Rhode Island Adventure

This was our first time to stay in Rhode Island and we had no idea what to expect in the smallest state in the country.  One woman suggested a restaurant in nearby Westerly that serves clam chowder and clam cakes.  "You can't get more Rhode Island than that," she said.  So we checked it out.  The clam cakes were more like clam balls.  With ketchup they were pretty good and the chowder was OK--not as good as at Fisherman's Warf in San Francisco.

Westerly is in the southwest corner of the state just a few miles from the southern shore.  Newport, RI, is in the southeast corner of the state so we didn't get to see that iconic location.  But we enjoyed our nearby coastal areas, including Watch Hill and East Beach.

This Merry Go Round is right next to the beach in Watch Hill.  Kids were having a good time there.  The city beach there cost $9 for seniors so we skipped going there.  Instead, we walked toward a beautiful inn we saw on our way into town.

On the way we walked by some beautiful homes.  The high rent district increased in value as we got closer to the shore.  Look at the view through this carport.

I love this neat old house.  How many people visit this "cottage" in the summer?

This unique fence surrounds the gardens of a house named Seaswept which apparently was built about 1865.  In the distance you can make out the Watch Hill Lighthouse.

This is another spectacular house with a beautiful view.  I wonder what witch the weather vane  honors.

There was an almost hidden path--pedestrians and bicycles only--leading to the Watch Hill lighthouse.

 

Then we found a cutoff to the East Beach and finally got close to the waves coming in. As always, the lighthouse and beach have brisk winds but we were glad we finally got to the Atlantic Ocean.
  According to the evening news, Saturday was the day the Rhode Island beaches opened.  I didn't know you could close beaches.  But since it is the first day there are life guards available at some of the beaches, perhaps that is what they are talking about.  The weather hasn't been conducive to swimming and enjoying the beach.  Tonight we saw average temps for Memorial Day over the past 3 years--all in the 80s.  Today the high was 56--brrr.  The waves were good for surfers, however.

Eventually we came to Ocean House, the large inn we saw driving into town.  They have a private beach with individual changing tents and lots of beach chairs, as well as a large croquet field.  I would love to stay there for a couple of days--when the weather is a little warmer.

Hurricane Sandy came through this area in 2012 but we couldn't see any damage were we traveled.

This neat old touring car was parked outside the hotel.

It was a fun day to top off our visit to the last state on our bucket list.  Since beginning our RV travels in 1988, we have now spent the night in all of the lower 48 and Alaska.  Yipee!  Now, we need a new goal to put in our bucket.