Prudence Island!

T-Wharf

After whining about my boredom the last week, I will understand if you never read my blog again. If
your still here, thanks. Well, I had Friday off so I "went big" again. I went to Prudence Island.

Prudence is a large island in Narragansett Bay. It can be reached by the Prudence Island Ferry in Bristol, a mile or so south of Colt State Park on Thames Street.There are no attractions on the island. It is a quiet place to relax. A lot of people rent out houses for the weekend. You can do all the low key outdoor things on the island. Being surrounded by water you can obviously fish, swim, sun bathe, and play on the beaches. There are hiking trails in the center of the island.

I took the 9:45 ferry to the island on Friday. To my surprise the ferry ride cost me only  $8.10 for me and my bike. People do bring cars on the ferry, but I have no idea how much it costs. I would get a reservation if you bring a vehicle. Also note that the ferry has different times of departure during

Ferry Terminal on Prudence

different times of the year ( more round trips during warmer weather), and also during the week. There are more trips during Friday and Saturday than the rest of  the week.

Anyway, I got off the ferry at 10:15. My basic  plan for the day was to circle the island. The ferry terminal is on the east side of the island my plan was to work clockwise. My first stop was at T-wharf. I had planned on fishing there. High tide was at 11 am. However in my rush to get to the ferry, I left my pole in the car. I brought my gear, but left the pole. Not only could I not fish, but was also carrying around wasted useless weight on my back. I still went to the wharf. I hoped others would be fishing and I could at least watch. There was one guy. He was fluke fishing. I sat at a picnic table eating a banana and cookie and staying hydrated.

T-Wharf is exactly what it sounds like. Its a a dock a couple hundred feet long, at the end it makes a T. This one fisherman was casting in the same spot over and over. I could not figure out why he did not work his way up and down the dock and try to find fish. Then I realized, he remembered his fishing pole, so I shouldn't be judging anyone. I actually laughed out loud when I realized, I was the dumbass

Lighthouse on the southeast side

After I left T-Wharf I went northwest. I stopped at a fishy looking rock pier. I took a picture and looked into the clear water.

From there I rode my bike another mile or so and found a trailhead for a hike in the woods. Ten years ago, Prudence was over run with deer. A trip to the island guaranteed seeing at least twenty deer. My high number was 45. Not so anymore. Because of fear of lyme disease, a hunting season was instituted. Sadly, I did not see any deer in my hour in the woods hiking. I certainly understand the reason for wanting to cut down the size of the deer herd, but I do miss those days of seeing and photographing  all those deer.

After I got out of the woods I rode another mile north, I stopped at Pulpit Rock. On this rock Roger Williams preached to the Indians on Prudence. Kind of a cool thought that I stood where someone so famous stood almost 400 years ago.

Low tide was at 4 pm. I planned my favorite part of the day for then. I found a quiet cove on the northwest side of  the island facing Patience Island and went snorkeling. I played in the water for three hours or so. I got into a fight with a frisky crab that would rather fight than swim away. I saw some cool birds and found some quahogs.

A fishy looking spot that I fished. Oh wait, no I didn't because
I left my fishing pole in the car!

I had to catch the 6:30 ferry back to Bristol so I got out of the water and dried off about 5 pm. Back at
the ferry terminal is a convenience store ( the only store on the island that I know of). I bought some cold Gatorade and treated myself to a sweet. I spent six dollars on food and with my eight dollar ferry ticket, I couldn't believe I had that much all day fun for the price of a movie ticket and a soda.

Prudence probably has ten to fifteen miles of roads. I rode on at least 80%. I was passed by a total of one car all day. I was passed by one golf cart, and I rode by three rabbits. It was a very quiet relaxing day.

If you go:

The ferry leaves out of Bristol. Parking is tough. Street parking is not allowed and the ferry lot holds about 40 cars and costs ten dollars. I parked about two miles away and rode my bike to the lot.

The only store is at the ferry terminal. It is expensive, but the drinks are cold.

You can get all ferry info from their website which was very easy to find with a Google search.

Hiking paths are wide and mowed to cut down on chances of lyme disease

Stay hydrated. The air was very humid, the sea does not have much of a cooling effect unless its in your face.

Bring a fishing pole if you plan to fish.

There are ticks on the island! Take all the precautions. Residents have a very high percentage of Lyme Disease (hence the killing of deer). Ten minutes before writing this post, I pulled a Lone Star tick out of my leg.

One of many tree stands I found in the woods

Roger Williams was here

Wow, what are the odds I'd have Tabasco in my backpack?

The ferry coming to pick me up
Mt Hope Bridge in the background