Massachusetts to New York

Decided we needed a break from the crazy drivers in Boston so made our way to the calmer climes back in Vermont.  Crossing back into New Hampshire we stopped at the Andres Institute of Art and went for a walk through the sculpture park there.  Some of the sculptures there are just plain weird, others just regular weird and a lot of others just right.  Of course, it’s a personal thing.



We Are One Together

Sue & Jean posing at Inherent Conversation
(but we were a bit too knackered to actually have one)

This one is called Upheaval and reminds me of the critters
from the film Tremors that starred Kevin Bacon

Stopped for lunch at Parker’s Maple Barn in Mason.  Mason is a tiny place

Parker's Maple Barn all decked
out in autumn colours

in the middle of nowhere and it was jam-packed with people.  Clearly a good sign.  And it was.  It started with the car park – ample room for the RV then there was the food.  It was delicious.  Maple ribs go down as a winner in my books.

When we left Mason we continued north to Greenfield before turning east and travelling into Vermont.  At Greenfield some local farmers have made a trebuchet primarily for taking part in competitions to see who can chuck pumpkins the furthest.  Sadly we didn’t get to see the Yankee Siege Trebuchet in action but have no doubt it can chuck a pumpkin half a mile (actually my imagination sends it further and it ain’t pumpkins its sending but you don’t need to hear more about that).

Yankee Siege Trebuchet - our inner 10 year olds were
disappointed not to see it in action

I know lots of people that would have fun with this giant mace

As we headed into Vermont we noticed that the colour started disappearing and the trees were becoming bare.  Not really surprising as were climbing into the Green Mountains.  We had planned to go hiking in Vermont but we are fair weather hikers and it rained and rained and rained.  Every time we got rugged up to go out it rained … true story. 

As soon as we left the mountains the colour came back into the trees.  It didn’t appear to be as vibrant as the previous couple of weeks but lovely to see all the same.  The rain was holding off so we stopped off in Adams (we’re back in Massachusetts) and went for a walk on the Ashuwillticook Trail.  The trail is along an old railway line and runs south for 11 miles to Pittsfield and of course we didn’t do anywhere near that.  Just enough to blow the cobwebs out.  The foliage was just lovely and the locals friendly.

Ashuwillticook Trail

The gorgeous
Bridge of Flowers

A bit further on from Adams is the town of Shelburne Falls that has converted the old trolley bridge into a pedestrian bridge covered in flowers.  A word of warning for those towing RV’s – don’t trust your GPS.  The first road our GPS tried taking us down had a 9’9 overpass (we’re 12’8).  Once we were in the town it tried taking us over the bridge that had clearance of 10’9.  Won’t be leaving that way.  Checked out the side streets for going round the block – 12’8.  Just as we beginning to think we’d have to do a 30 point turn in these narrow streets to get out of

this town we spotted a car park.  That was merely a 2 point turn and, as we now found ourselves in a car park, parked the RV and walked back into the town and over the bridge.  The garden was initially set up back in 1928, fell into disrepair and was reconstructed in the 1980’s. The dahlias are quite beautiful at this time of year.  Would love to see the bridge in the spring time.

Beeswax candles being made
in the museum

Our next stop was at South Deerfield where we had hopes of seeing the world’s largest candle.  This we did but it was overshadowed by the store that surrounded it.  If you’ve never been to Yankee Candles you just haven’t lived.  What an amazing place.  Entering through the museum was probably a good thing – we’d never have gotten back to it if we started in the shop. 

World's Largest Candle - would
burn for 7 years once lit (that's
a lot of candlelight dinners)

Arriving late in the day was also a good thing as we could’ve easily spent several hours in the store.  No mean feat for two non-shoppers.   Pretty much any scent you can think of is covered including 2 of my favourites, beer and bacon.  The bacon smelt delicious, the beer smelt like slops on a hotel floor the morning after a big night.  Several themed gift shops but of course, the predominant item is candles.  Thousands of them.  I know I’ve already said this, but what an amazing place.

Stopped in Springfield overnight (thanks Walmart yet again for your hospitality).  Located the Springfield Museums and, in this busy part of town, managed to find four car parks together within a couple of blocks.  What other crazy people take RV’s into downtown areas?  The art and science and natural history museums are all closed on Monday.  This being a Monday we had to satisfy ourselves with a memorial garden dedicated to Theodor Seuss Geisel, a man more commonly known as Dr Seuss.  We were more than happy to get re-acquainted with The Cat in the Hat, The Grinch, Sam-I-Am and others.



Jean in the story tellers seat with an aptly titled book
"Oh The Places You'll Go"

Sam I Am with his Green Eggs & Ham
(actually the ham looks pretty green as well don't you think?)

Made our way to the south of Boston where we were planning to park up for a few nights and explore Cape Cod and Rhode Island.  On the way we saw a couple of architectural delights, Bancroft Tower in Worcester and a replica Irish Round Tower in Milford.  Bancroft Tower appears to be missing a castle and the round tower is missing its ladder (hope the defenders aren’t still holed up inside).

Bancroft Tower complete with romantic couple out front

Replica Irish Tower

Told you it was massive (can you
even see us in the photo)

Spent a day in Plymouth soaking up the pilgrim history of the place.  Stopped off at the National Monument of the Forefathers, a massive tribute to the first settlers that was built in 1905.  From there we dropped down to the foreshore and went aboard the Mayflower II, a working replica of the original Mayflower

Over 100 passengers and
30 crew were on the original
- looks way too tiny for
that number of people

and one of the Plimoth Plantation attractions.  It’s decked out 1700’s style with museum staff in period costume telling stories of their voyage.  It was sailed from England to the US back in 1957 and is still taken out from time to time.

We walked around Plymouth taking in the sights including Plymouth Rock.  The jury is out as to whether it is the original as it wasn’t commemorated until about 100 years later but it is a focal point and has the year stamped into it and has pride of place on the foreshore.

This rock won't be floating off with the tide any time soon

We then headed out to Plimoth Plantation where they have a Wampanoag homesite complete with locals dressed in period costume who are happy to talk to you about life back when the first settlers arrived and life today.  There is also a 17C English village also complete with locals in period costume but these ones role play as 1627 residents, 7 years after the landing.  A bit tricky when they ask where we are from as our ancestors hadn’t discovered New Zealand yet and there’s no way these dudes would have heard of Aotearoa.  Still, we had fun yarning with them.

Making a canoe by using fire to burn out the inside of a log

Bark covered dwelling for winter - smaller summer dwellings were covered in reeds

17C English village - US version

The next day we were promised rain, rain and more rain which we got in

No building is complete
without a roof dragon

bucketloads.  Decided hiking and scenic vistas were off the menu so went for a day trip over to Rhode Island where the attractions we had planned to see didn’t involve much of the great outdoors.  Unfortunately half of them had closed for the season.  We’re now back to our pre-summer hit and miss schedule. 

Hachiko the Faithful Dog,
famous story in Japan, made
into a movie in the US at this
railroad station in
Woonsocket, RI

Ah well, at least we can save some of our tourist dollars.  We finished the day at a glass museum at Sandwich.  Not in the same league as the museum at Corning but well worth the visit.  In hindsight though, should have passed on the glass blowing (which we saw twice at Corning) and spent more time in the museum.  There were so many interesting things to see and read about.  I know!  In a glass museum!  Who would’ve thought.

Very few of these glass money banks have survived,
probably due to them having to be smashed to get
your money out

Canary yellow glass has uranium in it - this photo taken with flash

They fairly glow under a black light - this photo taken without flash

Not as much rain forecast for the next day so we headed for a scenic trip out to Provincetown at the end of Cape Cod.  Unfortunately by the time we finished our lunch the rain had kicked in again and the views from the top of the Pilgrim Monument were virtually non-existent.  The walk up and down ended up as our fitness for the day.  A quick coffee then we headed back to the camp in the wind and the rain.

Pilgrim Monument at Provincetown

Looking down the stairwell

More rain forecast so instead of a day trip to Martha’s Vineyard we headed to our fall back destination of Rhode Island.  Bested again by the ol’ closed for the season gig around Little Compton but found Newport a great place to wander through.  Mansions galore and speccy scenery.  Even a tower that is believed to have been built by Vikings.  Or by any of the following ancients:  Chinese, English, Portuguese, Knights Templar, Early colonists.  More than likely it was a folly put up in the 1800’s but who are we to judge or condemn.  If they want to pass the tower off as Viking masonry I’m good with that.

One of the many mansions in Newport

... and another

Viking Tower at Newport

No rain on our day trip to Martha’s Vineyard.  In fact we had plenty of sunshine.  Yay!  First stop of course was lunch.  The fact that it was at the Black Dog Tavern was pure coincidence although the beer we washed down

Black Dog Tavern -
great spot for lunch

our lunch with was pure indulgence.  After lunch we hired a taxi to take us on a bit of a tour of the island.  Went to Edgartown where we saw some charming New England styled houses and the tiny Chappaquiddick Ferry.  In Oak Bluff a lot of the houses are colourful and styled as Gingerbread Cottages.  Such a contrast between the two towns.  Back at Vineyard Haven we went walking around the town for a couple of hours until the ferry arrived to take us back to the mainland. 

Edgartown houses can only be natural cedar or white painted clapboard
- this house has both bases covered

Two large or three small cars max on the
Chappaquiddick Ferry - no room for our RV

The houses at Oak Bluffs are so much more colourful

Time to leave Massachusetts and head westwards.  Rhode Island is such a tiny state.  Took us a whole 45 minutes to cross from east to west and that wasn’t even in a straight line.  Followed the coastline of Connecticut for a few miles before heading northwest to the Gillette Castle State Park.  Build by actor William Gillette (he was most famous for playing Sherlock Holmes with the cape, deerstalker and pipe) in the early 1900’s it was brought by the State on his demise who turned the whole area into a State Park.  The castle is closed for the season but people are most welcome to walk the grounds which we duly did.  Gillette had a scale model railway running through his property so we walked part of the track even finding the old tunnel.  No graffiti on this one.  Spent the grand total of 1 night in Connecticut before heading back into New York.

Gillette Castle

Jean & Sue at the pint-sized rail tunnel

Yep, still autumn

Stopped off at the World’s Longest and Highest Elevated Pedestrian bridge in Highland crossing the Hudson River.  It was originally a rail bridge but, after a fire in the 1970’s, was re-purposed as a pedestrian bridge which worked out cheaper than demolition.  Apparently it is the strongest structure across the Hudson which makes me a tad nervous with a couple of bridge crossings coming up.  We did the bridge crossing on a Monday along with every man and his dog (why aren’t they at school or work?).  There’s an elevator to take you down to a small park at the bottom – 21 storeys down. 

Bridge on the Hudson River Rail Trail
- so high up you can't see the hundreds of people on it

The elevator is a recent addition

Finding somewhere to camp close to New York city at a price we’re prepared to pay and all the services we require (showers, laundry and WiFi) was a time-consuming task.  We were hoping to be in Sleepy Hollow (such a cool name) for Halloween but it’s not to be.  We’re a little ways north of Sleepy Hollow but close to the train that will take us into Grand Central Station. 

Our first day trip turned into a bit of a marathon (rather Ironic with the NY Marathon scheduled for Sunday).  We didn’t take the train but drove to Long Island.  All the way to the lighthouse at the end.  Once we’d got so far along the island we just thought we may as well do the job completely.  Long Island isn’t a small island but we were wondering where all the traffic was coming from and, more importantly, will it be done by the time we head back to camp.  Short answer: Who can tell and NO!  Once we finally got off Long Island it was plain sailing but, Wow!, what a mission.  No wonder we drink so much beer (and wine and moonshine and Tennessee Fire and … )

Nikola Tesla behind bars and barbed wire - his old laboratory
on Long Island was contaminated in subsequent years however
his supporters hope to turn the site into a museum
once it's cleaned up

Montauk Point Lighthouse at the end of Long Island ... just like
this photo is at the end of this post