October/November 2021 Vacation Day 9 · · PAGE 29.

November 3, 2021:  We are departing the Newport, RI area this Wednesday morning going north on route 238 then taking the first toll bridge westbound on route 138.  We passed by here at 9:34 AM.

The first bridge is 2 miles in length across the bay.  There was no TOLL PLAZA before getting on the bridge that crosses Newport Bay.

The view to the horizon is best near the center of the suspension span of the bridge at its highest point.  Another bridge is ahead across the Narragansett  Bay connecting to US 1 on the mainland.

This toll plaza is located on Conanicut Island located between the big bridges.  We went through here at 9:38 AM.

Here is the westbound approach to the second bridge that crosses the Narragansett Bay.

This is the high point of the second bridge which is not a suspension bridge.

This is a stock image of the bridge looking southeast at the north side of the bridge.

This is a view of the bridge from the Narragansett Bay.

We are going SOUTH on US 1 today to see the sights along the way to New York City.  We did not have any traffic problems and passed this way at 9:45 AM.

This image below from November 2019 on US 1 in Rhode Island has matching colors to what we saw this year in November 2021.

Rhode Island route 138 is the first major intersection going west after we joined US 1 traveling south.  I prefer these US highways instead of the interstate routes.  One can see the countryside and make a stop if you see something of interest.  Most of the big over-the-road tractor/trailer rigs are on the interstate highways.

I look at the road maps of Rhode Island and I lose track of the scale of the maps.  It surprised me to see this mile marker just after the intersection seen in the image above.  It is only 24 miles from here to the state line with Connecticut via US 1.  This very brightly colored tree from November 2019 added to this picture about highway mileage in Rhode Island.

Linda had purchased a battery charger for her lithium-ion camera batteries before we left home on this trip.  We stopped at a church parking lot at 9:58 AM just off US 1 to get the charger operational from one of the USB ports built into her Chevy Equinox.  I was using the 12-volt power outlet and a 3-port power adapter to run the TWO GPS units and a dual USB connector to charge the cell phones as needed.  Of course, any stop along the way allowed a break for her dog Chase and to refill his mini combo food and water bowl.  His way to pass the time on our long drive segments was to look out the windows where he could stand up to get a good view, or to take a nap in his portable bed in the back seat.  He is a good traveler and always alerts us to his need for a potty break.  We departed the church parking lot at 10:10 AM going the short distance to US 1 and resumed our path south and west from here.

At this point US 1 has turned to a more westerly route parallel with the Atlantic Ocean as it gives way to the Long Island Sound.  There are a number of communities south of US 1 along the coastline.  These beach signs will become more common as we head toward Connecticut and New York today.  This intersection is less than 3 miles from the church seen above.  The end of that road to the LEFT going to the beach is about 2 miles south from this location.

Here is the first indication we are near the airport at Westerly, Rhode Island.  I am glad to see the date of this Google Earth imagery was captured in the time frame of our journey.  The fall colors of the trees set the schedule for this trip.

I have been to the Westerly, Rhode Island airport in the 1980s when I worked for the satellite communications company in the Ocala, Florida area.  The orange ILS antenna array up there is at the north end of their primary runway.  Those antennas are used for an instrument landing procedure during marginal weather conditions.  When I first created the itinerary for this vacation, I wanted to be sure to stop at this airport.

We will turn left at the next intersection to get to the airport.

This road leading to and from the Westerly Airport has SIX lanes approaching the US 1 intersection.  I would say this area could have traffic problems during rush hour times.

Now that we have reached our first destination for today, it is time to start a new page for the details to come.  We reached this location just after 10:33 AM.