Rhode Island - Day 2

Oakleaf Family Campground
Tuesday, 2 October 2018

Rhode Island - state #7

the plates can have 5 or 6 numbers instead of this letter/number combo

I decided to stay at the campground for the day, partly because I always seem to feel a little disoriented when I start a new state, and partly because the weather forecast was for the rain system to come in here after flooding the midwestern US.

During the day, I reviewed the tourist information I picked up yesterday and discovered that nobody considers western RI to be interesting to tourists.  There are almost no mentions of anywhere in western RI in any of the literature I have, which include a variety of sources.

There are a few things: Chepachet (where this campground is technically located) is apparently known for its antiques stores; Coventry was the home of Gen. Nathanael Greene, who I think was 2nd in command to Gen. George Washington during the Revolutionary War; Jerimoth Hill, almost in Conn., is the highest point in RI.  But except for scenery, that seems to be about it.

In my Falmouth campground I met a man from Coventry (pronounced KAH-ven-try) who told me there was nothing to see there besides the Greene Homestead, but he said he'd liked living there for more than 35 years because it was pretty and had good schools and nice people.  The owner of this campground came up with only those 3 "sights" to see when I asked her what was in the area.  That seems to be it.

Tourism is concentrated in the south, in the Providence area and around Narragansett Bay (including Newport), and the Blackstone Valley in the north (Woonsocket area).  I don't know why.  Maybe early Rhode Islanders were too busy scratching out a living to be making history.

The promised rain came in off and on all day but really got going in the evening.  I couldn't find a window of opportunity to take the dogs out for a bedtime walk, so we went out in the pouring rain.  None of us wanted to but there's not much choice.