Paul & Lily Go Places!

Lily and I left the wonders of Maine and eagerly traveled south towards the most populous state in the New England region. It was a beautiful sunny day when we blew right thru New Hampshire and rolled into our next destination.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

I was super excited to be in Massachusetts and spend some long overdue friend time with Jen and her family.

Salem was the first stop and we arrived right on time for all the spooky season festivities. I settled into a water front space at the Winter Island Park just in time for a stunning east coast sunset and before heading into town for dinner and drinks with Jen. After a long stretch of traveling, it was good to see a familiar face and catch up on life.

The next day, I walked back into the heart of Salem to check out the vibe and do a little exploring. It was about a five mile walk roundtrip from the Airstream to the center of town. I didn’t mind the walk, but it gave me a fun idea … I’ll get to that in a minute. But first, I had to stop in at a local coffee bean and get caffeinated.

After sucking down a festive Candy Corn Cold Brew, I vibrated over to The Old Burying Point Cemetery where I am absolutely convinced the headstones are faked for the thrill and delight of the tourists. I read headstones declaring this person was pressed to death and that person was hung before continuing over to the replica of the Friendship of Salem tall ship.

Sadly, the Salem Witch Museum was THE most popular attraction that day and was completely sold out of tix with lines going ’round the block to get inside. Oh well, I guess that’s to be expected for October in Salem.

After several incredible days inside Salem, we pulled out and drove the short distance to Jen’s house to boondock on her street and spend a few days touring around and visiting the interesting places off the beaten path.

The historic cotton milling town of Lowell, which is actually a National Historic Park, was a fun and super interesting afternoon excursion.

Then it was off to the bustling little town of Newburyport and the adjacent Plum Island for a wonderfully sunny Saturday excursion.

Before saying farewell to my friends, I had to collect an important Amazon delivery and add a heart shaped rock I collected from Glacier NP to Jen’s garden of heart shaped rocks as a souvenir of our visit. Thanks Jen and Tim for sharing your home, your street, and the happy hour Gin cocktails mixed to perfection. You are fabulous hosts.

Back to the fun idea … after walking to and from downtown Salem, I decided it would be way more fun and exciting to have an e-scooter so I ordered and Amazon delivered a brand new Segway. And here’s a sunset shot from my camping spot on Jen’s street.

Cape Cod National Seashore

If Lily and I randomly go missing one day, you can probably find us living the dream in Provincetown. Despite the weather being hit or miss (it rained two days we were there) I still absolutely loved it. The town, the people, the beaches – wonderful. And, I can’t wait to go back and stay longer.

The scooter was the perfect vehicle for exploring Commercial Street and the beaches. And an oat hazelnut latte was the perfect treat to start the days.

Cape Cod is delightfully littered with charming light houses that stand out even on foggy days.

I was thrilled to discover that Cape Cod has a winery/distillery which makes it an even more perfect destination for me. The gin was delicious and provided me several outstanding happy hours. The wine was pretty good too.

Did u know, the Pilgrims set foot on Cape Cod when arriving into the new world. The Pilgrim Monument is the tallest granite structure in the United States and I climbed it to the top on my last day in P-Town.

The State of Rhode Island

Continuing our tour of New England, we sadly departed Cape Cod and made our way to the Ocean State to gawk at the elaborate Gilded Age mansions in Newport.

The opulence of The Breakers was extraordinary. It was absolutely stunning to experience in person.

It was named “The Breakers” because the waves would crash and break onto the rocks below the outdoor living area. I could sit out there and listen to those waves break all day and night.

New York and Jersey City

On a whim, and completely last minute, I decided it would be cool to tow the Airstream over the GW Bridge from New York to New Jersey and stay a few nights at the only campground in Jersey City. And, I really wanted to visit Ellis Island and see where my great great grandfather passed thru when he immigrated from Germany in the late 1800s.

A short scooter ride from the Airstream which was parked in Liberty Harbor Marina and I was on the ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

Standing in the Great Hall where hopeful immigrants once waited to be granted entry into the United States was rather thought provoking. I was literally standing in the same place my great great grandfather stood some 125 years or so ago.

The museum had so much interesting memorabilia to examine and contemplate. From the graffiti covered columns where weary travelers wrote their thoughts, to the steamer trunks that carried all their belongings across the Atlantic – so much history in one important place.

I also toured the old hospital on the “Hard Hat Tour” and it was exceptionally interesting and incredibly thought provoking.

I spent all day on Ellis Island and didn’t want to make Lily wait any longer for me to rescue her from the Airstream so I skipped the Statue of Liberty and took the ferry back to Liberty Park. It was a beautiful day nonetheless.

And that concludes our time in New England with a stop over in New Jersey. It was brief but we had to move fast to book east coast campgrounds before they closed for the season. We will return again soon.

Next up we head into the Blue Ridge Mountains of West Virginia/Virginia to catch the tail end of the leaf peeping program already in progress and also make a stop in Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

Happy travels and we will see you again very soon!