June 21 to 26, 2017

It was an uneventful drive from Robert’s Dodge in Meriden, CT to Hampton Falls, NH.  After much research and reading reviews we chose  Wakeda Campground in Hampton Falls, NH.   

I called to inquire about availability and was told that we could have a site for two days.  We were assigned site D10.  At registration, we were told we could choose sites D10-D14.  When we drove to the site we saw that we would have a better chance of getting satellite reception on site D12. 

The helpful lady in the office called to say we could extend our stay if we were willing to move to another site in two days.  We checked out the site she said would be available and realized it would be a tight fit so we returned to the office to inform them that the new site would not work.  At that time we were told that the people who were scheduled to occupy site 12 on Friday had canceled just a few minutes ago and we were able to pay for another 4 nights at the PA rate.  Awesome!

Part of the reason we were attracted to the full time RV lifestyle was the opportunity it afforded us to explore this wonderful country. 

We like discovering what is around the next bend in the road, hiking in a forest, taking a walk along a river and browsing in small town shops.  For me, the most interesting thing we do is visiting places with historical significance. 

 

There are no shortage of historical places, towns, buildings and monuments in New England.  

One day we took a drive to the nearby town of Exeter, a very charming small town. 

 After stopping at the Chamber of Commerce to pick up a map, we strolled through the downtown area where we window shopped and walked through a Farmers Market.

We stopped at Goody Coles Smokehouse, a little BBQ joint we happened upon,

 and enjoyed a delicious meal. 

That same evening we drove to Hampton Beach. 

We missed the sand sculpting completion but were able to take some pictures of the sculptures that were still there.

We strolled along the beach and then attended a free concert in the band shell.   Thursday night is Country night and the featured band was The Goat Ropers. 

 They were great.  There was plenty of room down by the stage for line dancing.

Another day we spent in Salem.  We started our tour at the National Parks Salem Visitor Center where we signed up for a tour of the Narbonne House scheduled for later that afternoon and we watched two films, “Where Past is Present: A History of Salem” and Salem Witch Hunt: A History of the Salem Witch Trials.” 

The tour for the Narbonne House met at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site down on Derby Wharf. 

 The Narbonne House was built in 1675.  It is a remarkable example of a middle-class family home of the 17^th and 18^th centuries.  Due to the age of the house, the tour is limited to 8 people. 

It began to rain at the scheduled starting time of the tour which may have discouraged the other people who had signed up for the tour from attending.  For a short time we had the Ranger all to ourselves.  But then another family who just happened to be walking by asked if they could join us.

The house itself is not extraordinary but the fact that it was built over 300 years ago is very extraordinary. 

At the conclusion of the Narbonne House tour we visited the Custom House built in 1819 and housed offices for the officers of the U.S. Customs Service. 

 

 

On the way back to New Hampshire we stopped off at Newburyport, a small coastal city in Massachusetts.  

 

The Ranger who had led the tour in Salem recommended a couple of places to eat near our campground. 

We opted to try The Old Salt located inside The Lamies Inn. 

Monte enjoyed the clam chowder and the escargot.

We took a ride north to the town of Portsmouth; another adorable New England town where we enjoyed delicious ice cream at Annabelle’s and walked down by the wharf.

 

 

 

That evening we enjoyed an evening listening to a band just a short walk from our site.

The highlight of our stay in this area was our trip into Boston.  I had researched where to start the Freedom Trail and where to park so I thought we were well prepared for our visit to the city.  But what I hadn’t planned on was there being a marathon going on along the route on the street we needed to go on for the parking garage.   

 We ended up parking 2 and half miles from where we wanted to begin our walk at the Boston Common.

 

The first stop was at the Massachusetts State House, built in 1798. 

The next stop was at the Park Street Church, built in 1809.  We noticed a large number of people entering the building.  When we entered, we were greeted by a lady who invited us to attend a party being given for the pastor for his retirement.  It proved to be an unexpected treat as they were serving hors d’oeuvres and a large selection of desserts.  What a treat! Thank you for your hospitality.

Next door, at the Granary Burying Ground, we encountered several tour groups being led by period costumed guides.  The cemetery, founded in 1660, is the final resting place of many notable Revolutionary War-era patriots, including Paul Revere, Samuel Adams and John Hancock.

The next stop on the trail was at the King’s Chapel located on Tremont St. 

Continuing on the trail we came upon the Old City Hall built in 1862. 

A short distance away was the Old Corner Bookstore that is presently occupied by Chipotle Mexican Grill.  The building has had many different tenants.  When it was operating as a bookstore it was used as a meeting place for some of its notable visitors including Longfellow, Emerson, Dickens, Hawthorne and Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Located one block away is the Old South Meeting House, a historic Congregational church building built in 1729.  It gained fame as the organizing point for the Boston Tea Party.

The Old South State House, built in 1713, was the seat of the Massachusetts General Court until 1798 and is one of the oldest public buildings in the United States. 

The Boston Massacre occurred in front of the building on March 5, 1770.

Faneuil Hall has been a marketplace and meeting hall since 1743. 

It was the site of speeches by Samuel Adams encouraging independence by Great Britain. 

Also along the Freedom trail is The Union Bar (Ye Old Union Oyster House), the oldest restaurant in Boston and the oldest restaurant in continuous service in the US.   I had planned on treating Monte to a cup of clam chowder but he declined because he was still full from all the treats we ate earlier at the Park Street Church.

The trail took us through Little Italy on the North End. 

The neighborhood has the distinction of being the city’s oldest residential community since it was settled in the 1630s.

The Paul Revere House, located in the Little Italy area, was built around 1680, making it the oldest house in downtown Boston.  Paul Revere owned this house from 1770 to 1800.

The Old North Church is the location from which the famous “One if by land, and two if by sea” signal is said to have sent. 

 In April 1775, Paul Revere told three Boston Patriots to hand two lanterns in the steeple. 
 The lanterns were displayed to send a warning to Charlestown patriots about the movements of the British Army. 

The church, built in 1723, is the oldest standing church building in Boston. 




 

We made a little detour off the trail at the Clough House when we noticed this sign announcing a demonstration of the printing of The Boston Declaration of Independence using a historic press.

Moving along we came upon the Copp’s Hill Burying Ground established in 1659.

Our last stop on the Freedom Trail led us across a bridge to the USS Constitution currently in dry dock at the Boston National Historical Park at the Charlestown Navy Yard. 

 

 

After passing through security, we were able to board the historic ship, built in 1797.  It is the oldest ship in the US Navy. 

The ship was made famous during the war of 1812 where it never lost a battle and was nicknamed “Old Ironsides” because the ship was so strong that the cannonballs from British ships would bounce harmlessly of its sides.

One sailor offered information about the ship above deck and below deck another sailor told the story of one battle and how the ship earned its nickname.

We also boarded the USS Cassin Young, a US Navy destroyer, whose namesake was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism at the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. 

After serving in WWII, the Cassin Young was decommissioned, but was reactivated during the Korean War and continued in active service until 1960.

 

 

We learned more about the Charlestown Navy Yard in the Visitor Center and more about the USS Constitution in the museum.

The long walk back to where we had parked took us through neighborhoods with beautiful brownstones along Beacon Street and past Cheers, the pub that inspired the fictional bar in the NBC Sitcom. 

My feet were aching so when I checked my walking app I wasn't surprised to see that we had walked 13 miles around Boston!

Our last day at Wakeda Campground was spent doing chores and getting much needed relaxation after a few days of nonstop adventuring.