Witches, “Chowdah” and uncontrolled giggles…

At York Harbor we decided we were close enough that we wanted to see Kennebunkport, where George and Barbara Bush live. Everybody we’ve asked described the Bush’s place there as one of the most impressive pieces of real estate on the east coast. When we got there though, it being Sunday around noon, streets were crowded with tourists and the area was generally not very RV friendly. Instead of fighting it we continued inland instead to Kennebunk, where we had a rare restaurant lunch before hitting the interstate towards Boston. In a little over an hour we had passed from Maine through New Hampshire and into Massachusetts, paying two tolls along the way.

You gotta’ love Goggle. At 8:30 in the morning we had no idea about how we were going to approach Boston. Half an hour later we had a spot reserved and an address for Winter Island Park in Salem, Massachusetts - the ideal location for any RV’r looking to see the big city without trying to drag their RV through the inner city traffic. We plugged the address into the GPS and relaxed. Winter Island Park is ideal because, just a mile away from our campsite is the Salem Ferry, which deposits passengers right at the foot of everything that most people want to see in Boston. The ferry ride is about an hour long and costs just under twenty dollars a person, return.

In the afternoon when we got to Salem we toured the town by bicycle, picking up some wine. In the 1700’s there were eighteen women hanged under suspicion for being witches in Salem. One man was executed for the same reason but he was stoned to death - by placing large rocks on him until he was suffocated, or crushed, whichever came first.

Pictured is Tim buying some wine from the store that the late Dave Jenneson (Big D) would have loved to get his hands on. Also pictured is an on old sailing ship at Salem - lots of things look spooky at Salem.



The next day we walked to the ferry and took the 11am crossing to Boston. The ride provides spectacular views of Boston from the water punctuated by frequent large aircraft coming and going from the airport. Starting at the wharf, we decided on hoofing the Freedom Trail which is a three-mile route each way, marked by red paint, that takes walkers to the most significant architectural and historical landmarks in Boston, from Boston Common to Bunker Hill.

Somewhat to our surprise, we found people very approachable, interested/ing and even friendly. Boston is the home of Harvard, Cambridge, North Eastern, Boston College, MIT and a few other lesser colleges. It’s a vibrant, lively, attractive city, packed with history.

Pictured are the Boston waterfront, the Oyster House Bar which has been there for hundreds of years, and the place where we had some “Chowdah”. Also pictured are one of the fountains at Boston Common and another shot of downtown.






On the ferry ride back, due to brisk winds and an outgoing tide, the almost fearless Janice got the giggles. The more the boat rocked and bucked the more frequent and louder the giggling got. It was infectious. Soon I was starting to get them and another woman ahead of us started giggling as well. It turned out she was a lawyer, commuting with her fold-up bike to Salem. When I quipped something about Boston Legal she admitted to that actually being her nickname.

By the time we walked home from the ferry we had put on ten or more miles so we took it easy, lounging around the waterfront at our park.

Pictured are the Salem Harbor at Winter Park and us posing after a long day.



Today is another sunny day and we’re bound for Cape Cod…