North Kingstown, Rhode Island
Passing through a large woodlot of cedar trees the path ends at a rocky beach with shells breaking under foot. Taking a break, several members of our group sit on a log that had washed up on the beach long ago. Here the young at heart search for shells while everyone snacks and enjoys the scenery. Passing a large pudding stone boulder the water pounds the beach with a gun firing noise as the tide starts to come in. We come to lands end encompassed by Narragansett Bay, a lone house sits on Fox Island to our north and a line of rocks jetting from the water form the resting place of several dozen harbor seals. With no room on the outcrops some seals float on their backs, head and tail skyward. At a large boulder near the low water line Tyson the terrier searches the ground. Suddenly he yelps and starts shaking his head. Like an old cartoon, a green crab clings to Tyson’s face. With help the crab is removed; Crab 1, Tyson 0. Rounding the point, we walk along the narrows into Bissel Cove and watch a group of kayakers paddle into the cove. As the kayakers beach near by, I walk over and greet their leader. I’ve paddled with him in the past and he asked if we saw any seal on the rocks. Telling him what we saw, he stated that two weeks earlier they saw over a hundred and fifty seals out there. Wishing them fair seas we continue on, leaving the beach and return to the cedar forest. A short distance from the trail and edge of the woods the group find a memorial marker to a dog named Koda who passed away in 2009. At its base people had left sea shells to honor mans best friend. The trail crosses a power line before weaving its way through a brier path and wetland. On our left we find an abandon car, I jokingly call it the Harry Potter car. It reminded me of the wrecked wizard car that lived in the woods. We pass by foundation ruins with a flowing brook close by before turning passed a large rock out crop which the two pre-teens climb. Emerging onto the cart path that we started our journey on, we turn right and talk switches from the hike to where to go for lunch as we head back to our cars. Live the Experience!
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Meeting at the John H. Chafee Preserve
parking lot we talk about the history of the area. How
George Rome was forced out of Rhode Island for being a
Tory by the Rhode Island Colonial Government in the 1770’s.
The peninsula remained farm land till 1953 when
Narragansett Electric bought it for a nuclear power plant.
Due to opposition, the power plant was never built and in
2001 it became the preserve. Heading down an old farm
cart path there is a wooded wetland on either side. Here
and there the path is lined with cedar and cherry trees,
the sign that a fence once lined the old travel way. With
spring in the air, bright red cardinals and blackcap
chickadees pass by from one wooded side to the other. A
call goes out and the group stops to watch a guarder
snake warming itself on a bed of dry leaves. Its tongue
flicking and showing no fear, the snake held its ground
for a while. Bored with this stand off the reptile slowly
disappears into a bed of leaves.