Coddiwomple Stardate 180723
We arrived in Boston 3.00pm. Then straight to an Uber to get us to our accommodation at Abercrombie Farrington Inn. The outside of the buildings looked well maintained. Inside was quite run down. Anything in the heart of Boston was going to cost from AU $1350 for 3 nights. We payed AU $490. We had our own room with shared bathroom. Boston was only US $2.75 each to get into the city all was good.
Sunday, we headed to Boston Common, a park in the centre of the city. The park dates back to 1634. Being the oldest city park in the USA. The history of the park over the years has had many uses. Public hangings up to 1817. Cattle & sheep grazing, Public burial. The bodies are still there, you just don't know where! Having been occupied by the British Redcoats, anti-slave protests during the civil war, anti-war protests during the Vietnam war and much more.
We decided to do a walking tour called the Freedom Trail. Our guide was a Mel Gibson look alike and sounded exactly like him. We started in the common then walked past where the old granary used to be, then the old granary cemetery est. 1660. Buried in the cemetery was John Hancock, first person to sign the Declaration of Independence, Samuel Adams & Robert Treat Paine who were other signatories.
We then also went to see where the Boston Massacre took place March 1770. It was a patriot mob attacking the British garrison. Only five people were killed but it was one of the greatest lead ups to the war of Independence.
Fun fact, the laws in the 17th century allowed you to beat your wife but only with a stick no thicker than your thumb. That is where “The Rule of Thumb” comes from.
After being reminded and paying our gratuities to the guide we then went for a walk through the markets, then onto Christopher Columbus Park. We walked back through random city streets. Boston is a little quieter & cleaner than NY. Where we stayed in Allston in the centre of the Universities, the streets are filled with rubbish. We also found not many friendly people.
Monday and it was a day in Salem. Sharon has always said she was a witch in a former life. So, we may as well spend time in the witch capital of the world.
We caught the commuter train to Salem. On the way, there was a heavy fog which added to the mystique of our venture. Once we arrived at the station, the first stop was at the Salem Witch Museum. It was an interactive show on the history of the Salem Witch Trials. There were over 150 men women & children accused of witchcraft. Nineteen were found guilty & hung. One was crushed to death by heavy rocks. There was no one truly guilty of witchcraft. It just came about from young bored teenage girls saying that they had been possessed by the devil & witches. They named some people and it just snowballed from there.
We walked to The House of the Seven Gables. Had no idea what this was about, it had the oldest building in the US still on the original land. The house was built in 1668. There were other buildings to look at also. The oldest building was from 1655. They moved the house to this land plot in 1924.
The back of the land was on the edge of the harbour with great views. We went on a guided tour of the house of the seven gables. It was a great tour going through many rooms decorated in period pieces. Also got to go up a hidden staircase.
The reason the house is well known is because of Nathaniel Hawthorne. He was the author who wrote “The Scarlett Letter” in 1850. In 1851 he wrote a fictional story about this house called “The House of the Seven Gables”. His cousin owned the house and he spent many hours there. The house does have seven gables.
Then it was just a wander through Salem. We both agreed we should have spent more time here. It was quiet, not much traffic, everywhere was clean and the people seemed friendly. It is probably the only city I have seen so far in the USA I could live in.
Tuesday and back on Amtrak for Portland, Maine. The train departure time was 1.05pm, by the time we departed the weather had turned bad and there was plenty of rain & lightning around Portland. The train signals had been affected by the lightning. We were late by an hour getting to Portland. Something which is typical about Amtrak & transportation in general throughout the USA. We have had no delays with all the flights we have taken in the US.
When we arrived in Portland at 4.30pm we grabbed our bags from the storage rack on the train. Both our bags were soak from a leak in the train. Sharon mentioned it to the conductor, but he wasn’t concerned. He just said what do you expect from something built in the 1960’s.
Once outside the terminal in Portland Maine we grabbed an Uber to take us to the car rental company. They closed at 6.00pm. We were concerned we would have been late to pick up the car. We had ordered a Hyundai Elantra or equivalent. There were none available. We were offered a beat-up small Nissan or for the same price a Ford Explorer with all the bells & whistles on it that was only 3 months old. That was a hard decision. Sharon has fallen in love with the Ford and won’t hand over the keys. We have hired four different types of cars since we have been here. The two cars we have enjoyed the most happen to be made in USA.
Wednesday, I didn’t really know were to go in Maine. I tried looking up things to do. Most things are all to do with Lobsters or Light Houses. Our main aim was to get to Mount Desert Island to have a look at our 14th NP called Acadia. This is North of Portland. After leaving our motel we turned onto I-295 and came across a toll road. After paying the toll we drove about 5 miles then another toll we had to pay. Already starting to detest Maine. After paying two tolls we turned off the Interstate onto highway 1. The number sounded good, so we followed it along going in the general direction we needed. There were plenty of small towns we drove through. We stopped at one called Bath only because of Bath in England. It had a small tourist centre there and we asked the young girl for recommendations. The usual shops, museums and food was suggested, we carried on following Highway 1. Bath, Maine is named after Bath England and was a very pretty town.
Our next stop was Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. I had seen this in a pamphlet and had no idea what it was about. Just thought it would be some run-down garden in the middle of nowhere. We were surprised. It had opened to the public in 2007 and run by many volunteers and payed staff. The area was originally grazing land and they have acquired 300 acres over time. Most of the area has regenerated to fantastic native woodlands and a percentage of it has been used to create one of the most spectacular gardens we have seen. We joined a 45min guided walking tour and loved every minute. One section is dedicated for children. It is themed on local children stories. They also have a library for children with only local books in it. We spent over three hours here and finished our time in the butterfly enclosure.
We continued Highway 1 travelling through many towns. Sharon is just loving all the homes we are seeing. We needed to find somewhere to stay for the night. I used Wikicamps to find an RV park in the town of Rockland. When we arrived, there were signs saying tent sites available $35 US a night. When we asked for a site we were informed they are not set up for tent sites anymore and moved along. They suggested Camden Hills State Park. It was my third choice on Wikicamps for the night. Decided to give it a go. Another 45 mins down the road we arrived. There were sites available at US $39 (Au $49) a night. Had no choice so we payed. It did include a very high pressure hot shower and Wi-Fi.
Thursday morning, we drove to the top of Mount Battie inside Camden Hills State Park. It was a very clear morning and we were overlooking the town of Camden and many small islands. We spent over an hour here then finally headed to Acadia NP on the island of Mount Desert. There is a bridge that connects the island to the mainland, so no ferry required. I was surprised by the number of people here then began to panic about accommodation for the night. We arrived at Acadia NP visitors centre about 12.30pm to a very full carpark. I asked one of the rangers about campground availability. He laughed at me and said we have two campsites with 1000 sites for use. If you didn’t book 6-9 months ago you will not get in. Their third campsite was 1½ hours away. He checked anyway and the whole three were booked solid. This is the first time we have been rejected in a NP for a campsite. We started to look for motels or cabins the closest available was two hours away. I decided to just try RV parks as we headed out of Acadia NP. The first one which is only 10 mins away called Bar Harbor Campground had plenty of tent sites available but nothing else. We had many sites to choose from and picked one near the shower block. We set up camp, had lunch then headed back to Acadia NP to see why it is so popular.
The first site on the map was called Sandy Beach. It was 3.30pm and nowhere to park. The large carpark was full and the roadside parking stretched on forever. We got a glimpse of the beach as we drove past. It was a small white sandy beach nothing special apart from everywhere else is grey coarse sand or rock. Next place was called Thunder Hole we jagged a parking spot here. Again, thousands of people just waiting for something to happen. I assume when the waves come in it is like a blow hole and makes lots of noise like thunder. Seen it all before only more spectacular and less crowded places. From here we continued along the coast. There were some steep cliffs (nothing fantastic) past Otters Cove again nothing spectacular. The next stop was not on the map. It was a nice old stone bridge and decided to stop. It ended up having a walkway down to the beach. The beach was covered in rounded stones that had been washed in from the land and tumbled by the ocean to form beautiful large pebbled beach with many colours. The sound of the ocean pulling the stones back into the water was mesmerizing. Plus, there were very few people here. We continued the loop road to Cadillac Mountain. The mountain is 1530 ft (466m) and gives you a grand view over hundreds of islands. Then it was back to our camp for the night. I was disappointed in the park and didn’t know how I was going to fill in another day here.
Friday morning, we drove back to the NP to a place called Wild Gardens of Acadia in Sieur de Monts. Again, had no idea what it was about. Just a random name on our park map. The garden started in 1961 run by volunteers and is a collection of all the flora in the NP. It was a nice surprise. We then took a trail to the Tarn. It is a large pond. The walk was so peaceful through the forest with no one around. From there went onto Highway 3 and headed for North East Harbor. As we came to a T junction there were these fantastic looking gardens to our right. Went and had a look. The Gardens were called Asticou Azalea Gardens. They are designed around a Japanese theme and had a lake with a stream and stunning plants. Then a drive through Northeast Harbor with Sharon drooling over every house. We drove around Some’s Sound to Southwest Harbor and after lunch drove to Echo Lake. This lake is the only swimming lake in the park. All the other lakes are used for drinking water. I went for a swim here and the water temperature was mild. There were plenty of people but far less than the places yesterday. There were also lots of vacant car parks. Then it was time to head back to camp. On the way I got Sharon to turn down a random road called Duck Brook Road. There was a sign saying Dead End, but we ignored it. It was a Dead End but there was this beautiful arched stone bridge that you can only walk or ride a push bike over. It is one of sixteen in the park. It had Duck Brook run under it and was a fabulous find. The one thing Sharon & I have discovered while travelling is if it is on a map there is always plenty of people there. If you just take a random path there is far more stunning places to see that few people even no exist.
Saturday, our last full day in the USA. We left Mount Desert Island about 8.00am and headed for Bangor. It was a different way back to Portland and a town name that is mentioned in many books and movies. It was another pretty town and very quiet compared to other places. We stopped in the town of Newport Maine for lunch. I must put the state next to a town. So many town names are duplicated in the USA. Springfield is used the most (there are 36 Springfield’s in this huge country). Not including the Simpsons. Our last night of camping in the USA is in a place called “Sebago Lake State Park”. Another very popular destination. Like most places in the US the Lake is surrounded by private land and only a small area is available for public. The lake is large enough for power boats and cruising tours.
Sunday and we needed to get the car back to Portland by 10.30am. We were only 1hr hour away. Also the rain was meant to start around 9.00am and we didn't want to pack up a wet tent. The rain started at 9.15am while we were driving into Portland. Went for a drive to check out the city and ended up stopping in a park overlooking the bay as the weather increased its ferocity. When we had picked up the car we were informed we could drop the car back at the rental company near the ferry terminal. Apparently we were supposed to be charged for the privilege. So we were charged 1 penny. They also dropped us off at the ferry terminal where we had to wait for a few hours because we were early and the weather was lousy and couldn't do much. Once on the ferry to Nova Scotia Canada the crossing wasn't as rough as they expected but still a few sick people onboard.
Well what do I think of America after 11 weeks? We have visited 10 cities, (New York being our best choice), visited 14 National Parks (enjoyed every one of them) they are all unique and well worth visiting and 17 states. In general, we have found the people very friendly and courteous. Australia could learn a lot from US manners. Even teenagers have manners. You will always get the occasional dick, but they are quite rare. Of course, they have a lot of social issues, then you need to realise their population is 305,000,000 more than Australia. They really need to address the wages issue or more importantly their annual holidays. I always thought they had a mandated annual leave of 2 weeks. Apparently not. We have talked to many people and some have not had a holiday for 10 years while working in the same company. They are threatened with losing their job if they take any holidays. One worked for Apple for 10 years before he was entitled to 2 weeks leave. I will be glad to leave hopefully to somewhere much quieter. You cannot escape people, cars and noise in this country. I can see why when they travel to Australia they love all the peacefulness and miles of nothing. We think it is barren land they think it is heaven. If you plan on driving over here just remember that a speed sign is a guide… as we felt, we were the only ones going the correct speed at any given time. Also, like Australia, Indicators on cars are optional extras when buying, very few use them! Roundabouts are a new concept also in the USA. As in Australia they get confused and give way to you while they are on the roundabout.
Sunday, we headed to Boston Common, a park in the centre of the city. The park dates back to 1634. Being the oldest city park in the USA. The history of the park over the years has had many uses. Public hangings up to 1817. Cattle & sheep grazing, Public burial. The bodies are still there, you just don't know where! Having been occupied by the British Redcoats, anti-slave protests during the civil war, anti-war protests during the Vietnam war and much more.
We decided to do a walking tour called the Freedom Trail. Our guide was a Mel Gibson look alike and sounded exactly like him. We started in the common then walked past where the old granary used to be, then the old granary cemetery est. 1660. Buried in the cemetery was John Hancock, first person to sign the Declaration of Independence, Samuel Adams & Robert Treat Paine who were other signatories.
We then also went to see where the Boston Massacre took place March 1770. It was a patriot mob attacking the British garrison. Only five people were killed but it was one of the greatest lead ups to the war of Independence.
Fun fact, the laws in the 17th century allowed you to beat your wife but only with a stick no thicker than your thumb. That is where “The Rule of Thumb” comes from.
After being reminded and paying our gratuities to the guide we then went for a walk through the markets, then onto Christopher Columbus Park. We walked back through random city streets. Boston is a little quieter & cleaner than NY. Where we stayed in Allston in the centre of the Universities, the streets are filled with rubbish. We also found not many friendly people.
Monday and it was a day in Salem. Sharon has always said she was a witch in a former life. So, we may as well spend time in the witch capital of the world.
We caught the commuter train to Salem. On the way, there was a heavy fog which added to the mystique of our venture. Once we arrived at the station, the first stop was at the Salem Witch Museum. It was an interactive show on the history of the Salem Witch Trials. There were over 150 men women & children accused of witchcraft. Nineteen were found guilty & hung. One was crushed to death by heavy rocks. There was no one truly guilty of witchcraft. It just came about from young bored teenage girls saying that they had been possessed by the devil & witches. They named some people and it just snowballed from there.
We walked to The House of the Seven Gables. Had no idea what this was about, it had the oldest building in the US still on the original land. The house was built in 1668. There were other buildings to look at also. The oldest building was from 1655. They moved the house to this land plot in 1924.
The back of the land was on the edge of the harbour with great views. We went on a guided tour of the house of the seven gables. It was a great tour going through many rooms decorated in period pieces. Also got to go up a hidden staircase.
The reason the house is well known is because of Nathaniel Hawthorne. He was the author who wrote “The Scarlett Letter” in 1850. In 1851 he wrote a fictional story about this house called “The House of the Seven Gables”. His cousin owned the house and he spent many hours there. The house does have seven gables.
Then it was just a wander through Salem. We both agreed we should have spent more time here. It was quiet, not much traffic, everywhere was clean and the people seemed friendly. It is probably the only city I have seen so far in the USA I could live in.
Tuesday and back on Amtrak for Portland, Maine. The train departure time was 1.05pm, by the time we departed the weather had turned bad and there was plenty of rain & lightning around Portland. The train signals had been affected by the lightning. We were late by an hour getting to Portland. Something which is typical about Amtrak & transportation in general throughout the USA. We have had no delays with all the flights we have taken in the US.
When we arrived in Portland at 4.30pm we grabbed our bags from the storage rack on the train. Both our bags were soak from a leak in the train. Sharon mentioned it to the conductor, but he wasn’t concerned. He just said what do you expect from something built in the 1960’s.
Once outside the terminal in Portland Maine we grabbed an Uber to take us to the car rental company. They closed at 6.00pm. We were concerned we would have been late to pick up the car. We had ordered a Hyundai Elantra or equivalent. There were none available. We were offered a beat-up small Nissan or for the same price a Ford Explorer with all the bells & whistles on it that was only 3 months old. That was a hard decision. Sharon has fallen in love with the Ford and won’t hand over the keys. We have hired four different types of cars since we have been here. The two cars we have enjoyed the most happen to be made in USA.
Wednesday, I didn’t really know were to go in Maine. I tried looking up things to do. Most things are all to do with Lobsters or Light Houses. Our main aim was to get to Mount Desert Island to have a look at our 14th NP called Acadia. This is North of Portland. After leaving our motel we turned onto I-295 and came across a toll road. After paying the toll we drove about 5 miles then another toll we had to pay. Already starting to detest Maine. After paying two tolls we turned off the Interstate onto highway 1. The number sounded good, so we followed it along going in the general direction we needed. There were plenty of small towns we drove through. We stopped at one called Bath only because of Bath in England. It had a small tourist centre there and we asked the young girl for recommendations. The usual shops, museums and food was suggested, we carried on following Highway 1. Bath, Maine is named after Bath England and was a very pretty town.
Our next stop was Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. I had seen this in a pamphlet and had no idea what it was about. Just thought it would be some run-down garden in the middle of nowhere. We were surprised. It had opened to the public in 2007 and run by many volunteers and payed staff. The area was originally grazing land and they have acquired 300 acres over time. Most of the area has regenerated to fantastic native woodlands and a percentage of it has been used to create one of the most spectacular gardens we have seen. We joined a 45min guided walking tour and loved every minute. One section is dedicated for children. It is themed on local children stories. They also have a library for children with only local books in it. We spent over three hours here and finished our time in the butterfly enclosure.
We continued Highway 1 travelling through many towns. Sharon is just loving all the homes we are seeing. We needed to find somewhere to stay for the night. I used Wikicamps to find an RV park in the town of Rockland. When we arrived, there were signs saying tent sites available $35 US a night. When we asked for a site we were informed they are not set up for tent sites anymore and moved along. They suggested Camden Hills State Park. It was my third choice on Wikicamps for the night. Decided to give it a go. Another 45 mins down the road we arrived. There were sites available at US $39 (Au $49) a night. Had no choice so we payed. It did include a very high pressure hot shower and Wi-Fi.
Thursday morning, we drove to the top of Mount Battie inside Camden Hills State Park. It was a very clear morning and we were overlooking the town of Camden and many small islands. We spent over an hour here then finally headed to Acadia NP on the island of Mount Desert. There is a bridge that connects the island to the mainland, so no ferry required. I was surprised by the number of people here then began to panic about accommodation for the night. We arrived at Acadia NP visitors centre about 12.30pm to a very full carpark. I asked one of the rangers about campground availability. He laughed at me and said we have two campsites with 1000 sites for use. If you didn’t book 6-9 months ago you will not get in. Their third campsite was 1½ hours away. He checked anyway and the whole three were booked solid. This is the first time we have been rejected in a NP for a campsite. We started to look for motels or cabins the closest available was two hours away. I decided to just try RV parks as we headed out of Acadia NP. The first one which is only 10 mins away called Bar Harbor Campground had plenty of tent sites available but nothing else. We had many sites to choose from and picked one near the shower block. We set up camp, had lunch then headed back to Acadia NP to see why it is so popular.
The first site on the map was called Sandy Beach. It was 3.30pm and nowhere to park. The large carpark was full and the roadside parking stretched on forever. We got a glimpse of the beach as we drove past. It was a small white sandy beach nothing special apart from everywhere else is grey coarse sand or rock. Next place was called Thunder Hole we jagged a parking spot here. Again, thousands of people just waiting for something to happen. I assume when the waves come in it is like a blow hole and makes lots of noise like thunder. Seen it all before only more spectacular and less crowded places. From here we continued along the coast. There were some steep cliffs (nothing fantastic) past Otters Cove again nothing spectacular. The next stop was not on the map. It was a nice old stone bridge and decided to stop. It ended up having a walkway down to the beach. The beach was covered in rounded stones that had been washed in from the land and tumbled by the ocean to form beautiful large pebbled beach with many colours. The sound of the ocean pulling the stones back into the water was mesmerizing. Plus, there were very few people here. We continued the loop road to Cadillac Mountain. The mountain is 1530 ft (466m) and gives you a grand view over hundreds of islands. Then it was back to our camp for the night. I was disappointed in the park and didn’t know how I was going to fill in another day here.
Friday morning, we drove back to the NP to a place called Wild Gardens of Acadia in Sieur de Monts. Again, had no idea what it was about. Just a random name on our park map. The garden started in 1961 run by volunteers and is a collection of all the flora in the NP. It was a nice surprise. We then took a trail to the Tarn. It is a large pond. The walk was so peaceful through the forest with no one around. From there went onto Highway 3 and headed for North East Harbor. As we came to a T junction there were these fantastic looking gardens to our right. Went and had a look. The Gardens were called Asticou Azalea Gardens. They are designed around a Japanese theme and had a lake with a stream and stunning plants. Then a drive through Northeast Harbor with Sharon drooling over every house. We drove around Some’s Sound to Southwest Harbor and after lunch drove to Echo Lake. This lake is the only swimming lake in the park. All the other lakes are used for drinking water. I went for a swim here and the water temperature was mild. There were plenty of people but far less than the places yesterday. There were also lots of vacant car parks. Then it was time to head back to camp. On the way I got Sharon to turn down a random road called Duck Brook Road. There was a sign saying Dead End, but we ignored it. It was a Dead End but there was this beautiful arched stone bridge that you can only walk or ride a push bike over. It is one of sixteen in the park. It had Duck Brook run under it and was a fabulous find. The one thing Sharon & I have discovered while travelling is if it is on a map there is always plenty of people there. If you just take a random path there is far more stunning places to see that few people even no exist.
Saturday, our last full day in the USA. We left Mount Desert Island about 8.00am and headed for Bangor. It was a different way back to Portland and a town name that is mentioned in many books and movies. It was another pretty town and very quiet compared to other places. We stopped in the town of Newport Maine for lunch. I must put the state next to a town. So many town names are duplicated in the USA. Springfield is used the most (there are 36 Springfield’s in this huge country). Not including the Simpsons. Our last night of camping in the USA is in a place called “Sebago Lake State Park”. Another very popular destination. Like most places in the US the Lake is surrounded by private land and only a small area is available for public. The lake is large enough for power boats and cruising tours.
Sunday and we needed to get the car back to Portland by 10.30am. We were only 1hr hour away. Also the rain was meant to start around 9.00am and we didn't want to pack up a wet tent. The rain started at 9.15am while we were driving into Portland. Went for a drive to check out the city and ended up stopping in a park overlooking the bay as the weather increased its ferocity. When we had picked up the car we were informed we could drop the car back at the rental company near the ferry terminal. Apparently we were supposed to be charged for the privilege. So we were charged 1 penny. They also dropped us off at the ferry terminal where we had to wait for a few hours because we were early and the weather was lousy and couldn't do much. Once on the ferry to Nova Scotia Canada the crossing wasn't as rough as they expected but still a few sick people onboard.
Well what do I think of America after 11 weeks? We have visited 10 cities, (New York being our best choice), visited 14 National Parks (enjoyed every one of them) they are all unique and well worth visiting and 17 states. In general, we have found the people very friendly and courteous. Australia could learn a lot from US manners. Even teenagers have manners. You will always get the occasional dick, but they are quite rare. Of course, they have a lot of social issues, then you need to realise their population is 305,000,000 more than Australia. They really need to address the wages issue or more importantly their annual holidays. I always thought they had a mandated annual leave of 2 weeks. Apparently not. We have talked to many people and some have not had a holiday for 10 years while working in the same company. They are threatened with losing their job if they take any holidays. One worked for Apple for 10 years before he was entitled to 2 weeks leave. I will be glad to leave hopefully to somewhere much quieter. You cannot escape people, cars and noise in this country. I can see why when they travel to Australia they love all the peacefulness and miles of nothing. We think it is barren land they think it is heaven. If you plan on driving over here just remember that a speed sign is a guide… as we felt, we were the only ones going the correct speed at any given time. Also, like Australia, Indicators on cars are optional extras when buying, very few use them! Roundabouts are a new concept also in the USA. As in Australia they get confused and give way to you while they are on the roundabout.
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