Our day started up in Maine though. I will say this about Maine, its pretty but not as pretty as Vermont or New Hampshire. And of all the places we have been on this trip, the locals were the least friendly, even compared to New York. Im not sure if they just thought that tourist season was over and they were hoping for peace and quiet, but boy were people rude. I never did see those loons either.
Kennebunkport is a beautiful town but very very wealthy and overly crowded, first stop on the list today was Salem Massachusetts. I didnt think that drivers / people could get any worse, but if you want to really experience the rude eastern drivers, head on up to Massachusetts. I hear they are called Massholes and they definitely live up to the name. Before I get started on how awesome of a place Salem is, let me just say there are far too many people on the east coast. I think that's why everyone is so rude and rushed all the time. You cannot I repeat cannot go anywhere without traffic and full parking lots and cars and noise and yuck. There is a reason the saying is "west is best".
So back to Salem. This is the coolest town. The downtown where everything is has vegan restaurants, pride flags, people playing music. Super cool vibe. Mixed among all of those things is the buildings and places related to the witch trials. We happened to be visiting on the 327th anniversary of the last hangings. On the exact day. We visited the Witch house which is one of the only structures left standing that is directly tied to the witch trials. The Corwins lived in the house where it all started when their children began acting "weirdly" and were determined to be "possessed by a witch". The rest is history. We also visited the witch dungeon where the "witches" were held awaiting execution. Most were hanged, but one man who was deemed a warlock was pressed to death, yes pressed with boulders on his chest. It took 2 days. The cemetery was full of weird juju.
The traffic going around Boston was insane. Dirty dirty city. The worst of the trip. Trash and graffiti everywhere and Massholes. We had to drive in two UNDER WATER tunnels. Not cool.
Our next stop was pilgrim rock. This one is on the list of neat and Im glad I saw that but not sure what all the hype is about. They built a huge Greek looking memorial structure over this rock down on the beach. You stand above it and look down. Its surrounded by metal grates. And it says here is the pilgrim rock. On the hill above is a bronze Native American statue. So many cars and buses there was no where to park. We illegally parked, ran over took a look and left.
That left us Rhode Island. We are in Newport at the Hotel Viking which is by far the fanciest place I have ever stayed. Our hotel room has a spiral staircase INSIDE our room that takes you to an upper floor still in our room where the sleeping area is. The downstairs is the living room. We went big big for our last night. Dinner was arranged by the hotel staff at 22 Bowen, a steakhouse where you are afraid of the bill coming. We figured a celebration was in order for our last night of our last trip!
We head to the hotel at the airport tomorrow night and then fly home Tuesday. That leaves us all day tomorrow to walk around with the wealthy and pretend we are big shots. We plan to take a walk down the Newport Cliff Walk which has the ocean on one side and the Gilded Age Mansions on the other.
The votes are as follows for the BEST state of all 50:
Mom - Alaska
Chris - Alaska
Me - Alaska
Becca - Hawaii followed very closely by Alaska
If you wonder where to go, Id suggest Alaska. Dont take a cruise or a bus tour; you will be disappointed. Jump in a car, get out on the small roads and small towns. See the beauty that is there in the tundra, at the ocean or at the magnificent Denali National Park. In fact do that in any state, even if your choice is Kansas although we will be forever marking that one as done.
Its been an amazing ride touring America. Weve built some incredible memories that will last a lifetime. I hope you have all enjoyed the ride with us.
Jenny, Becca, Chris and Karen. The 50 state travelers. :-)
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