Boston Here We Come

We stayed near Schenectady, New York for two days and waited for the rain to subside.

I got a lot done in the RV to make it more comfortable for traveling. It takes thought and a lot of moving things around. I have to make sure that everything has a secure place to ride because of the road conditions and all the bouncing. Not unusual to open the fridge and have its contents roll out on the floor.

So, Flat Nathan gets a chance to roll into the state of Massachusetts. There is a lot of history here and many things about the Revolutionary War that Nathan will be discovering and learning about in the next couple of days. The terrain of the state is surprising in that it is quite mountainous. Even after passing through the Berkshires in the west side of the state, the hilly and curvy conditions keep our attention riveted to the highway until we reach our campground on the northwest side of Boston.

Minute Man National Historical Park

Friday morning we set out to visit Minute Man National Historical Park. The visitor center starts with a movie that describes the events of April 19, 1775 through the eyes of a resident of Concord. It is very engaging and more personal than my 8th grade history book. Of course it talks of Paul Revere and the Midnight Riders.

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We leave the visitor center and begin to walk along the historical trail. When we get to Hartwell Tavern, there are two rangers there dressed in period clothing. We start out with Michael to take a walk up the trail and listen to his very informative talk about the events of the day at Bloody Angle which is a designated battle site along the trail. He is a retired Lt. Colonel with the Army. After serving at this park as a teen, he decided to return here after his second career as a high school social studies teacher ended. He did a great job helping us understand why the patriots were able to ambush the redcoats in this particular spot on the trail.

We end at the North Bridge visitor center. Another 8 minute movie sets the stage for this moment in history. We walk to the bridge and capture the shadows of the sun beginning to drop behind the trees giving the monument a darker cast.

We have been challenged to stand and reflect on exactly what happened here and the effect it had on the freedom we embrace today.

I think to myself, perhaps if the history books gave more than just the facts to an 8th grade class I would not have waited until I was in my 40’s to pay attention. This is the story of people’s lives, good and bad, wise and foolish. It is because of each individual heroic life that took a place in the events that we enjoy the freedom of today.

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I ponder whether this was an act of treason as some might say. How hard was it for them to fire on their countrymen? I am certain of this one thing…nothing is as cut and dried as the history books portray it.

Boston Freedom Trail Walk

The next day we are on our way into Boston. We decide to take the subway in. Mistake! We ride down about two stops and they have us all get off the subway and load us into a 48 seat passenger tour bus. Apparently there is work being done on the tracks and this is the way they move people while that work is being done. It is a tedious ride through the suburbs and we see Bostonian life more up close and personal than we had planned.

We do finally arrive at Boston Commons where we take part in a tour of the commons and the burial grounds at Park St. where Sam Adams is buried. Interestingly enough, we are told that these grave sites have been excavated for various reasons and the headstones no longer match the bodies buried underneath. Hmm.

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We walk the Freedom Trail route by following the red bricks laid into the sidewalk. There is a lot to take in and after a long morning of tour guides, historical eye witness accounts, and insights of the famous personalities of the time, we feel we are ready to head to the North Church and the Boston Harbor.

In the harbor is the USS Constitution which is still a part of our Navy today. She is restored to a beautiful vessel. Of course we cannot leave out the picture of the Coast Guard base in the harbor. Being boaters all our life and having veteran Coasties in the family and perhaps a granddaughter about to serve, we proudly post the past and the present.

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In honor of another family member, we had to get this picture of Nathan with the firefighter monument in the background since his Daddy serves in their home state of Florida.

We finish our day in Boston with a stop at the public gardens. I wanted to make sure to see the Boston icon: the swan boats. Dang it…they have been taken out of the water already. We walk through and unwind. This truly is a place of peace in the middle of a bustling city. Many people of all ages are meandering along the walkways or sitting in the grass. Soft music from street performers and the sight of the sun beginning its decent over the trees gives the park a contrast of shadow and light in the waters reflection.

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We board the subway/bus tour for the long ride back to Riverside station. It has been a good day but so much that we did not have time to cover while walking. Perhaps another time…another visit.