Cape Cod

Woke up so early and still couldn't get to everythin I planned on!  There are way too many beaches on the Cape... I stopped at one before going to Provincetown.  Nauset Beach.  It was pretty, and pretty deserted.  It is off-season so the parking was free though.  Really really windy!  Small dunes lined the beach and it was a bit hazy, but nice.  Stayed for about 45min. then drove to the Cape Cod National Seashore Info Center.  I wanted to walk the dunes in Wellfleet, but chose to skip it for Provincetown first. Why? I had a very important whale watching reservation!

Provincetown is so nice.  Narrow streets, lots of food and places to shop, and a beautiful coastline and pier.  I took the Dolphin Fleet Whale Watch out at 1pm.  The waters were really choppy, so I was lucky that they went out at all.  Took the Portuguese Princess II and it lasted for about 3hrs.  We saw several groups surfacing and a few whales going solo.  All humpback though- not lucky enough to see the rare ones this time.  It was an amazing trip!  Salty sprays, waves, seagulls, a seal (but I couldn't get a glimpse of him in time) and of course, the whales.  There is one whale they call Salt; she's been around Provincetown since 1974!  We saw her today with a calf swimming along side her.

Such great experience, so I shouldn't be bummed that I didn't have enough daylight for the other beaches on Cape Cod.  There will be plenty more :)

Boston

Hopped on the Green Line from Lechmere (near Cambridge) and headed downtown early.  After only 4 stops, I got off and started the Freedom Trail walk... kinda touristy, but I felt it was a great way for me to see a lot of historical points of the city without getting too lost, and all in a short time because I wanted to be traffic and sundown when leaving the city.

The beginning is in Boston Common and takes you passed the Old State House and the site of the Boston Massacre, then through Quincy Market and along the Bell in Hand Tavern. 

I liked walking through Little Italy a lot because it had so many little shops and cafes... and it did really smell like Italy!  I resisted the many gelato places (mainly because I didn't see any green apple!), and headed to see the Paul Revere House.  Shortly after, I was in the Paul Revere mall, where you are shadowed by a huge statue of him on his horse.  Back behind him, the Old North Church towers above.

  The pews are set up really differently than I have seen- they are more like penalty boxes.  I saw in the one that Teddy Roosevelt sat in. :)

The church is at the bottom of a hill- the view is so great- and at the top of the hill is Copp's Hill Burying Ground.  More old old headstones.

Walked across the Charlestown Bridge into Charlestown to see the Bunker Hill Monument, so anxious to climb it after 2 hours of walking.  What do ya know: closed for renovation.  My luck.  Well, took a look around the museum about the Battle of Bunker Hill and started the trek back towards downtown.  Stopped by the USS Constitution ship, and also saw a ship dry docked- that was interesting.

Think I was done after all morning of walking? Nope.  Went to Long Wharf on the coast to eat my lunch (packed lunch- it doesn't have eyes).  It finally started to cool off- most of the morning was pretty warm, especially walking around so much in long jeans.  I was prepared for rain that held off the duration of the day surprisingly.  Jumped back on the train to my car, but was only able to beat one of the two things I was trying to avoid... and it wasn't sundown.  Traffic traffic traffic, at 2:30pm. 

Made it Cape Cod and stopped in Sandwich, the oldest town on the Cape.  Camped in Shawme Crowell State Park, and slept like a baby!

Hocus Pocus

Salem was a very nice little town with a ton of interesting history.  I just left the car and walked pretty much the entire downtown and historic area.  Twice.  I spent more time than anticipated but who can complain about absorbing so much nostalgia and then paying the $2.49/gal. gas price after waiting out the rain/ traffic on the way out of town? 

My first stop was the oldest burial ground, backed up against the witch trials memorial.  The oldest stone is dated 1673!  So many of the headstones were worn and it was difficult to read the names, but that's what made it more eerie to walk through it.  The memorial was sad because for each of the 20 people wrongly accused, a stone was set out from the stone wall that borders the memorial site.  On each stone, the person's name, execution date, and execution method were inscribed.  At the entrance of the memorial, flagstones in the ground read the final words of the accused. 
From there, I created my own walking tour of the town.  I saw the witch house (home of the man who "researched" each case of the accused), the site of the judicial building, the site of the jail, and the pioneer village recreation (didn't walk through the homes b/c I arrived too late).  I also walked by the first church in Salem.
When by the harbor briefly before it started to downpour.  Today was really warm though- warmest since driving through Ohio.  So, because of the rain, I couldn't set up the camera out in the rain to capture pictures of me in Salem (but I really was there, I swear!).

Anyhow, from there I drove into Boston and just found a meter to park so I could walk around before it got too late.  Boston is a very nice city.  I didn't know what to expect, but I am glad that I felt so good walking around- aimlessly.  There is a plaza called Quincy Market, which is basically a bunch of different stores and vendors along a cobble street.

The oldest tavern in America is also here: Bell in Hand Tavern est. 1795.  I took the evidence photos, but was not very impressed by the atmosphere.  It is a historic landmark and has all of this heritage, but I felt like I stepped into a bar in Wrigleyville.  I appreciated the history behind the location but eh, moved on.
So, tomorrow I explore the public trans here b/c I am not paying parking downtown here if I don't even pay downtown parking in Chicago :)    

Rock Lobster! (start dancin')

Maine! Hooray! It was foggy, rainy, chilly... and I loved it.  Pictures are pretty grey, but that's Maine this time of year.  I decided against going all the way to Bangor because if I didn't catch Stephen King outside at the mailbox, I would have been disappointed that I spent the gas money :) 

I drove into Portland this morning and made my way to Cape Elizabeth/ Fort Williams Park.  Maine's oldest lighthouse is here and it is my first real glimpse of the ocean.  Waves crashing up, rain pouring down.  I took a ton of pictures, but don't really have much to say except that it's a lighthouse (I was more psyched about the Atlantic). 

Fort Williams was cool in the way of being able to see the "ruins" of the battery and other structures.  They really haven't been preserved like I thought they might be... people have littered and defaced the grounds quite a bit (away from the lighthouse).  But the remains of a mansion from the 1800's was in decent shape- this one was fenced off.  It was one of the first properties on Cape Elizabeth.

Anyways, I made my way down to Ogunquit (means "Beautiful Place by the Sea") to see Perkins Cove and to try some lobster. I arrived, parked, and first started the walk along the coast known as the Marginal Way. It is about 1.5mi total but I did only the first mile. That wind was pickin' up and I was getting soaked! Again, a bit foggy, but this is exactly how I pictured Maine would be: a cove with eateries along the coast and a harbor nearby. Cute beach houses in yellows and blues with white fences, little shops along the main strip, cobblestone crosswalks, etc.

I stopped to eat at a diner called Oarweed and got a window seat to view the ocean. Ordered a special that included a cup of seafood chowder, 1.25lb lobster, and any dessert on the menu. The chowder was outstanding. When the lobster arrived, I basically just sat there for about 8 minutes trying to figure out what to do. I don't even like to eat chicken wings off the bone; how was I going to tear this guy apart? Well, I found the courage to do so, but I could only imagine the terrible wincing expression on my face each time I had to crack another part of the shell or pull a leg off. And when I saw the eyes watching me... forget it! I turned him around, took a moment to regroup, and finished the tail. All in all, after about 30 min, I found it to be awesome! Will never find such a lobster in Chicago for sure. Oh, and my dessert was a HUGE strawberry shortcake :)

Breezed through Kittery outlet shopping on my way out of Maine and headed to Gloucester. Realized how dark it had gotten by the time I arrived and just continued onto Salem. Gonna start witch-hunting early, and then start in Boston.

Drivin' through clouds

After driving through Vermont all night (by the way, between seeing Vermont in daylight or skipping it to see NH in daylight: skip VT), I arrived in Littleton, New Hampshire to crash for a bit.  But the cool part was getting into the state of NH... the bridge was closed, so I had to drive my car onto a ferry to get across! I've never been on one before, let alone in the dead of night. 

Spent all of today in White Mountain Park... the fall colors are amazing.  It was raining and foggy while I was actually driving up in the mountains and didn't have as many scenic views as expected, but I did hike to Kinsman Falls, saw the Basin, and drove along NH112 Kancamagus Hwy--beautiful beautiful drive.  By the time I reached Mt. Washington, the entire top half was covered with fog so I didn't bother trying to get up there. 

Along the drive, I also stopped to see a historic house from the 1800s and the village cemetary (creepy).  So the quick version of the story of the woman who was born and lived in this house: she was married and had 5 children. The husband "went out for a while" and never came home. For 42 years, Ruth (the woman) lit a lamp in the window, and died awaiting his return.  Three years after her death, husband returned... then wanting to claim the property, apparently.  He had a wife and 3 kids elsewhere in the meantime! Anyways, the house is so old and has been preserved all these years, and is the oldest farmhouse left in the area.

Continued driving until I reached Augusta, Maine, where I will sleep and get an early start towards Portland, ME.  I would love to reach the coast to go whale-watching and then try this lobster people talk about... ;) 

And this drive into ME was not easy... it continued to rain and the fog thickened so these twisting roads where a task!

Road trippin'...

Ok, so I totally got a late start (had to finish car stuff so I wouldn't get stranded) and am finally out on the road and now have a chance to sit and start this thing while my car takes a breather. 

This is coming to the end of the second full day in this adventure.  My first stop, after a very long and boring ride through Indiana and Ohio, was Niagra Falls.  I went across to the Canadian side b/c the view is said to be nicer.  Let me tell you, I have never been to the Falls and it took my breath away.  There is a little marketplace along side of where you walk (where one can also get a carriage ride) and no matter if it's raining or not, you feel the mist of the waterfalls as if it were raining almost the while time I was there... beside the fact that it did pour rain for a bit :)

Once you reach the overlook of Niagra Falls, it's actually a little scary! It at least gets your heart rate up... the crashing of the water and the drop into a virtually neverending cloud of mist... wow! 

I walked down Clifton Hill which is similar to a downtown Wisconsin Dells... I had no idea this type of street was so close to the actual waterfalls.  What a clash of nature and night life.  

Once the sun set, I returned to see the falls when lit up.  It was so so gorgeous.  I spent just the one evening here and already I was way excited at what I had seen... and only on the first day (simple minded? maybe... haha).  

I returned to the US, and drove most of the night until I reached a rest stop outside Watertown, NY. 

This morning I continued driving until Lake Placid, NY.  A nice little town wedged between two lakes with a mountainous backdrop.  It is also the town where the 1932 and 1980 winter Olympics where held and I saw the arena for that (well, the building).  Now I am in Wilmington, NY, about to leave from going through the Adirondack Mountains and make it into Vermont tonight. 

So far so good... the worst that has happened is me being lazy and not emptying the melted ice from my cooler this morning... then stopping fast at a half-hidden stop sign... yeah, real nice.