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Day Trip to Block Island, RIa coastal adventureApril 15, 2006 |
All twelve of us awoke to the sound of early morning thunder on the day of our Block island trip. It was the Outing Club's
second Block Island trip in as many years. After a foggy hour-long ferry ride from Pt. Judith, RI, we arrived at Block
Island's Old Harbor just as the sun broke through. Our group immediately split into 3 contingents. Hilary, Jesaca, Dani,
and Judd rented bicycles and headed to the island's northern tip, as Alina, Greg and Laure set off toward the south along
the island's rocky coastline.
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Meanwhile, Dave, Kristi, Chris, Amanda (left to right) and Nick began their quest in a nice little coffee shop before heading
south along the coast.
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Judd, Dani, Hilary and Jesaca (left to right) bicycled to the north and then hiked another half mile of rocky beach to reach
the North Light lighthouse. It was closed, but they ate lunch on its apron of bricks; each one bearing the name of a donor who had
contributed to the restoration of the lighthouse.
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After lunch, Dani and Judd explore some nearby rocks.
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Judd, Hilary and Dani near Sandy Point, the island's northern tip.
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The two contingents hiking south traversed a wide range of terrain. Whether stepping through sections of stone,
plodding across sandy stretches, or scrambling through boulder fields, there was never a dull moment.
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Alina and Laure conquer a large boulder. Laure heads toward the next one. |
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Greg thought this one looked like a backward leaning profile of Abe Lincoln. Alina examines a very unusual green stone. |
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Amanda and Kristi relax on the rocks, enjoying the clean sea air. A pod of seals had the same idea. We later spotted deer and pheasant on the island, and heard the sounds of quail. 
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As we continued south, Mohegan Bluffs rose higher and higher
above the shore. As the bluffs reveal, erosion is a huge
concern on the island. |
By late morning, the sun had disappeared again and a pea-soup fog slammed the island.
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After following a path to the top of the bluffs (left), Alina, Greg
and Laure set out toward Rodman's Hollow but ended up lost in an adjacent maze of twisted trails.
Emerging from the trails onto an obscure dirt road, Alina takes time to make a new friend (below). |
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Greg, Laure and Alina after their trek back to Old Harbor. By this time the fog was
gone again and blue skies had returned. After relaxing out on the breakwater for a while,
everyone met up again at Crescent Beach and hung out until boarding the ferry.
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If you like speeding past deaf dogs or feeding odd looking camels, then Block Island probably isn't your kind of place. But for all of us, it was a wonderful adventure. |
Heading home, Kristi and Amanda relax on the ferry's upper deck while Hilary and Jesaca enjoy the view.
The sunshine would gradually disappear, and Block Island recoiled back into the fog like the
prognosticating groundhog as the ferry aimed for the mainland's towering clouds.
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