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From another soaking to a lot of walking...

July 11th - Toronto to Boston Area

Trying to stay dry on the Maid of the Mist boat ride.

We had a great time in Toronto, but we were anxious to get on our way and do some real camping. Our next stop was the Boston area -- Middleboro to be specific -- but first, we wanted to go back and see Niagra Falls up close. So we got up real early (5:00 am early) and headed back towards the border. We got to the falls around 8:30 and thought we had it made since the place was empty. The Maid of the Mist boat ride opened at 9:00, so we thought we'd be first in line.

Unfortunately, the parking attendant at the parking lot right across from where we were wouldn't let us park in his lot. He said that while we weren't an RV or trailer (those aren't allowed), we might attract RVs and trailers to come to his lot. So, we would have to park where the RVs and trailers park... 2 miles down the road... and take a shuttle back to the falls... we weren't happy. Then, when we get down to this parking lot 2 miles away, we discover that they don't open until 9:00am. Then, we end up waiting until about 9:30 before the shuttle finally picks us up. Then, we discover that they don't drop us off right in front of the Maid of the Mist; we have to walk about 15 minutes. We finally get to our destination, the Maid of the Mist, at 10:30... so much for getting an early start.

Fortunately, the Maid of the Mist boat ride redeemed Niagra for us -- we all had a blast! After gearing up in our bright blue ponchos, we positioned ourselves on the first level on the port side at the bow of the ship. The boat took us past the first falls, which are on the American side (they were saying stuff about the falls over the loudspeaker, but we weren't able to understand a thing, so I don't really know the proper names for the falls)... we got a little wet, but had a fantastic view. Then we started heading for the big falls (I think they're called the horseshoe falls because of their shape). When we first entered the "horseshoe", we really got drenched (the girls loved it!). The boat kept moving closer and closer to the falls... and we kept getting wetter and wetter! After a few minutes of intense closeness to the falls (yes, I was starting to get nervous), the captain turned the boat around and headed back to the dock. After returning to dry land, Janet suggested they rename the tour from "Maid of the Mist" to "Spinster of the Shower." I think she's right, because we sure did get wet!

After another issue with the tram to the parking lot, we made our way back to the camper around 12:30. Our quick diversion took a bit longer than we had planned (thanks to those darned parking people). Our crossing back into the States went very smoothly (thankfully) and we headed towards Boston. Because of our late start, we made our PB&Js at a rest stop and ate them in the truck on the road. We tried to find a Cracker Barrel and some veggies for dinner, but there wasn't one to be found, so we ended up eating at a McDonald's (hopefully, the one and only time for this trip).We made it into our campsite in Middleboro, MA, setup our camp and finally got to bed around midnight.

The next morning we got up not too early so that we could tour Plymouth and Cape Cod. It was a beautiful day (not perfect... we've learned that when you call the weather perfect, it'll downpour on you... so, not perfect), so we drove the truck/camper into Historic Plymouth and found a parking spot on the street. From there, we walked along the shore and came across Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower II (a replica of the original Mayflower). We found it interesting that the designation of Plymouth Rock as the landing spot of the Pilgrims actually happened about 120 years after the Pilgrims arrived. Can you say "hmmmm"?

As we were reading about the Plymouth Rock, a horse carriage pulled up giving tours, so we jumped on and took a tour down the main street along the water. The older gentleman driving the carriage seemed to know everyone along the way, and he gave us some suggestions for good clam chowder. We followed his advice and went to Isaac's for lunch. The weather was still wonderful (not perfect), so we ate outside on the balcony -- we had a terrific view of the bay. We then had a quick walking tour of a few other historic sites as we headed back to truck and moved on to the Plimoth Plantation.

The Plimoth Plantation (yes, that's the correct spelling) is a re-creation of the original Pilgrims' settlement. Not only are the people there dressed up as Pilgrims, they speak and act as if they were living back in the 17th century. They move about, working as they did back then, and you can ask them questions and they'll answer in the old tongue. It's very cool. There's also an indian village (Wampanoag tribe) -- they were dressed in the original garb, but they spoke as we do today. It was a little disconcerting seeing an Wampanoag speaking with a Brooklyn accent. It's a very cool place to visit if you ever get the chance.

By the time we had finished up at the Plimoth Plantation, it was almost 5:00pm, so we decided Cape Cod would have to wait for another time, and we headed back to the campsite. The girls had a swim at the pool, while Janet read and I worked on this website at the pool.

The next morning we headed for Boston. The KOA has a shuttle that takes campers to the train (which goes into Boston), but we didn't want to be constrained by the shuttle schedule (which left at 9:15am). So, I asked about driving ourselves to the train station. The young man in the office said it was no problem, and he gave me directions to get there. What he didn't tell me was that the train left at 9:40 and that there wouldn't be another one until 11:10. So, we arrived at the train station at about 9:50 and waited for more than an hour for the next train. Fortunately, Janet had a book that she was reading to the girls, so she finished reading it while we waited. (We just don't have much luck with all of this mass transportation!)

When we arrived at the South Station in Boston, we found a Trolley tour company and hopped on the trolley to take us around. This is really the way to do it because the places of interest in Boston are so far apart that trying to walk it can be very tiresome. And don't even think about driving! The construction is maddening (ever heard of The Big Dig?) and I'm afraid Boston drivers are some of the rudest drivers I've ever seen (and yes, this includes NYC).

We took the trolley through most of the route (getting a lot of interesting information from the driver), and then hopped off at Boston Common. This is essentially a big park area in the middle of Boston. It was perfect for a picnic lunch! From there we picked up the Freedom Trail, which is essentially a walking tour of the historic sites in Boston. The trail is designated by a red line (either painted or made up of red bricks) down the center of the sidewalk. We followed the trail to a cemetary that has the graves of Sam Adams, John Hancock, Mother Goose, and Ben Franklin's parents.

We eventually made it to the warf where the Boston Aquarium is located. Because of the tour company we picked, we had free admission to the aquarium. We were thrilled to be greeted by dozens of penguins near the entrance, and we followed the center ramp up while viewing sharks and turtles. The girls seemed to really enjoy themselves, and Angel even stuck her hand into some water to hold a starfish! I'm really glad we went to the aquarium because, while I love the history stuff, the girls seemed a bit bored. So the aquarium gave them something to enjoy.

We then hopped back onto the trolley and took it over to see Paul Revere's house and the Old North Street Church ("One if by land, two if by sea"). This took a bit more walking, and we got a little lost in Little Italy. Fortunately, we found another group of tourists and followed them. By the time we got back on the trolley, it was about time to head back to the train (the trolleys stop picking up passengers at 5:00pm). While waiting for the 6:00pm train, we found a neat little store that sells pre-made meals for commuters -- they just need to heat them up when they get home and voila!... a meal. Janet and I couldn't resist the clam chowder and lobster bisque, so we took some to go.

While taking the train back to Middleboro, watching the commuters both on the train and in their cars, Janet, Angel and I all agreed that while the big city is fun to visit, we wouldn't want to live there. Of course, the next day we were headed for the biggest city of them all -- New York, New York -- the Big Apple -- NYC! The next day would be a short drive from Middleboro, MA to Newburgh, NY, getting us into the campground early and ready for a big day in NYC -- or so we thought.

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