The Great American Road Trip

It took us nineteen days, but we are finally headed west again.

Looking back, it doesn’t seem like we’ve been on the road this long. Or, at least I look back and think that it was just yesterday that we were in Atlanta sweating our asses off. But then, I think about the Kennedy Space Center, and it seems like months ago. Even the Mutter Museum, which was just a few days ago, seems like it has been weeks. Today I got up, and I had no idea whatsoever if it was a Monday or a Friday, or that today was the 23rd. Time has been seriously messed up on this trip.

We somehow managed to stay just ahead of some nasty weather. I saw on the news today how parts of Boston was flooded, and how Camden, New Jersey, was flooded by torrential rains. Last night rained a bit, with some lightning and thunder, but this morning, it was just a drizzle. Then, as we got to our first stop of the day, the skies opened up a bit more, and we seriously thought about skipping our next couple of stops and just driving on. But then I thought, heck no, we’re from Oregon. If we let a little rain stop us in Oregon, we’d be stuck in our homes for 8-9 months of the year!

Our first stop of the day was in Concord, Massachusetts. We visited the Minuteman National Historical Park. Here, on the Old North Bridge, colonial militia exchanged gunfire on April 19, 1775. Earlier in the day, there had been a skirmish in Lexington, not too far away (more on that below). Paul Revere had done his ride down in Boston, and word spread quickly that the shit was about to hit the fan.

The one nice thing about the rain was that there was absolutely nobody there except us and six or seven park rangers. Everywhere we went, rangers were just sitting around, drinking coffee and shooting the breeze. They were so happy to see SOMEONE come traipsing down the lane! We basically got a private tour of the park, and even got some tips on where to stop next on our cross-country trip.

The last time I was here was a couple of years ago with Nolan. I had brought him along on my school’s east coast trip. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve chaperoned this trip a few times over the years, and Nolan joined us that one time. Of course, the weather wasn’t good then either. It was late March, and it snowed several inches that day. I guess I might be bad luck in that each time I’ve come here, I’ve brought bad weather. Or…It’s Nolan’s fault! Either way, Nathan had never been here, so we had to stop – rain or not.

It is a very interesting place, and the rangers did a good job of setting the scene for us. I recommend that you always visit a national park or such while in a downpour.

Next, since we were already in Concord, we visited the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Yes, that is the name. Why would they name it after a scary old story? Well it might be because it reminds you of that Washington Irving story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, or, it might be because it is a creepy-ass name to give to a cemetery, which is a creepy-ass place to begin with. At the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, there is a section called “Author’s Ridge”. It’s a very apt name because none other than Ralph Waldo Emerson (“Self-Reliance”, “The Concord Hymn”, and Transcendentalism), Henry David Thoreau (“Walden” and “Civil Disobedience”), Louisa May Alcott (“Little Women”), and Nathaniel Hawthorne (“The Scarlet Letter”, and others) are all buried here. That right there is worth the price of admission (it was free, so…). We got out, climbed the ridge to the graves. All of the authors had writing utensils laid upon their graves. I kind of liked that as a tribute.

We then traveled up the road to Lexington and made a brief stop at the Lexington Green. It’s basically a nice park that just so happened to have the very first battle of the American Revolution take place there. It was earlier in the morning of April 19th, 1775. The very first shots were fired here. There were several other skirmishes that day, and in the days that followed. It had stopped raining momentarily, so we got out and walked around the park and took a few pictures. We passed a tour group of what looked like Japanese high school students. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. Every single one of them had their own umbrella, which looked kind of funny. They all matched. My boys and I had left our umbrellas in the truck, so, there’s that.

Next, we headed east (for the last time), and pulled in to Salem, Massachusetts. Here we visited the Salem Witch Museum, had lunch, and then visited the Salem Witch Trials Memorial. If you’re not familiar with the story, in 1692, the town of Salem was the site of a mass-hysteria situation, started by the accusations of some bored young girls, which ended in the deaths of 20 citizens (and one dog). All of them accused of being witches or warlocks. The hysteria spread throughout New England that year, but Salem had the fever bad.

First of all, I think the town of Salem gets a bad rap. It is a very lovely town. The streets are all cobble-stone, the streets are lined by trees, and the people seemed very friendly. The only thing about it is that every 20 feet is an establishment whose existence stems from the fact that those 20 people were killed here. There are at least a half-dozen museums dedicated to the incident. People offering “ghost tours”, or “seances”, or “palm readings” seemed to be on every street corner. All over town, men and women dressed in 17th century clothing were leading groups of tourists around town, basically telling the same story. If I were a local, I would say, “I get it, but it happened over 300 years ago. Let it go!”

The memorial was the cooler of the things we saw in Salem. Dedicated to the innocent lives lost, it was tucked away next to a very old cemetery, and it seemed like the most decent thing the people of Salem could do. The “Museum” we visited was very touristy. It wasn’t really a museum at all. We watched a pretty hokey presentation involving wax figures, with a recorded voice-over telling the story of what happened. If you’ve ever read “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller (or seen the most recent of films starring Daniel Day-Lewis), then you’ve pretty much got the gist of what happened. Otherwise, I think the boys were entertained, and I guess I didn’t mind it too much.

We then left Massachusetts and drove north, through New Hampshire, and into Maine. We stopped at a town called Kittery (recommended by a bored park ranger at the Minuteman NHP) for a break, and then drove back into New Hampshire – headed west for the first time on our trip. We’re spending the night in Concord, New Hampshire. Tomorrow, I’m not sure what we’ll do. We’re supposed to be in Buffalo, NY by nightfall, but we still have an extra day to play with due to skipping New Orleans. I’m thinking we might use that extra day and drive north a little more, to a little town called Burlington, where I hear they have a certain ice cream factory…

A few quick notes:

• Giles Corey was a cantankerous old man who was one of the 20 innocent citizens of Salem who were executed for being a witch. Technically, Corey was never charged. The local authorities tortured him to confess, and he refused to answer. They used a medieval type of torture process called “pressing”. Pressing involved strapping the individual down, placing a board on top of the prone victim, and slowly placing heavy stones upon the board. Periodically, the torturers would stop and ask for a confession. They would do this until either the victim confessed, or they died. Giles Corey refused to say anything. The only phrase he ever uttered was, “more weight.”
• The reason why Corey would not confess (besides the fact that he was innocent) was that he was a vigilant and furious protector of his property and his wealth. He was well known in town for suing fellow townspeople whenever he felt he was slighted. He often won his suits, and this may also explain why they tortured him. Corey, ever protective of his wealth, knew that if he confessed, his estate and all his property would revert to local government, and his heirs would get nothing. If he could hold out, his heirs would get everything. Tough old bird was Giles Corey.
• While walking in Salem, a lady on a park bench started yelling “Hey Mars! Mars! Beam me up!” I realized that I was wearing a shirt that I purchased back at the Kennedy Space Center. I replied, “yeah, Mars!” She said, “Beam me up! We already messed up this planet. Might as well go to Mars!” Except, in her New England accent, she said “Mahhs.” I love how people just yell stuff at you when you wear something funny or different.

Well, gotta go. Second time now that I have had technical difficulties with my photos – which is why I’m finally posting this this morning. Today we go through Vermont and into upstate New York. See ya later!