Ride 14: Rhode Island
The Ocean State (and the smallest state)
State: Rhode Island (#14)
Area: Providence
Route: Blackstone River Bikeway (north) to East Bay Bike Path (south) and back, with a pit stop in downtown Providence
Final Mileage: 50.03
Date: July 24, 2022
After facing down oppressive heat for the first 50-miler of this trip, we braced ourselves for a second helping. The next ride would take place in Rhode Island, the smallest state in the nation by area. Unfortunately for us, New England’s heat wave had not abated by Sunday, meaning we would again have to start this ride early in the day. Thankfully, our hotel in Foxborough, MA, was only about 20 minutes from our starting point just north of Providence (the area we would be exploring for this ride), making for a short commute and allowing us to hit the road before 8:00 am.
Given that this was our first attempt to do more than one ride in a single trip, we purposely scheduled the one with greater elevation gain (Massachusetts) first. So, if nothing else, our second 50 miles would at least be flatter. In contrast to the Boston ride, for which we developed an original route that encircled the city and its suburbs, we decided to mostly stick to a single trail system in Providence.
Beginning near Valley Falls on the north side of the city, we hopped on the Blackstone River Bikeway and took off due south. During this stretch, we passed the lovely town of Pawtucket and some of Providence’s northern suburbs. The Bikeway unfortunately did not carry us far, so we met up with neighborhood streets and industrial roads to take us the rest of the way to downtown Providence.
Upon arriving near the downtown area in East Providence, we connected with the East Bay Bike Path (EBBP) on the Washington Bridge, which took us over the Seekonk River, and began our journey southward all the way to the town of Bristol—our turnaround point. This roughly 14-mile stretch was incredibly idyllic, as we kept the Narragansett Bay to our right nearly the entire way and passed through numerous quaint, bayside towns.
Before detailing the rest of our ride, a quick aside about something we noticed on the EBBP:
The bike path had some interesting etiquette for pedestrians and cyclists that we thought made it much safer for both groups and that we’d love to see other cities and states adopt. The trail markings instructed all walkers and runners to stay on the left side and for cyclists to stay/pass them on the right side. On most trails, walkers, runners, and cyclists heading the same direction all stay to the right. This often leads to cyclists trying to pass pedestrians who are in their lane as oncoming cyclists are passing in the opposite direction, which squeezes everyone and sets up the possibility of collisions and injuries. If, however, pedestrians are able to see oncoming cyclists (instead of not being able to see people trying to pass from directly behind), it lessens the chances of anyone getting hurt. So, good job, Rhode Island!
By the time we arrived in Bristol, we were almost halfway done. The sun was starting to get higher, and both of us needed a chance to get some food and properly hydrate. So we took refuge in the shade at the lovely Independence Park and found our way to a nearby cafe for some sugary goodness to keep us going.
After enjoying the short break, we headed right back from whence we came via the EBBP. The rising heat prompted a couple more stops along the way to refuel, including at a coffee shop right off the trail in the town of Riverside called Borealis Coffee Company, which gave us a few minutes of ice-cold air-conditioning as well as a chance to reup our water supply.
From there, we set sail for downtown Providence, where we saw the state capitol, Brown University, and an unexpectedly fun affair at one of the city’s riverfront parks…
At this point, we had only 8 miles left to go, so we powered through to the parking lot, with a quick pit stop in the downtown area of the picturesque Pawtucket.
And with that, we concluded ride 14 and are now officially 28% of the way to 50! To celebrate, we decided to have a suburban dad night: bowling followed by a hibachi grill in a strip mall. It was all excellent.
Despite the epic heat the of the weekend—and some sore legs (and butts)—we had a grand time exploring Providence and Boston. There was still so much more to see, so we’ll both undoubtedly be back.
