Tiverton - Fort Barton - 9-4-16

Goofy Nana

Sunday started off well at the Cozy Kettle Diner in Fall River...we were on the way to Fort Barton in Tiverton. The Cozy Kettle was a nice little neighborhood breakfast joint with just the right amount of everything. Friendly waitress, charm and no line to wait in. And the home fries were some of the best I have had, filled with spices, peppers and onion and cooked up just right. They even got my toast toasted just the way I like it. To top it all off it wasn't at all expensive either, although we did splurge on an additional plate of crepe and apple..which was very good indeed. Once we finished up and paid we set the GPS and headed on down to Fort Barton and the 'Sin and Flesh Brook'.

A bit of history

Parking was limited along the main road but we found a spot, strapped on the backpacks and grabbed out hiking sticks and were off, up the hill. A short paved road lead to the top of the hill where there was an elevated observation  platform with a view of the Tiverton basin, Mount Hope Bay and on to the Mount Hope Bridge and Narragansett Bay. The wind was blowing as hurricane/tropical storm/wind Hermine was heading

View from the observation deck 

up the coast and beginning to have an effect on the area, mostly just a windy day but the forecasters were having fun trying to scare everyone with predictions of doom. From the top of the hill, after scrambling up the tower, we headed out on the red dot trail. This is a very pretty winding trail with good ups and downs but not too strenuous. Then we came to this sign. 

I wonder . . .

And you have to wonder just what went on here to name this place Sin and Flesh, I mean, really. I kept looking for both sin and flesh and came away a bit disappointed. The trails are well marked and the walk was a good one today, close to three miles and mostly uneventful. We did meet several people along the trail and everyone was friendly and we even met a cute puppy. The actual Sin and Flesh Brook was completely dry, just a rocky stream bed. We need to come back here once the water starts to flow again. The one bit of excitement, well not excitement as much as - 'oh shit' -  was when Nana bent over to tie her show and he phone fell about a foot to the ground, but it was enough. The screen cracked and that was that.. amazing how it can all change in an instant..and we are all so attached to these darned things. Poor Nana was feeling guilty and anxious and sad all at once..I reminded her that we had purchased the insurance and that the ATT store was right on our way home. 

Damn!

Although she felt bad, she felt better. And as it sometimes happens I got a picture of the moment the phone hit the ground. As we returned to where the tower is we approached from the rear and were able to make out the original earthworks of the old fort. This is another of those hidden gems here in Rhode Island. I have lived here for almost 50 years and this was another first for me. So advice to all you readers out there (yes both of you) - get out and explore - there are some really great spots nearby, I guarantee it.

On the Rocks - Fort Wetherill 8-21-16

Suzie Q's 

Again we decided to explore our own backyard. Conanicut Island in southern Narragansett bay is home to a single town, Jamestown, as quaint a New England town as can be found. Today this was our destination. But first, off to breakfast. We stopped along Route 1A just south of Wickford at a great little diner called Suzie Q's. Great food, Great service and as always a

Nana and a cuppa joe

 good time chatting with Nana. We got the window seat, right up front, and right in front of the air conditioner. Now Nana is cold even on the warmest of days and to perch her in front of the air conditioner is likely not the best seating solution. However I don't think that there was any real complaints and Nana and I had a great breakfast. To my surprise Nana had a breakfast sandwich (she is not known as a sandwich kind of Nana) but said it was quite tasty and enjoyed her breakfast. Me, I had my usual, with the slight deviation of 'Raisin Bread' for toast. Ordered it toasted dark and dry.. got buttered and only slightly toasted..also it must have come off of a raisin baguette because they were the tiniest slices of raisin bread I ever saw. I could have dropped one into my coffee cup, flat side down. . . oh well. I am guessing that you have realized that I am particular about my toast, so if you ever have the occasion to toast up some bread for me, make it almost burnt, smoking just a little and keep the butter away.
We made our way back to the trusty Ford and fifteen minutes later we were parking at a lot in

Overlooking the sea at Ft Wetherill

Fort Wetherill State Park on Conanicut Island. The whole island is referred to as just, Jamestown, for all the locals, but for those of us who have plied the waters of Narragansett Bay for so long we know it as Conanicut Island which happens to have the town of Jamestown located on its eastern shore. Fort Wetherill was the guardian fort of Narragansett Bay, keeping 'Germans and Japs' out of the area during WW2, and other raiding hordes of earlier history. Must have worked as the only raiding hordes we encountered had on sneakers or dive gear.  Nana and I have been entertaining the idea of traveling by camper as I retire as as we were getting out of the car in the parking lot, a Class C camper pulled up and soon we were making introductions and touring their camper. It was just about exactly what we have been talking about. Very nice way to travel and maybe someday this blog will evolve into an RV Travel Blog... who knows?

Up on the rocks

We hiked from the parking lot East and explored the point that overlooked Newport harbor and parts of the old fort there that guarded the entrance to the bay. We chatted with a fisherman who wasn't catching anything but was having a good time. I hope he caught many fish after we moved on. The hiking here is quite varied, wide paths, narrow paths, flat trails and some climbing. What sets this place apart is the view. Everywhere you look is prettier than the last place. This has got to be one of the best kept secrets in Rhode Island, amazing beauty and such easy access. We were amazed that it was not mobbed on a beautiful summer's Sunday afternoon. In all Nana and I hiked just about three miles. Again our apps that measure our progress were in conflict. My app (AllTrails) said we had walked 3.1 miles and Nana's app (Cyclemeter - set on hiking mode) says that we only walked 2.5 miles. Maybe next time I will try to run multiple apps on my phone simultaneously and see if there is a conflict between the apps or if it is a discrepancy between the phones. When we popped out of the woods we arrived in the middle of an antique car meet. There were lots of stunningly restored cars and trucks scattered around a wide expanse of lawn. One of our favorites and I know a favorite

I want one!

of our  son, was an old VW bus...ooooohhhh... the restoration was absolutely flawless. Maybe Nana and I should get something like this for our camping travels.  After our hike here at Fort Wetherill we moved on to Beavertail, the southern tip of Conanicut Island where the lighthouse is. We took our chairs and sat on the rocks, chatting, sketching and watching people, sea and boats. It was a perfect afternoon. We even found an ice cream stand on the ride home. A great day and we only traveled a half an hour from the house. If you get the opportunity, take a drive down to Jamestown and explore the area. You can't go wrong. More pix below.

Suzie Q's

Toward the point

Marina at the fort

Hidden cove

A badly grafittied fort

MY app says 3.1 miles

Shooting time lapse at Beavertail

Not much - Hyannis, MA - 8-13-16

Percy's Place, Hyannis

Not much of an entry this week as we did not get out for our traditional Sunday walk. Instead we went to the Cape (Cape Cod) and visited with friends. We did, however, stop for breakfast in Hyannis at Percy's Place, a great family run 'chain' (maybe 5 locations) of diners in New England. Great food always and they have initiated "Endless Eggs" when you order an egg breakfast you can have as many eggs as you would like. I was a glutton this week and had three... could have had ten, but I practiced restraint. Good service and good food, and toast cooked right made for a good breakfast. Nana and I then went for a walk around town. We walked from the diner down to the waterfront. We are always drawn to any waterfront to check out the boats as our past is filled with many fond memories of life at sea. Hyannis is a busy port with lots of fishing and pleasure boats and of course the ferries that run from the mainland to the islands. After a mile or so of walking I found a place to settle in with my sketch pad and Nana continued to explore the town. As I sat on a park bench and sketched the town was coming to life and more and more people passed by pulling luggage heading for the ferries and several stopped by to look over my shoulder and ask questions. I never mind chatting and sketching. Nana would stop by from time to time to check my progress and the sun was climbing higher into the sky. Soon I was sitting in full sunlight when the heat of the day marched right in and I began my typical projectile sweating. I am 67 years old and no longer have to prove my manhood so I decided to retreat to the air conditioning of my car. I wrapped up my sketching and discovered Nana relaxing in the shade of tree chatting with a local fisherman. We made our way back to the comfort of our car and began a great weekend visiting with friends. . . total hike for me was about a mile and a half.. Nana must have walked well over 50 miles.  . . just guessing. . .

Hyannis House

Uphill - Wachusett Mountain - 8/7/16

122 Diner

Up and out of the house early-ish today and on the road by about 8:15 headed north - on our way to find Wachusett Mountain in the middle of Massachusetts. But first, a stop in Holden, MA at the 122 Diner, on route 122, duh. . . We were seated promptly by friendly happy people and coffee arrived very quickly and once we ordered it seemed as though only seconds passed when breakfast arrived. I had my eggs and toast, which by the way the toast was perfect and I added bacon this time too as I knew I would be putting out some energy on the mountain. Nana's breakfast did not live up to her expectations and she left a bit disappointed in the food, but no complaints about the service. The waitress had a strange accent and neither Nana nor I could place it, kind of a midwestern valley girl sound.. .  strange for New England. The price was good and the service was good but the home fries were a bit mushy. So, once we refreshed and paid we were off to find the mountain. A short 12 minute drive delivered us to the entrance to find the lot at the visitor center full, so we found the second lot and a friendly ranger took six bucks from us to allow us to park.

Entrance

 We walked back to the visitors center and read all the good stuff and picked up a trail map. This trail was no slacker. It started up right from the trail head in the parking lot. I only took me a few minutes to start puffing and wheezing - Nana on the other hand didn't seem to crack a sweat. And neither did those young girls that passed us by, and did I mention the six year old and his father that just walked right past. . . damn but I gotta get back in shape. The trail was a jumble of rock and stone which had been arranged loosely into 'steps', kind of. I can only say that it was headed up the side of the mountain. I have to admit at this point,  that Wachusett Mountain is a weenie mountain, as mountains go. I know all the other mountains in Massachusetts laugh at Wachusett and New Hampshire and Maine mountains won't even talk to Wachusett, but it felt pretty large to me. Nana kind of left me in the dust a few times but was feeling sorry for me and would wait up as I came puffing along.

Nana on the climb

The steepness of the trail did not hold much appeal to Nana as she has a natural and understandable fear of falling down. Nana can sometimes be a bit unsure on steep rocky trails and this one made her a bit uncomfortable. Near the summit we crossed the road to the top and went separate ways..Nana took the road to the summit and I pushed on toward the summit on the trail, just because I wasn't completely wet yet, projectile sweating championships here I come. As it turned out we both arrived at the top of the mountain at the same time. Once out of the woods and on flatter ground my heart rate began to return to normal - It peaked at 124, normal for me is mid to low 50's - 53 - 54 is about what it normally is when resting. Nana and I walked around the open area at the top and were is the company of several hundred other people that had hiked, biked and drove up there.

Made it!

I would guess that there are at least eight trails that come to the summit and of course we took the steepest most direct trail. Looking to the East we could clearly make out Boston about 40 miles away and to the northwest we could see Mount Monadnock in Keene New Hampshire. The clouds were fantastic. We walked up to the observation tower and found a place to sit on a bench. I asked Nana to help me off with my backpack and she was shocked by how heavy it was. "What do you have in there" She asked. I told her that I had thought it would be a good place to shoot a time lapse so I packed my gear, tripod, camera lenses, filters and intervalometer.. you know the basics. I unpacked and sat up my tripod where I thought I had a good view of the clouds passing by to the North. The play of the shadows over the hills was fascinating to watch. I got the tripod stable and hung my backpack on the bottom hook to help stabilized the tripod, it was very

Time lapse gear

windy. We sat on the bench while my camera clicked away, eating trail mix and dried pineapple and I think I downed a large bottle of water. The fifteen minutes or so that we sat there yielded the time lapse below. It is only 10 seconds long but shows the motion of the clouds. We packed everything back into our packs and started the descent. We took a trail for a short distance but decided to return by the road which certainly was a beautiful walk down the mountain.

Harlow Lookout

We passed the Harlow Lookout shelter, what a beautiful place with a fantastic view. Nana and I both took many photos and panoramas. The walk back down was only about a mile and a half or so but it was still steep enough that I felt as though I was slipping into the toe of my boots. Today we walked a bit over three miles, maybe three and a half..going up it felt longer -- coming down it felt too short. It was good to get back to the car and get the air conditioning on -- it was a hot day. . .  Driving home we spotted a road sign that said Nana Trail..
Below are some pix and the time lapse I made at the summit

"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves."  Edmund Hillary

It is best to watch the time lapse full screen

Wachusett Mountain Time lapse from Edward Huff on Vimeo.

Ski Lift in summer - looks sad

Part of the Mid-State Trail

Panorama from Harlow Lookout

App says 3.7 miles..taken with a grain of salt

The road sign says Nana Trail!

Borderland State Park, MA

Today started off in Foxboro MA, home of the New England Patriots, Go Pats!,

At the Commons

at the Commons Restaurant and even though it was one of those Sunday mornings where we had to wait for a table we (I) maintained our humor and let the time and worries roll away. Nana and I were served coffee right away by a cheerful waitress, we ordered and the food seemed as though it had been waiting for us on the back shelf..good friendly fast service. (Once we got seated). Nana had the breakfast burrito and I broke from tradition and had a Western Omelet...hmmm... I see why people like these things. I have discovered that some other tiny traditions have crept into our breakfast outings.. I always take a bit of Grape Jam on my toast while Nana is an Orange Marmalade woman...seems to be consistent. I checked out the driving time to the Park I had selected and it was only about 12 minutes away. Once we paid and made one last tour of the restrooms we set off for Borderland State Park, somewhere new as is always the goal. It was an easy drive and SIRI gave us great directions so we arrived in the predicted 12 minutes. Technology is getting to be so good at thinking for us that we will soon forget how to use maps or the Dewey Decimal System -- and I know that anyone reading this has fewer than three phone numbers committed to memory.  To my surprise when, we arrived at the park, there was a fee of $6.00 to be paid and it was a fully automated system requiring 

 

$6 to Park!

me to exit the car and approach an unfamiliar bit of technology and have a conversation with this machine by pressing buttons, declaring statehood and inserting plastic money. It then spat out a receipt and I was instructed to place it on my dashboard in full view so the dashboard police and make sure I am not violating any rules.  All in all a good system, and I don't really begrudge the six bucks, as it turned out that this was a beautiful place for Nana and Pappa to walk. We found our way to the park headquarters and got a free map of the trails and grounds, and made use of the facilities one more time..too much coffee I guess.

At the trailhead.

We started off on the West Side Trail and wandered to the French Trail and by the time we made it to the Granite Rock Trail where we discovered a huge bolder field and the walking had more of an uphill, down hill personality. Not real huff and puffing walking but noticeable. At some point we wandered back toward the lake, then on and on until we made our way to some very large fields on the east side of the lake. Upon leaving the fields we met a couple of guys who were walking several very large dogs. Bothe the men and the dogs were very friendly. I wish I could retain the breed of dogs a couple of them were but I cannot recall what we were told but they were very large dogs - maybe black bear sized dogs - very friendly. We pressed on and the young men told us that it was just about a mile back to the parking area, but also said it was going to 'really rain in about 20 minutes' so we picked up the pace. It never rained. 

The big house

These grounds were made by the Ames's in around 1910-ish  - you can look it up. But the long and the short of it was that they made this place their home and later left it to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts - the name Borderland comes for the fact that it is on the border of a couple of towns - Easton and Sharon, MA. It is quite a beautiful place and they have a Frisbee Golf course and apparently hold public events frequently in the big house. Nice!

Nana and I hike around the whole grounds surrounding the house which is lush with gardens and sculptures and waterfalls. Very nice ending for a day on the trail.  As usual I was completely wet for the walk and Nana had the presence of mind to pack an extra shirt for me to change into so I wouldn't embarrass myself, or her, should we meet up with anyone. As it turned out we were near a Woodcraft Store, and I can't pass one of those, meaning we did stop on our way back home..so thanks Nana for thinking of me. Now a few more pictures.

Bolders along the trail

Special birding spot

Near the big house

Our trek

Nana on the trail

Warm Sunday - Bluff Point State Park, Groton, CT

Buford's Family Restaurant

We got out of the house in good time this week and drove to Groton, Connecticut for a great breakfast at Buford's Family Restaurant. We parked in front of the Happy Tails Dog Grooming shop directly across the street from Buford's and wen we arrived, all the seats were taken so we sat at the counter. I have to say that this was  one of the friendliest places we had been in quite some time. It seems like everyone that was working at Buford's was genuinely happy to be there. This is just a small hole in the wall, neighborhood diner but it gets a five star rating from me.

Nana and Pappa at the counter

It was great sitting at the counter as this is where all the action is.  We had a great chat with the waitresses and the food was great, prompt and generous portions. Nana had a reuben omelet and I had my usual and they got the toast right. so score one for the small town diner. Nana and I chatted and caught up on all the happenings of the past week. Sunday mornings are always great this way as the week days are busy and it can be difficult to get it all said, so we get it all out on Sunday mornings, over eggs and coffees and home fries. Once we were fortified we set off to find Bluff Point State Park. We had hiked here once before, (before this blog) back in late November of last year and have great memories of that time. The big loop part of the trail is 

just over 4 miles starting in a dusty parking area. We chose this spot because it is near the water and has beaches on Long Island Sound. Nana needed to be by the water and this seemed to be just the spot.

Nana gets her bearings

It was building into another hot day as we started up the path but we walked in comfort in the shade of Hickory and Oak and had a great breeze coming in off the Sound. The trail here is wide and well traveled and there is no need of trail markers. No blazes on the trees here.

Out on the point, overlooking the Sound.

As is usually the case I began to perspire heavily a short way into the walk, it is just what I do...  but this time Nana had reminded me to bring my hat so the sweat wouldn't run into my eyes. It worked! Thanks Nana! However there was at least one noticeable drawback. The picture on the right taken at the diner turned out pretty good and Nana wanted a copy to send to our son who lives on the far shore in California. When I went to send it to her (it was on my iPhone) I had to look down at my screen and when I did that a puddle of water formed on my screen. Yep, I had sweat my hat completely full, so when I tipped my head down, it would run in a stream from the bill. I was able to overcome these hardships and press on. As the sun got higher in the sky, more and more fun seekers arrives along the trail and we passed quite a few heading for the beach with arms full of beach toys and towing wagons and baskets behind. We made it back to the start having logged over 4 miles. The apps are still in conflict - I am guessing 4 miles even. Once back to the car we swapped out our backpacks for beach chairs and found a great spot in the shade. Nana was reading and I was sketching and all the while we had a good conversation going. Once when I needed to go the the mens room (they actually had a solar powered mens room) I was fortunate to have a hot dog stand in my path, so on my return trip I made the acquaintance of the purveyor of fine dogs. He was a large guy who was falling asleep in his chair while playing Sudoko - I think I save him from the pain of boredom. We ended up chatting for quite a while. Not only does he sell hot dogs but raises champion 'coon hounds. Growing up in Illinois my neighbor had several runs of hounds and 'coon hunting was a big sport in my childhood. Even though we became kindred spirits, he still charged me full retail for the dog. I took my dog back to my spot in the shade and Nana and I were in a cool, breezy spot on a hot summer day. Oh and did I mention that there is a Dairy Queen at the entrance to the park. . . 

Some Pictures

On the 'trail' 

By the beach

Even though it sys 4.5 I bet it was only 4

The view from my chair

Father's Day - Mashamoquet Brook State Park

Mug Shot

Happy Father's Day to everyone out there where it is appropriate, the rest of you. . . never mind. We headed out a bit later today than planned but had a relaxing morning at the house before getting underway. I found a place in Connecticut that looked interesting and was only an hour away. So with that place in mind I searched the web and came up with three likely candidates for breakfast. We settled for a place on Route 6, west of Providence, called Cindy's. As we were driving west on Route 6 my older brother called and we had a great conversation in the car but drove right past Cindy's and made it a few miles down the road before recognizing my incompetent inattention. So, with Siri really mad at me, we made a u-turn and found our our way back to the diner. A delay of nearly 8 minutes. . . . but who is counting. We had to wait just a couple of minutes before being seated, never thinking that it might be crowded on Fathers Day.

Cindy's

Everyone in the restaurant was very happy and chipper and full of kindness and smiles. Coffee came straight away and I had the Fathers Day Special -- 2 eggs, home fries and toast, with a steak. Nana had Eggs Benedict and we split a half a Belgian Waffle with apples as an added Father's Day bonus treat. Mmmmmm. Food and service was excellent, and they even got my toast right, always the sign of a great place. Once done and paid, we plugged in the directions to Mashamoquet Brook State Park in Pomfret, Connecticut about a half our further down the road. We found it easily and were just a little surprised that they had an entrance fee of $15 which seems a little steep but as it turns out it was worth it and we have since learned of another parking area that is free. See the map below.

Nana and Pappa

We decided to walk the blue dot trail which seems to circumnavigate the perimeter of the park and my app said that it was about four and a half miles long. From where we parked we immediately started to climb and soon came to the Blue Dot trail which would be our trail around the park. This trail is very well marked and a relatively easy trail despite the nearly 700 feet of elevation gain and loss long the way. I, of course, did a lot of huffing and puffing along these steeper slopes but that has a lot more to do with my condition than it does with the trail. And let me comment here on what a good job the state of CT has done on maintaining these trails, they are wide and very well marked with signage and maps at every intersection. There are several features marked out on the trail map that we enjoyed along the way. The Wolf's Den was a great out cropping of stone and the Indian chair was a naturally broken rock that was the exact size and shape so it could be used to overlook a high bluff.

Nana in Indian Chair

Nana started to take my picture and didn't realize immediately that there was a sheer drop off behind her..she doesn't have a good appreciation for heights and sheer drop offs. She discovered he error in time and we had a good laugh. An amazing natural stone. These features were about half way through our walk and as we continued on the trail we met a few people - another couple our age who were walking their dog and a father and his two sons (who didn't look like they wanted to be hiking) and a young lady walking her dog. It is always nice to meet people along a trail as most everyone seems open and friendly, at least that has been our experience so far. It was some time after this that I realized that this walk was going to be a bit farther that was advertised but it was a beautiful day and we did not have a schedule so it didn't matter but I was beginning to get tired, but we had plenty of water and I slowed the pace, especially on those uphill slogs and it turned out just fine. We met up with the young lady and her dog once again and chatted for a while,she was very friendly and commented on my hiking stick. She was walking with two nordic sticks. The chat was just long enough for me to get fully recovered from the last uphill. Thanks unknown lady. It was only about a mile back to the car from there and as we neared the end of the Blue Dot trail it got wide and flattened out until the final downhill back to the brook and to the parking area. My app said it was 6.6 miles, which was wrong as other (smarter?) apps told us -- it was really just about six miles. More pictures below. . .

The Brook

Projectile Sweating - hot Pappa

Nana on an uphill

Steep stuff around here

Wolf Den

Map with free parking marked