With the kids - Washington Management Area - 8/28/16

Ben and Nana

This Sunday we had both Grandkids..always a pleasure, Ben and little Sweetie Pie Grace. Off we went to high adventure in northwestern Rhode Island, stopping first at the Village Bean Cafe in Chepatchet for a great breakfast. Everything was cooked just right and the waitress (sorry, the server...gotta be PC) was very friendly and helpful. Ben had a burrito and Grace had scrambled, Nana and I had our usuals and as we were leaving, Grace realized that she needed one of those special M&M muffins. .  So, all fed and rested we went off to the George Washington State Campground and Management Area right along Route 44 just before you enter Connecticut. What a great spot. We parked at the end of the road and headed off down the blue and orange trail. Mushrooms were plentiful today and

A pretty red mushroom

they apparently come in every color. We spotted red and yellow and white and purple and just about every shade in between. Grace seemed especially excited every time we came across a mushroom and especially when there were many along the trail. The trail here is strewn with boulders and rock, and ferns and great views of the pond. The kids had a great time climbing all over the rocks.

On the rocks along the shore

Grace proved to be quite a trooper as we hiked longer than her liking but she kept up with a minimal of complaints. Ben just kept going and going like the Energizer Bunny. Unfortunately the trail took a turn to the right when we needed to head left to continue our way around the pond and back to our car. Intrepid as we are we decided to head out off the trail into the wilderness (I should mention that there were several campers in sight toward the area which we were heading) and our high adventure began. We dumped out in the 'back yard' of a family camping there and had a good chat and got some bad directions but after a few fits and starts in different directions and consulting my app frequently we ended up at a dead end. Now I knew that the car was less than 100 yards away but no clear path presented itself in the direction we were heading. Grace did not want to head through the briars and up the hill but with a bit of encouragement we made it through the rough

Back at the car

stuff and landed right on the trail and the car was in sight. Less than 50 yards from where we felt stuck. All's well that ends well. Here is a photo of our champion hiker, back safe and sound at Pappa's car. By the way Grace and Pappa made that hiking staff, Pappa did most of the work and Grace directed the project so it was just right. After we got back to the car, it was a hot day, we drank our fill of water and Ben took my keys and got he air conditioning running. I then told him to drive us out of there. Now Ben is not of driving age and has little experience with cars, but I figured that he has spent the summer driving a boat and in well on his way to getting a pilot's license (flying for over two years now) he should be able to get us down the road safely. I think he was just a little bit intimidated but he did just fine. He took us about a mile down the road (a dirt road with no traffic) all without incident. Well done Ben. And Now, a few pictures to round out the post.

Nana and Grace

Usain Ben - or Ben Bolt?

Overlooking Wilbur Pond