Alarm went off at 6, you know that we do not really relax on vacation, we are pretty much up and going everyday around 6. The bed a bit soft and the memory foam made it a bit warm, but the ocean breeze in the room all night since we left the windows all slightly cracked. Tarragon slept well, until 4, then it was time to prowl. I think he was talking to the house cat under the door of our room.
Today, is our only full day on the island, so as Jerry finishes getting ready, I am getting a bit of a head start on todays blog. Originally, when the plan was to be here for 5 days, we were going to rent bikes, but with only one day, we will be doing everything by car. There are two lighthouses on the Island, one on either end and much of the island is preserved by the Nature Conservancy. The migratory birds are in full swing and a local glass blower has hidden a hundred small globes all over the Island. If you find one, it gets registered and you get to keep it. We
Coffee service started at 7:15 so having ab it of that before we head down to breakfast. Looking forward to a fairly relaxing day exploring the Island. Tarragon may even get a bit of outside time later today.
Its now 5:30 and we are back in our room after a glass of wine during wine hour, I also had a barnacle cookie, short bread with a dark chocolate chunk in the middle. It actually made the wine taste better. So now the rest of the day.
The day started with a good but small breakfast. We both had blueberry French Toast. It was really good, but a pretty small piece. We ate in the breakfast room, somewhat reminiscent of Hotel Champs de Mar, in Paris (I said reminiscent not even close to the experience or the breakfast). The French Toast, coffee and OJ, and we were off for the day.
the North Lighthouse. The monument marks the spot were the first English settlers landed on Block Island in 1661. The monument is actually in the parking lot, which then leads to a long rocky beach at the end of which is the lighthouse, opened in 1867. It is no longer a working lighthouse but is a museum during the season. It was about a mile and a half to the lighthouse so 3 miles roundtrip. It was a flat walk, but in sand with tennis shoes on does not make for an easy walk. There were few people on the beach, but there was a large, about 30, harem of seals. They were all basically just sticking their heads up out of the water enjoying the day.
Speaking of the weather, it was a gorgeous day, 70, light wind, relative low humidity. Very sunny with just horseshoe clouds in the sky.
As you walk along the beach towards the lighthouse, on one side of you is the ocean (perhaps it is still the Long Island Sound) and the other is a wildlife refuge. You must stay on the beach as your not allowed to swim or go on
After, spending about 90 minutes on the Northshore (it isnt really called that), we headed to the southern end of the Island. We made a quick stop at Mansion beach. So named because a mansion stood on the sight above the beach and then burnt to the ground, the only thing that remains is the foundation. The beach was a bit of a walk so we simply looked and headed back out.
Quick aside, as I write the entry, we are having a nice bottle of Block Island Blend, a very nice Ros we got when we visited Carolyns Sakonnet Vineyard. Perfect bottle for a day exploring the island.
On our way to the southern end, we drove back through the main town and by a few of the big resorts that are closed for the season. The Springhill house is possibly the nicest, clearly has the best view up on a bluff, and a pretty short walk back into town. The first stop was the Southeast Light (the southern lighthouse). The lighthouse sits atop the Mohegan Bluffs and is the highest and most visible lighthouse on the New England coast. It again is
only open during the high season. Also on the grounds is a food truck that specializes in lobster rolls. It too is only open during the season (a true shame).
