Time Out

October 15, 2007

It is time to call a “time out.”

Yesterday we left Plymouth in early morning. We chose Sunday to travel as it is the day, if you travel in the early to middle of the day, that traffic is at its least. I don’t think I have ever seen more cars in one day in my life. “It is a jungle out there.” :-)

The campground on Long Island, New York was calculated at 220 miles so it was not going to be a long trip, mileage wise. We caught I-95 in Providence, RI and drove it through CT and into NY. There were few slowdowns but every lane, at least in the last 80 miles or so, was full of cars. Thankfully, there were few trucks on the road. This was unnerving to a degree. In NY, there are Parkways, which are freeways reserved only for cars. Not even pickups are allowed in some cases. Bridge clearance can be as low as nine feet. We are almost 12 feet. There is a fluorescent green post-it-note taped by our speedometer with our dimensions. The visual reminder is reassuring that we will be able to pass through. It also reassures us to see a truck or two on the road with us.

Thankfully our speed slowed as we entered the Bronx. The roads were rough due to the daily volume of traffic. We crossed the Throgs Neck Bridge and skirted Queens onto Long Island. We are camped in Old Bethpage, just a mile or so from the famous golf course.

We arrived about 2 and Barb and I spent the rest of the day relaxing. At about 8 p.m. we looked at each other and we both agreed. We need a day off. The pace has been rigorous. For several days we left the RV around 9 a.m. to return after dark. The "in basket" is full. The RAM has too much information. We need a day to think, to process, to organize, to write, to plan, to exercise and to work on the rig.

So today, Monday, we had a leisurely breakfast at a local diner and are sitting in the sun catching up on correspondence. I worked on the rig a bit, will get in a bike ride, and plan a serious nap this afternoon. Barb and I will plan the itinerary this evening, then tomorrow we plan to catch a train into the city.

Greater Boston

October 14

It is hard to leave Plymouth and the Boston area. Three million people live in the greater metropolitan area and you feel the numbers. However, the city and suburbs appear clean, the people are respectful, friendly and helpful, and there is definitely a feeling that Boston is a very special place. It is. Travel, as long as you stay off the highways, is organized and efficient. Some of this aura, however, may be due to the fact that Boston is playing in the ALCS. I wonder if we would have received a different impression if the Redsox had lost to the Angels.

There is so much to see and do. We gave it a gallant effort but six full days barely scratched the surface. Sorry, Carol J., we did not make it to your favorite art museum. We didn’t do Salem as we received reports that it has become very commercialized, especially close to Halloween. We missed Lowell, considered to be the birth place of the industrial revolution, and didn’t visit Harvard. There were reasons to stay longer, even more to return. Boston is high on my list of the several international cities I have visited. It may be number 1.

Pictures include Concord's North Bridge where the "first shots" were fired, Boston Harbor with the spire of the Old North Church rising into the sky( the cables that appear to be attached to the spire are actually part of a bridge which is located less then a mile from the church), and the Minuteman statue located just outside Concord.

Walden, Lexington to Concord

October 13, 2007

We awoke to a blue sky and emerging sunshine. We had been watching the weather report and saved the best for the last day which turned out as predicted, cool but sunny. This time we were seeing the Boston suburbs by Jeep and bike. We drove to Walden Pond and sat on the banks for a bit. As it was a beautiful autumn Saturday, many people planned as Barb and I did. The water was very clear. There were swimmers, fisherman, kayakers, canoers, and hikers.

Then we headed to nearby Lexington. There, an 11 mile bike/walking trail followed the old carriage road (The Battlefield Trail) that led us down toward Concord. It is the road that Revere followed. There in 1775, the war began when the Redcoats tried to take the stored arms in Concord. We sat at the North Bridge where “the shot heard around the world” was recorded, then followed the trail back stopping at several points to read the record of the day’s battles. It was a beautiful and peaceful day as we explored the horrific events of war.

Barb at Walden Pond, at the site on the trail where Paul Revere was arrested, and the trail, now, in places, covered with a canopy of trees.

From the Mayflower to Fenway

October 12

We boarded the Mayflower II this morning and viewed the ship. About an hour later we boarded the “T” for another trip into Boston. The mass transit system here makes it so easy to see the city. We took the subway from the Boston train station to Fenway which was preparing for the night’s ALCS game. Then we crossed town in the subway to visit Lesley University through which Barb received her masters years ago. We rode the day neath the streets of Boston and returned to the RV about 6 p.m.

Pictures are the Mayflower II in Plymouth Harbor, the street outside Fenway, and Barb touching the Green Monster.

Cod is grey, Cod is good.

October 11

We try to schedule our activities around the weather here. It has been cloudy and raining lightly at times. The forecast was to clear up in the afternoon so we headed to Cape Cod. We enjoyed the villages of Falmouth, Hyannis (Kennedy land) and Provincetown (at the tip). However, the fog and mist continued to increase as the day progressed. Therefore, we never got to enjoy the views and beauty of this incredible landscape. The Puritans first landed here and found the weather we experienced (probably 30 degrees colder when they landed) and so they headed on to present day Plymouth. Cape Cod is charming and alluring even in the fog. It is understandable that so many have their vacation homes here. One of the interesting things we noted was the number of libraries and book stores on the cape. It seemed that at every few miles there was a sign for a public library and book stores where present at most intersections. The picture is the Cape Cod lighthouse which George Washington commissioned to be built in 1797. It has been renovated several times.

Colonist side

Pictures here include the colony proper, Barb talking to Miles Standish, Barb discussing gardens in 1626, and the homemaker discussing her daily chores in her home.

The Mayflower Compact has been highly regarded as one of the major documents that led to the founding of our republic. I was struck particularly by a comment by one of the colonists. He spoke of the ill planning of the colony landing in the new world in December, the loss of life as a result, and the on going struggles to make the colony successful. He also spoke of the ongoing process of electing effective leaders and the responsibility of each individual being diligent in their tasks. He highlighted the challenges, however, by stating, "The great work of living is living with others."

I contemplated this statement for a while. Then Barb and I returned to the almost empty RV campground and spent the evening alone.

Plimouth

October 10

Today we visited the Plimouth (You see it spelled two ways. Governor Bradford spelled with an “i” so that spelling is used here.) Colony. It is a reproduction of the village as it stood in 1626, six years after the landing. There were native and colonist actors staying in character during our conversations. We readily mixed with them, asking questions and discussing their present and past conditions. We were told by some other people in our campground that it would take two hours. Barb and I spent 6 hours there. It was amazing. The role players were so eloquent, so knowledgeable, so dedicated to preserving this part of our culture. A truly informative day.

I did ask the museum curator as we exited as to why the difference in the spelling of Plymouth. She related that many words were spelled in a variety of ways. Since there was no Webster dictionary to canonize spelling in colonial times, the writer could show his/her creativity in spelling a word in a variety of ways. I don’t think it is creativity that causes me to use “creative spelling” at times.

Pictures from the native side: Wampanoag Hut, women cooking inside, children, and native Vanessa, a recent grad from UMass and will attend Harvard graduate school starting in September.