Plymouth Rock and New Friends

We are way behind in getting travel posts published this summer because we're having too much fun traveling! So we won't be confused about when each "wandering" happened, we'll start each blog with its actual date.

August 4, 2022

We left Doug's field in Cape Cod this morning, a little sad to be leaving our new friend after three days. As we went over the Sagamore Bridge we officially crossed the canal that separates the Cape from the mainland. It must be time to move on down the road to meet more new friends.

We made a stop in our relocation drive this day. We parked the motor home at a park-and-ride lot, and then drove the pickup a few miles into the bustling little town of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Denisa is standing beside the most impressive display portico . . .

for a rather unimpressive rock. Dwarfed by the granite columns and metal fence that protects it, this is supposed to be a chunk of the original rock that the pilgrims first set foot on here on the Maryland shore. It was shaded by the columns, but "1620" is carved into this Plymouth Rock.

The harbor is also home to the Mayflower II. It's a replica of the cargo ship that carried 102 pilgrims and 30 crew members to the New World in 1620. It was a 66-day journey across the Atlantic, and the passengers weren't allowed above deck. It would have been a very dark and crowded trip! This ship was given by the United Kingdom to the United States in 1957 in appreciation of the U.S.'s assistance in World War II.

This entire area of Plymouth is a state park, and we downloaded the park's audio tour that included a walk with a dozen different stops. It took us up the steep steps to Cole's Hill and the Pilgrim Sarcophagus. That's a fancy word for a stone coffin. Forty-seven names are listed as being buried here, but more than half of the passengers and crew of the Mayflower died during the first winter. 

The view at the top of Cole's Hill shows off the Plymouth Rock Portico and harbor.

Another of the twelve stops includes this pilgrim maiden statue. The description sign reminded us that these were families that arrived at Plymouth in 1620, not just a ship-full of men. This statue commemorates the mothers that cared for their children that first tough winter. Those mothers included two women that gave birth on the Mayflower, and a couple more soon after landing here. 

After making that educational and sometimes solemn walk through the historical landmarks, we had to notice the more whimsical parts of Plymouth. Using the shape of a clam shell, different designs have been painted all over town.

It was a hot day for walking around Plymouth, and we managed to see everything down by the harbor before our one-hour parking place expired. One other part of the pilgrim story is a short drive away, so we also went to visit the "Memorial to our Forefathers." While the harbor was quite busy, we were the only ones visiting this largest solid granite monument in the United States. Denisa is looking very small next to this 81-foot-tall memorial to the ideals of the pilgrims.

Our stop in Plymouth was a nice way to break up our trip today. When we got back to the motor home, we noticed this Indian carving. We have seen several of these in our travels. The log artist has given one to every state, and Massachusetts displayed theirs next to the visitor center at the park-and-ride lot.

Our next destination is Mansfield, Massachusetts, which doesn't have any tourist attractions. In fact, the main goal for this stop was for Denisa to get a much-needed haircut here. We stayed at another Boondockers Welcome site. We haven't taken pictures of all of our hosts, but Brad and Marianne just made us feel like family during our one-night stay in their drive-way. We appreciated the shady spot during this hot spell, and they wouldn't let us pay for the electrical hook-up.

With her thick Boston accent, Marianne taught us how to properly pronounce some of Massachusetts' cities. She giggled at our attempts to pronounce Gloucester, but before we left she had us trained to say it correctly--"Glostah." Likewise, we got Peabody all wrong. Think "p-Biddy," and say it very fast. Most people get Worcester wrong, but all the locals know it is "Wooster." They taught us so much! They also gave us a tour of their property, which included Brad's antique tractor collection.

Then they invited us into their home and insisted on feeding us. They sent us on the road with this miscellaneous collection of gifts--tomatoes from their garden, fresh pickles from their garden, watermelon, cinnamon roll, cherries, pens, and a new-to-us salad made up of tuna, beets, and peas. We were surprised too, but it was quite good! 

This summer we have been blessed to visit new places, and make new friends. People that open their property up to complete strangers have really enriched our travels. We think of them as more of the wonders we get to wander with.