Whew, I'm beat. We left for our New England trip on Friday morning. We kept meaning to study the map and come up with a good plan for avoiding NYC, but as is par for Glenn and me, we never got around to it. So there we were driving along on a collision course with Friday afternoon I-95 traffic in and around NYC; I'm studying the atlas and Glenn is trying to figure out what the GPS wants him to do as we are racing around the Baltimore beltway. We finally devised a plan which took us about 100 miles out of the way, but avoided the weekend mass exodus of Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, etc. Although we ended up driving out of our way, I'm fairly confident we avoided a ton of traffic and more gray hairs.

We finally got to our campground, southwest of Boston just as the sun was going down. I hate setting up the RV in the dark, but what are you gonna do? Of course, since it was dark, our campsite had to be about as unlevel as any campsite can be. I'm standing in the dark, shining a flashlight on the ramps so Glenn can drive the big rig up and we can sleep without all the blood rushing to our heads. I think it worked. We always forget to bring a level, so I have a trusty little rubber ball I put in the middle of the floor to see if it rolls. It works really well, if I do say so myself. As a back-up method we drip a few drops of water in the sink to see if it puddles or rolls. You know what they say, "Necessity is the mother of invention".

We got up late Saturday morning and drove into Boston. Everything was going fine until we were right outside the city, then all of a sudden, traffic came to a screeching halt. We crept along for at least half an hour before we noticed we could shoot over to the HOV lane. We had no idea where it led, but we were confident it couldn't be far from our intended destination. We were right. It led us straight into downtown Boston. It felt like we were all alone. I don't know where those other cars stuck on the freeway were going, but obviously not downtown. We found a parking garage and started walking aimlessly. Glenn's been to Boston quite a bit with his job, so he has an inkling of where things are. Soon we happened upon a map and realized we were only a few blocks from the Old State House, which is conveniently located across the street from the National Park Service Visitor's Center. Much to the boys dismay, we signed them up for the Junior Ranger Program. Which was a great thing to do in Boston, because it makes sure you see all the important sights on the Freedom Trail. In addition to the Old State House, we saw Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere's house, The Old North Church, and The Old South Meeting House. At each stop we had to get our booklet stamped and answer a question or two about the sight. Once they completed the booklet I felt like we had gotten a good taste of historical Boston. We broke down about halfway through the trail and bought passes to one of the tour buses. That made getting around much easier.

To end our day in Boston we took a harbor cruise. I would like to say it was fun and educational. I haven't a clue. Why? Because Sean, whom I love dearly, was being a total pill. Honestly, it was all I could do to keep from throwing him overboard. For whatever reason he got it in his head that he wanted to sit on the lower deck. You know, the deck that is practically even with the water line and you can't see anything from. I nixed that idea, Glenn and I decided to sit on the second deck, that way we would have a little shelter from the coolness and the sun. We hit Boston on possibly the best day ever for August. The temperature was warm, but not the slightest bit hot. Once we got on the boat, the temp dropped slightly and so there was definitely a chill in the air. Everyone was happy with the second deck, except Sean that is. He carried on, crying and complaining that he was cold, or hot or tired or whatever else would pop into his brain so that he could get his way. I held out for at least 30 minutes before I could take it no longer. By now I had a splitting headache and was on the verge of losing it. I grabbed him by the hand and dragged him down to the lower deck where I made him sit, without talking for the rest of the cruise. I had to sit there with him, but at least he was quiet.

After the cruise we found our way back to our car and drove to the campsite. I headed straight to the bed and Glenn took the boys to the pool. I did drag myself out of bed long enough to scrounge up some grub for the family. The whole time I was wishing I could lose the headache or at least climb back to bed. Fortunately, Glenn took over once dinner was served and he got the boys ready for bed and the dishes cleaned up.

I woke up this morning with the same headache, but I was determined not to let it ruin my day. I made pancakes for my crew and then we went to Plymouth to see the rock and the Mayflower II. The Mayflower is no longer, but the Mayflower II is supposed to be an exact replica. We didn't take the time to go inside because the boys has the beach on their minds. We had promised them a day at Cape Cod, on the beach and that's all they really cared about. If you've seen one rock that the pilgrims landed on, you've seen them all, right?

On we went to Cape Cod. It took us about an hour and a half to get there because traffic was horrible and there is only one road in and out. We drove up to the National Seashore because we knew there would be a fee to get in, however we have our Park Pass, so we wouldn't have to pay. The theory being that people aren't going to pay for a beach when there are public beaches all over the place. Good theory, except that this was a free weekend. I don't know why, but it was. We were on Marconi Beach with about twenty thousand of our closest friends, trying to find a spot to put our stuff down. It was crazy. To make matters worse, the temperature was about 65 degrees and the water temperature was only 64 degrees. Not the best beach day. The kids didn't care. They splashed around with wild abandon. In the meantime Glenn and I are taking turns standing in the water. We take our responsibility as parents very seriously and didn't feel comfortable letting them hang out in the ocean alone. Speaking of the ocean, the waves were out of control. They were coming in fast and furious. The lifeguard had to come off his stand and get people to move down at one point. I don't know if he could spot an undercurrent or what, but I was slightly alarmed. We lasted for about 2 hours. Considering my disdain for crowds, I would say that's a crowning achievement. The crowds wouldn't have been too bad, but for whatever reason we were surrounded by people who didn't realize they were part of a large crowd. We had the kids to our left playing soccer, the adults to our right playing paddle ball and the people behind us playing football. What's wrong with these people? The kids playing soccer finally moved when the ball got a little too close to me and I gave them the "if that ball hits me you will never see it again" look.

The boys did not want to leave, but hunger finally overtook all of us. Usually I plan better than today and would have had snacks at least, but my head was pounding this morning and I'm lucky I remembered to pack swimsuits. Here comes my big gripe concerning Cape Cod... ready? Very few restaurants. We drove forever trying to find someplace we could all agree upon. I guess I should rephrase that. Actually there are plenty of restaurants if you love seafood. Unfortunately, none of us do. I'll eat the occasional shrimp if prepared right, but I don't care for lobster or fish of any kind. Glenn's only slightly better, he will eat lobster, but doesn't love it. The boys have never tried seafood and Sean hates everything, so we knew seafood was out of the question. We finally found an overpriced panini/pizza joint that also served cheeseburgers. Everyone was happy. Well as happy as you can be in an overpriced panini/pizza joint. Once we got our tummies filled we drove around the cape a little bit more before heading back towards Boston. We got back to the campground early enough that the boys could spend some time jumping on the giant jumping pillow that are all the rage now at KOAs. Everyone is finally asleep and I should be too. Probably won't have much to blog about tomorrow. It's going to be a quiet day. We are leaving for Maine and Acadia National Park on Tuesday. Looking forward to that. I'll keep you posted.