Plymouth or as it was called Plimoth

Plymouth

I played tourist today.  Went to see Plimoth Rock, which isn't really 'the rock'.  In the 1800's they decided it must have been close enough and moved it to it's present location.  It cracked when they moved it and had to patch it up.. So began a day of displacing myths with more honesty. 

The home of  Plimoth Rock

                                               The literally mythical Rock

When I saw the replica of the Mayflower floating in the bay I had to go on. It would have been cramped but there were large chests all around the edges of the living quarters filled with family treasures, good china, prized pieces of furniture, big double beds.

A replication of the Mayflower

                The sailors did not fare so well although they all got the same things to eat.

The next stop was a tribute to the tribal chief of the Wampanoag who saved the pilgrims from starvation their first year and taught them how to survive. Today his descendents observe a national day of mourning on Thanksgiving. 

I stopped at the Grist Mill to see how corn is ground and at the art gallery to see the annual competition for local artists, of which there are many.  

                                                 The Grist Mill.  I liked it.                                          

From there I went to Plimoth Village to see both an Indian village and the 1690's village with all the people in character.  The first myth to be challenged was that the pilgrims weren't poor and didn't come for religious reasons.  They had enough money to pay their fare plus buy shares in the company sponsoring the venture on the promise that they would get 100 acres per share and most bought 5 shard.  In England at the time the best even middle class people could ever hope for was 20 acres. what struck me about this village compared to prairie reconstructions was the huge number of fences and high ones at that. I asked one of the 'pilgrims' about why they did it and he said 'Because God loves order".  Made me laugh. I had a great day learning and it was refreshing to be getting stories that didn't seem white washed. 

A Bleek Welcome and Such a Weak Fort

Fences every where

He was barely tolerating me.

 God loves order and so does he

The weavings in the village were beautiful and complex in design and materials. Many from the tribe could speak multiple language because the Spanish, the Dutch and Germans were all coming to trade.

When I got home I took out most of my things and parked Strider in his storage place. We still have work to do but I think this will truly be our last adventure this fall. I leave for Washington in the morning and won't have the computer so no more posts until next weekend. 

 This was engraved on a resting bench.  It suits my spirit especially when my little Quinn is so happy to have me back and so are her Mom and Dad.

Cape Cod

Cape Cod

Strider and I are on the road again.  I am rejuvenated, the family is working or going to school.  I decided it would be a beautiful time to be in Cape Cod, trees are turning, crowds are gone, weather is great.  

The cottages look just like in pictures or the movies except a lot of them are close together.  The one’s with lots of space are pretty fancy in an understated New England type of way.  It is easy to imagine what it was like many years ago before they paved the roads and it became so developed.  I am staying at a perfect small hotel midway up on the Cape at Dennisport. There is a bike trail built on an old rail line that goes through the middle of the peninsula from this area to the tip at P Town.  The trouble is that to get to the trail you have to ride on narrow roads.  Their idea of a bike route is to mark a white line about 8 inches from the edge of the road, no shoulders.  However once I got there the trail you could just fly along in the woods.

                                                                 The Rail Trail

The vines on the trees are colourful but a menace

Afterwards I drove to Chatham, walked the beaches and the dunes with hardly anyone around.  Who knew that the Pilgrims were headed for the mouth of the Hudson river (where New York now is) before almost getting ship wrecked in a storm off the coast of Chatham. They turned around and took shelter in what would become P Town for a few months before sailing across the bay and settling in Plymouth. That’s the history lesson for the day. 

It's all about the grass to keep the system stable

Unless it's about the fish

                                                              Or the eccentrics

                                                                 Or the lighthouses

From my hotel at sunset

Cape Cod Day 2

This morning I was glad to be indoors. A big thunderstorm came through lasting about two hours.  The thunder was really loud, high winds and rain came down in sheets.  It was good to watch from the safety of my room and gave me time to write and add pictures for this.  The storm was over by noon and the sun came out as if nothing had happened. 

I had planned to work my way up to P Town stopping in at several places along the Cape Cod National Sea Shore. The storm set me back and I had a big lesson in pacing myself for the time I have.  I started out well when I found the Salt Pond Visitors Centre and got orientated by the park ranges. There was a beautiful bike trail that skirted the pond, went through forests, salt marshes and ended at the beach next to an old coast guard house. The beach was great, hardly anyone around. I met a group of mother/daughters who asked me to take their picture. They were asking questions about the park and I said, didn't know, wasn't from around here. They asked where I was from, I said Canada and  they went on and on about how nice I was and how everyone in Canada was so nice. I guess they hadn't heard of Stephen Harper.  

By the time I got back to the van I was behind time and decided to go straight up to P Town. Big mistake, it wouldn't be a long way on the prairies but here with narrow roads, lots of development, construction and Friday afternoon traffic it was so slow I finally gave up, turned around and started back. I stopped at the the Nickerson State Park, found it would have been a great place to camp but too little too late. It did get me off the main road and I dipsy doodled my way back to Chatham to watch the fishing boats come in and sell their fish to commercial buyers. There was a fish market that regular people came to buy for their dinner. I picked up chowder and a lobster roll, which was out of season and consequently incredibly expensive. 

By the time I got home I felt like I had spent way too much time  driving.  would have done better just exploring the part of the park closer to home. Live and learn. 

Pawtuckaway and Chelmsford

October 7 Pawtuckaway State Park

What an amazing day it has been.  I got an early start this morning shooting the mist on the water then headed out on the Kangamangus.  It is New Hampshire’s version of  our Icefield Parkway only with high hills covered in color rather than snow.  On a map it is only a 2 hour drive but after that time I hadn’t made it a quarter of the way.  There are pull outs everywhere and each of them worth a stop.  It was a beautiful warm day and the colours were at their peak, in fact the trees on the top of the highest ridges had already lost most of their leaves.  The traffic was ok but this weekend it will be bumper to bumper.  I am grateful I could do it now.  After reaching the summit it is a long coast down for what feels like forever.  The trees on either side hug the road and created a warm filter.  My trusty sunglasses just made the natural colours look garish.

I met up with Chris and Quin at her dentist’s near lake Winnipesaukee. So happy to see them.  After her check up he guided me to his favourite campground and it is so beautiful it is going to be my favourite as well.  We checked in, set up Strider then went to dinner in town.  Afterwards Chris drove me back to the park.  I think he wanted to make sure I was set up ‘proper’.   He prepared hot chocolate and the three of us sat on the edge of the lake watched the stars come out and made wishes.  A perfect end to a wonderful day. 

Day 2

Was just as good.  I continue my winning problem solving streak.  In the big storm the bicycle chain got wet and rusty.  I have been worried about whether I could ride with it like that.  I remembered my high tech lithium spray and tried it on the chain.  It worked perfectly.  I went for a long bike ride through the park.  It was great biking weather sunny, perfect temperature, lots of ups and downs.  I stopped in at the office to pay for another night and they told me about a place that rents kayaks and will deliver and pick up to my site.  I called and sure enough they would do it for $50.  While I waited I thought I would try the Lithium spray on the duct tape residue and it worked tickety boo.  I finished just as the kayak 
arrived.

The guy delivering it has a son in Alberta and a sad story to go with it.  He was very sweet and helpful.  I thought I would just go around the islands in my bay but it felt so easy I went under the bridge and paddled around the islands in the next two coves.  It was so smooth and effortless I almost forgot how to find my way back home.  I stopped for half an hour for tea then went out again until til dusk. I saw Cormorants, an Osprey and two loons who weren’t at all afraid and came quite close to my kayak.  There were several other kayakers and all of us happy to be out on the water.  After I got back I went for a walk to find sunset shots and stay warm. When the sun goes down it cools off quickly.  Not wanting to miss a moment of my last night on this part of my trip in the van I wrapped myself up in my down quilt, sat beside the lake and watched the stars come out. 

October 9 Chelmsford

Last night was cold and this morning was dull and misty. As I left it started to sprinkle by the time I got onto the I95 it was raining and got so bad I could hardly see the car ahead of me.  If I needed a sign that this stage of the trip was up this was it.  I took the first exit to an outlet shopping centre and waited out the weather. When I pulled into the drive I was so glad to be home with my family. 

I can hardly believe it has been six weeks since Strider and I set out together.  He has done well by me.  We have put on almost 9,000 km, definitely not as the crow flies.  He needs a good cleaning, check up and oil change.  We will winterize him before being put to rest in a safe place until the spring. 

I won’t be posting while I am with the family.  I am going to Cape Cod for a couple of days and will post images then and again when I’m in Washington DC learning how government works (or doesn’t). I think it will be a really interesting time to be there. 

Chris, Amy and Quin

Chocorua Day 2

It was a beautiful misty morning and I almost missed it. I decided on a non driving spa day for Strider and me.  We both got cleaned and spiffed up. I took off the tacky duct tape and figured out how to fix the broken latch on the batteries container then pleased with myself sat on the beach and read in the afternoon sun. I found a map of the trail system and went back into the forest.  Earlier today they were filling the gullys left from the storm so it was easier to make my way. I was back in time to sit on the dock and watch the sky darken into night. A good end to a restful day. 

Sunrise on the pond

Path Repair

Day's end in the forest

Chocorua New Hampshire

 Chocorua

After a late breakfast I went into Freeport to check out LL Bean. It was amazing, the perfect tasteful New England shopping complex.  There are 5 separate stores specializing in bicycles/kyaking, clothes, camping, home furnishings (who knew) and an outlet store. They are open 24/7 every day of the year and have no locks on the doors, the handles of which are paddles.  There are also lots of other stores like North Face, Patagonia, J Crew, and trendy restaurants. I wanted to buy some things but no one had what I needed. How weird.  Everything is in a 3-4 block grid with waterfalls, sculptures and great landscaping. I wish I had taken pictures. I did come upon a chocolate factory on my way out of town and bought ginger dipped chocolates to help cure my cold.

Then I made the big mistake! I had been told by several people that the biggest fair in New England was on in Freyburg and that I should take it in. I somehow envisioned something like Topsville, the oldest fair in New England.  Not a chance.  This was huge, once you were on the road to it there was no way to get off.  The cars inched their way along looking for a place to park. Every house within miles had turned their yard into a parking lot and on a Monday of a work week the place was packed. The conveyor belt I was on went right past the fairgrounds.  There was every conceivable fried food, candy, rides, and wall to wall people. When I finally got to where the traffic lightened up I asked a volunteer how to get to the road to take me to the Big Whites he said I had to turn around and go back the way I came.

After I got over being beside myself I had a good time people watching as I crawled back to the right highway. The best part of the day was driving through the fall colours. They are really starting to happen now. Tonight I am at a nice KOA with 5 miles of trails. I started out on them tonight but chickened out after twisting my ankle a couple of times on unseen cracks in the trail and worrying about how I would get back if I really injured myself.