Come on Irene!

My Challenge is to walk - Your Challenge is here!
Terrain: Road / Bike Path
Path: East Bay Bike Path, Prov. - Bristol, RI
Time: 5 hours, August 13th, 2011
Mileage: 14.5 miles
Blister Count: 0

I feel the need to title this walk as such because of the obvious storm and publishing coincidence, but also, I’ve been procrastinating the actuality of sitting down and typing this post. Plus, it’s fitting because Aunt Irene traveled with Becky and Baby A to Rhode Island to be our support through the almost 15 miles.

Up at 4:30am again! Within a half hour, Jill and I were on the road. We headed to Providence to meet Becky, Baby A, and Aunt Irene for a long training walk.

The plan was to meet at India Point Park, the start of the East Bay Bike Path, and walk to Bristol, just past Colt State Park. The bike path was measured at 14.5 miles from beginning to end. Most people do it in sections; we did the whole thing in one straight shot.

Becky, Baby A, and Aunt Irene beat us to Providence. That’s a first! Once we got situated and Aunt Irene figured out where to meet up with us, we were on our way. Or so we thought. We meandered around the park a bit and read the map before realizing that the bike path does not start in the park.

Once we found the path, we followed it across the Washington Bridge and through the streets of East Providence into Riverside. For a little while the path alternated between running along bushes and roadway.  Bicycles painted on the roadway helped us to know we were on the right path.

We knew we were definitely in the Providence / East Bay area when a guy on a bike on his cell phone passed us. He was having a loud conversation; we heard him coming a mile away. As he went by us, he tells the person on the other end of the conversation, “You know de motto, don’t be a dope ‘something’ hope.” We laughed for a while.

I couldn’t help but wonder if he was referring to our state motto, “Hope.” But then I figured that was too simple.

Just before we did a walk-by of Aunt Irene at the second parking lot, there was a mess in the roadway. Upon closer inspection we realized it was the remnants of an early morning car accident. My eyes went right to the NASCAR plate left on the front bumper. Irony that it was a black car with a #3 Earnhardt plate?

After passing Aunt Irene, the path turned off the road and ran down along the harbor. The path was scenic. The gas refineries provided a nice backdrop, along with the cranes and old train tracks.

A Mobil-Exxon screen blocked the view of a nice lighthouse. Signs were posted all over the place warning against trespassing. We wondered if instead of posting the fine, if they’d donate to the walk. Doubtfully. So I snapped a photo anyways of the lighthouse fortressed by their fences and signs. Prison can’t be that bad; we discussed the social implications and alternatives that would make time acceptable to serve.

Aunt Irene met us at Riverside Square. Unfortunately it was still early and no bathrooms in the area were open. Jill and Becky thought about going right in the square, but a cop was sitting on the corner. We continued down the trail until it was safe to use the organic toilets.

Maybe it was the green walls of the organic toilets that flushed Becky’s brain, but after we crossed one of the roads, she was admiring some houses across the water. We couldn’t figure out what mansions she was talking about wanting to live in. All we could see were run-down houses - because that’s what they were.

The East Bay Bike Path was quite busy this day. The weather was perfect to be outside, but not quite a beach day. Along our walk, we met two women whose lives were directly affected by multiple sclerosis. Jill was able to relate to their stories, and they were very interested in our training and walking. Each conversation lasted a few tenths of a mile.

I saw it as just a slice of what the Challenge Walk will be like. In a path filled with people, two people took the time to tell us their stories and share their hope. Next month, the walk will be filled with people eager to share their tales and motivate each other.

Speaking of tenths of a mile…None of us had a pedometer on us for this walk. But it was nice to have an idea how far we’ve been and had to go.

I noticed the mile markers on the path early. However, they were not consistent and it took me a little bit to realize they went both ways and were labeled ‘north’ and ‘south.’ Who knew?!

Apparently Becky did. She threw me for a loop when she mentioned the ½ mile markers also.  I didn’t believe her that they existed. It was a few miles later, she was finally able to point them out to me.

It made sense to me that the ‘north’ and ‘south’ markers did not line up. The path was 14.5 miles so there should be a mile marker every ½ mile, and thus there was no need for ½ mile markers.

Apparently I was wrong. I still (two weeks) later do not have a logical answer for this. Becky tried to explain it to me: “If you have a pizza and it’s sliced into 16 equal pieces, you take away 2 slices. How much pizza is left?“ Becky looked at me puzzled when I answered 1/8. “What did you want, 2/16?” She did.

In a grand epiphany on the car ride back to East Providence, Becky announced she was right. It was not the fraction that threw her off, but that I answered the question backward…or so she claims! Next time I’m bringing a recorder…

Last time we did a long walk, we had a dragon. This time we had pizza slices. I can only imagine what 50 miles will bring!