My husband takes a back road to get to the highway, that takes him to work.
Yesterday, he found a road block and had to find a way around it, which isn't easy, since most of the roads are extreme back roads and probably worse. This is the road he goes on, this is why, he could not.



This is the road that leads to our local rug hooking shop. The shop is further down and to the side of the river that caused this.
This is not a big river, but it is a long one and it is all coming down and flooding the towns it runs through. The river actually goes all the way to the end of the state and out to the ocean, so a lot of damage in it's path. I did not take these pictures, I am staying close to home. We are in a dry zone, luckily.

Paddling on the River

Today was a beautiful day. The sun was out and it was warm but we had a nice breeze, so it was a perfect day to paddle on the river. We went from the Bradford boat launch, and went up river.



You never know what you will find along the river banks. A lot of blow downs from the storms we had this year.



The river is very windy, going up and down and back up again, so we pass under two railway bridges.



We paddle and make our first stop at the Burlingame campgrounds for paddlers. There are several campgrounds on the hills and places to bring in your boat and take a swim, great place to cool down. Today I wasn't hot enough to jump into the icy water, so I just dipped my feet in a bit, to cool down.



We end the paddle at the falls in a little old town called Burdickville. The river goes on and on, but I was happy with stopping there, since we still had to paddle back.



Bill played in the rapids below the falls, they propel you down the river which is fun, but I told him, he could not go over the falls, lol. I could just picture him smashing into the rocks and tipping over. From there we paddle back to the launch, with the current, so it is nice after a hard paddle upstream. If you ever want to paddle in Rhode Island, there is a great site with launches that you can use, in the state.

River Kayaking

Today, I decided it was a good day for a river paddle, so we paddled a section of the Pawcatuck river in Bradford, Rhode Island. I say a section, but it was 3 miles one way and we had to come back too. This is a nice launch, sandy and open with lots of parking, so it is a good place to start.



It is a long windy river. The river itself runs from Wardens Pond out to the sea. It is a long and windy river, but a beautiful place to paddle with long stretches of untouched wilderness.



Our favorite place to stop is a wilderness camp owned by the state park system. You can camp here, but we find it a great place to rest and cool down in the cold waters.



Our destination was the rapids which was once the site of an old mill.
It was a long paddle for me and we still had to turn around and head back.
It was a tough paddle for me, but it was fun and nice to get out on another beautiful day.