Have you discovered Thomas Dambo and his amazing giant troll sculptures?
When a friend told me that one had been installed last August off the East Bay Bike Path south of Providence — carrying a canoe, no less! — I knew it was a no-brainer bike-ride destination.
Rhode Island has four more Dambo trolls, so why not try too see them too? OK, what about just two??
Greta and Erik
Our Day 1 ride began on the shores of the Pawcatuck River in Westerly, with a view of Connecticut across the water. Westerly has a small but lively historic downtown that we just bicycled through; our goal was Ninigret Park, about 16 miles away through rural Rhode Island. Greta Granite and Erik Stone live there. (Google Maps calls them Ninigret Troll 1 and Niningret Troll 2.)
One thing to know if you are biking there: the park is on the other side of U.S. 1. Now the highway is not as busy and crazy as it is where I live, but you will need to ride a very short distance on the shoulder until you are able to pedal like mad across two lanes of traffic to the U-turn lane.
Then you wait for another break.
Same when you are leaving.
And yes there are gaps in traffic. Maybe we waited a minute each time on a Monday afternoon? Probably less.
Then you’re quickly in Ninigret Park.
Where’s Greta? Take the path between the parking lot and the playground, then follow the yellow footmarks and keep your eyes peeled for a troll sign.
You’ll go into the woods, then past some of her possessions.
Duck under some branches, go around a curve … and then:
What jewelry!
Make a full circle around her so you can admire her hair made of bamboo.
Erik is easier to find. He’s on the other side of the playground and past the lake. Turn left on a path, go under a stone arch and he’s there, chilling with his back to the water:
This was a loop ride, so when it was time to leave Ninigret Park it meant more biking on U.S. 1 (yay for the wide shoulder!) until we reached 1A. We were headed to Watch Hill to gawk at the mansion of an occasional resident. That would be Taylor Swift’s house.
This was taken from the lighthouse parking lot. The white one is hers. Not very private. And it overlooks a public beach.
Mrs. Skipper
Day 2 started with a bike ride up the East Bay Bike Path to the ferry stop in Providence. Along the way we stopped to say hi to Mrs. Skipper, the troll with a canoe.
Both she and Erik have birdhouses on their necklace chains, and maybe I’m just not seeing Greta’s right now. Birdhouses are a thing for Thomas Dambo, part of his evolution from graffiti artist to maker of trolls.
This article by my friend Lisa explains how the trolls came to Rhode Island and how they’ve become a big tourist draw. (Yes to more art on bike trails!)
Lifestyles of the rich and famous
Then it was time to catch the boat to Newport for a bicycle ride past some Gilded Age mansions. If you’re planning on doing this, make sure you book the free spot for your bike early. We didn’t last year and, well, so much for that idea. We explored the East Bay Bike Path instead.
This time we made it! Downtown Newport isn’t for me; it felt like one tourist shop after another. But on a bike, you’re past that in a matter of minutes. Soon you’re somewhat following the water to reach Ocean Avenue. Brenton Point State Park is a good spot for a picnic before you get to the historic mansions on Bellevue Avenue.
A nonprofit now owns heiress Doris Duke’s old place. We only checked out part of a garden. I’m inspired!
You’ll also see some modern mansions on this 14-mile loop ride, and some were for sale. Of course I had to look up the listings. Got $18 million for one?
The yachts resting in the marina could be even pricier. Google tells me that a custom Feadship generally starts at $20 million or so.
That would be this manufacturer.
Of course it depends on which size you want. That one is definitely not one of the cheaper ones.
Who owns them? The one on the left might be race car driver Roger Penske’s $120 million play thing. Or is it the middle one? And then the biggest is Russian money?
Want to find more trolls
You can find a map of all in the U.S. here.
New Jersey has an unusual Dambo troll; Big Rusty is covered in metal, not wood. And he inspired more trolls all over Burlington County. I’ve gone biking for those too. You can read about them here, here and here.
Can you suggest a Dambo-themed bike ride?
Exploring by bicycle 