Friday, Ocober 29 - Day 57

Dave here - The rain and gloom of the weather matched our mood on this, the final day of this adventure. The freedom of the road pulls us away from the roots of our home. Are those roots in shallow soil or are they twined into each other more than a location. We never tired of each other or needed separation. We are considering our next move in this game of life. Canton as a semi-permanent port of departure or a change of lifestyle.

Lisa here - Well, our journey has come to an end. It was an amazing experience to explore the United States and what a great country we have. We are so glad you were able to share it with us. Thanks to everyone along the way for the nice accommodations in your homes.

My sister-in-law, Linda provided some information on Oxford, MA where they live. "Oxford, MA is the birthplace of Clara Barton - Founder of the American Red Cross. Her home is a museum in Oxford. She is buried here and one of our elementary schools is named after her.
Oxford is also home to The Barton Center for Diabetes Education. It is one of the largest, independent camping and educational programs in the country dedicated to children who live with diabetes and the people who care for them. The Barton Center is a year-round camp, retreat, and conference center."

Here are some stats: 57 days, 11,674 miles, 31 states, and 44 sites including 17 National Parks.

We left Leominster at 9 am and drove to the Cornish-Windsor Bridge in Cornish, NH and Windsor, VT. "The bridge is 449 feet 5 inches long and consists of two spans of 204 feet and 203 feet. This is the longest wooden covered bridge in the USA and the longest two-span covered bridge in the world."

Continued driving and went around by Rouses Point and stopped at my mom and dads at 5 for a dinner of macaroni and cheese and champagne. A great big thank you goes out to them because they checked our mail and came up to the house every day to make sure things were okay. We had a laundry basket full of mail that was all sorted!

We'll let you know when and where our next big adventure is and you can follow us again!

Thursday, October 28 - Day 56

Yesterday while we were eating lunch at a hot dog place, which was very good, we met a very nice WWII veteran who said he was 89 years old and lives in Rhode Island.

Our wonderful National Parks journey is coming to an end. It has been a very fun and exciting adventure.

Saw my nephews off to school today and then we went with my sister to Perkins Cove in Ogunquit, Maine. We had a beautiful day by the ocean with the waves crashing the shore. I love that sound - it is so relaxing. We saw a bunch of seals frolicking in the surf. Very cute. We saw lots of boats in the harbor and there was a bird house of Sylvester the cat on a building and there was a bird perched outside it. Walked a short distance along the Marginal Way, a trail that goes along the ocean. We ate lunch at Barnacle Billy's and were able to sit outside at the end of October. Maureen and I had a lobster roll and Dave had a crabmeat roll.

We had a wonderful make-your-own Japanese sushi rolls with tuna, shrimp, avocado, rice, cucumber, asparagus, onions. It's nice because you can make it the way you want. Maureen made a tasty apple crisp for dessert.

Spencer was a little under the weather tonight and Tommy, Maureen and I played Bunco (a dice game).

Heading back to Canton tomorrow and will post our thoughts about the journey. It will be hard to get back into a routine but I am so lucky to have been able to travel around this beautiful country to enjoy this trip-of-a-lifetime.

Wednesday, October 27 - Day 55

Looking at a Falmouth map and found out that Katharine Lee Bates (from Pike's Peak blog who wrote "America the Beautiful" was born in Falmouth, MA. We drove by her house on the way out of town.

Dave called Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute this morning asking about tours and activities. They told him the tours were in the summer. Oh well. So Plan B.

Let's go to Plymouth and see where the Pilgrims landed for the second time. The first time was in Provincetown, MA. AAA guidebook says "It was on Plymouth Rock that the Pilgrims landed in December 1620 to found the first permanent European settlement on the North American north of Virginia. During the first winter, half of the 102 people brought by the Mayflower died of exposure, cold and hunger." We saw a replica of the Mayflower, Plymouth Rock and Messosoit - the sachem, Indian chief, that provided some food to the Pilgrims.

Drove to Oxford, MA to see my brother, Jerry and niece Hannah. Linda was still at work so we missed seeing her.

Continued north to Leominster, MA home of Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman) born in 1774 and also my sister, Maureen; brother-in-law, Ron and 2 nephews, Spencer and Thomas. Had a delicious dinner of homemade clam chowder, oysters, clams, and huge crab legs. Delicious seafood! Enjoyed an after dinner cosmopolitan and martinis.

Tuesday, October 26 - Day 54

Went to the Pilgrim Monument and climbed it to the top. The monument commemorates the first landing of the Mayflower Pilgrims in Provincetown on November 21, 1620. It is the tallest all-granite structure in the US with a height of 252 feet 7 1/2 inches. There was a good view of the harbor.

We worked our way down the coast after we stopped in the Province Lands Visitor Center, which will be closing for the season next week. Drove over to the Highland Light (Cape Cod Light) along the National Seashore and took the sketching pads. Dave found a place where we could walk on the beach and that's what I did most of the time, picking up smooth rocks, while he was sketching. The water was cold but it was the ocean in October! There were a few seals frolicking off the coast and were fun to watch. There was one who had what looked like a fish in its mouth.

Found the Wicked Oyster restaurant in Wellfleet but it was closed for the season. That was pretty common for this time of year. We ended up finding Bookstore and Restaurant in Wellfleet and were able to get excellent oysters. We got 6 on the 1/2 shell with cocktail sauce on the side and we split an oyster Po'boy sandwich - fried oysters on a bun with lettuce. Delicious. We missed the Oyster Fest by about a week and a half.

Continued down the Cape to Nauset Lighthouse and beach. The beam from this light can be seen from twenty three miles at sea. In November 1996, the lighthouse was moved back 323 feet from the cliffs. It had been only 32 feet from the eroding edge. We spoke to some people who were present when they were moving it. As we were heading out we saw an information board that mentioned the "3 sisters" lighthouses. "The trio of lights provided a landmark for sailors making their way along Outer Cape from 1838 to 1911. Changing lighthouse technology and the steady erosion of the Nauset cliffs eventually forced the removal off the lights from their post. They were reunited here in 1989 - a rare surviving example of a triple lighthouse configuration."

Further down we visited Chatham lighthouse which is one of a pair of identical lighthouses, the other one was moved and is no the Nauset Beach Light. The beam from this light can be seen 28 miles at sea. There were lots of seals on a spit of land out in the harbor and they were difficult to see even with binoculars. The fog started rolling in so we decided to head toward Falmouth. Along the way we stopped for ice cream. As we drove through Harwich, we saw a sign for a scallop festival. Made it to Falmouth and drove down to Woods Hole where the National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is located. They have research facilities and the Atlantis - a research vessel.

We are staying at the Inn on the Square and went to The Quarterdeck for dinner and we each had 6 oysters on the 1/2 shell and I got a seafood platter with oysters, shrimp, scallops and fish. Dave had fried oysters. No room for dessert.

I have a feeling we will be visiting the Cape sometime in the future!

We will travel to Oxford, MA tomorrow to visit my brother and his family and then to see my sister and her family in Leominster, MA.

Monday, October 25 - Day 53

Leisurely got up and left New London. We took an alternate route instead of taking Route 95 into Providence, RI as President Obama was going to be there today. We made it to Provincetown, MA (Cape Cod) via Route 6. We drove right here and will work our way back toward the mainland tomorrow, nibbling on oysters, ice cream, crab cakes, and whatever else might strike our fancy. We got good recommendations from the family on where to eat, sleep, site see. It seems the common theme was the ice cream shops and good places for oysters. Maybe we could do some research and write reviews on ice cream shops on the Cape so we can continue our trip with funding from our followers. (HAHA) Hey - you never know!

We are staying at the Surfside Hotel and Suites on Commercial Street on the bay side. We found the library per Joan's recommendation as there is a 1/2 scale model of the Rose Dorothea, a sailing schooner that won many sailing races and the model was 73 feet long and two stories high - the largest model ship in the world. We walked along Commercial Street and Dave noticed a restaurant that was offering a special for a Kobe beef burger. We ate early at 3 pm. I had a lobster roll which was all lobster meat. It was great. Dave didn't think his burger tasted any better than good Angus beef. Continued walking along the pier and saw lots of fishing boats. Walked along the beach where I made my own "footprints in the sand." I put my feet in the ocean and it was chilly. As I was walking along, Dave got my attention to let me know there were seals close to shore. I thought maybe we would see a shark - but no luck.

We saw the Herring Cove lighthouse from a distance and will have to visit more of them tomorrow. Maybe I will find a new favorite one.

Came back to the room and sat outside on the little porch. It was getting windy but still nice to be by the water.

Sunday, October 24 - Day 52

Well, as is the theme for this trip, our plans have changed yet again. We have decided that we will go to Cape Cod as it is just a couple hours from here. Neither of us have been there and thought it would be a perfect time to go when there wouldn't be a lot of tourists. Joan and Larry and my brother have pointed us in the right direction for hotels, beaches, sites and food. I am looking forward to it.

Met my nephew, Gordon and Aunt Terry at Foxwood's Casino where Gordon works as a host in one of the restaurants. We enjoyed a nice breakfast but didn't gamble. Back to Joan and Larry's for a relaxing afternoon and visiting with Terry and Gordon. My brother, Jerry and his family couldn't make it down due to him having to work but I was able to connect with my brother Paul and his family for a little while. It was nice to see them again.

Dinner tonight was chili dogs and salad and a delicious apple/rhubarb crisp.

Will head out for the Cape around 9 am to avoid morning rush hour traffic.

Saturday, October 23 - Day 51

Eight weeks and 1 day into our journey. It is slowly coming to a close but we are going to enjoy every last minute of it!

After running through the options for entertainment it was decided that we would go to Mystic Seaport in Mystic, CT. What a wonderful location on the water with the trees glowing with their fall colors. There was a crispness in the air and the sun was out. It was a beautiful day to be outside.

"Mystic Seaport, founded in 1929 actively pursues the collection, preservation and exhibition of artifacts and skills related to maritime history and its influence on American life. Maritime collections, watercraft and buildings have been brought here to provide you with a view of life in New England's small coastal communities as they developed in a rapidly industrializing 19th century."

While at the Seaport there were many opportunities to watch demonstrations, listen to music, learn about tugboats, see the restoration of an old whaling ship. We listened to a cooper who described how barrels were made that could hold whale oil or whiskey, Dave and Larry were able to use a remote control to steer a small tugboat attached to a freighter that weighed about 1,000 pounds, man overboard drill. We boarded the ship Charles W. Morgan to see the restoration in progress for this wonderful old whaling ship. The chapel was the site for some sea shanties and pirate songs. Each year here they have a 24 hour reading of Moby Dick.

We enjoyed a lunch of salad, crab cakes and soups at Latitude 41.

Attended mass at Connecticut College chapel which reminds me of St. Lawrence University's Gunnison chapel. The priest was Father Larry and he had a great sense of humor.

Dinner was at Singapore Sushi. It was delicious with different sushi rolls and shashimi to include Fuzzy Lady, Rainbow roll, firecracker roll, dragon roll. It all was delicious. As we were driving back to their house the full moon was out and it was very bright. We sat down by the water and watched as the moon shine reflected in the river and listened to the water as it came ashore. A great end to a great day! Thanks Joan and Larry!