New England 2009:
Day 1 - Rhode Island

	Saturday, November 21, 2009: Welcome to Rhode Island, the Ocean State! We flew to Boston, grabbed a rental car and a couple of Boston Kreme donuts, and headed to Rhode Island, AKA State #46 for Tom. Debbie had already been there before, so Tom was temporarily in the lead in the race to get to all 50 states.
	Tom spotted this sun dog in the late afternoon sky on our drive to Newport.
	Apparently, there are Red Sox fans in Rhode Island too.
	Once in Newport, we drove around for a few minutes to get our bearings. Here's some statue of some old time dude who appears to like bowling.
	Then we checked into our hotel and walked across the street to Easton's Beach ...
	... just before sunset.
	Now that our East Coast trip had begun, our first order of business was gorging ourselves on seafood, so having Flo's Clam Shack right next door to our hotel was perfect.
	Not only did Flo's have sunset-view seating and delicious beer in cans, ...
	... but they served clam chowder (for Tom), fresh oysters (for Debbie), ...
	... and lobster rolls for both of us. At $10 each, these were the cheapest lobster rolls we ate on our trip, and they were also the very best. All lobster rolls from now on will be compared against these piles of perfection.
	Rhode Island also features movie theaters, so we caught a 5:30 showing of "New Moon" in a theater filled with squealing 14-year-old girls.
	Sunday, November 22, 2009: We got up early Sunday morning to enjoy the sunrise on the ocean. Here's the gorgeous view to the left on Easton's Beach ...
	... and to the right. That's the lovely Cliff Walk there on the hill. Let's go there!
	We started down the Cliff Walk shortly after sunrise. It is open from sunrise to sunset, which is why we couldn't enjoy it the night before.
	The walk is beautifully paved and easy to walk.
	It extends for 3 1/2 miles, broken into easy milestones.
	One of the first is a staircase to the ocean known as the Forty Steps. It's 3/4 of a mile in, but seemed like it took no time at all to get there.
	Looking back to Easton's Beach, we could see how far we had come already.
	But there's still much more to see.
	The Cliff Walk park rules specifically ban graffiti, but we had read about this particular piece of art online, so we had to get a shot of it.
	Here is Ochre Court, the administrative building for Salve Regina University.
	Here's another monster-sized Salve Regina University building right on the ocean. This one is called Vineland.
	Here is the famed Vanderbilt mansion named the Breakers.
	Another half mile down and we had hardly broken a sweat.
	Around a bend there was another great view of more beautiful mansions.
	In this small bay, the path turned into a very cool walk built with the flat tops of stones carefully arranged. It was here that we decided we had seen enough Rhode Island opulence and it was time to head back.
	We saw several cardinals on our walk and this guy cooperated long enough for us to get a shot.
	Having seen the mansions, we took time to check out the details like this plant growing out of a stone wall ...
	... and the last roses of the season ...
	... and some flowers in front of this bed and breakfast.
	Back on Easton's Beach, the water was already filled with surfers. Brrrr.
	Tom had tracked our entire walk on his GPS. Here, he's getting the final waypoint.
	We were starving and in the mood for a full breakfast at a charming local restaurant. Here's one! The word "Breakfast" on the awning was exactly what we were looking for.
	Omelettes and pancakes! Delicious. If you're ever looking for breakfast in Newport during the off-season, Benjamin's is your place.
	Yes, Tom, I got a picture of the car.
	Here are some of the charming shops across the street from Benjamin's, but nothing was open yet and we had another state to see.
	To get to Connecticut, we had to cross Narragansett Bay. We love crossing gigantic bridges like the Jamestown Bridge, ...
	... and we love adorable lighthouses. This one is called Plum Beach Light. Connecticut >