RV cockpit
Thursday, October 2, 1997: near Tampa, my parents picked up our rented RV motor home late afternoon, packed up, and headed to Orlando to pick me up.
RV kitchen
Naturally, I wanted to remember the RV.
RV living area
It was really pretty nice.
RV dining area
There was even a place above the dining table for a television.
RV dining area
My parents used the rear bedroom, barely visible here, and I took the over-cab bunk.
Princess' home away from home
My parents' late cocker spaniel, Princess, made her home under the table. She really was a good little traveler, and I'm sure she had a great time if only because being with us in the RV every day, she got more attention than she did at home! I miss her.
On the road
Anyway, we left Orlando at 11pm, drove to Jacksonville, and slept for several hours at a rest stop. Friday, October 3, about 7:30am, we left the rest area in Jacksonville and made it up to Bowling Green, Virginia, where we camped for the night. Didn't bother much with photos since this really wasn't new territory for us. We were more interested in what lay ahead.
First camping site
This was our first camp site. By the way, we didn't know until we were in the middle of it that this same weekend was the big Promise Keepers event in Washington, D.C.! Needless to say, all we saw on the highways were vans, buses, motor homes, etc. full of men on their way to the nation's capitol. As we prepared to find a place to stay for the evening, my mother was in the back of our RV as my Dad drove and I sat in the passenger seat. Imagine it. Two guys…RV…just south of Washington, D.C. Go figure! We got lots of waves and thumbs up signs!
P.S. the geotag for this photo is my best guess. Might not be the correct campground, but I'm pretty sure it's the correct city.
South Philadelphia shipyard
In spite of minor disappointment regarding Philadelphia and attractions being closed (more on that in a moment), we enjoyed some interesting spots. Coming into the south end of Philly, we saw what amounted to massive tons of grey metal!
South Philadelphia shipyard
The interstate ran alongside the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, and there were, literally, gobs and gobs of Naval vessels packed like gargantuan sardines in the harbor.
Downtown Philadelphia
Getting closer to Philly. Once we got into town, we began to realize that, since it was Saturday and was late in the day, places had started to close. Well, we really wanted to get a bit further up the road before the end of the day, anyhow.
U.S. Mint
My dad had recently started getting into coin-collecting and wanted to get some coin sets at the mint, but they weren't open at all on Saturday. As it turned out, we stopped at the mint on our way back home and my dad went in, but they really didn't sell what he wanted anyway!
Liberty Bell
We were the last group to get to go in and see the Liberty Bell this day. I had forgotten to bring in my camera's flash and, after the group was done, I asked the attendant if I race back to the RV (we had parked fairly close), get my flash, and run back. He agreed, and I managed this nice shot with no people standing around.
(For those nitpicky enough to notice, I do realize the geotag for this photo is not centered over the bell's current (as of 2012) location. Back in 1997, it was in a temporary facility directly in front of Independence Hall. Its new home is a building several yards to the west and slightly closer to Independence Hall with an oblique view.)
Liberty Bell
One of the additional shots I took before I retrieved my flash and with other tourists in the background.
(For those nitpicky enough to notice, I do realize the geotag for this photo is not centered over the bell's current (as of 2012) location. Back in 1997, it was in a temporary facility directly in front of Independence Hall. Its new home is a building several yards to the west and slightly closer to Independence Hall with an oblique view.)
Liberty Bell
One of the additional shots I took before I retrieved my flash and with other tourists in the background.
(For those nitpicky enough to notice, I do realize the geotag for this photo is not centered over the bell's current (as of 2012) location. Back in 1997, it was in a temporary facility directly in front of Independence Hall. Its new home is a building several yards to the west and slightly closer to Independence Hall with an oblique view.)
Liberty Bell
One of the additional shots I took before I retrieved my flash and with other tourists in the background. This one appears better lit because it was taken from the opposite side with the outside light coming in from the window. But this side doesn't show the crack.
(For those nitpicky enough to notice, I do realize the geotag for this photo is not centered over the bell's current (as of 2012) location. Back in 1997, it was in a temporary facility directly in front of Independence Hall. Its new home is a building several yards to the west and slightly closer to Independence Hall with an oblique view.)
Independence Hall
Even though Independence Hall had closed, we walked around to see it an the surrounding park.
George Washington statue at Independence Hall
A nice obstacle to go around in order to get to the front door!
Abraham Lincoln plaque
This plaque marks where Abraham Lincoln stood when he raised the U.S. flag in 1861.
JFK plaque
This plaque, also in front of Independence Hall, marks where JFK delivered his interdependence of nations address in 1962.
Hartford, Connecticut
Wow, do I ever feel silly. I back when I first set up my personal photo album, I included the following as a caption to this photo:
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Saturday, October 4, saw a lot more driving. I, of course, had to take a shot of downtown Wilmington, Delaware. "Insignificant," you say? Ask yourself this: where do nearly all monthly credit card, loan, and other such payments get mailed to?
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So why do I feel silly? Because more than 15 years later, in the process of attempting to geotag as many of these old photos as I can (and by way of some sleuthing thanks to the street sign visible in this photo), I realized this is not a photo of Wilmington, but rather of Hartford, Connecticut, of which I can't think of any reason to have shot the photo other than possibly thinking it was a nice-looking skyline.
So anyway, I've moved this photo in the Photoset to come after Philadelphia instead of before, since Hartford is north of Philly. Also, I imagine this may have been taken Sunday, October 5, rather than October 4.
First sighting of fall color
Sunday, October 5: Because of our RV, this day saw $12 in tolls ($8 just for one bridge). Ouch. But on this same day, we were rewarded with our first signs of fall foliage as we drove through Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont.
Fall color
The colors were incredible, and we hadn't even reached the best stuff yet.
Bridge and fall color
I just can't tell you how little justice this picture does.
Country church
Lots of quaint little towns.
Scott Bridge
We stopped in Townshend, Vermont, to see Scott Bridge—the state's longest covered bridge. This, the first covered bridge I had ever seen, was so long that a concrete support had to be added in the middle a number of years ago.
Scott Bridge
Obligatory pose shot.
Scott Bridge
Another pose shot.
Scott Bridge interior
Inside the bridge.
Scott Bridge
Outside. As previously mentioned, the concrete support was a more modern addition.
Scott Bridge
Just a vertical orientation of the previous shot.
Townshend, Vermont
Beautiful colors in Townshend.
Andover campground
When we left the bridge, my dad was driving and I was in the "map" seat. I have no burden confessing that I had us take a wrong turn to get back to the interstate. Even though I told my dad to make the wrong turn, I knew within 5 minutes or so what I'd done. We found where we were heading and decided to take another way around. Good thing. We drove through some beautiful back country and ended up "finding" a gorgeous campground in Andover, Vermont, nestled back in a secluded valley.
Andover campground
The campground was gorgeous. Once settled, we sat out by the fire and cooked hot dogs.
Chester, Vermont
Monday, October 6, we left the campground and, on our way back to the interstate, we decided to poke through a little town not far from where we camped.
How cool would it be to live in this kind of scenery?
Chester, Vermont
Right beside a cute little church was a country store that had been in business since the 1870s. We picked up some postcards, pure maple syrup (which we enjoyed for several days afterward), and a calendar of covered bridges which hung in my office for the duration of 1998.
(Sorry about the power lines. I'd erased them for the original album. Since the resolution was so small, you couldn't see my little mistakes. I'm not sure I'm skilled enough—or maybe I'm just lazy—to do the job again at high resolution.)
Springfield covered bridge
We saw our second covered bridge in Springfield, Vermont. (We saw three, total, but were unable to stop at the last one. We noticed it as we drove down the interstate.) Near the bridge is Vermont's oldest schoolhouse.
Bridge interior
Very intriguing visual of the construction.
Eureka Schoolhouse landmark
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Eureka Schoolhouse
More obligatory posed shots.
Eureka Schoolhouse and covered bridge
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Eureka Schoolhouse interior
Don't you just love the wooden desks sitting right in front of a huge fire hazard that would never be allowed in schools today?
National Forest Campground
We'd planned to get all the way through the forest today, but since we left the campground a bit late, we stopped to camp half way through the forest. That was okay, though, because even now, I'm still trying to decide which campground was my favorite—the previous one in Vermont, or this one in the National Forest.
Stone-littered river
The stone-littered river wasn't even 100 yards behind our campsite. Since we stopped early, we took a walk down a beautiful trail running alongside the river.
Princess enjoying the river
Princess had a good time too.
Truants Taverne
At some point along the highway, we ate at Truants Taverne in North Woodstock, New Hampshire.
Kancamagus Highway
We soon veered off Interstate 91 to trek across New Hampshire's Kancamagus Highway. With the fall colors, it was a stunning drive through the White Mountain National Forest.
Note: there's probably no possible way to ever recall exactly where these photos along the Kancamagus Highway were taken. The geotag for all of them is just a random midway spot to represent the region.
Kancamagus Highway
The view reminded me of those commercials where new cars zip along a beautiful country road and colored leaves that were on the road go flying all around behind the passing vehicle.
Note: there's probably no possible way to ever recall exactly where these photos along the Kancamagus Highway were taken. The geotag for all of them is just a random midway spot to represent the region.
Kancamagus Highway
Again, the photo just doesn't compare.
Note: there's probably no possible way to ever recall exactly where these photos along the Kancamagus Highway were taken. The geotag for all of them is just a random midway spot to represent the region.
Kancamagus Highway
Note: there's probably no possible way to ever recall exactly where these photos along the Kancamagus Highway were taken. The geotag for all of them is just a random midway spot to represent the region.
Kancamagus Highway
Note: there's probably no possible way to ever recall exactly where these photos along the Kancamagus Highway were taken. The geotag for all of them is just a random midway spot to represent the region.
Sabbaday Falls sign
Tuesday, October 7, we left the White Mountain campground early (7:30am) hoping to possibly see moose during the rest of our drive through the forest. Not long after we left, we stopped on the side of the road where the window over our RV's table afforded a great view of a swampy lake—the kind of terrain moose enjoy feeding at. As we had a pancake breakfast with the pure maple syrup we'd bought the other day, we enjoyed the view, but there were no moose. Before we left the forest, we took a hike to Sabbaday Falls.
Sabbaday Falls
Don't look now, but here's the only photo in this album you'll find where I'm not behind the camera! Well, by midday, we got to Gorham, New Hampshire. That evening's moose-watching tour was already full. Already a day behind our schedule, we didn't wait for the Wednesday evening tour. We did, however, go on what I dubbed the Wild Moose Chase. To make a long story short, we drove to Mexico, Maine, where we had lunch. A guy said he'd seen six moose at some XYZ place. My dad corralled us into the RV and we took off. The score? Hours: 2. Miles: 50. Moose: 0. We'd gotten into what I'm sure was a dirt-caked hunting/logging road in our 20-foot RV! We cut our losses after finally finding a place to safely turn around on the dirt road (a stunt that was responsible for 15 minutes of the two-hour marathon) and drove to Bangor, Maine, a bit worse for the wear.
Entering New Brunswick
Wednesday, October 8, we left the campground in Bangor, Maine, and reached the border to New Brunswick, Canada, shortly after noon. After lunch, we drove another hour to St. John where the original plan was to take the ferry over to Nova Scotia. With some quick cipherin', we discovered, with a three-hour ferry trip each way, we'd only have a little over an hour to look around Nova Scotia and that it would cost $120 for the three of us to take the ferry! We could have stayed longer and took the evening ferry back to St. John, but Princess wouldn't have been able to go that long. Anywhere we stopped, we left the generator and the A/C running to keep the RV cool for Princess. She could have gone the 7 hours or so we'd have been gone without having to go outside to do her business, but there's no way she could have gone the length of time for us to mill around Nova Scotia and wait for the evening ferry. The other option would have been to put our RV on the ferry and take her with us, but the cost for that was even more prohibitive. After a family pow-wow, we decided that Nova Scotia was only another Canadian province and, even though we'd been in Canada once before, we'd probably never in the near future visit every province—what did one less matter?
Reversing Falls Restaurant
We chose, instead, to use some of the money we saved by not going on the ferry to eat at the mildly swanky Reversing Falls Restaurant. The dining room overlooked Reversing Falls—a river which actually flows back in on itself.
Reversing Falls
This area gets 20- to 30-foot tides each day and, for half of the day, the water is so high that the sea level is above the river level, causing the water to flow inland. The other half of the day, the opposite is the case. While the water flows, turbulence-causing boulders and terrain make the narrow passage impossible for boats to traverse. Only during the two slack tides each day can boats pass. These slack tides only last for 20-30 minutes. The passage, though, is really good for fishing, so fishermen will often come in during one slack tide, pull their boat up on the rocks, fish all day (effectively "stuck" in their location for the duration), then leave during the next slack tide.
Eastport, Maine
We left St. John after sundown and camped half-way between St. John and Calais, Maine, where we had entered Canada. The campground, which had a great view overlooking the Bay of Fundy, was our only night in Canada, and the only campground we could find that hadn't closed for the season! Thursday, October 9, as we headed for Mt. Desert Island, Maine, we took a side trip to the eastern-most region of the continental U.S. This photo originally, and incorrectly, was the first of my batch of Lubec, Maine, photos, but that has been updated. The next paragraph reveals the story.
October 2020 geotag update: I have always been stumped on where exactly to geotag this photo. I have searched and searched thinking it was shot in the town of Lubec since, as the eastern-most town, it was our destination. But numerous sessions of scouring Google Maps turned up absolutely nothing in Lubec that resembled this scene. Now, 23 years later, my interest in finding this photo's location was renewed because it attracted a lot of interest this week after Flickr added it to the Ships, Sails, and Boats gallery (thanks, Flickr!). In a moment of brilliant inspiration, I noted the name of the boat in the foreground, Quoddy Dam. I'm now a bit embarrassed it took me so long to think of this idea. Literally the first Google search on this boat name turned up a ferry service between Lubec and Eastport. The web site for the ferry had a gallery with photos of this exact boat, albeit with an updated paint job. So back over to Google Maps, I slid north a short distance to Eastport which, in spite of its name, isn't quite the eastern-most point in the U.S. Today, I cannot remember why we even drove there because Eastport is a dead end trip at the end of Moose Island. Perhaps we thought it was the way to Lubec, or maybe more likely we were just having fun sightseeing. Regardless, after poking around satellite view for the right spot, I used Street View to match up several buildings visible in the photo, and VOILÀ! This photo's geotag has been updated for the correct spot!
January 2022 update: turns out our best guess for having driven down to Eastport was an attempt to glimpse Deer Island Lighthouse which is in Canada only accessible via ferry. With modern Google Maps and Street View, I found a spot in Eastport where we may have been able to see it, but that spot was entirely beyond our ability to find back in 1997.
West Quoddy Head Light
Our next stop was the eastern-most point in the continental U.S., Lubec, Maine, where we visited our first lighthouse of our trip—West Quoddy Head Light.
West Quoddy Head Light
Next, we had an enjoyable time climbing the rocks on the Bay of Fundy while the tide was out.
West Quoddy Head Light
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West Quoddy Head Light
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Bay of Fundy rock beach
Well, I said "we" enjoyed climbing the rocks. I should rather say that my dad and I did! Mom stuck to the low ground.
Mulholland Point Light, New Brunswick, Canada, viewed from Lubec, Maine
Also in Lubec, we saw a lighthouse over on the Canadian side of a waterway that was visible from the Maine side. Back during this trip, we never discovered which lighthouse this was, but thanks to Google Maps, I've finally discovered that this is Mulholland Point Light and have geotagged it as such.
Easternmost Adventist Church in Lubec, Maine (now demolished)
We also found what was apparently the easternmost Seventh-day Adventist church in the United States. Not a remarkable building in itself, but it was still neat finding it.
For the longest time, I had no idea exactly where this building was located, due largely to the fact that it was demolished not long after our trip. It was dilapidated. However, in early 2017, I found someone via Northern New England Conference of Seventh-day Adventists who informed me it was removed and gave me a coordinate where it had been located, so I was finally able to place an accurate geotag on this photo!
We drove on to Mt. Desert Island and found a campground near Bar Harbor.
Queen Elizabeth II
Friday, October 10, and half-way through our journey. We had reservations to go whale-watching today, but it was so foggy, we rescheduled for the next day. Instead, after lunch, we spent the afternoon driving through the Acadia National Park. Before we left Bar Harbor, though, we noticed that the Queen Elizabeth II cruise ship was docked just off the shore and people were tendering in to the town. The fog hanging over the ship made for a neat photo.
Acadia National Park
The drive through the park was just as colorful as through the Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire.
Eagle Lake
Absolutely gorgeous. Hey, zoom in to the full resolution. There's a person in what appears to be a canoe way out on the left side of the lake.
Atop Cadillac Mountain
The view from Cadillac Mountain was also superb. We could see Bar Harbor and the Q.E. II down below.
Atop Cadillac Mountain
Virtually the same shot as above, sans parents.
Sand Beach
Also, in the park, we saw Sand Beach.
Sand Beach
Normally, Maine's shores are rocky, but due to the inset beach here, a rare sandy beach lies.
Acadia coastline
Somewhere near Sand Beach. I don't remember for sure.
Acadia coastline
Somewhere near Sand Beach. I don't remember for sure.
Thunder Hole
Then we got to Thunder Hole. The rock formations there were neat to look at. However we were kind of there at the wrong time of day (the tide was high) and we didn't really hear the thunderous boom caused by the waves crashing around the rocks, and air being sucked in and out from underneath. We also saw Egg Rock Light way off in the distance, but would see it closer up on the whale-watching boat tomorrow.
Scenic lunch view
A shot of the scenery looking away from the restaurant where we had lunch.
Bass Harbor Head Light
Just before dark, we drove the rest of the way around the island to Bass Harbor Head Light. The sign at the head of the road said no RVs because of limited turnaround space, so we walked the mile or so down. We discovered we could easily have turned our RV around but, in the moderately cool air, it was a nice walk, anyway.
Bass Harbor Head Light
This view is popular and I actually found myself jockeying for a position on the rocks with a half dozen other photographers (some looked rather professional) to get the shot.
Bass Harbor Head Light
Some information about the lighthouse.
Egg Rock Light
Saturday, October 11: The fog was gone today, but it was cold and quite windy. So, we bundled up and hopped on board the Acadian Whale Watcher for a "three-and-a-half-hour tour." Well, unlike the fabled S.S. Minnow, we made it back safely (if you overlook the fact that I got a little green under the gill, if you know what I mean), but the naturalist on board couldn't find any whales. 🙁 What really miffed us was that we later learned the tour that went out after us found three whales. Sigh. Anyhow, the whale-watching tour lets people go out again if no whales are found, but we didn't really have time, nor did I feel like I could stomach another trip. Unfortunately, the tour staff didn't give refunds if no whales were found, but they did allow you to exchange the price of the tickets for merchandise in their store. Sure, some of what we picked up was junk, just to feel like we got some value out of our money, but I did make out with a nice henley-collared shirt. (Photo: Egg Rock Light.)
Egg Rock Light
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Mt. Desert Rock Light
Though we were disappointed with the whale-watching trip, there was the miniscule satisfaction of seeing a closer view of Egg Rock Light and Mt. Desert Rock Light (seen here), as well as a few dolphin and harbor seals.
Mt. Desert Rock Light
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Mt. Desert Rock Light
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Harbor seals
We weren't very close, so even my telephoto lens couldn't get shots of the harbor seals very well. You can make them out if you load the original/full-size version of this photo.
Bar Harbor
After not having seen any whales, we walked through downtown Bar Harbor (a tourist trap, but it was neat to see), and I snapped a shot of buildings and the bay in the background that we had previously seen on a postcard. It's the same angle, but the sun's location made for a less-than-perfect shot. We drove on to Camden, Maine, during what was probably the lowest morale of the whole vacation (thanks to the elusive whales), and stopped for the night.
Owl's Head Light
Sunday, October 12: Shortly after we left our campground, we stopped to see Owl's Head Light, then through some back roads to find two other lights.
Owl's Head Light
Trying real hard to get away from the obligatory angles.
Cuckolds Light
The first of the next two lights we sought eluded us. The second, though we found it, wasn't immensely impressive, and we weren't sure of its name. We thought we heard "Cockhold Light" from a local man who was sitting on his porch when we arrived, but that name doesn't exist.
I've wondered for many years if it was Cuckolds Light, but the picture on this National Park Service site didn't look anything like my photo.
Fast forward to January 2013, and a friend/former coworker, Karen Greene, has helped confirm that this is, indeed, Cuckolds Light. The NPS photo in the link above is taken from the opposite side, which looks considerably different than my photo. Pictures on what appears to be this lighthouse's official web site (found by Karen) definitely remove all doubt.
Scenic riverside town, Wiscasset, Maine
We continued on toward Portland, Maine. On the way, as we drove over a causeway crossing a river, we were amazed at the view of a little town strewn out across the opposite bank. We wanted a picture, but I was driving, and my camera was up in my bunk and hard to get to…
Scenic riverside town, Wiscasset, Maine
…so we turned around, drove back across the bridge and pulled over for a photo. It doesn't do the scene really good justice, but you'll get the idea.
Bailey Island Cribstone Bridge
Kind of a nothing shot. The bridge approaches Bailey Island. It was a bit off our path, but (if I remember correctly) the place was significant to a friend of my parents and they wanted to show their friend that we had been there.
L.L. Bean
We then reached one of my personal top destinations, Freeport, Maine. I just had to visit the L.L. Bean store. A while back, I had ordered some hiking boots, but they didn't fit quite right. I had them replaced but because the second pair had the same exact problem, I figured my left foot was shaped oddly. I just told the person on the phone from L.L. Bean to give me a store credit and that I'd be up there on vacation.
L.L. Bean Postcard
So finally, I walked into this huge store (which I'm told has it's own zip code, right in the middle of Freeport), did some brief sightseeing, and picked up a different type of hiking boot which I really love. We also stopped by the Vermont Teddy Bear Company where my dad bought a cute little bear for mom.
(This image is a post card I bought at L.L. Bean. It's obviously got a better shot of the store exterior than mine.)
Portland sunset
Just before we stopped in Portland, Maine, for the night, I snapped a shot of one incredible sunset.
(When I originally posted a smaller version to a personal photo album, I had done color adjustment and erased the power lines. I haven't yet mustered the motivation to re-do the work on this full-size version.
Portland Head Light
Monday, October 13, was a real "enlightened" day (forgive the pun. We saw the most lighthouses in one day—six. The first was Portland Head Light, which is in the area of the old Fort Williams Park. We didn't stay around long enough to explore the park.
Portland Head Light and Ram Island Ledge
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Ram Island Ledge
There was also a little lighthouse off the coast a ways from Portland Head, Ram Island Ledge, (which can be seen in the distance of the previous photo).
Two Lights Park, aka Cape Elizabeth Lights
We then drove to Two Lights Park, otherwise known as Cape Elizabeth Lights. The Western Tower was decommissioned in 1924 when all twin-light sites were transformed to single-light sites. The Western Tower now sits in a moderately posh neighborhood, somewhat inaccessible, in someone's yard. The link, above, has better photos of both individual towers.
Cape Elizabeth Light, western tower (decommissioned)
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Cape Elizabeth Light, eastern tower
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Cape Elizabeth Light, eastern tower
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Cape Neddick Light
On the way to our next lighthouse, we stopped in Wells, Maine, at the world's largest lighthouse store—Lighthouse Depot—although it unfortunately closed permanently in September 2012. It was there I picked up a video with scenes from all over New England, including lighthouses. It has an amazing series of shots with closeups of a fresnel lens in a lighthouse reflecting the scenery outside. Next, we reached Cape Neddick Light, also known as Nubble Light—so named because of the little "nubble" of land (sort of an island) the lighthouse sits on. During certain times of the year, this often calm-looking area can become deadly if the winds and waves pick up. When we were there, the tide was out, and it was possible (though against the law) to actually walk over to the nubble. However, signs warned people of the potential consequences.
Boon Island Light
Also, off in the distance from Cape Neddick, we could see Boon Island Light, one of Maine's most inhospitable lighthouse sites. In 1710, the lighthouse witnessed a cannibalism incident when a shipwrecked crew had no way to get to the shore. (The lighthouse is more visible in the original/full-size version of this photo.)
Rock beach
Not far from Cape Neddick was the Lighthouse Restaurant. We had a great lunch here as we looked out over the bay toward the lighthouse. After lunch, as we were driving away from Cape Neddick, we rode along a rather large beach. What was unusual to us (being from Florida) was it was nearly covered with rocks, rather than sand, and people were still out enjoying it this time of year!
I later learned the restaurant and property were sold in 2004 and I have no idea of its current fate. I used to have a web link showing photos of the dining room and the room's view of the lighthouse, but that link is gone as well.
Canadian geese
We made it down to Boston, drove through town (in rush-hour, but it was not horrible), and went to the Wompatuck State Park for the night. It was really amazing that such a nice, foresty area was right there so close to downtown Boston. Just as we were approaching it, we drove by a field, filled with Canadian geese that had stopped to rest.
Canadian geese
Another flock of Canadian geese flying in formation.
Boston Common
Tuesday, October 14: Boston tourist day. We hopped on a subway not far from where we camped and rode to the Boston Common—smack dab in the middle of downtown Boston. This monument is located there.
Grave of Benjamin Franklin's parents
As we began walking the Freedom Trail, our next stop was an historical graveyard. It was fascinating to learn that after the invention of lawnmowers, many tombstones had been arranged in rows so the mowers could move easily between the graves. Though they are somewhat in the general vicinity, today the tombstones bear little resemblance to the actual arrangement of the graves. This tomb marks the grave of Benjamin Franklin's parents.
Paul Revere's grave
The highlight of this graveyard tour—Paul Revere's grave. On the right is the original tombstone. On the left is a monument erected later.
Paul Revere's grave
Close-up of the newer monument.
John Hancock grave
John Hancock, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, is also buried in this graveyard.
Graves of Boston Massacre victims and Samuel Adams
The tombstone on the left marks the grave of the five victims of the Boston Massacre, Samuel Gray, Samuel Maverick, James Caldwell, Crispus Attucks, and Patrick Carr. On the right is Samuel Adams' grave, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and Governor of the Boston Commonwealth.
Boston's old city hall
As we left the graveyard, one of the next things we saw was the old city hall on School Street. I thought the architecture was neat.
Old city hall welcome plaque
As we walked into the foyer of the old city hall, this image was on the wall.
King's Chapel
King's Chapel was started in the late 1600s on this site and the present structure was built in the mid-1700s.
Boston architecture
This photo is simply the result of my brief flirtation with architectural photography. The dominant building is the Custom House Tower, which is now Marriott's Custom House Hotel.
Old State House
This is the Old State House. The street corner in front is the site of the Boston Massacre.
Paul Revere statue
A statue of Paul Revere, depicting his famous ride.
Paul Revere's home, front
Photos weren't allowed inside. The construction was fascinating—many walls and corners were not perpendicular to each other as you'd normally expect. We also learned that much of the house had been a storefront for a time. The photo doesn't show it, but on the front left is the scar where a door to the store used to be.
Paul Revere's home, back
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Bell made by Paul Revere
Revere was a metalworker. This bell, made by Revere, sat outside the house.
Old Ironsides
Before I continue, I wanted to brag a little. While walking through downtown Boston, we were passing a cafe and were surprised when Senator Ted Kennedy walked out and got into a government Suburban! I regret that I don't have a photo. By the time I got my camera ready, he was already in the truck and being driven off. At least I'll always have the memories! Anyway, next stop: "Old Ironsides," otherwise known as the U.S.S. Constitution. This magnificent ship is actually still active in the United States Navy (okay, maybe not for combat) and proved its seaworthiness in 1996.
On board Old Ironsides
Our tour of the Constitution began on the upper deck as were were dwarfed by the massive sail masts.
Below deck of Old Ironsides
Cannons lined the deck below.
Old Ironsides' steering wheel
Helmsman Alfred Bennett, reporting for duty, sir!
Bunker Hill
The cloudy day hindered a decent photo of the Bunker Hill monument. Though I must admit these negative rescans did better than my original.
Bunker Hill
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Downtown Boston and suburb streets
The view of downtown Boston from the top of the monument was, nevertheless, superb. Looking at the streets below proves the famous notion that Boston's streets were mapped out by the cows.
Boston Tea Party site
At the end of the Freedom Trail, we were reminded that the site of the Boston Tea Party was not actually on the trail, and that it was located all the way on the other side of town, and that the day was dwindling and getting colder. So we scurried back across the bridge we'd crossed to get to the U.S.S. Constitution and Bunker Hill, slipped onto the subway, and popped out on the other side of town for a quick photo of the Tea Party site.
January 2013 update: this building, most of the pier, and the boat are gone from Google Map imagery. Apparently a fire completely destroyed the museum.
Plymouth, Massachusetts
Wednesday, October 15, nearing the end of our trip and moderately saddened that we wouldn't have time to tour through New York like we originally wanted, we braved on, undaunted, to Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Plymouth Rock
Even though its size (or lack, thereof) was surprising, we enjoyed seeing Plymouth Rock, the landmark used by the pilgrims in 1620.
Plymouth Rock Information Sign
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Mayflower II
Not far from the monument built to protect the rock was the Mayflower II, a replica of the original Mayflower.
Mayflower II
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Pilgrim Monument
After milling around Plymouth, we "set sail" to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. We rounded the hook and stopped first at the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown. Okay, maybe I'm not a history buff, but none of us ever realized that the Mayflower first landed at Cape Cod before pressing on to Plymouth.
Inside Pilgrim Monument
The climb up the monument wasn't nearly as challenging as Bunker Hill. There were ramps with landings in each corner instead of hundreds of steps. I couldn't resist a photo looking straight up the tower from the bottom with the ramps spiraling around above me.
Lincoln cornerstone
On the way up were what I'm guessing to be cornerstones at one point in time which had later been incorporated into the inner walls of the monument. Reading some of them was fascinating, but one that really caught my attention was one from Lincoln which apparently marked the area where Paul Revere ended his midnight ride in 1775.
Hull cornerstone
I originally didn't include this stone inside the monument because it's probably of no significance to most people. The reason I took the photo was because of someone I know who, at the time, was attending the University of Hull in England.
Atop Pilgrim Monument
The view from the top was breathtaking. I could actually see the hooked shape Cape Cod is so famous for. I took two photos of Provincetown with the last little strip of raised land out in the ocean and stitched them together.
Atop Pilgrim Monument
Looking back the opposite direction from Provincetown.
The Mayflower first landed here, not Plymouth
We moved on to the end of the cape where a small park (we nearly missed it—it wasn't well marked) marks the general vicinity where the Mayflower first landed.
Wood End Light
Although it is possible to walk to the two small lighthouses on the hook of Cape Cod, we didn't. The innermost lighthouse is Wood End Light.
Long Point Light
The most distant light on the hook is Long Point Light.
Race Point Light
Our last two lighthouses were also on Cape Cod. Race Point, like the prior two, was not closely accessible.
Cape Cod (Highland) Light
Highland Light, however, otherwise known as Cape Cod Light, not only afforded a close-up view, but also featured a great view of the ocean from the edge of the bank over the beach.
Cape Cod (Highland) Light
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Cape Cod (Highland) Light original location
Highland Light found itself literally on the edge of danger as severe cliff erosion forced a plan to move the lighthouse. The move was successfully completed in the summer of 1996. Here, you can just make out a small wooden stake in the ground which marked the former location of the tower's center.
New England cliff coasts
The beach cliffs are typical for much of New England's coasts.
General Conference
Thursday, October 16: Our final stop was my second addition to our vacation's agenda (L.L. Bean being the first). It was kind of neat to finally see the Adventist Church's world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, just north of Washington, D.C. I endeavored to track down some friends of mine who worked there, but only saw one and talked to another by phone who was in the other end of the building and rather busy. A third was in a meeting and the fourth was actually back in Florida that same day for meetings, and had probably tried to find me!! Que sera sera, eh?
Duck pond at General Conference
Oh yes, and there was a really nice pond in front of the office with a good number of geese floating around. And so ended our trip. With the exception of stopping back in Philadelphia, we pretty much high-tailed it back home. Hope you enjoyed the photos.
