The Best Plans….

Posted on March 29, 2011March 29, 2011 by Dusty Roads

I think I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again. Flexibility is the key! It’s something that I am not the best at but yesterday flexibility is what really saved the day.

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As you know if you have been following these posts, I do a great deal of preparation for my trips. Not so for my local excursions. I guess because they are local, no planes or trains or overnight stays and that lack of research and planning came back to bite me yesterday.

I thought I had my day all planned out. I had to go to Hingham, Ma on an errand. Since that is pretty close to Quincy I planned to visit Adams National Historical Park and get my next stamp. From there I was heading back to BJ’s to do some shopping and then home to do housework.

The only thing that went as planned was the errand in Hingham. Things went downhill from there but thanks to “flexibility” I did manage to salvage the day.

So here is part one of my story:)

After I completed my errand in Hingham, I pulled out the maps ( I still haven’t gotten a GPS) and checked the address in Quincy. The Adams National Historical Park was listed as 135 Adams St, Quincy. I found it and the exit # off the expressway on the map and headed off. It was cold but clear and bright. I figured it would be a good day for the visit.

I found the exit and got on Adams St. Adams St. crossed Furnace Brook parkway and I made a mental note that taking that would be shorter on my return. I drove past some beautiful homes and then the area began to change to more urban rather than suburban density.

I missed 135 the first time and had to turn around, muttering to myself about National monuments etc that are not well-marked but I did spot it on the 2nd pass along with the closed sign on the gates. The sign said they would reopen in April. Now I gave myself a mental kick for not checking before I came over and asked what do I do now?

I could go into Boston, but Boston is an expensive city. I had the car so I would have to deal with parking and I prefer Boston when it’s warm so I scratched that option. Then I thought of Cape Cod. Maybe I could get down there and get a nice sunset picture. I was coming up on RT 3 after all. In the end I decided to start heading in the general direction of the Cape but play it by ear.

As I headed south on the Expressway I saw a sign for Adams National Historical Park. It was on a different exit all together from the one I had taken. I found a place to pull over and pulled out the little “Passport” and oh gee, in the description it says “Begin your visit at …1250 Hancock St…” Hancock St, I didn’t see that when I started out. I might have been able to get my stamp after all but at this point I was well out of Quincy and I wasn’t going to go back. I’ll just wait until all the exhibits open in mid-April.

My first detour was to Nantasket Beach in Hull. I haven’t been here in years. It’s a pretty drive past beautiful homes. RT 228 winds it’s way right down to the beach so you can’t get lost.

This time of the year most of the places on the beach are closed but even so there were cars in the parking areas and people walking the beach. I spotted 2 lighthouses, one to my left and one to my right. The one on the left looked closer so I wondered if I drove along the beach if I could get closer for a picture.

As I drove along I noticed some kind of tower on a hill above the harbor. I thought if I could get to that hill I would have an unobstructed view so that was my target. After working my way through turning and twisting streets I spotted the tower and sure enough, I was on a hill but it was all built up so there was no unobstructed view. That’s not to say it wasn’t beautiful.

I tried different locations and took some pictures but it wasn’t until I saw the Postman that I got a hint on where to get an unobstructed view. I flagged him as he was stopped to make a delivery and asked him which light house I was trying to shoot. He said it was Boston Light and then added that there was a hidden public way if I wanted a really good view. He gave me directions and off I went. I hope you enjoy the result.

I wasn’t finished in Hull. After I got the Lighthouse photos I decided to explore a little more. I drove past the very exclusive and private gated community on Spectacle Island.

There were loads of things to take pictures of .

As I was leaving Hull I passed a farm that could have been right out of the English countryside. It had no access signs so I only pulled into the bottom of the drive to grab a quick picture of the beautiful scene.

It was only about 3-3:30 at this point so I decided to scratch the Cape for now and swing over to Marshfield to the Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary. I thought I would take advantage of it being later in the day and see if I could see more animals. I’ll let you know if I was successful in tomorrow’s post.

Classic Car update/ Sedona Trip Update

Posted on March 25, 2011March 25, 2011 by Dusty Roads

Classic Car update

My sister sent my car picture on to a friend of hers who told her the car is a Buick…late 30’s early 40’s. My, my but I hope I look that good in another 10- 15 years!

Sedona trip update:

I got an email from the Native American Journey’s group. They are available to take us to the Bottom of the Grand Canyon on Tuesday. I’m calling them today to finalize the reservations and get the details.

That works out good because we’ll do the Grand Canyon Railroad and Rim tour on Monday and then go back for the Bottom of the Canyon tour on Tuesday.

That’s all I have time for today…I’m running late. I’ll get back to my New Bedford story tomorrow!

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New Bedford March 2011

Posted on March 24, 2011March 24, 2011 by Dusty Roads

I’m not sure what it is about this city but I can’t seem to get nice weather when I visit.

When my friend Nancy and I went to the Whaling museum last year it was cold, raw and rainy. That was also the trip where I bought the National Parks Passport book for the first time. I didn’t know what I had until I got home so I didn’t get the “Stamp” proving that I was there. I’ve been trying to get back down there ever since and something, usually snow, has stopped me every time I’ve planned to go.

So yesterday I said this is it. I’m going back to the Visitor Center so I can get my cancellation stamp. The sun was shining. It was 40 + degrees out. BUT the weather report said snow! You have got to be kidding me. The first day of spring was 3 days ago!

By the time I reached New Bedford, about 30 minutes from my house, the sky was overcast and the wind was starting to blow. The warm air was disappearing and there was starting to be a nip in the air. I quickly parked and headed out of the parking garage.

I almost missed it. As I was walking down the ramp to leave the garage I spotted an older classic car tucked in a corner parking space. The spot was so dark I almost didn’t see it. In fact, I think I only noticed it because I’ve gotten used to paying attention to my surroundings because of the Photo a Day Challenge. I have to always be on the lookout for things to photograph because sometimes creativity escapes me.

The car was in beautiful shape. The finish was shiny in spite of the fine coating of dust on it. I have no idea what kind of car it is , just that it’s a beauty and I feel lucky to have spotted it.

After grabbing a quick shot of the car, I headed the rest of the way out of the garage and up the street to the Visitor Center. As I walked along I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful detail on the old buildings in the area. New Bedford is a gritty, blue collar city and it makes no bones about it. But New Bedford wasn’t always struggling. Once it was the world leader and the wealthiest city in New England, maybe even the world. New Bedford was certainly the Whaling Capital of the World.

I’ve told that story in previous posts and I am sure I will tell it again in future posts but today I was more interested in the architecture, and that’s saying something coming from me. I never notice buildings. It’s a shortcoming that my friend Joe often points out to me! But today I was looking.

The Visitor Center is located in a old brick and brownstone building that was first used as a bank. Eventually it was sold and became the Bristol County Courthouse. In the 1970’s it became a bank again until Fleet Bank donated it to the historical society and it was converted to the Visitor Center as we see it today.

Right across the street is the Andrew Robeson House. Andrew Robeson was a wealthy whaling merchant and a staunch abolitionist. He built his Federal Style house on North 2^nd St. in 1821. The grounds were extensive. Eventually the building was saved from being demolished when it was moved by the city to it’s current location in the historic district.

The other building the I really like in the same area is the U.S. Custom House. The Custom House was built in 1836 at a time when the nation was flush with custom-generated income. The building was designed by Robert Mills who later went on to design the Washington Monument. The building is built primarily of granite. This made it one of the first entirely fireproof federal buildings. This is also the oldest continually operating custom house in the US.

Well, time to go in and collect my stamp. See you tomorrow when we’ll explore a little more of New Bedford.

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Sedona Trip Update

Posted on March 23, 2011March 23, 2011 by Dusty Roads

Good morning.

Yesterday I told you my sister and I would conference call for plane tickets. We did it! We got our tickets and the flights aren’t too bad but I will tell you that it was one of the most challenging bookings I’ve ever done. I had both my desk top and lap top going to check the different sites. Twice we went to book a fare only to be told the price had changed. The fares were jumping up right in front of me!

I have Kayak.com set to send fare alerts for the trip and I didn’t get one until today and that one is still over $100.00 more than the flight we booked. All I can say is I’m glad that’s done. We are flying Southwest. I haven’t been on Southwest in years but their “got to getaway” online price was better than anything else I could find besides, “Bags Fly Free” on Southwest 🙂

While I had Sandy on the phone I reserved the rental car. We were in for a shock there. The base cost of the rental was reasonable but then the taxes and miscellaneous charges kicked in almost doubling the cost of the rental! I’ve rented many times before and don’t remember this. I’m not sure if Arizona has extra fees or if I just never noticed it before. This may bear looking into for future reference.

After that call I got back on the phone and booked the Grand Canyon Railroad. I tried booking online but it never asked if there were seniors in my party and it didn’t let me add the Rim Tour so I called. I got a wonderful agent who applied the appropriate discounts, Senior and AAA and waived the National Park fee of $16.00 because I have a National Parks Pass.

That done I moved on to the Verde Canyon railroad and the Blazin’M.

We lucked out with that call because they said they were running a special on first class on the train when you combine it with the Blazin’M. The cost for first class and dinner was only a couple of dollars more than the coach cost so of course we’ll go first class.

2 more tours to book.

I moved on to the Bottom of the Canyon Tour. I pulled up the reservation page on the Native American journey’s web page and filled it out. I haven’t heard back or paid anything. It seemed to me it was kind of “up in the air”. I will give it a couple of days to get a response and it if no luck I will call them. Since I don’t know if we got the day I requested I held off booking the trail ride.

It’s coming together.

I’m going to sign off for now. We have snow on the way and I want to run down to New Bedford to the Whaling Museum. I still need to collect my stamp from my last visit and it’s in the New England National Park Challenge so I can get my first stamp in the challenge. I’ll let you know how I make out in my post tomorrow.

This and That

Posted on March 21, 2011March 21, 2011 by Dusty Roads

Good Monday Morning!

I don’t have much to offer today. Getting excited about the upcoming Sedona trip in May. This is the last phase before we leave. The planning is done. Now it’s just the booking process. I always have mixed feelings about the booking process. First, it’s exciting because it’s no longer just a plan. Now I’m committed. On the other hand I hate, really hate watching my bank balance shrink. Of course, I do get over that part quickly. I’ll be posting our progress each day securing reservations so you, my readers will be a part of the process too!

Other than that I’m heading to work today. I picked up a few hours of OT. It will help toward the costs of the trip.

Saturday night was the “Full Worm Moon”. Nice name huh? Anyway, it’s been called a supermoon because it was closer to the earth than it’s been in 8 years and it was something like 14% brighter. I went out to try to get a picture. I envisioned a beautiful portrait of the Man in The Moon like you see on the news when they talk about it. Nope, my skills just weren’t up to it. I’d love to blame the camera but I think it was the person holding the camera (me).

I took one series of pictures in the parking lot of my office. Then I took another series in the park in Plymouth right on the harbor. I went there twice. Boy it was cold. But I can tell you, they light Plymouth Rock with colored lights and The Mayflower is back in out of her winter dry dock.