Our night at Hammonasset Beach was great. It was a really pretty site, with really large lots, with electric and water (!), and close to the beach and bathrooms. :) We are just the truck with the pop-up canopy at the rear so sites this big swallow us up but it is nice to have the room. It was a fairly large campground so having such close proximity to the beach is always a great plus. Our neighbors were group camping, with three really big RVs each with their own spot but circled around towards the middle one. It looked like perhaps they were spending some time there due to their set up, including kayaks, and toys! There was a swallow that had taken up nesting in the entry of the women's restroom! Cheryl had to duck and race through each time as they really didn't appreciate the interruptions!
We took a quick bike trip around the camp site. Cheryl hadn't had a chance to try out her bike yet and this was a great opportunity to do so. Remember the bike story? Well, this bike is new. Two and 1/2 weeks before our trip, we called to ask if they could look over the bikes. They politely said they were running about a week to 10 days to look bikes over/fix. Cheryl even asked if we brought them in the following Saturday Two days later if that would still give them enough time, and they assured her it wouldn't be a problem. See where we are going??? That was 10 days before we were scheduled to leave. One week before we called as we wanted to take one of them to Indianapolis to keep there. Cheryl apologized for calling, stating that she realized they said a week to 10 days and it had only been a week, but she wanted to check in. They said they weren't done yet. She double-checked that they'd be done the following week, reiterating that we were leaving and needed them to take along. So, Day 10 (Wednesday late afternoon) we get a call wanting to know if they can order the parts to fix our bikes. What?!?! Cheryl was calm and collected and asked if they would be done before we left Friday morning. They would not be. They were reminded of the TWO conversations regarding said bikes going on said vacation! She asked, could at least one be worked on and only the basics done?? It turns out they were closed on Thursdays so, no, they wouldn't be done before we left. So we were left one bike short. We had one at home we could use. We were heading to Mt. Carmel anyway to look at our camper shell so we stopped and bought a bike to take along. Our bikes are still at the shop. Sigh. But, the new bike rides great and shifts even better!
Lighthouses are an amazing part of our history and just fun to see. This one was interesting as there wasn't a single plaque or sign or anything to indicate anything about it, not even its name?! Andrew had Googled lighthouses and this one was close so it was a good candidate to go see. We then Googled more information about it. This one served a rather short life as as an actual lighthouse as it was deemed more necessary to build another out further as there was a "ledge" that ships kept crashing into; they built another on that ledge so this lighthouse has been standing with nothing to do since 1877 except for being owned by the War Department a few years and also as a tourist attraction for a few years in the early 1900s. It is called Five Mile Point Lighthouse, in case you are interested, due to its location from the center of town. :)
We took off towards Providence, Rhode Island. Why? Well, Cheryl taught 5th grade social studies this past year and a large chunk is taught about the 13 original colonies. One Roger Williams came to the Americas from England to be able to practice his faith freely. He was an advocate for religious freedom, but also for separation of church and state, and the fair treatment of the Native Americans. He settled in the New Colony of Boston but they wanted a more "pure" focus. His beliefs eventually got him expelled (!) so he set up Providence and the colony of Rhode Island! He also set up the first Baptist Church in America and it looks great! Actually the one we saw was rebuilt in 1774, but still.
It was neat to walk around parts of this now bustling city. There were so many neat OLD houses and buildings, wood siding and all. We stopped by the Old State House but they had just closed. It wasn't around during Roger's time but was worth a look regardless as it was built in 1762 and was used for 149 years!
We couldn't leave Rhode Island without stopping in Portsmouth. Anne Hutchinson and her husband Will left England around the same time Roger did and for the same reasons. She was a midwife and they had 11 children at this point; she shared her points of view with those she was helping at the Massachusetts Bay Colony. People listened, women AND men, and thought she was on to something, and so she was put on trial and also expelled for her beliefs. Her family and some other friends then moved to and founded what is now Portsmouth. She actually only lived there 4 years and there isn't a lot on record of what happened during this time. In fact we had to hunt and hunt for anything memorial-related to her even being there! We finally found a reference to a park where she was memorialized and even that was hard to locate as the sign was sort of hidden behind a tall bush! They have several stones and benches, a lovely waterfall and herb garden in a secluded setting. She moved to what is now the Bronx after her husband died and was eventually killed (by accident) but that is a story for another time.
We stopped for refreshments before leaving Rhode Island and happened on "Wings Night" at Tremblay's Bar and Grill in Portsmouth. Wings were only .50 each and we couldn't fix our own food for that so we had a quick supper. They were probably the best wings ever!! Big and meaty and just the right sauciness.
We hit the road and landed up at our campsite with a few minutes to spare: Nickerson State Park. Our campsite is really secluded, we think. It gets dark earlier here than home as we are on the Eastern edge of Eastern time!! So we maneuvered in and will check things out in the morning when it is light.
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