On my last full day with my sister in Rhode Island, I decided to actually spend time IN Rhode Island. Even though many things are still closed (out of season), there were 2 things I wanted to do - Cliffwalk in Newport (thanks to Jean's recommendation) and see a whaling museum.
New Bedford is known for their history of whaling, and in the early 1800s they were the whaling capital of the world, so I thought their museum would be a good place to learn about it. Whales were hunted - a very profitable business - but they were almost hunted out of existence. The sperm whale (in the image below) was 45-50 feet long, with a jaw 2 times my height! One sperm whale could produce 60 barrels of oil.
Whales were hunted for profit, but almost every part of the whale could be used. The arctic people used the meat and blubber for food and lamp oil. The bones were used for houses, boat parts, and grave sites. The baleen could be used for anything from baskets to snow shoes to tool wrappings. Finally, the tendons were used to time tie things together.
One of the things I had wondered about is how they hunted these enormous creatures! They took their vessels out on the water. Once they spotted a whale, they lowered their masts and got out their lances and harpoons. Later (in the mid to late 1800s) they had guns, but either way, they took small boats right up next to their prey.
Some of the smaller whales live only about 20-30 years, but others live 60-90 (like us). The bowhead whales even live up to 120 years!
Most of you reading this have read the book "Moby Dick". :) But you may not know that the author (Herman Melville) actually was a whaler in New Bedford at the time he wrote the book. He set off on a boat called the Asushnet to hunt sperm whale. During his voyage he had a bit of an adventure! He had to jump ship and then spent a month with the Taipi tribe in the Marquesas Islands before sailing home on a Navy ship in 1844.
"The opposite wall of this entry was hung all over with a heathenish array of monstrous clubs and spears...thickly set with glittering teeth resembling ivory saws." (Moby Dick)
The worldwide expansion of whaling contributed to the notion of the "Seven Seas" (which is what ancient times referred to as the Mediterranean Sea (where most of the whaling took place), Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, the North Sea, the "Southern Sea", and others like the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.
Most of you that are familiar with the Bible have also probably heard the story of Jonah and the Whale, which can be found in the Old Testament.
"Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. And the Lord spoke unto the fish and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land." (Jonah 1:17, 2:10)
After the whale museum, I drove to Newport, RI. My directions didn't get me to the Cliffwalk, so I had to find a visitor center. There was a nice breeze and cool crisp air by the water. As I went over the bridge the cold air played in my favor as there were many parking spaces available right up front. :) It's a 3 1/2 mile walk up the cliffs by the water's edge. The first mile or so was easy to walk. The path was neatly paved with a few steps here and there. Older and younger couples alike were taking a leisurely stroll along the path, and late morning joggers passed by. After that, the pathway got a little bit trickier and I saw no other people the last 2 1/2 miles...
About 2/3 of a mile up the Cliff Walk was the famous "forty steps" at Narragansett St. The steps drop down over the edge of the cliff, where you can see the waves crashing against the rocks below.
Newport has some amazing and very large older mansions. In fact, their mansions are one of the things they are known for. Many of them you can not only walk past, but actually take a tour of.
There were four oceanfront mansions in a row called Ochre Point, Ochre Court, CaveCliff, and Vineland. The pathway is now getting very rocky and the winds are picking up as the clouds move in. Feels like it's going to rain...
Along the way I saw a little rabbit who ran as soon as he spotted me, and then there were two tunnels to walk through. Of the mansions I passed, one was called RoseCliff, which had the largest ballroom of all the mansions, used in the movie "The Great Gatsby". The Marble House was the Vanderbilt's home. The Chinese tea house by the 2nd tunnel was also Mrs. Vanderbilt's.
We are about 3 miles into the walk and the clouds continue to move in. It looks like it may start raining any time. You can see the large mansions to the right of the path, and the water pounding into the rocks below.
Once I finished walking through Cliff Walk, I looked for the trolley, which is supposed to stop by the end of Cliff Walk to take people back to the start where our cars are. I called Jean to see what she did. She just walked back the way she came... Not me! If I was going to walk back, especially with the rain starting to fall, I decided to walk back through the front of the mansions on Bellevue Avenue.
After a couple of blocks I saw an old man waiting by a trolley stop and he assured me that since he lives right by the castle, the trolley was running today. :)
Once on the trolley, I didn't take anymore pictures of the mansions, but just looking at them was a spectacular view. Some of the mansions seen here include Rough Point, Roselawn, Rock Cliff, Ocean View, Belcourt Castle (where they have ghost tours), and Resthaven. I wonder what it was like in the late 1800s and early 1900s living in them!!
"Newport, rich in the historical monuments of three centuries, must bend every effort to serve the purpose of cultural memory. And...she must not lose sight of those cultural essentials of new invention and dynamic growth which are embodied in much of her 19th century architecture." (Vincent Scully, Jr)
Once I returned to my car, I drove back to Jean's place in Providence and prepared for my journey north in the morning. After an hour or two, I realized that most of the fun up north (lobstering, boat cruises, Acadia National Park) were closed for the season. Therefore, I decided I'd head straight to Toronto from Rhode Island, bypassing Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
Without Jean home (she left me her keys), I had a little time to look around. One thing I noticed were all the mouse traps. And I'm not just talking about one or two. I mean, there were probably 20+ mouse traps, and she's on the 3rd floor! (I guess they get a lot of mice up there, though I didn't hear or see anything.)
When Jean got home from work, we went out for dinner. I was very proud of my sister as she drives a stick shift like me. Although no one else in my family is into cars - classics, race cars, exotics - they aren't afraid to drive stick! Lisa has a motorcycle, Jean and I drive sticks, and both my dad and sister Annie have/had a Geo Metro. :)
So... Jean and I went into the city, past the capital building, and into the Cheesecake Factory for a nice relaxing last dinner together. :)
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