RICKA Paddle - Wilson Park to Fox Island

It is a beautiful day for a paddling adventure.  There are not a lot of outings listed on the AMC website for the Narragansett Chapter these days, many of them also paddle with The Rhode Island Canoe and Kayak Association (RICKA).  Either way, this is a really great bunch or people to paddle with.

This outing is similar to one I did from Wickford to Rome Point back in June of 2018, however this excursion is a little shorter.  Every time you go out it's different:  the weather, the water, the people.  It's all fun.  Compared to that trip, we did a little more exploring off to the sides.  Nonetheless, some of the pictures will actually look quite similar to the earlier ones.

This residence is impressive every time we go by it.

On this trip we're actually doing it a little backward from my previous trip.  We round Poplar Point and then head toward the North Kingstown town beach.  These people have nice waterfront property just around the Point.

After a lunch break, we head to Fox Island, a private island in the Bay.

Behind the house is a big weather vane, probably part of a weather station.

The skies are clouding up a bit, but it doesn't seem to bother this extended family of ducks.

Before our take-out, we take a little extra time to explore Mill Cove, just to the north.
Lots of wildlife here including this pair of white egrets.

Out total distance was 7:64 miles covered in 2:16.  However, it may actually have been a little longer because my phone tracking took a little vacation after Fox Island due to snapping a photo.  Our entire time out was 3:51 which means we enjoyed a very leisurely lunch.

AMC Bike - Alewife Loop

Now for something completely different!

I'm always up for trying something new.  This was billed as a 17 mile ride from Alewife in Cambridge to Woburn.  At first, this seems like a pretty tall order, but what's funny is you don't realize how these towns fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.  Furthermore, a ride starting from Alewife Station is actually within reachable from Leominster;  it's just straight shot down Route 2.

Now, where to park?  It turns out there's a DCR parking lot right near the apartments just before the "T" station.  Hey!  Free parking.

Oh, cool!  We're travelling down the Mystic River Parkway and right past this beach.

This is just one of the really nice looking homes in Winchester.  The property was not huge, but it was nicely manicured.  Who can afford to live here?

If I look a little pained here, it's because we're stopping for yet another stop light. 
Riding in the city is not picnic. Not a lot of hills, but plenty of traffic.

This is "downtown" Winchester where the town offices, etc are located.
Even the buildings here are beautiful.

We're not lost, but we are getting a little more spread out.  This was a left turn around a traffic rotary.  
We regrouped on the other side.

We kind of lost our way a little when we got into the edge of Woburn, but we recovered and made it back in good time, travelling 15.33 miles in 1:31.  The elevation gain was only 465'.  The most challenging part of this ride was city traffic.  I guess I'm spoiled out here in the country.