I had to run an errand in Riverside yesterday so I decided to use the bike path. Previous attempts to use the path have been difficult because of the snow cover we have had this winter. The recent warmer temperatures have had a clearing effect; and even though the above picture shows one of the occasional stretches of ice and snow, the rain we had in the last twenty four hours have probably cleared the lingering cover. Overall it felt great to get out there along the Bay.
I love winter for riding and exploring. The world seems a little more desolate and wild. With the trees bare of leaves, secret places reveal themselves to you and are more accessible. On my way to Riverside I pulled off the path to get a look at one of those places. A path led me out to a rocky outcrop on the waters edge. There was a tanker unloading on the Providence side and I watched as the tugboats did their work on the massive ocean going ship. I pulled out my phone and took a panorama of the entire scene. I would post the pictures but when I was stopped by the East Providence Police and Homeland Security, I volunteered to delete them. Apparently, I seemed pretty suspicious to the Coast Guard security boats positioned around the tanker. I didn’t get a half mile from the scene before they were all over me. Impressive. They were both Professional and Polite and sent me on my way after running my ID.
So a notice to all bike path users: the path is clear for now; but if you happen to see an oil tanker on the bay and you want to get a closer look, the smaller boats with the big blue lights motoring towards you probably aren’t trolling for stripers.