Click on a photo to enlarge it.
After the high society of Newport our first stop was to find a water treatment plant to use the dump station there but we didn't know exactly where
it was. There was a man washing his car out on the street so we stopped to ask him and found out that he knew exactly where it was because he worked
there!!
We headed north towards Boston and found a Wal-Mart in Raynham. There were signs up saying "No Overnight Parking" so Helen went in to ask and got
permission to stay there for 2 nights.
We had a day off and tested our new battery tester which didn't work at first because we hadn't taken the plastic covers off the ends of the probes.
So, of course, there was no reading!! We also tested our 12 volt plug inside and got a reading so we can't work out what is wrong with it. We'll
have to find someone who knows something about electrics to help us out.
On Wednesday, we drove to Wompatuck State Park which took us a great deal of time as we couldn't find the entrance. We drove endlessly along country
lanes and eventually found it. There is a campground there for $17 per night with electricity and showers so we paid for one night and did some
work on the computer.
On Thursday, we drove to Wollaston to a park and ride facility so we could get the train to Boston. The parking fees were $3 up to midnight and
another $3 for the next day but we could park overnight without a problem.
Once again it took a while to work out the cost of a ticket into Boston and how to get it using the machines but there are always people around to
help the stupid tourists! Every system is different.
Once in Boston we went to the visitor centre and were told to follow the Freedom Trail which is a red line on the pavement and roads past all the
historical buildings. Dead easy! We walked past the State House with its golden dome on top and took a look at all the old houses in Beacon Hill
which is THE address in Boston.
We saw the Old South Meeting House where, in 1773, 5,000 people gathered to protest against the tea tax and John Adams' speech set off the Boston
Tea Party. We took a look at the market on the ground floor of Faneuil Hall and then got into a weird lift where each of the inside walls was
covered in blue padding and it wouldn't stop on the second floor where the Great Hall is. So we went up to the top floor to take a quick look at
a museum of naval and army memorabilia.
Helen was just commenting on the fact that people seemed to be thinner over on the eastern side of the US when, of course, she was proved wrong!
As a forfeit she was made to dress up as a lobster!
There's lots of history here. We saw Paul Revere's house which is the last remaining 17th century house in Boston from 1676. Revere rode on a horse
to give advance warning of British manoeuvres in the War of Independence.
After a visit to Copps Hill burial site (oldest grave 1661), we crossed the Charlestown bridge and went to see the USS Constitution. It was built
between 1794 and 1797 and was one of 5 marine ships that cost $302,718 each which is the equivalent of the cost of an aircraft carrier today.
Its nickname is "Old Ironsides".
It has been completely refurbished and we had to bend low to get below decks using very small, narrow steps. There are 32, 34lb long guns and
people in naval costumes of the era to answer questions.
We walked back across the bridge and along the esplanade beside the Charles River for the sunset. We had only walked 7 miles today but we were
still exhausted.
The next day we went to see Harvard University, the top university in the US and walked through the grounds. We visited the memorial hall for past
students who had served and died in service for their country - including Paul Revere.
We drove further north and stopped at Salem which is known for the "witch hunt" that took place there in May-October 1692. It was a series of
investigations and persecutions that caused 19 convicted "witches" to be hanged and many other suspects to be imprisoned.
Then it was off to Rockport, a small fishing village, where Kirsten said she'd had the best fish and chips in the US. But that was back in 1994 and
we weren't that impressed 15 years later! Oh well, maybe we didn't go to the right restaurant.
We drove north into New Hampshire and found a Wal-Mart for the night where we got woken up by rain at 6am and then took Winnie in for an oil
change. Then we drove into Maine and along the coast. The remnants of hurricane Hanna were due to hit this coastal area later today and so we
wanted to at least see something in Maine before making a real dash back to Mexico. We only had 4 weeks left and 4,000 miles to do!!!
So the only place we saw in Maine was a little place called Kennebunkport which is one of the highlights for tourists. It is very picturesque with
its houses on stilts and we enjoyed wandering around.
Then we tried our hardest to escape the rain from Hanna by driving west through New Hampshire and virtually all across Vermont. The rain started at
4pm and was really bad. We drove through it as long as we could but then found a National Forest campground that was closed at around 7pm and
parked in front of its gates for the night. Our alcove window leaked again, it rained all night and we continually had problems with condensation -
the price you pay for having a wonderful life!
The next day we drove all the way across New York State and into Pennsylvania doing 268 miles which is a lot of mileage for us. There will be a
number of very long driving days ahead of us.
