North of Boston

The next morning we needed to drive up to New Hampshire with a few stops along the way. We first started with a drive through Cambridge, checking out the prestigious universities of MIT and Harvard. It would have been cool to spend some additional time there. We then headed over to Tufts University to see the campus that my grandpa had studied on his path to becoming a doctor. (I think if I ever stay an extended period in Boston, I may have to be in the Cambridge area.)

We continued to explore one of the more famous ponds north of Boston. I had read Henry David Thoreau’s Walden prior to visiting, so I could understand a bit what may have made the book so popular. I’m glad I did, as I learned quite a bit about him, his ideas, and Walden Pond. In fact, he guessed that since Walden Pond had so many rocks around it’s pond that it was originally named “Walled-In Pond”. We saw a replica of his small cabin, and then walked to the original site. Bridget and I, feeling adventurous, decided to stick our legs into the pond.

The pond is quite deep (100 ft depth, 1.7 miles around), but the water was quite amazing. And then I noticed the three-inch fish creeping up next to our feet. I stood still for longer, and the fish came closer until some adventurous ones would try to kiss… err… nibble on our feet. I figured that because of our last name, the fish considered us royalty, so this is the reason the fish were kissing our feet. They lined up liked loyal citizens to get a chance to meet us.

We then stopped by the gift shop to buy the whole store up and made some worthwhile purchases, including a “Simplify, Simplify – Walden Pond” shirt.

The next stop led us to Concord, where we paid our tribute to Minute Men park. Here’s where the first battle of the Revolution began. In Concord stands the bridge where the “shot heard round the world” began. A few hundred yards nearby also stood a house connected with Nathaniel Hawthorne. A fun and scenic visit to say the least.

We continued our journey to the historic town of Salem. What a cool town filled with small shops and personality! We headed to the Witches museum and watched the history of the Salem witch trials, as well as learned about the misconception the Church provided to outcast paganism. Very interesting. Afterwards, we then headed to the site of the House of Seven Gables. Nathaniel Hawthorne based one of his novels of this house. This same house is supposedly the oldest New England mansion still standing in the United States, being over 300 years old. We took a tour of the historic house, learning that that wood nails are better to build houses with (doesn’t split the wood, nor doesn’t suck moisture out of the wood). We also were told that people poisoned themselves by using Pewter cookware. Vegetables, such as tomatoes, absorbed the pewter and made people sick. We then toured another nearby house where Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote the Scarlet Letter.

A quick bite to eat, and a 45 minute trip to Portsmouth, led us to a quick night sleep.

Maine

After breakfast we headed to Maine to discover Ogunquit. A cute town nestled near the ocean, Ogunquit is famous for Marginal Way/Perkins Cove, small shops, as well as a nearby lighthouse. Bridget and I went on a five mile run along the beach, and then I met up with a coworker friend who was also in the area. Cafe Amore has an amazing iced mocha. We then drove up to check out Nubel Lighthouse, a lighthouse secluded to its own small island, 100 yards off the Maine. The lighthouse was in perfect condition with a white picket fence as a back yard. We even saw a woman painting the scene in her watercolors.

Portsmouth

We then headed back to Portsmouth to checkout the Red Hook Brewery. Bridget and I used to freqent the original brewery in Seattle, and this was their east coast sister brewery. The building is built as the same model as the Woodinville brewery. However, the tour information was completely different. I was hoping for the same Red Hook trivia questions they had in Seattle, but they only focused on how to create beer. Afterwards, we grabbed some Flatbread pizza downtown and called it a night.