AZDonna

Drat that big heavy door into the National Archives! I caught my thumb in it yesterday and broke it. Both Glenda and I heard it crack and I knew immediately what had happened. It was actually numb for a couple of minutes, and then the throbbing started and I got light-headed. I had to sit with my head between my legs for about 20 minutes, but then we continued on through the museum to see the original Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. I even managed to get a few pictures. But as soon as we were done with that, we headed back to the car for ice from the ice chest and a pain pill. Luckily I had taken my narcotic pain meds with me in case I got another back ache. I sure needed it for this. Since it broke between the knuckle and the tip, it doesn’t appear to need setting. I think it’s just going to be like a broken toe that will have to heal by itself while I favor it for a few weeks. It could have been worse. At least it wasn’t my ankle so I can still walk. At least it was my left one so I can still type. And it wasn’t in a place that required a trip to the emergency room and a cast. So I feel quite lucky!

But let me catch up on our travels. Since my last entry, Glenda and I have been to New York City and Washington D.C. We stayed in Trenton, NJ the night after we saw Philly and took the train back up to NYC. There we did the double decker bus tour I mentioned in the last blog. It was great, and NYC has definitely changed since I was there last in 1991. The tour guide told us that in 1993 Rudy Gulianni cleaned up the city. You can really tell. It was a different place, and I was so glad we went and we saw so much. I posted pictures the other night, so check the gallery if you haven’t already.

Yesterday we drove down to D.C. and saw the monuments and memorials on the Mall, the White House, the Capital, and the National Archives (with that heavy door), plus the Presidential motorcade whizzed past when we were least expecting it. As soon as we figured out what it was, we grabbed our cameras and snapped a few pictures, but you will have to be told what you are looking at or you couldn’t tell.

This morning we went to Arlington Cemetery. What a beautiful place. We got some great pictures there. This afternoon Glenda and I split up to go to the Smithsonian. Glenda wanted to see the Art Museum and I preferred the Natural History and Aerospace Museums. When we reconnected, we had exciting recaps to give each other. Tomorrow we’re going to spend the day in the Museum of American History. That’s the biggest and best, and definitely the one where you need a full day.

Our plight of getting lost several times a day has continued. But now we have figured out that it’s best if Glenda drives and I navigate. She reads the road signs better and I read the map better. It only took us 8 days to figure it out, so from here south we should have it made in the shade.

Last night we were in a roach infested EconoLodge, so tonight we treated ourselves to our most expensive hotel yet. We are feeling pampered in our room tonight, and ready to hit the sack.

We are in a Red Roof Inn just south of Trenton, NJ tonight. We did not have good internet access the last two nights so I couldn’t send email or write a blog. I could read email and the internet, but just couldn’t upload. Thanks for all your comments on the last post.

On Saturday we visited the Canterbury Shaker Village. In case you don’t know, the most unique thing about the Shakers is their belief in celibacy. They replenish their ranks by way of converts and adopting orphans. Not surprisingly, there are very few left in the United States today. But it was interesting to see this village that once was home to 300 Shakers. There are none left there now.

The rest of the day, we just drove. We went all the way across New Hampshire and Vermont and turned south back toward Massachussetts. We spent the night just outside Stockbridge where Norman Rockwell lived much of his life. On Sunday morning, we visited the museum there, and had lunch in the village just off Main Street which is depicted in his famous painting “Christmas in a Small Town”. It was a most enjoyable morning before we drove on into Connecticut. We made a quick stop at a beautiful covered bridge in Connecticut to take some pictures and drive across. We only stopped in Rhode Island long enough to step out and take a couple of photos, but at least we can say were were there. It was a wet and windy evening when we drove through.

While we were eating lunch in Stockbridge, we sat next to a couple from New Jersey. When they discovered our plans for NYC, they had some great suggestions for us about getting into and around the city. We took their advice and drove down to Philadelphia today where we visited Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, and then found a motel back up near the state line. Tomorrow we will take the Amtrak train into Penn Station and purchase a ticket for the double decker bus that goes around lower Manhattan. We can “hop on – hop off” at various points of interest along the way, and then take the train back down to Trenton in the evening. We’ll spend the night here again and be ready to head toward Washington on Wednesday morning.

Glenda and I are getting along fabulously (who wouldn’t love traveling with my sweet friend?) and we have even managed to listen to one book on tape that was 11 hours long. All those miles of country roads in the rain made a great backdrop to the story about cheesemakers in Ireland. We have an early morning, so we better get some rest.

SOME THINGS WE HAVE LEARNED

Richard is Right!

The drivers in Massachusetts are the worst in the world! We had several close calls as the obliviots went screeching by us or around us. We have kept safe, but the speed limits on the roads mean nothing to them, and yielding to oncoming traffic when making a left turn is not required. In fact, red lights seem to only mean stop until there is a mini-opening and squeeze across the intersection. I swear we saw all these things happen in one day! We were glad to cross the state line into New Hampshire this afternoon.

It’s easy to get lost in Boston!

Had we not taken several wrong turns and passed our exit from I-93, we would never have seen Tufts University or the Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge. Nor would we have seen as much of Quincy as we did if we had been able to see the sun and could tell east from west and north from south (or north from west, etc.). We finally stopped at Walmart and bought a compas last night, but even it doesn’t work any better than the Massachusetts drivers and didn’t help us out much. (Seriously, the magnet seems to be off and it points southeast most of the time.)

Lobster has a season!

After driving 16 miles out of our way for some special lobster rolls, we found out that lobster is out of season. It must be on the tail end because another restaurant was still serving them, but just not the famous one listed in our Frommer’s Guide. We had them anyway, and were glad we experienced them, but probably won’t order them again.

The main source of income in New England

From our observations, we have deduced that most of the money comes into the area by way of Dunkin’ Donuts. A secondary source may be Curves (a women’s fitness chain). Either that, or the people who are eating all the donuts are working them off there. It’s apparent that Krispy Kreme has not made it to the northeast, but Dunkin’ Donuts shops are as plentiful as Walgreens in Arizona.

But seriously folks,

“Greetings from New England!”

The scenery couldn’t be more spectacular, and the weather couldn’t be more miserable. There is not a speck of blue sky, and Glenda already bought a new umbrella because the wind tore her other one apart. We have worn our coats with the hoods up and our hands in our pockets whenever we are outside. (I’m really glad I got that little camera that fits in my pocket. Now if it would just take pictures through the fabric! 😉 )

We arrived on Wednesday evening, and went straight to our hotel. On Thursday morning, we did the Freedom Trail, a 3 mile walking tour of historical Boston. It winds around downtown taking you to Paul Revere’s house, the Old North Church, Fanueil Hall, an old cemetery and the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides). We were done by early afternoon, so we decided to drive down to Plymouth. By the time we got there (see “It’s easy to get lost in Boston…” above), it was nearly 5:00, so we only saw Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower II (a replica of the original), and headed back to the hotel, driving past Tufts on our way (see “It’s easy to get lost in Boston…” above).

This morning we got up early and headed north. We went to Salem to visit the Witch Museum. It was interesting, but by the time we got out of there, we realized witchcraft is alive and well in Salem. The tour guides were promoting “tolerance”, condemning Christian persecution of witches, and describing modern day worship celebrations from personal points of view.

We continued on north to Portland, Maine where we drove over to the coast to see the Portland Head Lighthouse, which Frommer’s described as “one of the most picturesque lighthouses in the country”. We were not disappointed. It was more than worth the trip. On up to Freeport for the almost famous lobster rolls (see “Lobster has a season” above.)

Next we headed inland toward New Hampshire. We got off the interstate and took a smaller highway which wound through farmland, villages, and miles and miles of radiant beauty. Even without a sunshiny sky, the trees are spectacular and the views are breathtaking. We stopped at a motel in Moultonborough which is on the north shore of Lake Winnipesaukee, and checked in amidst a drenching downpour. We are snuggled into our room tonight eating a supper of snacks we are carrying in a little styrofoam ice chest, and checking email and weather forecast. By the way, it’s raining in New England! (That sounds vaguely familiar. Didn’t I just get back from rainy Alaska?)

I posted a few pictures on the gallery.

Check out my gallery for photos from Sea World.