#19 RHODE ISLAND

The Port of Galilee

Recreational sailing and the US Navy keep Rhode Island’s focus clearly on the water. There are 400 miles of shoreline earning the name “Ocean State” in this 48 miles long by 37 miles wide state, the smallest in the country. The official name is somewhat cumbersome: State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. We opted to refer to it as simply Rhode Island, being rather informal about these things

We drove in to Rhode Island in search of lunch (some things never change.) Our destination was George’s of Galilee, near the ferry port to Block Island. Galilee is directly across a channel from Jerusalem. Due to a navigational miscalculation we found ourselves in Jerusalem looking across to the blue awnings at George’s. We could see it clearly but the only access would be by boat, swim or a drive back up around the inlet. The drove won after limited consideration. Finally we got our Rhode Island clam chowder (the clear broth differentiating it from New England clam chowder) and clam rolls.

The story of how Galilee got it’s name taken from an information sign in town is this: “In 1902, the story goes, Thomas Mann, a fisher man from Nova Scotia who settled here, felt the village that sprung up with it’s fishing shacks should be called Galilee, after the fishing village of biblical times. One day, an old timer sat on the dock repairing his fishing nets when a stranger called out to him “Where am I?” The answer was “Galilee”. “And what is that?” asked the stranger pointing to the land on the other side of the channel. The old timer thought for a while, nodded his head and replied “Must be Jerusalem.” And so the names Galilee and Jerusalem have been used to denote a most picturesque part of Rhode Island.” So now we all know.

We made a stop at Point Judith Lighthouse which is a working Coast Guard Station. It was a spectacular setting but it was cold and very, very windy.

The Mt. Hope Bridge. One of many we crossed in RI.