Aug 25th and 26th, Boston to Saint John NB

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It was a real treat to be in a home instead of a hotel and Bob and Marge provided some wonderful  home cooked meals of steak and lobster. (Eat your Hearts out!)

The volunteer is trying to stop me taking this picture. Oh Oh too late!



 After a leisurely breakfast they took us to Salem, where we went to the Peabody Essex Museum of Art. I especially enjoyed the display of very large canvases of American artists and was amazed that such large canvases could be done in such meticulous detail.

Bob and Marge coming out of the Museum and a Revere Bell-left corner

Then we had lunch and left Salem, seeing some witches and the Witch Museum on the way home.



Bob returning from a short drive in the MGA

We have been watching "Irene" very carefully for the last few days, and decided that it would be prudent to leave Boston a day early and get in front of the storm, to an area where it's power will be diminishing. Our cousins were fully expecting to lose power and possibly have some trees down in their yard. It seemed our best bet would be to head for the Maritimes as the brunt of the storm was to hit northwest of Boston. We had two nice days travelling the 450 miles to Saint John NB. On the way we stopped at some outlet malls in Kittery and Ellsworth to do some shopping. The first day to Bangor was mainly big highways but the second day we took Hwy 1 and 1A along the coast.

It is an area of green rolling hills, forests, lakes and ocean inlets. The road is winding and mainly in good shape so the MG was happy. It is dotted with quaint villages, some established in the 1700's and 1800's. It seems to be an artists' paradise, as we saw many art galleries, sculpture and pottery studios. It also seems to be a mecca for antiques. 

Just across the border into Canada, the town of St. Stephens was celebrating a visit from the Stanley Cup. It is travelling around to all the home towns of the team members and St. Stephens is the home of Don Sweeney. All the avid fans are lining up to have their pictures taken with the cup.

We found this covered bridge while exploring the historic village of St. George.

We are now at Chateau Saint John, a really nice hotel with underground parking, where we are waiting out the storm.

August 22nd, 23rd, 24th Cape Cod to Boston

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Lighthouse at the entrance to the harour
 as we landed in Nantucket

 

Nantucket - Up at 6AM to catch the 7:15 ferry so we would have lots of time on the island. Upon arrival, we rented a couple of scooters, and wobbled off to explore the back roads. Even with a map in hand we got off the main road and landed on some unpaved routes. However we did see a lot of the island, and most of us had a great time. Steve never did get comfortable driving the thing, blaming the extra weight on the back of the bike.



Built in 1850



 We went out to  a lovely old lighthouse, and a couple of the beaches at either end of the island.

We also buzzed around a couple of little villages, with cute cottages and past some really nice summer homes of the very wealthy. Then we had late afternoon snacks and a drink at a neat old pub and caught the 2 hour ferry back.



Sunset from the Ferry

On Tuesday we headed up the Cape Cod Penninsula, stopping at the site of the first Transatlantic wireless telegram sent by Marconi to the King of England from President Roosevelt Jan. 19th, 1903.  Then we stopped at the historic town of Truro and its beautiful lighthouse. Richard climbed to the top of the lighthouse to take pictures.

These are a couple of interesting street scenes in Provincetown at the very end of the penninsula. The main street was jammed with tourists so we didn't see as many of the locals as we had expected.

This is the Pilgrims Tower and Memorial dedicated to the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower Nov. 19th, 1620. The rest of Cape Cod is beautiful scenery, trees and sand dunes with lots of summer homes and cottages in the lovely Cape Cod style.  Next we drove to Plymouth for the night, and around 2PM the earthquake hit which we probably just thought was a bumpy road.





Plymouth Rock

In the morning we parted ways again, Richard and Linde heading back to Hyannis to the Toad Hall car museum. and S & S going to see the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock. This is actually just the top of the rock as the Pilgrims moved it and then moved it back again.




This is the under deck area where the Pilgrims spent most of their time and slept on very tiny platforms. There are several people in period costume on the ship to tell visitors what life was like on board and how the ship worked. This ship is a replica that was built exact in every detail to the original, and sailed from Britain to Plymouth without any support vessels.

From there we headed to Lexington, northwest of Boston to visit cousins, Bob and Marge.

August 19th, 20th and 21st

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On Friday morning the two cars went their separate ways again so Richard and Linde could go to Dulles Airport to see the Air and Space Museum there. The one in Washington Mall was too small for all the exhibits the Smithsonian had to display.



One of the Lakes



Flowstone



Steve and I proceeded to Pennsilvania Amish area through some nice back roads and on the way, happened upon the Indian Echo Caverns. Stunning! Awesome! Beautiful! are the words that come to mind. Geological wonders greeted us at every turn! Huge stalactites and stalagmites, millions of years old as well as infant examples, crystal lakes, flowstone, and varied colors and sparkles were everywhere. We heard from our guide about the people who lived there; the first natives who used the caverns as a refrigerator (they are a constant 50 degrees all year) but had no written language so left no wall writings, then the Apaches who left extensive cave pictures, then 'graffiti' of early settlers who discovered the caves, and then the Pennsilvania Hermit who lived there for 19 years, until his death in 1821.

From there we continued on to Hershey, which has now become a theme park with about a half dozen roller coasters, outlet malls and other tourist attractions. The street lights are still shaped like Hersey kisses, but the whole area was unrecognizable from the last time we were here.

The Amish area is still the same, lovely rolling hills, large neat farms, clean cows, and stone houses. The little towns are filled with quaint old buildings, candle factories, quilt shops, bakeries, and shops. Hey! Why shouldn't the Amish take advantage of all the people who come to gawk at them. 



We arrived in Fairfield, New Jersey very late, cold, wet, and hungry. 

Saturday the 20th, was a day of heavy traffic and busy highways, but at least no rain. The only exciting thing was crossing the Hudson River via the Tappan Zee Bridge.

The Hudson River is the State Line between New Jersey and New York, and then on through New York State and into Connecticut to East New Haven. We arrived at our hotel early afternoon, so were able to work on the blog. We had both lunch and dinner at a neat restaurant that specilized in dessert, so dinner was a bowl of soup and a fabulous dessert.

Sunday the 21st, was a much better day; not so much traffic, some nice back roads, and we avoided the hailstorms that were forcast. We stopped in Newport to check out some of the historic sites. The beautiful architecture of the historic buildings has been preserved, the streets are lined with big old trees and lovely restored homes. Also the oldest synagogue in the United States is located here. We were very lucky to arrive when we did, as we wanted to see the inside of it, and they were getting ready for the governor to come and do some important ceremony. We 'sweet talked' the gentleman guarding the parking lot to let us leave our car there so we could get a peek. We got to look inside just before they locked it all up and set up security for the governor's arrival.



Touro Synagogue - 1763

We are now in Hyannis, waiting for Linde and Richard to arrive. Tomorrow we plan to go to Nantucket, providing the weather cooperates.

Aug 16th,17th,18th Washington, DC

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Richard pointing out the tunnels end





We left Virginia Beach and proceeded into Maryland via the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, an amazing feat of engineering consisting of causeways, bridges and two tunnels crossing about seven miles of water. 

One of the double bridges



The first day in Washington we figured out the Metro System and took it downtown to catch the hop on, hop off trolley around the Capital Mall. Here we stopped at Arlington Cemetery, where we watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Very, very formal and moving!!! Interred here are an unknown from WWI, WWII, and Korea. The unknown from Vietnam was removed when his remains were identified in 1998 by DNA.

The Tomb is set in a Roman Amphitheatre and has a view of the Washington Mall and Capital Hill.

We've all seen this monument in pictures and movies, but seeing it in person somehow illicits an emotional response of awe and respect. We listened to a very articulate and knowledgable ranger telling us about different aspects of the monument. Lincoln is depited with one hand closed, symbolizing his strength, and the other open, symbolizing his willingness to forgive, specifically the South. Two murals high on the wall inside the monument, depict his two greatest acheivements, freeing the slaves, and bringing the North and South together. Below the murals are his two most famous speaches, his inaugural address and the Gettysburg address.






We then went to the Vietnam Monument; this statue is nearby, "Returning from Patrol". There was a group of Vets being brought in wheelchairs to see the Monument that day and Richard heard one say: "I wonder how they got that picture, we were never allowed to take our helmets off." We then got on the Trolley to see the Ford Theatre where President Lincoln was shot. And then on to Union Station, where we had dinner and then back to the hotel, tired and foot sore.





This is the house accross the street from the theatre, where Lincoln was taken, to die the next day. They did not take him any further as they knew, as did he, that his wound was mortal. 

The third day in Washington, we all took the Metro to the Mall again and went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. There is so much to see here from Space travel, to the Wright brothers, to planes used in all the wars and the stories of the men who flew them. One exhibit I found especially moving was videos of veterans talking about how they won their Medal of Honor. Another interesting exhibit was walking though a Space Lab to see how people live and work in Space. 

 From there we split up so each couple could focus on different interests. Steve and I walked across the Mall to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Again there is so much to see here that we had to choose what we were most interested in, as to see everything would take a whole day. 



Then we went to the Holocaust Memorial Museum and saw a very interesting exhibit on the use of propaganda by the Nazis from the early 1930's to the end of the war. We took so long in there it was closing by the time we got to any of the other exhibits.

On the trolley back to the Metro station we saw the Canadian Embassy, which has a place of honor in Washington because of our help to the Americans in one of their wars, sorry I can't remember which. Anyway it is the only embassy between Capital Hill and the White House. 







August 14 and 15th

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Before leaving Havelock this morning,we decided the top needed to go up. Thank goodness we did. Another major thunderstorm attacked us on the way to the ferry at Cedar Island. Sort of cleared  a bit, and the two and half hour ferry ride to Cape Hatteras National Seashore and the North Carolina Outer Banks was great.Once off the ferry we stopped to look at the lighthouse in Ocracoke.A quick lunch and then started the drive north up the island. Another ferry, only forty minutes to Cape Hatteras Island. Put the top down again. Stopped at lighthouses at Cape Hatteras and Buxton.This island is where the  famed pirate, Blackbeard, operated for a long time, and was then killed here.

Lots of great birdlife and miles of pristine beaches.Finally got to Nags Head, where we spent the night.More rain!!!

Kitty Hawk was a few miles up the road. Of course,we had to see the place where the first powered flight took place.Very interesting and a well done memorial to the Wright brothers.

 

Drove up the island to Coralla to find out about seeing the wild horses there. These horses have managed to survive since the Spanish left them there in the late 1700's .All tours were booked up, so we headed off to Virginia Beach for the night and to meet up with Linde and Richard again.

Aug 11,12 &13th

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Most populated beach we've seen on this trip







Beach after a shark sighting





These pictures are from our balcony on Myrtle Beach, and in the day and a half we spent there, everyone was shooed out of the water for a shark sighting, 2 thunderstorms, and jellyfish being blown in. However we were able to get in the waves for some fun in between all that. I managed also to get a video of a lighteneng strike, which I have been trying for days. It's too long to put in the blog though. Steve's ear is getting better, so the rest did him good.

On the way to Havelock, NC, we were drenched by the worst downpour ever. The traffic was almost at a standstill, so we couldn't outrun  it. We took cover in a gas station, and wrung out our clothes, towels etc. and then proceeded to Havelock. We were drenched one more time before we arrived and then steamed in the sun till we got to the hotel. Don't feel much like a swim, though the pool looks nice. It's all part of the adventure, right!!!
We passed the 8000 mile mark today, it seemed like forever to get from 7000.
Tomorrow we plan to drive to Cape Hatteras on the Outer Banks, and stay at Naghead. Steve seems to have a thing about driving out in the ocean.

August 9th and 10th

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Sunrise at our hotel at Atlantic Beach

 

Pelicans and gull at St. John River Ferry



Back onto Hwy A1A and our last 30 miles in Forida. However, before we left we wanted to do a turn around Amelia Island to see Amelia Plantation Resort and Fernandina Beach. We took a ferry across the St John River where the Pelicans sit and clean themselves on the pilings and both sides of the landings. In between they dive into the river for a snack. Amelia Plantation is a super excusive resort set in a forest of huge oak trees hung with Spanish Moss. It is so spread out it has its own trolley to get to the spa, its own chapel, and the shopping area. The public is allowed in the shopping area, but not any where near the gated hotel itself. Fernadina Beach is a little holiday town, where every second house has a "For Sale" sign on it.Their claim to fame is the oldest bar in Florida and also the oldest hotel. The bar is closed so we only saw the outside and the hotel is now of course, guess. A restaurant!! Then we left the island and headed North to Savannah. We arrived dripping wet in sweat, it was so hot today, but at least where there's a breeze the wind is cooler than further South. This whole area is on red alert for thunder storms, and it is pouring and thundering here right now.

In the morning, we drove downtown and took a trolley tour of Savannah, getting off and on a few times, had lunch and then drove back to see the things we wanted to take a better look at.



This one is for Madison







Savannah is set out around city squares that are all lined up so that when you are in one square, you can see the next ones all around you. This made the city more defensible, as you could shoot from one square  to the next. Now they all have statues or monuments and huge Live Oaks with benches underneath to sit and enjoy the park.

One of the Victorian houses on a Square

 

 The house on the right is the Kehoe Mansion and all the painted work is made out of iron, as Mr.Kehoe was an iron manufacturer.

Oldest practicing Reform Congregation in the US - 1790
Synogogue was built in 1820

We stayed in Charleston and were treated to another huge thunderstorm, luckily after we were settled in our room. We didn't see much here but a Plantation and the Old Towne Landing, where a lot of history happened. Steve had an earache and wasn't feeling too much like walking around. We found a Doctor and got him some antibiotics, so hopefully he will feel better soon.



Sunset in Charleston



We are now in Myrtle Beach for a couple of days to relax, our hotel is right on the beach.