EAST COAST USA 2015 (DAY SIX)

This morning I woke to the sound of rain drops dripping off the tree branches that overhung my camper. The storm the previous night had passed and with it the heat and humidity that was draining my energy.
After my morning ritual of coffee, Cheerios with fresh blueberries and a whole grapefruit I was ready to take off for another adventure in Boston this time. It was sunny and relatively clear but again the forecast called for afternoon rain. This trip so far has shown me that I should ignore the forecast and just go for it anyway, which is exactly what I did. Next to my camp site was a couple of young families from Pennsylvania who where headed to the Maritimes so we had a nice chat and shared some stories of life on the road. Their two young boys were totally in awe of me and the bike. It was fun seeing the wonder in their eyes. It reminded me of a similar experience from my youth that cemented my love of motorcycles.
I debated about taking the freeway or the slow coastal road and decided that taking in the scenery at less than worp speed was always more pleasureable.
One thing one notices right away traveling through the small towns is the predominant architecture that is quintessentially Cape Cod. That would be the weathered cedar shake rooves and siding. Here are a couple of fine examples of this building style.

The ride into Boston was full of postcard moments as the road wound through some gorgeous homes , golf courses and interesting shops. Every so often I would get a glimpse of the ocean with all the fishing and pleasure boats drifting at anchor in the light ocean breeze. It was really quite magical.

I wasn't really sure what I was going to do in Boston but I did want to hit some of the historical sites that till now I had only read about in history class. I figured all these sites would be down in the city core so that was my destination. As I got downtown near the original harbour I saw this huge shimmering cloud like "thing" seemingly hovering high over the city streets. As I got closer I realized that it was actually a huge sculpture that was suspended by wires from the surrounding office towers. I'm afraid this photo doesn't do it justice but click on it to get a closer look. It was truly amazing.

We've all heard about the Boston Tea Party when tons of tea were dumped into the harbour water from a schooner that was bringing it to port. This photo shows the exact spot for this page in history and a reproduction of the ship is tied up along the wharf. What I love about this shot is the juxtaposition of the Boston skyline in the background.

Next I cruised along the water front and shot this photo of a tour boat heading out loaded with a full load of camera toting tourists. Just across the bay is Logan Airport where planes come in over the ocean and land right on the very edge of the city's south side.

While taking this photo a businessman wandered over wanting to know about my bike and he wound up telling where I could see some historical sites in the area. As he spoke I was hearing all kinds of familiar names and events from my memory of history. This city played a major role in the American Revolution where the Americans fought for their freedom from British rule.
My next stop was Bunker Hill. In one week from today it will have been 240 years since the famous battle. According to historians a loyalist named Colonel William Prescott commanded a small army of men who chose Bunker Hill as a good spot to defend the city from the British. They were low on ammunition and their muskets were only accurate at close range so Colonel Prescott gave the famous command to his men, "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes".

Immediately behind this statue a massive obelisk was constructed to memorialize the hallowed ground it stood on.

I could have climbed the 296 steps to the top so I could get a beautiful shot of the city but the attendant told me that there were only badly scratched plexiglass windows so I made a pass on the climb.
From here I wanted to see the location of another page in history, the Boston Massacre. this is a description of the event from Wikipedia:

www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/massacre. com

The Boston Massacre was a street fight that occurred on March 5, 1770, between a "patriot" mob, throwing snowballs, stones, and sticks, and a squad of British soldiers. Several colonists were killed and this led to a campaign by speech-writers to rouse the ire of the citizenry.

At roughly the same site this building was constructed and the plaques tell the significants of this structure. I had to take a picture of the bike. Sorry folks. I guess I still think it's cool. 

By now it was mid afternoon and the weatherman was way wrong today because it was still clear and sunny with no rain in sight. I still had about a two hour drive back to camp so I decided to head for home. I needed to pick up some things for dinner so the timing was perfect. Stopping in at a local fish store I bought a half pound of fresh Atlantic salmon, a bag of ice and more grapefruits. Even if I do say so myself that salmon had to be the best I'd ever had. It was moist and tender and I even had to lick the plate it was so good.
Another perfect day on the road. Night all.