Providence To Bristol R.I. and Back.

Providence, R.I. Skyline

As always, click any photo for big.  Click again for bigger.

Distance: 26.14 mi

Time:	3:00:10
Moving Time:	2:19:45
Elapsed Time:	3:00:10

Avg Speed:	8.7 mph
Avg Moving Speed:	11.2 mph
Max Speed:	21.8 mph

I put some new tires on the touring bike last night and wanted to do a decent shakedown, mostly to make sure I put everything back together correctly.   The East Bay Bike Path, a 13.5 mile Rail to Trail route, is a good default ride.  It's kind of like when I used to go into a video store and couldn't decide and anything new,  I would very often default to The Big Labowski, which is probably why I can still say many of the lines from memory.  Today was a really really nice fall day where the air was still, the bay was like glass and the 75 degree temperature was comfortable. 

There were a few people on the path today but it wasn't overwhelmed with bikers as sometimes happens.   Today was more of a nature ride as the photos will show. 

I met this Welsh Terrier name Excelsior.  

A bit further along was this Egret lunching 

 

I suppose the word foul could describe this old timer fishing.  Ewww is a better term I think.

The sights I have seen many times took on a new look on this early fall day. 

I presume Thursday is bath day for ducks.

Squeaky clean.  

 I spent a bit of time at the Bristol end of the path having lunch and a coffee.  While there I began to watch the seagulls and how they all follow the same routine.  A gull would be swimming, lift itself around two feet into the air and nose dive into the bay.  It would surface with a clam and begin flying always turning to the right and skimming the water..  As the gull got near the rocky shore, it would suddenly rise and spread it's wings doing a hard break as it let go of the clam.  This would give the crustacean some speed as the gull let go to insure a cracked shell as it hit the rocks.  Some of the Alpha gulls would be watching for this and move in quickly to try and steal and easy meal.  Sometimes it worked, sometimes not.  Watching this was mesmerizing and the time passed a lot faster than I realized.

 Every great bike trails seems to have tunnels.

Pearsons Salt Marsh. 

 Del's Lemonade.  A Rhode Island classic.

 

This trail always has things to see and there are lots of outlets into the town that border the path. 

I stopped at Dari Bee for a soft serve ice cream with a blast.  Which is vanilla soft serve on a cone that has a swirl of your choice to add a flavor blast.  I chose raspberry and it really hit the spot.

The next two days we will be riding in NYC.  Stay tuned.