However, because I started my day’s ride in Bristol, RI (as an aside, that’s not the Bristol of Bristol Stomp fame, that’s Bristol, PA - I had to look it up), the initial few miles presented a road that was much more challenging. I’m talking about the Mt. Hope bridge which heads down towards Newport, and technically allows bikes to ride on it, but at the same time advises extreme caution in doing so, as it is a steep suspension bridge, subject to heavy cross winds. Oh, and it’s a two lane, extremely narrow road. With wide suspension joints that can eat narrow bicycle tires…I could go on, but I'll let the picture below make the point.
Now the RIPTA (Rhode Island Public Transportation Authority, if you must know) No. 60 bus goes across the bridge, runs every 30 minutes, and can carry your bike on a rack in front, but “where's the challenge in that?” I thought. So I rode and, the truth is, it wasn't as sketchy as I feared. My theory is the motorists think you're so nuts that they actually pay some extra attention in passing you.
After Mt. Hope, came the next Rhode Island Bridge, the newly rebuilt Sakonnet Bridge, which opened with a designated and separated bike path a little over a year ago. It was a welcome change. When I first rode this route in 2009 (coming north from Newport), I had to illegally ride over the old Sakonnet Bridge, as there wasn't even a bus option. That approximately 1 mile traversing still stands out in my mind as probably the hairiest bike bridge crossing I ever did. And it’s nice, because Rhode Island didn’t tear down the old bridge entirely. Instead they left a large segment of its roadway intact, practically abutting the new bridge. I presume it was a cost-saving move, but I think it also actually works pretty well as a piece of urban art. And, of course, as a reminder of one of my more foolhardy moments.
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| The old horror |
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| The new pleasure |
And, once over that bridge, I proceeded to spend the next approximately 25 miles on gorgeous Rhode Island roads. It probably would have been about 20 miles, but I got lost a few times.
“Now wait a second,” you’re saying, “Roger, you’re Mr. Google Maps, how the heck did you get lost in Rhode Island?”
Well, have you ever been on a supported bike tour where they mark the road with spray painted initials or symbols to indicate the route? So, there were a ton of these markings on these roads. Clearly, a lot of ride organizers and I were in agreement that these were lovely roads for riding. The problem arose when my already-plotted Google maps route and the road-marked route diverged, especially after they had paralleled each other through some gorgeous areas. The quintessential fork in the road, so to speak. Should I follow the marked route and maybe discover a better, prettier route that someone probably spent a lot more time planning out than I did with my Google route? Or might the marked route ultimately veer off completely in the wrong direction and never make its way back to my route? I batted about .500. Amazing in the major leagues, less so on a bicycle journey. Half the time I followed the road markings and they improved my route; the other half the time, though, they eventually headed away from where I had to go and I had to either retrace my steps (ok, my wheels) or find another way to reconnect with my original route (Google maps back to the rescue). But the exploring and associated mild sense of adventure (I'm in Rhode Island. I have no idea where I'm going!) was a lot of fun.
The final tally on the day was 70 miles and, in addition to the nice riding, the weather cooperated by being about 10 degrees cooler with a nice breeze (even if it was in my face a large part of the time).
Oh yeah, Massachusetts. Well, that part of the ride was good by any standard other than Rhode Island, especially as I routed north and around most of New Bedford, even daring to take a road labeled Fearing Hill (which turned out, remarkably, to be pretty flat).
I'm staying the night in a decent motel in Sandwich (but they all seem decent after America's Best Value Inn), and looking forward to finishing off this ride tomorrow with a "shorter" 55 miles and meeting my family in Truro!
Today's route, of course:
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| Crossing the Bourne Bridge into Cape Cod |
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