October 20, 2018 - Boston-Freedom Trail, Part II

Title: October 20, 2018 - Boston-Freedom Trail, Part II
Hike Info : Description :  Background : Extra Photo's 

Trail head: Community College Station

Hike Info:

Type: City

Description:

I got up at my usual time, 7:30. But I felt a sore throat coming on. Not bad, maybe a precursor of things to come. Certainly will not make me bed ridden. Sherri fixed pancakes this morning. I must have been hungry as I ate a whole bunch of them. We must be getting a bit tired as we do not leave until 11:30 or so.

Bunker Hill Memorial

Our objective today is to finish the Freedom Trail. So we walk to the now familiar Orange Line subway, even though it is above ground and get on board. Today’s stop will be at the Community College station rather than downtown. After exiting the Orange Line, we walk up Austin Street towards Bunker Hill. We spy a CVS and procure some EmergenC for my cold.

Col. William Prescott

Now it is on to Bunker Hill. As the name might indicate, it is on a hill. So we go up this. Certainly not as steep as San Francisco hills, but still it is a good climb up. We pass by a church which catches Sherri’s fancy. The slogan for the church sounds pretty good: Love God, Love People, Make Disciples. It says it was established in 1632. Sounds like it is having a pretty good run.

At the top of Bunker Hill, actually its twin which is called Breed’s Hill, is an obelisk which was built in 1848 as a memorial to the battle of Bunker Hill.We see that a tour will start in an hour, so we select a side of the hill a little bit sheltered from the wind and have our lunch-peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches.

We wandered around the hill for a bit until the ranger came up the hill to talk with us. There was a group of about ten people. She normally would lead us down into the city some, but she hurt her knee making the journey a bit painful for her, so we maneuvered around the top of the hill, observing the area how the Patriots would have seen it.

She talked about how the British tried to outflank the Patriots, but an experienced Patriot was able to hold them off. The Patriots were also able to lob cannonballs into the center of the British officers. But the British found something at least as effective by rolling cannonballs up the slope, knocking down and killing or maiming anything in its way. Eventually the British won the battle, but lost a great number of men and officers in the battle.

USS Constitution

After the tour, we decided not to climb up the monument-it was either that or spend another day on the Freedom Trail. So we went down to the museum at the bottom of the park. This museum is run by the NPS and we looked around some more-Oh yeah, I bought some more passport stamps. It explained both the battle of Bunker Hill and how the monument came to being. Now it is time to follow the bricks of the Freedom Trail.

We head off down the hill towards the USS Constitution. It is a short walk ¼ to ½ of mile all downhill. When we get to the entrance to the USS Constitution, it looks like there is a minor-league TSA line formed. We pass through and into a mini-visitor center. We walk around through there, gaining a few facts-which you can get online-about the USS Constitution. Then it is out behind a fence and there she is. Most people are entering through the port side, which is the way you should go. We see that there is not much going on on the starboard side, so off we go that way. When get on board, there is a sign which says do not exit on the port side, so I can only imagine that we might have missed another sign.

Sherri Boarding the USS Constitution

We traverse the poop (top) deck examining the ship’s wheel-pretty impressive Then up to the bow area looking out over the bay. I ask about the flags and the person admits that they are mostly decoration for this part. These days they are mostly for things like “Party tonight, you bring the beer this time.” Then we decide we should go down below.

The first thing we notice is that the ladder down is a bit steep along with the opening is cause for me to duck under it. Then the height of the ceiling is OK, but there is cross-beams which causes me to duck every couple of feet. How tall were these sailors? There is a row of cannons, looking all shiny.

Sleeping quarters

The officer quarters look more like prison cells than anything luxurious. The crew? They slept on hammocks-even these looked short. There is a mess area-standard tables and chairs. I could only imagine what this would have been like in a storm. The other thing which I notice is that everything smells clean. I think that during a voyage, the air must have been pretty heavy with smell. We go down one more floor, but nothing really to talk about.

USS Constitution's canons

We exit the ship on the starboard side and walk over to the dry docks. The USS Constitution was rebuilt here several years ago. Then it is off to the museum. Here it talks about the construction of the ship and the battles it fought. Apparently it had the right combination of construction and speed to make it a formidable enemy.

Mess

It is getting a bit late so we continue along the Freedom Trail. This leads us over to Washington St and the Charlestown Bridge. At the start it says that a solid plate is an acrophobia free zone. Not sure how reassuring that it because the rest of the way is a grate so you can see the water beneath you. Lucky we are used to it with the grate at Delilah. Also there are some nice sights of boats all lined up in a row.

Leonard Zakim Bridge

But the main attraction going across the bridge-or more on the approach to it is another bridge-the Leonard P Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge. As we were crossing our bridge, the sun went behind the Zakim Bridge with clouds draped around it. Just a bit of nice eye candy this evening.

After crossing the bridge, we make our way up to Copp’s Burial Ground. Once again it is closed-we are getting here a bit late. But we can still peak in at what looks like some kind of ceremony going on. We watch for a few, then make our way down the street to the Old North Church. That is closing up as well. One of the classic views of this church is from a Paul Revere statue . The area is under renovation, but the statue is still there. So we go all the way around to get our view, along with some Korean tourists. Amazing the variety of people you see looking at our historic areas.

Boats from the Charlestown Bridge

It is getting dark now and I think we have walked the entire Freedom Trail. The question now comes up, like it does every night at this time, where should we eat? We think about the lady at the airport and say, The Green Dragon Tavern. We start walking downtown, crossing where the Haymarket Station was-this is where we caught the Orange Line a couple of days ago. Then following the bricks we get to a part of town which we recognize as close to the Tavern. We meander off of the brick path and find it.

Not much of a line there. We talk to a guy at the entrance about it-he works there. He indicated that the food is good. Make sure we get seated where we can see the wall. This is where the assortment of historical firearms and other items are on display. This tavern, or at least the forerunner to it as the original burnt in the 1850’s-is where many of the conspirators for the American Revolution met. Also one of the guides also said the British met here as well. We get seated and scan the menu. Independently, we decide that a shepherd’s pie is what we want. And it was pretty good. no dessert for us, at least at the Green Dragon.

Steeple of the Old North Church

We have had enough for the day, so it is time to get back to Malden. The State Station-below the Old State House is not too far from us. So we head there and descend into the bowels of the earth and pick up the Orange Line. We get off at Malden Station and walk to our AirBnB. There was rest and enjoy a couple hours of comfort before turning in.

Background
Reviews posted on TripAdvisor

Bunker Hill. We walked around the Hill which is really Breed’s Hill. A ranger’s talk was scheduled so we hopped on that-very recommended to get a good appreciation of how the battle formed around this area. You can go into the monument and climb the stairs to the top-but we did not. Also be sure to hit the museum at the base of the park.

USS Constellation. The ship is a worthwhile place to visit. You get a feel for what it was like to be onboard a ship during that era. The size of the quarters and height of the ceiling made an impression on me. I doubt that this ship was ever so clean while sailing. You should make allowances timewise to get through security. The museum was OK, but I do not think you would miss a whole lot if you skipped it. You should be able to find the information on Wikipedia.

Green Dragon Tavern. When I got off the plane in Boston, a woman asked if I was visiting? Yes. Then you got to go to the Green Dragon Tavern. The helpful Bostonian was right. Even though it was a Saturday evening, we got into the Tavern rather quickly even though it was full. After looking at the menu, my wife and I both ordered the Shepherd’s Pie-it just seemed like that kind of evening. A good choice. The pie was filling and tasty. Plus you got to be in an establishment which made history (the original tavern burnt down). It was a good choice to stop and eat at.

Extra Photo's

Bunker Hill Monument from the CVS Phramacy

Bunker Hill Monument from its base

Leonard Zakim Bridge

Leonard Zakim Bridge

USS Constitution

Flags where the USS Constitution Visited

Dry Dock #1 where the USS Constitution was rebuilt

Charlestown Seal

Leaonard Zakim Bridge

Old North Church Steeple from the Charlestown Bridge

Old North Church

October 19, 2018 - Old Sturbridge Village

 Title: October 19, 2018 - Old Sturbridge Village
Hike Info : Description :  Background : Extra Photo's 

Hike Info:

Type: City

Description:

Field plowing

Got up at 730. Both Bob and Diane are up. Read and wrote some while waiting for Sherri to get up, which she does around 8:15. Diane fixes us a meal of apple trat and eggs, along with some conversation. They are going off to visit their son for the first time since he went away to school and we are going back to Boston via a place called Sturbridge.

When we say our good byes after a good, but short visit, we tell Google we would like to go to Sturbridge without highways and toll roads. So we get to see more rural Connecticut at 35-40mph rather than more the citified portions at 55-65 mph. We enjoy the softer side of the world. The greens seem subdued, as would be appropriate this time of year, but this brings out the reds, oranges and yellows. The road winds around, going up a hill and down into another creek. At times it seems like we enter into a tunnel of leaves and trees.

Pottery Kilm

There are times I wonder why does it take so long to get from state to state out here. That is more because the roads are not conducive to higher speed travel. Even though it seems like the same 40 mph road out here would be a 55 mph in California. But this may speak more to a state of mind in these parts. Why rush? Why not go a bit slower and enjoy the journey? Something to remember. (I do observe that not all these states are this way as later on I get cut off a few times. But this is closer to the cities.)

After driving for two hours, we arrive the backway into the Old Sturbridge Village. It is a $26 a senior person(over 55 which we clear that hurdle with no problems). The Village is a mostly authentic village with only a couple of buildings being built “new” but after similar buildings of its age. By the way, that age is around 1830. There are people re-enacting the people of that period, but I think that they look too “fresh” for authentic people of the era. We go and mosey around the area-as it turns out, our wanderings is an all day affair. We visit the following:

• 

  Congregational Church

  Field plowing: When we first stepped inside the village area, there was this guy with two ox yoked together, leveling a small fields
• Old house with a woman tending to it-she was making a few household things.
• Friends meeting halle - a meetinghouse of the Religious Society of Friends, known as Quakers
• Congregational church - churches often served as a location for town meetings, elections, lectures, and political events
• Asa Knight Store - a country store, transported from its original location in Vermont. Store was stocked with items from that period.
• kilm-not in use, but sometimes used by the pottery shop
• Pottery Shop - New England potters made utilitarian items out of local clay, such as milk pans, mugs, crocks, flowerpots, and mixing bowls. A person was throwing mud and fashinging some raw vases before firing them.
• shoe shop - a historic ten footer, which was a small backyard shop structure built in the 18th and 19th centuries in New England to serve as a shoemaker's shop. Such structures were usually 10 feet (3.0 m) by 10 feet (3.0 m) in area. They were forerunners of the large shoe factories that developed in New England later in the 19th century. The person in there was showing how one person would make the tops, another person the sole and a third might put them all together. The shoes did not seem very comfortable.
• Freeman Farmhouse - a typical New England farm of approximately 70 acres (280,000 m2) with barn, outbuildings, and fields

• 

  Blacksmith's in their shop

  Blacksmith Shop - a shop where farm implements and other hardware were made and repaired and horses and oxen were shod. By far, this was the most exciting shop where two smith’s were fashioning other tools.
• Gristmill - uses water power to turn a 3,000-pound millstone for grinding grain
• Sawmill - a working replica of an "up-and-down" sawmill powered by a reaction-type waterwheel
• Carding Mill - a water-driven facility to prepare wool for spinning
• Covered Bridge - Covered bridges extended the longevity of wooden bridges in the harsh New England weather.
• Firearms - many displays feature firearms from colonial America through the post-Civil War era
• Glass - there are three categories of displays: blown glass, molded glass, and pressed glass

Sherri and Gary at Covered Bridge

When we walked down to the covered bridge, we came to the Quinebaugh River. It had been dammed so that a pretty nice size pond formed in back. With the autumn colors, the scene was so peaceful. We loitered around there for awhile, then traveled down a path till we got to the covered bridge. Not being a devotee of covered bridges, I will say I enjoyed, but not particularly impressed. We learned a bit of water rights and how some companies in the area were able to wipe out farmers downstream by releasing water, destroying their livelihoods. This was in the Wolcott Woollen Manufacturing Company v. Upton case. Upton lost.

We continue on down our little trail, hoping to hit another trail. But our trail petered out and disappeared, leaving us in some plants with thorns which looked very much like berries, but without the fruit. So we backtracked while in site of our objective. Now before you feel too sorry for us, our whole day of walking outside of the village was probably about ⅝’s of a mile. We got to a junction and went down the trail we originally saw to a bridge crossing the Quinebaugh. Here we turned around and went back into the village. By now, it was 4pm and the air was getting crisper and the shadows longer.

Quinebaugh River Pond

So we made our way back into the main part of the town, visiting a few places like the gun exhibit and probably the best house in the area. We then saw a building called the Beehive, which naturally they told about making honey there. But it was too cold for the bees, so nothing functional there. Then our final stop was the gift shop. We bought some fudge-good stuff and then headed back to the car.

 

Quinebaugh River Dam

We had asked in the gift shop about places to eat. One place which the lady talked about was the Cedar Street Grill. So we headed off there. Sherri had the Grilled Pork Tenderloin. while I looking things over, much of their menu was Mac and Cheese, so I ordered it Buffalo style-not expecting much. Sherri’s came with an order of Brussel sprouts. Which soon came out. While Sherri was eating that, the waitress came out and realized that the Brussel sprouts was her personal order, not what came with the meal. Not much she could do with that. Our food came out and we ate it up. Sherri’s pork was wonderful. My Mac and Cheese was definitely not out of a Kraft’s box. Pretty enjoyable meal, particularly since we did not have lunch.

Now it is time to get back to Malden. But first we stop at REI for some warmer clothing. We get into Malden around 8pm and get unpacked. We then drop the keys and car off at the rental and walk back. A bit tired so off we go to bed.

Background

Reviews posted on TripAdvisor.

Old Sturbridge Village. This village is a recreation of buildings and times in the late 1700’s to early 1800’s. If you are interested in something “historic” such as where a battle was fought or a famous person slept here, you will be better served someplace else. If you are interested in the lives of ordinary people of that era, this is a good place to learn how common people fared in New England during that time. There are re-enactments of everyday life from field ploughing to pottery making to smithing to straw weaving. Be prepared to spend at least half a day-we spent most of our day there.

Center Village

The Center Village contains:

• Friends Meetinghouse - a meetinghouse of the Religious Society of Friends, known as Quakers
• Center Meetinghouse - churches often served as a location for town meetings, elections, lectures, and political events
• Tin Shop - tin imported from England was used to make a variety of household goods
• Salem Towne House - a prosperous farmer's home
• Law Office - a small, free-standing office of a lawyer
• Parsonage - the home of a Congregational minister and his family
• Asa Knight Store - a country store, transported from its original location in Vermont
• Thompson Bank - a bank that was originally located in Thompson, Connecticut
• Fenno House - a historic house with exhibits that highlight domestic textile production
• Fitch House - a residence exhibit that highlights children and family life
• Small House - a small home based on those of less affluent families and renters
• Printing Office
• Cider Mill - a horse-powered mill for the production of hard cider
• Shoe Shop - a historic ten footer, which was a small backyard shop structure built in the 18th and 19th centuries in New England to serve as a shoemaker's shop. Such structures were usually 10 feet (3.0 m) by 10 feet (3.0 m) in area. They were forerunners of the large shoe factories that developed in New England later in the 19th century.^[2]
• Town Pound - for the confinement of livestock found wandering loose
• Bullard Tavern - an early 19th-century tavern room
• The Stage Coach - a stage coach marked "Hartford & Worcester" which makes trips through Center Village

The Countryside

The Countryside section contains:

• Freeman Farmhouse - a typical New England farm of approximately 70 acres (280,000 m²) with barn, outbuildings, and fields
• Blacksmith Shop - a shop where farm implements and other hardware were made and repaired and horses and oxen were shod
• Bixby House - the home of the blacksmith
• Cooper Shop - where wooden barrels, buckets, and pails were made
• Pottery Shop - New England potters made utilitarian items out of local clay, such as milkpans, mugs, crocks, flowerpots, and mixing bowls
• District School - a typical publicly funded one-room school
• Covered Bridge - Covered bridges extended the longevity of wooden bridges in the harsh New England weather.

The Mill Neighborhood

Mill Neighborhood features:

• Gristmill - uses water power to turn a 3,000-pound millstone for grinding grain
• Sawmill - a working replica of an "up-and-down" sawmill powered by a reaction-type waterwheel
• Carding Mill - a water-driven facility to prepare wool for spinning

Collections

Old Sturbridge Village has several buildings devoted to displaying their assorted collections of early American antiques.

• Firearms - many displays feature firearms from colonial America through the post-Civil War era
• Glass - there are three categories of displays: blown glass, molded glass, and pressed glass
• Lighting Devices - early lighting devices from ancient oil lamps and candles to whale oil, camphene, and argand lamps
• Herb Garden - a living collection of native and heirloom varieties of ornamental plants and those used for cooking, medicine, dying cloth, and making traditional crafts

From WIkipedia

Cedar Street Grill. We were hungry when we got here and content when we left. This restaurant is a bit off the main drag, but worth finding. We were ready to eat. When I saw many plates of Mac&Cheese, I was wondering what kind of place is this? But this is no Kraft out of the box meal. I had the Buffalo dish and it was certainly tangy-maybe a touch much, but good. My wife had the Grilled Pork Tenderloin-it may have been the best meal she had on the trip. Definitely a place to stop and eat.

Extra Photo's

Quinebaugh River Pond

Quinebaugh River Dam

Quinebaugh River Dam

Quinebaugh River Pond and Dam

Bedroom at the Fenno House

Getting ready for an October Celebration

Quinebaugh River Pond

October 18, 2018 - Boston, Going to My Cousin

Title: October 18, 2018 - Boston, Going to My Cousin
Hike Info : Description :  Background :  Extra Photo's 

 Trail head: Malden, MA

Hike Info:

Type: City

Description:

I got up at 7:15 and had my quiet time. Breakfast was cereal. I went to pick up the car while Sherri packed to go to my cousin. We had ordered a Toyota Camary, but they upgraded to a Hyundai SUV. We will see how it works out. It does drive nice.

Buckman Tavern

Sherri is getting used to using the Maps on my phone. This is outside of her comfort level. In many ways this is an adventure for her, which isn't that is why we are here? Just being on the East Coast is a bit outside of our comfort level, but we are learning how to navigate satisfactory. Of course, when you don't have a hard and fast itinerary, everyplace is a viable destination.

We eventually make it to Lexington. We park by the Buckman Tavern. We look inside at the gift shop, but balk at the $10 entrance fee into the museum-which even for our prolonged perusal looked like a dollar per minute. Down a little ways further we go to the village's visitor center. We spend several minutes looking through and getting warm-it is a bit cool. They recommend we go over to the Green and take a guided tour.

West view of Lexington Green

So we make our way to the Green and spy a tour already in progress. We figure we will join in mid-talk. If the guide is good enough, we will catch the start of the next one. The guide was dressed in the Revolutionary War period costume. You could tell that he was both experienced and interested in his material. He went over the formations which both the British and the militiamen used and what the dynamics of the situation were. It sounded like bloodshed could have been avoided here if only the sound of a single gun being fired, from who knows where was heard. That started the killing which carried on to leaving 8 of the militiamen dead. Our guide explained where the militia men ran off and all the confusion which accompanied this. The British regrouped and started on to Concord. We continued on with the guide and heard the start of the tour as well. After we heard the tour, we went to a memorial which our guide noted and saw the names of those who fought, died and the wounded. One thing of interest was yesterday our guide said that there were 250 British who went to Lexington. Today the guide said 800. Maybe the extra were reinforcements.

Our Guide at Lexington

Road to Concord

And now we are off to the Minute Man National Historical Park and maybe Concord. But first, we have to find it. How hard can this be. Well, if the British were going like how we did, there would not have been a Revolutionary War. We wandered around and then eventually found the visitor center. A beautiful walk in, past a pond where the leaves are reflecting. We get to the visitor center and who greets us? Alfred! The one whom we met on the Black Heritage Walk on Tuesday. He is glad to see us and he directs us over to the presentation which is about to start. This multiple media presentation called The Road to Revolution walks you through the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the retreat of the soldiers. It talks from the perspective of a Minute Man who was coming in as a reinforcement to protect the fighters in Concord and Lexington. He talks about being summoned and what happened to Paul Revere and Dawes. How the British were pushed back out of Concord and then back to Lexington, and then back to Boston. How the militia fought a guerrilla battle the whole way back against exhausted troops. Very enlightening. It got me to think more about recent history. Which side would we have been on back then? The Minute Men definitely were not fighting battles according to the rules of war for the time.

Hartwell Tavern

Our next stop was a couple of miles up the road at Hartwell Tavern. There were docents on duty explaining what life would have been like around the time of the Revolutionary War. People must have been shorter then as I had to stoop in several places or knock my head against the ceiling. But the main event was the firing of the muskets. While it was still blanks being fired, it was a pretty effective demonstration. The park is pretty narrow and there are houses on each side of it. The interpretive ranger said that the musket balls could travel about 300 yards, but only about 100’ accurately. All interesting and fun, especially the musket noise and smoke.

British Solder about to fire

But we needed to leave to get to my cousins at a reasonable time. So we put it his address into my phone to get a route. It looks like we have about a three hour trip. But first, we need to have lunch somewhere. You remember the trial we had in the beginning with the phone’s GPS? Well, we are at it again. But we see a Subway on the GPS. After circling around a bit, we find it. So we have a quick, but filling sandwich and are on our way again.

We settle down into a long drive into Connecticut, west of Hartford. The roads seem pretty good, but not like the 65-70 mph, but a seemingly slow 55mph, at least slow to this California boy. At one point, we all of a sudden get onto a turnpike with what looks like no way off-at least ot my eyes. So we go along for the ride. Which turns out to be quite lovely. I am sure if this was a journey trip instead of a destination, I would have slowed down and just enjoyed looking at the scenery.

Farmington River

I think the GPS must of lead us through every back road it could find. But we do make it to my cousin Bob’s house. Sort of feels strange. I have not seen him in 35+ years and had not met Diane his wife before. We have only recently started communicating through Facebook. But the reception is good and not stiff or tense. We soon pass by the wondering how this will work out stage.

Bob and Gary

Bob takes us along a walk along the Farmington River. This is a section where the old mills and factories of the area lay. When we look at the brickwork, you can only imagine what it was like. I do not think I would have wanted to work here, but my imagination sees possibilities for making it pleasing. We are lead along a bike path which has a gentle slope. Many of these rivers we have seen have a small dam holding back the river-maybe about 2-3’ high. They do make pretty pools, but I do not know if that is the reason for them. It is a good walk, and a good way to get reacquainted with my cousin. We walked for maybe about 2\two and a half miles total, until it started getting dark and a bit cool for those recently from California.

Farmington River

When we got back to Bob’s house, Diane, Bob’s wife, was there and finishing up getting our soup dinner. While light, it was enjoyable. This was followed by a couple of hours of conversation. So good to get reacquainted as adults-have I said that before. We get to bed after an enjoyable evening.

Gary and Sherri

Background

Reviews which were posted on Trip Advisor.

Lexington Green. First go to the visitor center just to the east of Buckham Tavern site. Find out if they are running the free tours on the Green. If so, latch onto one. The guide for our tour was knowledgeable, experienced and interested in what and how he was presenting the history surrounding the Battle of Lexington. Well worth the half an hour we stayed and listened.

Minute Man National Historical Park. First go to the visitor’s center and watch their half an hour presentation called The Road to Revolution. That will give you a good perspective of the relationship between the area and the events this park commemorates. Upon the advice of a ranger, we went up the road to Hartwell Tavern, a few miles up the road. Here we got to see a musket demonstration with an explanation of how the muskets were fired. Right by Hartwell Tavern is the road which the British used to march to Concord and get attacked on the way back. It looks both interesting and walkable, but unfortunately we did not have the time to walk it.

Extra Photo's

Don't Fire Unless Fired Upon

Tree at west end of Green

Lexington Minute Man Memorial

Lexington Minute Man Memorial-those who fought

Buckman Tavern

Prince Estabrook memorial