Move the wicker furniture, the old blankets and out-dated newspapers and alas! my bicycle. I thought it was red, and five paper towels later, I was right.

I filled up the tires, put some oil on my chains, and worked my creative tying methods to holster the bike down in my trunk. The seemingly endless days of rain have broke and the East Bay Bike Path is challenging me.

I got off exit 4 on I-195 East and parked as soon as I could, which happened to be at the bottom of a hill. Well, just up from here.

Beautiful. The day, the weather, the view; it is all beautiful. Now my experiences with this part of the state were restricted to my car window as I traveled I-195 to the Swansea Mall for my brief employment as Christmas help. Needless to say; the highway, winter season, and Christmas traffic were not the most flattering light for the path.

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However, what was flattering was the view from the path. I began in Riverside but you could begin at the Gano Street exit off of I-195 and travel along the highway or maybe begin at Colt State Park in Bristol, Rhode Island.

Once I conquered that first big hill, the world became a much prettier path. I began following the main suburban road but once I went downhill, I found myself catching a cool breeze off of the Narragansett Bay.

Admittedly so, I am only a backyard bird watcher (as in observing the pretty birds eating while I have breakfast) but I saw so much more wildlife than I ever imagined bike riding by. There were swans swimming in the bay alongside the old railroad tracks, seagulls and ducks around the lighthouse and even three Great Blue Heron in one of the marshes I cycled past.

The crystal water and city skaped background made for a smooth bike ride. However, I would advise this path for walkers and bicyclists who are confident of their skills.

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The East Bay Bike Path is 14.5 miles of paved way. It is well maintained but does travel between water and trees and is subject to some amounts of debri. It is Rhode Island’s first bike path and well known so it can be quite a busy path.

The East Bay Bike Path was approved by Edward DiPrete in April of 1983 and developed from 1987-1992 through four phases by the Department of Transportation. The path flows through urban, suburban and more rural areas and even has a three mile stretch of paved path within Colt State Park. There are picnic tables along some parts of the path and even an ice cream stand for a cool drink and cone during your afternoon on the East Bay Bike Path.

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