CATCHING UP

We had spent the last 10 days at the Thousand Trails park in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. I have not posted a blog because the Internet service there was SLOW. It was so SLOW that I could not load a picture without it taking 10 minutes, that is if it didn't time out.We were at this park because it was so close to the Old Sturbridge Living History Museum. While there we visited several other towns. We are now in Port Republic, New Jersey. I will try to catch this blog up in one post, so here goes.

Old Sturbridge

Old Sturbridge is rated as one of the top three living history museums in the country. Old Sturbridge Village is a history museum and learning resource that invites all visitors to find meaning, pleasure, relevance, and inspiration in the exploration of New England's past. It is a nonprofit, educational museum that is open year-round. The centerpiece of the museum is a re-created rural New England town of the 1830s set on more than 200 acres of historical landscape, encompassing a Center Village, Mills Area, and Countryside.

typical farm  most men were farmers, filling in bad weather with other jobs such as blacksmith, potter, etc.

Loved the paint job on this old bellows

Louise chatting up one of the workers

Pottery kiln

The potter

One of several looms

We found this really interesting and a lot sad.

During the day they operate the saw mill and grist mill

This is the cooper ( barrel maker) shop. 

And guess what caught my attention.....

We have been to a lot of these living history museum all over the country and this one was really nice. There are a lot of buildings of the period and enough  interpreters to tell you about life of the era. 

Plymouth, Mass

We took a ride to the town of Plymouth, Mass to check out the rock where the pilgrims landed. The ride took us through some pretty countryside and through the town of Providence, RI where we stopped for lunch at Louie's.

Providence, Rhode Island

Louie's

This diner was featured on the tv show Diners, Drive ins and Dives. Louise has a thing for searching out diners that were featured on this show.  (too true.  My burger was really good.)

The main tourist street in Plymouth.

The harbour

The rock

The real Plymouth Rock was a boulder about fifteen feet long and three feet wide which lay with its point to the east, thus forming a convenient pier for boats to land during certain hours of tide. This rock is authenticated as the pilgrims' landing place by the testimony of Elder Faunce who in 1741 at the age of ninety-five was carried in a chair to the rock, that he might pass down to posterity the testimony of pilgrims whom he had personally known on this important matter.

When Col. Theophilus Cotton and the townspeople of Plymouth decided to move the rock in 1774, the rock was split into two parts, with the bottom portion left behind at the wharf and the top portion being relocated to the town's meeting house. During the rock's many journeys throughout the town of Plymouth, numerous pieces were taken, bought and sold. Today approximately ¹⁄₃ of the top portion remains.^[8] It is estimated that the original Rock weighed 20,000 lb (9,100 kg). Although some documents indicate that tourists or souvenir hunters chipped it down, no pieces have been noticeably removed since 1880. Today there are pieces in Pilgrim Hall Museum as well as in the Patent Building in the Smithsonian.

The Mayflower

This is a replica of the original.  We paid to tour this ship.  We took time to imagine crossing the ocean on this thing and were glad we didn't have to! 

 William Bradford Governor  A tour guide informed us that the Quakers, founders of Plymouth never wore buckles on their hats or shoes.  This statue was made a hundred years dressed by the sculptor in the fashion of the day.  We wanted to visit Cape Cod penninsula, and the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, but were out of time.  We are leaving ourselves open for a return trip sometime in the future. 

Bike ride with friends

We met Kirk and Nancy at the Elks Club in Portland, Maine. We met up again for a ride while we were camped at Sturbridge. Our ride took us past some nice buildings.  These are very typical of each town and village we rode through.

Our destination was the Harley store in Ellington, Connecticut.

Nancy and Kirk

Typical stone church with tall spires, although most are not quite this big.

We stopped for pizza on way down and ice cream at Friendly's on the way home. We meet the nicest people on the road. Hopefully we can meet up with fine folks again down the road.

Mystic Seaport

Our day ride to Mystic Seaport started with a stop at none other than another Harley dealer.

Next stop

The Museum of America and the Sea, in Mystic, Connecticut, is the largest maritime museum in the world. It is notable for its collection of sailing ships and boats, and for the re-creation of the crafts and fabric of an entire 19th-century seafaring village. It consists of more than 60 original historic buildings, most of them rare commercial structures moved to the 19-acre site and meticulously restored.

The museum was established in 1929 as the "Marine Historical Association". Its first fame came with the acquisition in 1941 of the Charles W. Morgan, the only surviving wooden sailing whaler. The seaport was one of the first living history museums in the United States, with a collection of buildings and craftsmen to show how work was done. The seaport now receives about 400,000 visitors each year.

Remote controlled tug

One of the two historic (rebuilt) ships we toured.  One was for passengers and cargo, this one, the Charles Morgan was a whaler.

Whaling harpoon

Blacksmith Shop

Mast head

There was a room full of original mast heads

This museum turned out to be my favorite on this trip. Louise said she liked the Genesee County Village and Museum near Locport, New York best. Anyone interrested in living history museums will not be disappointed  in any of the museums that we have visited on our New England trip.

Leaving Mystic we stopped for sea food at Abott's on Block Island Sound, next town over from Mystic. This place was recommended to us by a lady at the Harley shop. I had a lobster roll and Louise had a crab roll. Both were really good.

Our view at lunch

I know that this was a long blog, but I had to  get caught up. We are already starting our next advanture with a ride to Atlantic City today. That another blog.

Till next time

Duane and Louise