Truth in Advertising Disclaimer: My Miyata's bicycle tires have never done a single rotation on Conanicut Island. The car, a few... But from everything I can gather as I pulled together information for this ride, this could be one of The Best Places on the Planet to roll bicycle wheels... This summer I intend to fully test that theory when I roll about 37 miles out there one fine day. Of course there's always the getting there part. From the west, on a good day, the Jamestown Bridge allows this to be accomplished on two wheels. From the east the only option is the Pell Bridge and four wheels. However you transport your bike and yourself over there, plan to park at Fort Wetherill State Park and set out. The MapMyRide route shown below describes the specific meanderings, but suffice to say any place that presents this much coastline in such a compact setting has got to be something pretty special. As usual, my "bible" was Public Access to the Rhode Island Coast. It was initially published in 1993, updated in 2004, by our great friends at Rhode Island Sea Grant. Copies are available for downloading off the Internet or from the Sea Grant Communications Office, URI Bay Campus, Narragansett, RI 02882-1197 (Order P1696).
The route identifies twenty-two scenic Right of Ways to the RI coastline on the 37.5 miles route it travels. And that's not even counting the numerous "Feed Zone" locations along Narragansett Avenue. Running from East Ferry (#11) to West Ferry (#20), these are the Narragansett Avenue addresses that jumped out at me as I researched the area:
14 - Tricia's Tropi-Grille (www.triciastropigrille.com)
23 - House of Pizza
25 - Narragansett Cafe (www.narragansettcafe.com
32 - Slice of Heaven (www.sliceofheavenri.com)
34 - Peking Garden
35 - Xtra Mart
40 - Chopmist Charlie's (www.chopmistcharlies.com)
Hey, Bon Appetit! If I've somehow missed any of your favorites or you discover something particularly remarkable on your travels, don't be shy!
If the scenic vistas live up to their billing, the whole 37.5 miles, from beginning to end, will probably take a lot more than a day. Hey, track down a B&B and soak the place up! At least that's what I'm think today, months away from actually heading over there. The route exists as a "draft" of an idealized set of points, heading up the east side of the island to Conanicut Point, then down the west coast to Beavertail State Park. This is one ride that will definitely need to be fleshed out by actually rolling across the landscape and it is one I am especially looking forward to...
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