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.