So, the trip was coming to its essentially last day. We woke up again on our comfy inflatable mattress, this time to the invitation that Bev extended for some made from scratch waffles, complete with fresh blueberries and raspberries, softened butter and maple syrup to top it off. I swear the syrup was so good I think they have a faucet directly attached to a maple tree outside. This trip just keeps getting better.
After packing up, loading up the car, and saying our goodbyes, we made our way back to NYC to catch our stand-by flight. The trip, however, wasn't exactly over quite yet.
One of my favorite little spots to venture into when I'm in Boston are two little towns to the west that bear an incredibly important role in our American History: Lexington and Concord.
These two towns were the starting points of our Revolutionary War, and seeing a few of these amazing sights ends up being the fresh blueberries on top of my waffles for this trip.
In Concord, there are a few great little sights to see. There is an awesome little museum and walking trail you can take along the main road (the trail follows the actual trail of that the British Army took as they marched toward Concord). Halfway up the trail is the exact location of the arrest of Paul Revere.
You see, Paul had a buddy named Dawes. Both men rode through the towns yelling "the British are coming!" There were two just in case one got caught. Well, one did get caught, and it was Paul Revere. As he was "pulled over" on his horse and arrested, Dawes was able to ride past as Paul distracted the Redcoats. It was Dawes, in fact, that made it to the Minutemen in Concord to have them ready themselves. So why, then, is Paul Revere the famous one and Dawes is virtually unknown? Apparently, Longfellow thought that "Revere" was a more rhymable name, so he chose that for his "Midnight Ride" poem. You gotta love the power of pop culture.
So after passing by the arrest point (he was questioned and released that night), we come to the town of Concord. Concord is great, you feel like you are back in the 1800's, if not even earlier. It's an incredibly quaint little town, and you can tell no one gets away with anything here. It's top notch and cared for.
Right off main street is a beautiful cemetery known as "Author's Ridge" because of 4 of its famous "tenants." You have Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott ("Little Women"), Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Nathaniel Hawthorne and his wife. Another noteworthy "resident," Ephraim Bull, inventor of the Concord grape.
Past the cemetery you get to what I consider the gem of Concord, the Old North Bridge. This Bridge is the location of the very start of the Revolutionary War. It was here on this Bridge that Americans stood face to face with the British with only this Bridge standing between a life of continued oppression and a future of freedom.
It was here that, one record says, an American farmer "accidentally" fired a shot that initiated return fire from the Brits, and thus, the beginning of the war. This famous "accident" became known as the "shot heard 'round the world." This would mark the very first time Americans would ever spill British blood. Today, a statue of an American Minuteman stands on the "American" side, and a monument to the British on the "British" side, including a grave marker of fallen British Redcoats.
From this point, the Brits retreated, regrouped, and a full scale war was in play. And the rest, as they say, is American History.
After this, our last official "tourist" stop, we hopped in the car and headed south. We made our stand-by flight to Denver, and rather fortunately, got skipped on our stand-by flight to San Diego, thus requiring an overnight stay in Denver. I say fortunately, because although we had originally became dumbfounded by the one and only flaw in the entire trip, it turned into one of those "divine appointments," as we were able to hang out with our friends in Denver, grab a bite, and they hooked us up with a hugely discounted hotel. It was a nice "detour."
We then woke up, caught the shuttle, got on the first flight to San Diego, and took long naps in our own, un-inflatable beds.
The End.
After packing up, loading up the car, and saying our goodbyes, we made our way back to NYC to catch our stand-by flight. The trip, however, wasn't exactly over quite yet.
One of my favorite little spots to venture into when I'm in Boston are two little towns to the west that bear an incredibly important role in our American History: Lexington and Concord.
These two towns were the starting points of our Revolutionary War, and seeing a few of these amazing sights ends up being the fresh blueberries on top of my waffles for this trip.
In Concord, there are a few great little sights to see. There is an awesome little museum and walking trail you can take along the main road (the trail follows the actual trail of that the British Army took as they marched toward Concord). Halfway up the trail is the exact location of the arrest of Paul Revere.
You see, Paul had a buddy named Dawes. Both men rode through the towns yelling "the British are coming!" There were two just in case one got caught. Well, one did get caught, and it was Paul Revere. As he was "pulled over" on his horse and arrested, Dawes was able to ride past as Paul distracted the Redcoats. It was Dawes, in fact, that made it to the Minutemen in Concord to have them ready themselves. So why, then, is Paul Revere the famous one and Dawes is virtually unknown? Apparently, Longfellow thought that "Revere" was a more rhymable name, so he chose that for his "Midnight Ride" poem. You gotta love the power of pop culture.
So after passing by the arrest point (he was questioned and released that night), we come to the town of Concord. Concord is great, you feel like you are back in the 1800's, if not even earlier. It's an incredibly quaint little town, and you can tell no one gets away with anything here. It's top notch and cared for.
Right off main street is a beautiful cemetery known as "Author's Ridge" because of 4 of its famous "tenants." You have Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott ("Little Women"), Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Nathaniel Hawthorne and his wife. Another noteworthy "resident," Ephraim Bull, inventor of the Concord grape.
Past the cemetery you get to what I consider the gem of Concord, the Old North Bridge. This Bridge is the location of the very start of the Revolutionary War. It was here on this Bridge that Americans stood face to face with the British with only this Bridge standing between a life of continued oppression and a future of freedom.It was here that, one record says, an American farmer "accidentally" fired a shot that initiated return fire from the Brits, and thus, the beginning of the war. This famous "accident" became known as the "shot heard 'round the world." This would mark the very first time Americans would ever spill British blood. Today, a statue of an American Minuteman stands on the "American" side, and a monument to the British on the "British" side, including a grave marker of fallen British Redcoats.
From this point, the Brits retreated, regrouped, and a full scale war was in play. And the rest, as they say, is American History.After this, our last official "tourist" stop, we hopped in the car and headed south. We made our stand-by flight to Denver, and rather fortunately, got skipped on our stand-by flight to San Diego, thus requiring an overnight stay in Denver. I say fortunately, because although we had originally became dumbfounded by the one and only flaw in the entire trip, it turned into one of those "divine appointments," as we were able to hang out with our friends in Denver, grab a bite, and they hooked us up with a hugely discounted hotel. It was a nice "detour."
We then woke up, caught the shuttle, got on the first flight to San Diego, and took long naps in our own, un-inflatable beds.
The End.
