Plimoth Plantation

I believe it was only six miles from the Plymouth Wal-Mart shopping center to Plimoth Plantation. "Carmen" said "left" but I only saw the ocean. I continued to drive and finally found a place to turn around. It was fourteen miles total but seemed like thirty!!

I left Panera at 10:35 but didn't arrive at Plimoth Plantation until about 11:35. Traffic was almost at a standstill on Massachusetts State Route 3 headed for Cape Cod. So I took an off-ramp and ended up driving the narrow, busy main street of Plymouth. The signals were timed so only a couple of cars through intersection at a time. Terrible traffic congestion!!

At Plimoth Plantation, I found a parking spot with shade but discovered I couldn't open the trailer door due to tree limbs. The nice folks that arrived just before me moved their car so I could pull forward and access the T@B door. (Nice folks.) I fixed lunch before entering Plimoth Plantation. (Food at tourist attractions is so expensive!!)

Admission to Plimoth Plantation--and Mayflower II--was less if bought "as a package." I was already familiar with the traffic "downtown" and thought I'd probably NOT find a parking place. $22. for this Senior to walk around in a self-guided tour of the (recreated) Wompanoag (Native American) village, and first English settlers homes, and (of course) gift shops.

I talked to a Staff member (riding around in a golf cart). He recommended taking the Shuttle bus to the Mayflower II. "Ask the ladies at the admissions desk for a bus schedule." ~~ My timing was perfect; I couldn't have planned it any better!! ~~ A "Trolley" pulled up and I learned it is a sightseeing tour. So--for $10.00--I climbed aboard. It was worth every penny to NOT drive those narrow streets. My only complaint (?!): I couldn't understand half the driver's words. He had the distinctive Massachusetts accent!!

I could have gotten off at several locations and back on later but just stayed on the trolley. I took a picture of the Mayflower II but really didn't want to pay to walk through it. Even at a distance, I could see that the ship had a crowd of people on it.

Nor did I get off at "Plymouth Rock." It's not authentic so why waste my time?! I took a picture from the trolley. the small "rock" is under that white pillared structure.

I'm confident that the museums, churches, historic old buildings, etc., are well worth visiting. I'm just weary of traffic and congestion!! On the positive side: This speaks well of the tourist industry. The economy is making a slow recovery. People are taking trips and spending money for gas, food, lodging and attractions.

Sadly, more people should "Go RVing." When I arrived at Wompatuck State Park (at 4:25) there was no problem getting a campsite. Recreation vehicles were driving past my site until dark. In conversation with the Camp Host, I learned this Park is never full.

En route to Cape Cod

After a hot humid night, and an hour checking my e-mail, I'm ready to leave Panera and the Derby Street Shops. I don't know when--or where--I'll have WiFi.
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5:55 PM: Yes, I have WiFi and I'll be able to continue publishing details about the Rally on Cape Cod.
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I drove slowly--on secondary routes--hoping to find a car wash. I didn't want a dirty trailer when the other T@BBers arrived!! (She still had Vermont mud on her!!) At 10 o'clock, in Plymouth, I finally found a self-service... and both vehicles got a thorough cleaning. I had only driven 27 miles in 75 minutes. Traffic was bad!! ~~ Incidentally, at Plymouth, at 9:30 I saw (briefly) the Atlantic Ocean (on my left).

At 11:20 I stopped to take pictures of the bridge to Cape Cod. My trip odometer would have turned 3,000 on the bridge. In that parking area, I had a nice long conversation with a man that admired the T@B. Then I drove off and left the step stool!! Shame, shame on me!!

Traffic traveling west--off the Cape--at the bridge--was backed up almost four miles. The travel mileage was (is) 3,033 miles here at the campgrounds.

Rhode Island, Connecticut & Massachusetts in one day !!

On a scale of one to five (five being best), today was a dismal "one." I'm in Massachusetts again; I've been in Rhode Island and Connecticut, too!! I drove to Mystic Seaport in Connecticut and experienced the parking problem I faced yesterday at Newport, Rhode Island. ("Will I never learn??") Discouraged..., I returned to Rhode Island (and you can read about a unique experience on the next blog).

I'm headed for Plimoth (Plymouth) Plantation in Plymouth, Massachusetts. That was an original destination on Friday (or was it Thursday?).

I "sought" (Mystic Seaport); I "fought" (tourist traffic);
I "aught" (to "know better"); I "bought" (bottle of tea);
I "wrought" (made my exit).

I found Bluff Point State Park at Groton, Connecticut, but "No overnight parking." After a walk... and a bite to eat in my T@B, I decided it was time to head North.

I saw a "camping" sign at approximately 1:30. I pulled off Interstate 95 (at exit 92) and discovered it was a KOA. My motto: "KOA, no way!"

FYI: "Yes, I'm in yet another Panera Bread." I didn't ask "Carmen" (my Garmin); I saw it as I drove by en route.... I don't even know the name of this town but "Carmen" told me there is a Wal-Mart less than one mile away.

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Postscript: On a positive note, I can now list two more states among those I've visited. Perhaps I'll catch New Jersey and Washington D.C. on my return trip South?! (I know, "D.C." isn't a state but it's on the map I display in one window of the T@B.) Visitors love to look at all the places I've been!!

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Pictures of East Greenwich, RI, Panera; Mystic Amtrak Depot & Visitor's Center (only parking I found); Mystic drawbridge; Bluff Point State Park.

Greetings from Plymouth, Massachusetts

ANOTHER PANERA!! Another Panera Bread that isn't listed when I checked the GPS. I'm so aggrevated with "Carmen" (my Garmin GPS)!!!!!!!!!! She has "let me down" half-a-dozen times today!! I'm pulling my hair out!!

Before I left Raynham, I bought groceries at Shaws Supermarket. I headed for nearby Massasoit State Park. It has been closed for three seasons but the camping sign is still out at the major secondary highway. I fixed, and ate, a salad for lunch.

I asked "Carmen" for Myles Standish State Park. She took me to little narrow streets in a residential neighborhood--in Duxbury. Somewhere in that forest of trees--and homes--was Myles Standish Monument. I asked directions from a lady on a bicycle. "The State Park is miles away." I was in a loop and it took several times around before I found my way back to a thoroughfare.

I saw a little "trailer" sign and followed it (thinking it would take me to the State Park). No, it was a Good Sam RV Park. I left without checking the nightly rate!! (I refuse to pay $40., $50., $60. for overnight parking!!)

Long story short: I never found Myles (Miles) Standish State Park. In desperation, I asked for the closest Wal-Mart. "Carmen" took me to an abandoned Wal-Mart!!! I asked for the next closest... and arrived at a shopping center that I passed an hour (or more) earlier.

What's an old lady to do?? The unthinkable!!!!! I dumped the porta-potty in a storm drain in the former Wal-Mart parking lot!!! You say: "How gross." Well, I say "A gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do!!" FYI: Everything about this trip is NOT powerful waterfalls, gorgeous sunsets, beautiful beaches, magnificent mountains, etc., etc. There's the mundane task of pumping gas, washing the vehicles periodically, doing laundry in a hot, steamy laundromat, etc.

Here's another FYI (for your information): I was in this neighborhood, on State Route 3-A, on July 6th. Remember, I washed the KIA and T@B so they would be clean when I arrived at Sweetwater Forest Campground for the T@B Rally?! Nineteen days later and less than 500 miles that encompassed Cape Cod, Nantucket, New Bedford, Newport Rhode Island, and Mystic Seaport Connecticut. Tomorrow, Lord willing, I'll visit Plimoth (Plymouth) Plantation. Tonight, barring something unforeseen, I'll sleep in yet another Wal-Mart parking lot. During the coming week, KIA service and tires for the T@B.

Follow my travels this time last year ?!

Click on--and read--the first link. Then use your computer's back arrow to return to this blog. Click on--and read--the second link. Then use your computer's back arrow to return to this blog. Move through the following list. ~~ Enjoy!!

Greetings from Plymouth, Massachusetts ~~~ July 25, 2010

Plimoth Plantation ~~~ July 26, 2010

A little humor, for your enjoyment !!

My friend, Debbie, has chauffeured me from Massachusetts to Maine and all over the seacoast area of New Hampshire. She wanted me to see the most interesting sights, and eat in the most interesting restaurants. One of the first things Debbie did was enlighten me on the pronunciation of certain words. In her words, here is the list she e-mailed me (a week ago). Perhaps she was inspired to compile this list because I said I couldn't understand half the words spoken by the Trolley Tour driver at Plymouth, Massachusetts. Picture: "Moxie" for sale at the local Sam's Club.

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You may have already heard that New Englanders speak with a bit of an accent. They also have a few terms that have different meanings from other places...here are a few.

American Chop Suey: My husband says it was a staple on the school cafeteria menu. The rest of us call it beeferoni. The Red Arrow Diner in Manchester (home of Adam Sandler ) makes the best! Their recipe is on their website. NH, as you know, is a big state for the politicians, and everybody who's anybody goes to the Red Arrow. Hillary, Rudy, Obama...they've all been there.

The B's: Also known as the Broons. Better to find a local hockey team. You'd nevah get a seat for the Broons.

Breakdown lane: Around Boston, watch out. There are none. Especially around rush hour, it's just another passing lane. Seriously. I couldn't believe my eyes the first time I saw it, driving along the beltway back from one of our many appointments in Providence. It's somehow a little nerve wracking to have cars speeding by on the left when your brain thinks you are in the slow lane.

Bubbla: What my husband calls a water fountain.

Cah: What you pahk in the garage.

Cripes!: Yikes! Jeepers!

Elastics: I had NO idea the first time I heard my father-in-law say it that he was looking for a rubber band. Cripes! He scared me!

Frappe: What we call a milk shake.

Gravy: Tomato sauce. Come to think of it, I don't know what those people who call tomato sauce gravy call gravy.

He-yah: The opposite of thayah, as in "Let's sit right he-yah."

Hoodsie: A little cup of ice cream, like you eat with the flat, wooden "spoon." Remember, Hood is New England's favorite dairy. Who else would make Fenway Fudge?

Lobsta Roll: A simple lobster salad served on a browned New England style bun, which has no crust on the sides. The correct ingredients for a lobsta roll are highly debated. A lobsta roll can easily set you back $13-15 or more. If I'm eating a hot dog roll, I'd rather have a couple of Fenway Franks on it and pay a little more for real lobsta. By the way, some franks are red. And I mean red. The best franks are from the deli counter, are not red, and come hooked together like the sausages you see in a cartoon, with a dog running away with a whole string of them.

Mainah: Somebody who lives north of N'Hamsta. N'Hampsta people think they talk funny and make fun of them. They are the Pollocks of New England. People in Boston who talk like the Kennedy's make fun of everybody.

Milk shake: A drink with milk and syrup, but never any ice cream.

Potty Platta: Don't worry; it's only a pahty platta. You know, like a veggie platta for a Christmas pahty.

Quayuh, Queeah: Maybe something odd or stupid, maybe a dork, but does not mean gay.

Rotary: A traffic circle. Better than a breakdown lane.

Schrod: You know how we call dolphin Mahi-Mahi so people will eat it? Schrod could be cod, could be haddock...basically whatever they have the most of that day or whatever is cheapest.

Shoe-ah: Yes, OK. Why not?

Spuckie: An older term for a grinda' (grinder)...a sub sandwich. Similar to a Bulkie, which is round.

Tonic: Soda, like a Coke or a Moxie.

Wicked: Really, as in "That chowda was wicked good." The younger kids are using it now if something is much better than average. For example, they might refer to an awesome hill for snow boarding or tubin' or the coolest new sneakers as "wicked." Wicked is good.

Places: A good way to learn places around Boston is by listening to the news on tv. Worcester is Wuh-sta, Peabody is Pee B'de, Quincy is Quin-zee, etc.

Greetings from Dartmouth, Massachusetts

You guessed it!! Greetings from Panera Bread at the Dartmouth Mall. My KIA seems to have a built-in magnet drawing it to Panera. My vision spots the distinctive logo in the midst of a dozen other store signs!! I don't think I'll spend hours here. I "think" I'm en route to Newport, Rhode Island. BUT my plans can change from hour to hour. Example: This morning I thought I'd head for Plimoth (Plymouth) Plantation. First I drove across the Big-K (K-Mart) parking lot (where I spent the night) to take a picture with a "retro" McDonald's. I was besieged by interested people. One gentleman, well-dressed, very articulate, encouraged me to visit Newport, RI. "It isn't far. It is so beautiful!! Take time to drive by the magnificent old homes." So, later in the day, I'll continue to the state of Rhode Island. (In all my travels, I don't think I've ever been in Rhode Island.)

Greetings from Goshen, Indiana

Specifically, greetings from Panera Bread in Goshen. I've been here (Panera) before; this is like a homecoming. I left Holland, Michigan at approximately 8:30 this morning and took a State Route south to Indian. I owned the road!! There wasn't any traffic; the road was great; the weather was perfect!!

This is brief because Panera is now limiting WiFi access to half-hour on weekends (new to me). I'll be back as soon as possible.

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Postscript, 11 o'clock, Labor Day Monday, Sept. 6th, 2010: Above is the message I published yesterday. Below are the details of the day from my handwritten notes. I'm in a McDonald's, in Wakarusa Indiana, using their free WiFi.

"It was a beautiful sunny morning as I prepared to leave Sam's Club parking lot in Holland, Michigan. The wind had subsided, the rain had long-since stopped. However, it had been a cold night and I had two blankets on top of my sleeping bag!
* Sixty-three degrees at 10:25 PM when I went to bed.
* Sixty-four at 11:15,
* Sixty at 3:00 AM,
* Fifty-seven at 6:00 AM,
* Fifty-six at 7:02 when I got out of bed because a big truck arrived and left the engine idling so no going back to sleep.
* Fifty-three at 7:30 with the thermometer on the ground outside the T@B. My cute little weather station (that records info from a satellite) said the current temperatures was 46 degrees in Grand Rapids.
* Sixty-four at 8:20 when almost ready to leave Sam's.

"Carmen (my Garmin) was not happy when I turned off U.S. 31 onto M-40 (Michigan 40) shortly after leaving Sam's. A nice man--in Barnes & Noble--suggested M-40 as a direct route 'and nice farm countryside.' I decided to challenge Carmen hoping she would 'recalculate' and decide that the alternate route would lead to Wal-Mart in Goshen. (She was programmed for Wal-Mart in Goshen.) Carmen was 'recalculating' every few miles; she was determined that I would turn around and eventually get on I-196. Carmen was tracking my every move, she knew the names of all the crossroads before I got there. So I listened to her irritating voice for two hours twenty minutes. When I was approximately two miles (five minutes?) from Wal-Mart (at 10:56) the GPS was advising that I would arrive at my destination at 1:35 (two-and-one-half hours). She NEVER 'recalculated' to put my KIA in relationship to my destination--Goshen Wal-Mart.

"I arrived at Panera at 11:05. I've been there previously and thought I'd get there on 'autopilot.' Things didn't look the same; the railroad tracks were on the wrong side of U.S. 33. I overshot it by three miles and had to backtrack. PBKTL (please be kind to Lorraine): This Panera is NOT in my Garmin GPS; I was relying on my memory (and let's be honest, a lot has happened in one year).

"While the computer was booting, I got my customary whole grain bagel, veggie cream cheese, and hazelnut coffee. Boy, did that taste good!! IF my memory serves me correctly, the last Panera was at Plymouth, Massachusetts. (Nope, it was Danvers, Massachusetts.)

"I knew my WiFi time would be limited because Panera limits us to thirty minutes between 11:30 and 1:30. To my surprise, a new message said customers are limited to thirty minutes on weekends. So I prepared a brief blog and checked e-mail messages.

"When 'they' (Panera) logged me off the Internet, I packed up and went next door to Great Clips for a haircut. I'm please with the nice way she cut and styled my hair.

"Because the weather was warm and beautiful, I took time (in a discrete corner of the parking lot near Panera) to arrange things in the T@B, and sweep the floor. I can't eliminate all the clutter but I can organize and clean before 'cousins' look at Mercedes.

"I tried several times to contact cousins. No answer and no voice mail to leave a message. Then I drove to Wakarusa, to the home of a cousin (didn't have her phone number). She wasn't home. I sat in my folding chair, in the shade of an enormous old tree. I read for awhile and I sat quietly doing nothing for awhile. It was so peaceful. While writing the details of the day, and watching the sunset, I finally reached 'cousin' Dale.

"'Cousin' Dale arrived about 7:45 and stayed for approximately two hours. Here's an interesting note: Dale and I were en route to Menno-Hof, in Shipshewana, eleven months ago when I saw this T@B parked along the road--with a 'for sale' sign. All these months later, Dale was my first visitor! He made a point of driving to my location; he sat in the trailer for two hours reminiscing with me. My first visitor!!

"You ask 'How can that be? You always have 'visitors.' Yes, many people stop to converse about 'That cute little trailer.' They step in and check the headroom and admire the efficiency. Nobody sits down for a prolonged social visit. I think it is so appropriate that 'cousin' Dale was the first.

"Going to bed at 10:10; 70 degrees. Sixty-eight degrees at 2:00 AM and I reached for a blanklet to put over the sleeping bag. Sixty-seven at 7:40."