A Slideshow of Our New England Coastal Trip

Emily wrote down her Thoughts on our visit to Salem:

We went to Salem and checked out the museums. The first one we went to was the Witch Dungeon Museum. Apparently, Salem is very big on huge creepy mannequins, because they were EVERYWHERE! I mean in every museum and shop (basically). But other that that, the museum was great. exept for the first part where I got scared out of my wits when they started a play on the witch trials. But then i think i over reacted because the acting was very very good. Then we went to the Witch History Museum. The tour guide was kind of robotic, but all was good there too. It was kind of all the same info, but from a different perspective. then we went to the Pirate Museum it was so much fun, and a good change of pace. I liked our tour guide because he used humor to teach instead of going all blah about it. The last one we went to was the wax museum. It showed the founder and how the trials all got started, like the other tours ( and with, like, the same big scary mannequins) I also got my hand waxed there. but what I learned was amazing. it all got started by a maid telling stories of voodoo to young impressionable girls that are very, very, bored. then they started to go into trances and histerical fits. then they called the doctor and the Dr. didn't know that much so he blamed it on witches. then the girls were used to hunt witches all over! No one was safe from being called a witch. and they all were innocennt. some of them pleded guilty. but if you could not recite the Lord's Prayer clearly, loudly, and crisply, they went to gallows hill to be hanged.(hanged bothers me because i know it should be hung but hanged is the propper term!! grrrr!)only 14 women and 5 men were killed. Burning at the stake was outlawed in the states, but not in England and outward. Yes, it was spread all over the world.but then the girls made a big mistake. they called the governor's wife a witch. then, the Governor got called a witch (not wizard) for trying to protect his wife. since the Governor still had his power, he outlawed the spectral evidence. that was a yellow canary, black cat, ect. that was invisible to the rest of the people. then since spectal evidence was the only "evidence" they had, they had to let everyone go. The funny part about it was that you had to pay for the prison food, a bed and everything else. probably the rope for your hanging. The people who could not afford a room got a coffin sized one where you could barely move. The witch hysteria lasted only about 13 months. Eighteen people were hanged and one was crushed to death by heavy stones. Yea, English torture. This was a bad time for Salem, but they recovered in time.

Map of Our Adventures - With Points of Interest

Map of Our Adventures - with points of interest

View June 2010 Easterly Trip in a larger map

Egret & ship

Egret & ship

Going 2 da beach

Going 2 da beach

Travel Day

Packed Up and moved on to Salem MA. Was a short stay at Peter's Pond - didn't even really get to enjoy the campground itself. Trip over Route 6 and onto I-95 went pretty well, until I took a turn too early in Salem and ended up in a residential area, rather than by Salem Bay. Once we turned ourselves around, we got to Winter Island without an issue.

Winter Island is unlike any campground we've been in. We are camped alongside Salem Harbor, and are actually only about 100 feet from the boat launch ramp. Right near us are a set of steps to a beach below, and another larger beach to swim at is just a short walk away. There are two distinct type campsites here - a grassy field up a hill, and sites carved out of the parking area. We are at the latter. E is quite excited - finding shells, crabs and other life in the tidal pools. We have a great view of the Lighthouse here, and of the boats bobbing in the water. Every so often we see someone launch a dingy on racks on the beach below us) out to the boats moored in the harbor.

Once setup here, we took a ride to "The Willows" a small row of arcade style games, rides and food, bordering a lovely landscaped park right on the water. We entertained ourselves for a bit watch some of the local boys jumping off a two story pier and swimming to shore, to go a repeat the trip again. The sky started to darken, and we could see the rain fall in the distance, along with bolts of lightning. We headed back to camp, and got in before the storm broke around us. The wind really whipped about us, and we watched the fury of the storm out our back window - a great view of the harbor. As quickly as it came, it was gone, and blue skies and fluffy white clouds were above again. Better yet the wind died down, any humidity was gone, and the temperature dropped. Am made a great dinner of penne with grilled chicken in a red sauce, which we enjoyed outside in the cooling air.

Looking around tonight, It's amazing to me the diversity of Camping units I can see. Across from us is a $1 Mil Newell Motor-home, Next to it is an older unit Probably worth $350-400k (I think they are travelling together - they both have Ontario plates) Next to them is a $15k pop-up. There are plenty of others, from probably $5k on up in price here, but as I look around, none fits our style better than RoadAbode.

Time to watch a little tv, check in @ work, and have a snack.

We'll be exploring Salem's museums tomorrow.

Hermit Crab

Hermit Crab

Waikiki Beach @ Salem

E by the Tidal Pools at Waikiki Beach on Winter Island. Found Hermit Crabs, and lots of various shells.

Winter Island Salem,MA

Winter Island Salem,MA

As I was packing up at Peter's Pond to head North to Salem, a 5th wheel pulled in next to me to set up. We did our courteous "Head Nods and Howdys" to each other, and I continued doing my stuff, and the two gents started their setting up and leveling. Am came over to me and told me "Hey - I think they are trying to level with a wine glass of water, want to let 'em borrow you're level? I looked over, and they were already past that stage, and never wantin' to nose in on telling another man how to do his job (unless it looks dangerous) I decided against it - they seemed ok.

A few moments later a women pulled up in another car (someone's "wifey") and hopped inside the 5th wheel, then hopped right out - talked to the gents - and came directly over to me.

"'cuse me, you wouldn't happen to have a level, would you?" :)

"Why yes ma'm, I do"

They leveled off a few minutes later to her liking. ;)

Guess Women are smarter - If You don't ask, you don't get.

3 Sisters Lights

3 Sisters Lights

Nauset Lighthouse

Nauset Lighthouse

Tucked in @ Sandwich, MA

Tucked in @ Sandwich, MA Rainy, but clearing.

Travel Day

Today was our travel day to Sandwich MA, Cape Cod. E still got a swim in the pool before we headed out. We decided to use Route 1 to state route 138, following the coast up thru Rhode Island thru Westerly, Pawtucket, and the Beautiful Newport. The two bridges Jamestown and Newport - gave us great views of the ships on the water below. We stopped at a Info Center in Mass once we crossed into the state. Another thirty or forty minutes and we were at our site at Peter's Pond. Setup RoadAbode in a few minutes, and headed out for a great seafood dinner at Seafood Sams, along he Cape Cod Canal. Had fun after dinner finding interesting flotsam and jetsam with E along the entry Jetty for the canal from the Cape Cod Bay. Checked in to work, then enjoyed some TV to wind down the evening,

Mystic Drawbridge

Mystic Drawbridge

After some chocolate chip pancakes made by Am, we went window-shopping at Old Mystic Village We took Molly along and she enjoyed sniffing around the complex. After shopping for a few hours (and Rhode Island style fried dough) we took Molly back to rest at RoadAbode, and headed to Mystic Pizza - the same Pizza place from the movie.

I was expecting a tourist trap, but the pizza was excellent! As an appetizer we had fried pickles which is much better than it sounds. After we walked and shopped thru the eclectic mix of stores in Mystic, with a final stop at Drawbridge Ice-cream. We each had a unique cone, mine being wild blueberry.

After our great day out, we relaxed poolside for a while, then has quesadillas for dinner.

Tomorrow, a travel day.

A few pics from today:

A slice of heaven

A slice of heaven

Beautiful Morn

Just about have the campgpound to ourselves.

Mystic Aquarium

Today's adventure took us to Mystic Aquarium.

After Amy prepared a great Father's Day breakfast of eggs with a mix of diced potato, peppers, onion and ham, we headed out to Mystic Aquarium. We first visited the beluga whale exhibit. You could feel the cold coming off of the water of the display the three whales were in, This is because beluga whales natural habitat are cold arctic and sub-arctic waters. After watching the whales for a bit, we stopped at the Sting ray encounter where the girls got to touch cow-nosed rays. Next on our aquarium day we enjoyed sea lion acrobatics at the Marine Theater show. It was interesting seeing the four sea lions perform, and also misbehave! The show had to be restarted twice until the one "teenager" behaved. There are many indoor and outdoor exibits, taching about auatic life from around the gloabe. One of the most interesting were the "jellies", an exibit showing various types of jellyfish from around the world. The colors and types were so beautiful, and so fragile looking.

Pictures from the day:

a

Campground and Dinner at Costello's

After the Submarine Museum, our Campground was just a few minutes away. We needed to use a detour because flooding back in April had washed out a bridge on 184 in Olde Mystic. Once we got settled into our site, we headed out to Costello's Clam Shack, the partner to Abbott's Lobster house. Both are located in Groton Connecticut, a block from each other, but the clam shack is a little less expensive, and has the better view, located right in the Noack Shipyard. We each enjoyed our meals - but I think mine, the Hot Lobster roll - lobster meat drenched in melted butter and served on a toasted roll - was the absolute best. I'd been looking forward to this authentic New England specialty for quite a while, and it did not disappoint. A few Pictures:

Our Site at Seaport

Costello's Sign in the Noack Shipyard

K waiting for her Fish & Chips

What we could see from Costello's

Keeping A warm in the early Eve's Breeze

From PA, Thru NJ & NY, into CT

Started off from a quiet night spent at RoadAbode's Storage. E and I went at 7am to pickup bagels and donuts from Dunkin Donuts down the road, while A and K stowed things and got RoadaBode ready for the road. By a little after 8am, we had everything ready, RoadToad connected, and were on our way.

Our travels went pretty smoothly, with the worst part being the tolls in NY. the GWB was $32!

Before stopping into Seaport campground, we stopped into the Groton Submarine Force Library & Museum We've been here before, and enjoy the tour of the USS Nautilus,s the world's first operational nuclear-powered submarine, and the first vessel to complete a submerged transit across the North Pole. There are also tons of info on the history of submarining through the years. Photos from the Museum:

The USS Nautilus

A & K with the First Sub used in Warfare

K & E Think they are in the radio room (listening to the self-guided tour)

With a few types of tordedoes

Stopped in Groton, On the way to Mystic

Stopped in Groton, On the way to Mystic, CT.

Emily's First Flute Recital

Emily is next to her Teacher.
Listen to "Three Chinese Folk Songs" and a duet
of "Legend" with Ms. Rachel below!
Recorded with my "Swiss Army Knife" of a CellPhone

Emily's First Flute Recital

RoadAbode's VoiceBytes

Emily Playing "Legend" on the Flute

RoadAbode's VoiceBytes

35 Cent Ouch

Last trip out, when connecting up RoadToad, noticed that the Driver-side turn-signal was blinking fast. Took a walk around, and sure enough, no blink on the rear. Once at storage I checked the bulbs, the flasher, bulbs in front and rear - all were ok. Removed the Light assembly, and checked for loose, broken, or worn wires. No dice. So made an appointment at Media Camping Center to check out.

The issue after they diagnosed was a fuse under the hood (I thought all the turn -signal fuses were under the dash)

The cost? Parts 35 cents for a 10 amp blade fuse. Labor $72. Ouch.

What hurts worse is that I keep spares in RoadAbode.

At least I learned something new.