Freedom Trail

The motel provided a decent breakfast and we got our usual early start. Google Maps took us on what they said was the fastest route. I'm not so sure, as most of the road were winding, with 45 mph speed limits. It was cloudy, with occasional mist, but not the rain and fog of the previous day.

Our first destination was Johnston, Rhode Island. We took the long way, silly as it may sound, just because we wanted to be able to say that we had been to Rhode Island! Mary has now visited 49 states -- only Alaska remains. I'm missing a few others. For the record, it seems a pleasant place. Certainly, the condition of the highways was much better than in Connecticut. Also, the villages and farmsteads appeared to be a bit more prosperous and better kept.

Having crossed Rhode Island off our lists, we turned north toward Boston. Anything and everything you may have heard or read about Boston traffic is entirely true. We spent about 20 minutes in a linear parking lot called I-93 in Quincy. But we finally reached the airport where we turned in our rental car. After more than 1300 miles in a week, we bid farewell to our Chevy Equinox -- and not very sadly. It met our needs, but I would never buy one.

The edge of Boston Common

The trip back into downtown Boston went without a hitch. We happened to catch the right shuttle bus immediately when we stepped out in front of the car rental facility. That shuttle dropped us at the station for "The T," the Boston subway. We only had to wait 10 minutes or so for our train, and again a few minutes for our one transfer. The walk from the station to our hotel was short, and we found it without incident. They even let us check in early.

Ben Franklin monument in Granary Burying Ground

After settling in, we walked around the corner and a few blocks up the street to Boston Common, where we picked up an interpretive map and set out on Boston's "Freedom Trail." Even though the Trail zig-zags through Boston's winding streets, it is exceptionally well marked, so it's almost impossible to get lost.

Paul Revere's house

Some of the sights along the way are the state house (1798), the cemetery where Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and other notables are buried, the site of the Boston Massacre, Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere's House, Old North Church, and more.

Old North Church & Revere statue

Across the Charles River Bridge, the Trail continues to the Boston Naval Yard where the U.S.S. Constitution is moored, and Bunker Hill and its monument.

U.S.S. Constitution

We walked well over 6 miles by the time we had done the Trail and return. On the way back we stopped for a good Italian meal, then stopped again for a pretty average Sam Adams beer. We returned to the hotel well after the sun had set. 

Bunker Hill monument