Boston! Oh how I love the history of this city! I’ve never been to Europe so I can only imagine how excited I would be to see ancient landmarks and buildings, but it makes me happy to be in the presence of US history sites from the 1600’s. Mid-1800’s is as far back as Oregon goes so a matter of a couple hundred years is big to me. Before we experienced Boston, we had enough time the afternoon we arrived in the area to see Plymouth, MA. We saw Plymouth Rock, which was so much more than just a rock 3 sizes smaller than it originally was. I guess in the 1800’s they had a hammer and chisel next to the rock for souvenir seekers. Whatever its size, it was so cool to see. It, and all the sites we saw in the area, helped to remind me of what so many others have struggled so hard to accomplish so I can ride around in my cush vehicle with AC and stay in my house-on-wheels and try to grasp a sense of what they went through in the process. It sometimes, most of the time, kind of sickens me at all the excess we have now and how easy we have it. I know, different times, different struggles, but I have massive respect for the early settlers of our country. We also saw the very first established cemetery in the country with some old headstones. Weirdly enough I have thoroughly enjoyed searching the graveyards in the northeast for dates in the 1600’s. Mason seems to like it too.
We scheduled one day in Boston with the intent of walking
the Freedom Trail. We started at the end
this time, with the Bunker Hill Memorial, to hopefully catch it before it got
too hot. The heat wasn’t our problem. The 279 steps were. I don’t know if it was too early in the
morning for stairs or if we were flabby, fat, and lazy from being in the car so
long, but I struggled to get to the top (I also had 10lbs of water and snacks
in the cinch bag on my back) and we all had jelly legs by the time we got back
to solid ground. We are still a bit sore
from it and that was 3 days ago! After
Bunker Hill we toured the Navy Yard and the USS Constitution, Old
Ironsides. Cool to be on the real
ship! We saw all the famous sites along
the way, with the kids asking me about each place. Now I love American history but I’m no
expert. I gave them as much as I could
but a lot of it just came from the info posted on the signs at each stop. Maybe they should practice being more
observant so I can save my voice. But I
do appreciate their faith in me that I know the answer to everything. Though they are quick to point out if I
happen to get a date of something wrong.
Like I said, road tripping with older kids is different. When they were little, they believed
everything I said as gospel truth! Now
they dare to question my knowledge. We
saw all the great sites along the Trail and ended up walking a total of 7.5
miles. We thought that was pretty good
till yesterday in New York hit 10.5!
OUCH! We’ll all be 10 pounds
lighter by the end of trip with all the exercise and the sweating we’re doing
in the high heat and humidity. I make
sure to remind everyone to put on their deodorant before leaving the trailer
every morning!
After the Freedom Trail we figured we were “so close” to
Cape Cod that it made sense to jog over there to see it. Well, that’s not really how it works. Its not really all that close, especially
when you’re hot and tired from a long day of sightseeing already. And then the main freeway runs through the
middle of the spit of land so you don’t see any water unless you drive farther
into the small towns. We decided to cut
our losses and turn south to a small town to see the beach because it was still
going to take at least an hour to the National Seashore beginning where the
nice beaches are. So we went to Harwich
and got caught in their Port Summer Nights which made it a madhouse in their
tiny town. It was maddening! We just wanted to get back to the trailer and
it seemed like the fates were against us.
We finally got back to our place after fighting our way out of those
crazy Massachusettsans! It was a long,
but educational day. I really like
Boston. One of my favorite things is how
they kept the only colonial buildings and built the rest of the city up around
them. It’s a cool mix of old and new. It’s also a very user-friendly city. Follow the red brick line throughout the city
and look around when it leads to a medallion in the sidewalk. You know something good is right there! There are also plenty of restrooms on your
route and water fountains and food. And
you feel more than safe due to the fact that everyone on your sidewalk is a
tourist from out of town doing the same thing you are, holding tight to their
purses, wallets, cell phones and kids.
Things I learned In Boston:
1.
Massachusetts has a lot of trees! I didn’t remember there being so many. All you see on the freeway is massive
deciduous trees on either side of you.
You rarely catch a glimpse of the city being advertised at exits. It kind of gives you a feeling of isolation.
2.
The exit numbers on the freeway don’t follow the
mile markers in MA like they do in Oregon.
I guess none of the New England states follow that rule? Oregon’s exit numbers correspond with the mile
marker. Not sure which system is
best. It is a little annoying, however, to
see exit 3 will have gas but you have no idea how far ahead exit 3 is because
its just an arbitrary number. So, I
guess I really don’t care for their system after all.
3.
With all the time we have spent in the political
hotspots of our country, the kids have learned that our family is not in any
way, shape, or form, a democracy. It is
a complete dictatorship, with that job passing between Paul and I. Is there a name for a dictatorship with 2
leaders sharing the job of top tyrant?
Whatever it is, that’s us.
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