a day in rhode island ... and more / WHAT JEN DOES

a day in rhode island ... and more

11.18.2016

About 5 days ago I was thinking about going to Utah and the Grand Canyon, then I realized I really didn't feel like doing that. I wanted to in principle - but not at this exact moment. At this exact moment, I want to have some slightly leisurely mornings and moderate adventures. After about 4 days of this, I was ready to leave town. I didn't need a big adventure, just enough to say that I did something new.

So this morning, I did some light googling and got barely anywhere. I saw something about the mansions in Newport and then was like maybe there will be some lighthouses near by. I didn't do the absolutely best job planning this day. I inadvertently drove over an expensive toll bridge - TWICE. That cost $8. It wasn't the worst thing to have happened but I also forgot pretzels. I'm rarely without snacks so this was a very weak moment.

All in the day was pretty solid. I saw three lighthouses, 1 deer and zero seals. The lighthouses got progressively better and I'm really happy that I closed out the day at Ned's Point. Everything looks amazing as the sun sets.

Beavertail Lighthouse // Not to start off on a sour note, but this lighthouse isn't exactly worth the $8 in tolls. It's not bad but I think my expectations were too high. It is on an incredible peninsula with tons of shale rock all around. I can imagine it's pretty great around sunrise / dusk / sunset. There is also a lot of open space for kids to run and families to picnic. That being said, I was alone and didn't have a picnic and it was the bright midday light.

Castle Hill Lighthouse // This wasn't exactly the easiest lighthouse to find but to be fair, I was pretty preoccupied talking to my friend Meghan on the phone. It is however worth it when you do find it. In order to get to the lighthouse you have to walk through a wooded path (where I saw a deer!) and the lighthouse just kind of appears. There are a bunch of small little trails that lead to little vistas where you pretty much just see tons of water.

Cliff Walk // I was pretty confused about how to do this. All I was able to find out was that it was 3.5 miles one way and some parts were considered "treacherous". What I know now is that there are kind of 3 primary entrances and that the entrance off Narragansett Ave is the best. I absolutely envision coming back and doing the whole walk with a large iced coffee and lots of girl talk.

Ned's Point Lighthouse // The bright spot in the day. To be fair, the lighting was absolutely perfect and I had eaten a little pasta salad I picked up from Jon's Coffee. They allegedly had good bagels which is why I stopped - but alas no bagels. I've never been to Mattapoiset before but will absolutely come back. It looks so rather ideal.

After about 5 hours driving, I didn't have much in me for fancy dinners but really didn't want my extra fish fillet to be wasted. I think for the first time in my life I actually achieved the perfect crust on a seared fish. I am really proud of myself. For dessert, I had cheddar blasted goldfish and a mini snickers. Life is pretty good.