Boston, Massachusetts

The Hulsebus Family Dream continues as we woke up in Boston, MA. The only bummer of this part of the trip is that Cindi had to leave the rest of us to work on a last minute Get Motivated opportunity in Canada. Saskatoon, Winnepeg, Edmonton and Toronto to be exact. There are a couple ways to look at this..

1. This means I become Mr. Everything including Dad, Teacher, Cook, Discipliner, Rewarder, Driver, Shopper, Navigator, Event Planner, Cleaner, Story Reader, Referee, Clothes Washer, "it's time to change your underwear" Reminderer, etc. This can appear to be a bit overwhelming!

OR

2. This means I have an opportunity to do exactly what this trip is all about... spending TIME with my family (minus Cindi)! What a great opportunity to just hang out with my boys!

Number 1 can't be avoided but I choose number 2. What an awesome opportunity to just hang out with my kids.

Well it didn't start off all that easy. After watching USC beat Oregon decisively in a WM parking lot in Salem, MA (No we didn't see any witches) and catching some sleep, we left in the dark to drive Cindi to her "first flight out" plane to Canada. (Actually she had to fly to Orlando for a 5 hour layover, then Denver, then to Saskatoon... crazy!). I got her off ok and was feeling pretty good about getting in and out of the Boston airport safely. Sometimes airports can be challenging considering there are yellow height limit signs posted everywhere and our motorhome scrapes it's antena at 12'6". I found this out in downtown Chicago. (You'll have to read the Chicago blog for the details.) So with 3 kids still sleeping I exited Logan International Airport and decided to head South on I-90. I saw a sign that said 13'9" so I figured I was "good to go" into the tunnel that goes under the Boston Harbor. I somewhat calmly cruised up to the toll booth to pay something like 8 bucks (what a ripoff) when the toll booth girl said, "do you have a propane tank on board?" I have to admit I hesitated for just a second... thinking... how should I really answer this one. Unfortunately, for those who know me well, if there is one thing about me that holds true it is that I'm honest, sometimes too honest. Once I said "yes" I knew I was in trouble. She nonchalanly stated, "I'm sorry but you can't go through the tunnel." I thought, "What? That sucks!" Then I replied, as I starred only at the opening of the tunnel, "OK were do I turn around?" She said, "Idunnknow." ...Nice... She called her supervisor, then she said I'd need to deal with the Boston Police. Great... Cindi's been gone for 15 minutes, the kids haven't even woken up yet and I got the police after me. Well the flashing lights arrived which, in some way, was a bit of a relief. There supposed to "Protect and Serve" so I figured this was their chance to "serve me right out of this mess" and somehow figure out how to turn me around. I should mention that I'm towing a "pull car," a Saturn Vue and I CAN'T back up. I should also mention that even if I did have to unhook the Saturn there is only one driver in the family now... me! Tanner can ride a motorcycle but at 12 years old he can't help back us out of this disaster. In addition, I should also, also mention that I asked the girl for my eight bucks back considering I wasn't allowed into the tunnel. She insisted, "I can't." WHAT???!!! I can't go through the tunnel but I still have to pay. WHAT the "beep!" She said it was useless but that she could have her supervisor come over an tell me the same thing. What does Charlie Brown says, "UUGH?!" Man... I go off on tangents explaining things sometimes, don't I? Well the cop comes over and he doesn't know what to do, so he just says, "follow me. I'm going to have to give you a police escort through the tunnel." With lights fully on, he and another cop car, one in front and one back blocking traffic, slowly escort me through the rather lengthy tunnel under the Boston Harbor then up safely to ground level. Fortuneately my propane tank didn't exploded... I guess I had to pay the eight bucks anyway. Whatever.

After parking the rig (the 40' Monaco Diplomat) at a WM in Quincy we unhooked and headed into Boston for a Sunday tour. There is an amazing amount of history in this town. The boys and I stopped first at the US National Park office in the heart of the city. We, actually I, decided it would be a good idea if we all completed another Junior Ranger Book and got another badge. The book lead us on the Freedom Trail Walking Tour. We visited many sites including (OK, here comes the history lesson):

Old State House - Built in 1713, this historic landmark served as a merchants' exchange as well as the seat of colonial and state governments. In 1761 James Otis opposed the Writs of Assistance here, inspiring John Adams to state "then and there the child independence was born." A cobblestone circle beneath its balcony marks the site of the 1770 Boston Massacre when British soldiers fired into a crowd of Bostonians. Fugitive slave Crispus Attucks was among the five victims who died that day.

Old South Meeting House - The event that sealed Old South's place in history is one of the key events that sparked the Revolution-The Boston Tea Party. On the night of December 16, 1773 over 5,000 angry colonists gathered at Old South to protest a tax on tea. After hours of debate, Samuel Adams gave the secret signal that launched the Boston Tea Party. The Sons of Liberty, disguised as Indians, raced to Griffin's Wharf and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor.

Faneuil Hall - This old market building, first built in 1742, sits at the site of the old town dock. Town meetings, held here between 1764 and 1774, heard Samuel Adams and others lead cries of protest against the imposition of taxes on the colonies. The building was enlarged in 1806. Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, and Lucy Stone brought their struggles for freedom here in the 19th century. Market stalls on the first floor service shoppers much as they did in Paul Revere's day. One of the most famous parts of the building is the original grasshopper weathervane.

Paul Revere's House - This is the oldest house in downtown Boston. Built in 1680, it was owned and occupied by Paul Revere and his family most of the time from 1770 to 1800.

Old North Church - Built in 1723, Christ Church is better known as "Old North." It is Boston's oldest church building and still an active Episcopal Church. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow memorialized Old North's role at the start of the Revolutionary War in his poem, "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere." On the night of April 18, 1775, sexton Robert Newman hung two lanterns in the steeple to warn Charlestown patriots of the advance of British soldiers. The church, a beautiful example of Georgian architecture, houses America's oldest maiden peal of bells and the first bust of George Washington. For movie fans, the original National Treasure (one of our family favorites) featured this building at the end of the movie.

It was a long day full of historical sites and a little football throwing (Sterling takes a football with him almost everywhere) in Boston Commons Park. I've been to the bar "Cheers" before so we passed on that one. I'm a little disappointed though that I didn't get to take the kids past MIT (Massachushetts Institute of Technology) where my Grandpa Hulsebus (my dad's dad) worked on his Master's Degree back during the Depression. We can't see it all. Then back "home" to WM to crash.

Maine

We got an early start, left Quebec, and headed south toward home (well not really home, but the USA, Maine in particular). We crossed over the boarder near Jackman, Maine. The borders have been kinda fun especially for the kids. At this location we granted a US Customs Official permission to board our vessel. She took role, calling out each of our names... the kids each raising their hand and saying, "that's me," after each of their names was called. She also took a quick tour of our main deck, checking out the kitchen and even opening our refrigerator. When asked if we had any alcohol we had to comply and disclose the contents of our non-existent wine cellar. We passed inspection, barely, considering we only have 1 California license plate and 2 vehicles... and it is a dealer's plate that we have been affixing to the back of our vehicles depending on which ones engine is revving. She was actually surprised Canada let us in with no plate on the "pull car!"

Well, back on home soil, even if it is 3,114 driving miles from Granite Bay, California. We live in a phenomenal country. Aside from some of the remote desert areas in the Southwest, this part of the country is pretty remote. But so beautiful. Over the last week plus, we keep thinking we've seen the most spectacular autumn colors then we round another corner and it beats the last. The colors are truly amazing. We worked our way south right through the middle of Maine, the only US state that touches only 1 neighboring state. In this part of the country at this time of year every road is the "scenic road." We ended up in a town called Ellensberg near the Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor.

Bar Harbor should serve as the farthest point we will travel east on our dream trip. Without researching this I'm thinking Ely, Minnesota is the furthest north we've traveled. Anyway, (Cindi is going to finish this post because Dave's mind is all over the place) back to Maine. We went to dinner at the Lobster Pot. Peyton really enjoyed playing with the lobsters before they were slowly warmed up in their nice little bath. Actually, the bath is more like a very hot jacuzzi that takes 10 seconds to get the lobster in the mood for dinner. Our lobster was 2.5 pounds and was quite yummy. At least I thought so. Tanner on the other hand almost puked on the table when the tiniest of bites touched his tongue. We have decided that Tanner would not be a good candidate for Fear Factor. After dinner we spent the night at Walmart. The next morn we headed to a great campground named Patten Pond. It was surrounded by tons of beautiful trees decked out in the many colors of Fall. We decided to take a drive to the beach to introduce the boys to the Atlantic Ocean. This is the first time Peyton has met the mighty Atlantic. The kids had a blast at the beach. We climbed all over the rocks and saw a lot of marine life in the low tide. We also took a drive around Bar Harbor and stopped for an ice cream. We drove through Acadia National park on our way home. We were so blown away by the fall colors in the park. It was magnificent! I highly recommend a trip to the North East in the fall at least once in your life.
The next morning we took the scenic route to the Kennybunkport area. We found another really great campground and then headed to the beach. What a great day. It was warm enough for the boys to swim and swim they did. After a few hours on the beach we drove to downtown Kennybunkport....home of the Bush cottage. It is a really cute area. On our drive back we found a place to eat and then back to the RV to sleep off another great day in Maine.

The next morning we headed south toward Boston.  It was an amazing drive.  We decided to drive along the coast so that we could get the most out of the scenery.  It was a very interesting drive since the road was not meant for a 40 ft. RV.  We made it into Boston just in time to watch the USC game.  I ran out and bought pizza while Dave and the boys settled into the WM parking lot in the perfect direction for our satellite to transfer the SC game onto our flat screen TV.  It was a happy day for all! 

Quebec, Canada

On Sunday we set off further into Canada's Northeast to Quebec. We headed out of Montreal on Hwy 40 but about halfway at Trous Rivieres decided to take the more scenic route on the 138 along the Saint Lawrence River. Beautiful! The colors continued to be more and more impressive. Once we arrived we unhooked our Saturn Vue and headed to the Historic District of Old Quebec. It was a little cold outside so we started with an afternoon/evening driving tour. This city has a lot of history. The first French explorer, Jacques Cartier, arrived in this area in 1535. The word Quebec is derived from Kebec, the Algonquin word for "where the river narrows." It is one of the oldest cities is North America actually founded in 1608. A representative proudly said that it is the oldest city with continuous trade in the continent. (Note: theses French have nothing on the Hopi Indians though - see May 4 in our Blog).

We stayed the first night a WM. Cindi cooked us another fabulous meal while the kids and I played at a Burger King in, what the kids' said was one of the best play areas they had ever been to. I guess Quebecians need good indoor playgrounds as it gets very cold for a good portion of 12 months. The next day we ventured out to another Passport America RV park called Camping Bernieres. When we pulled in there, they said they were closed for the season but as we were trying to turn around inside the park we ran into the owner who said, "you can stay anyway." So we stayed for the next 2 nights. That first day we just hung out at the empty park. There weather was warm enough for the kids to play on the playground which included a climbing wall. We also held an intense football game. Tanner and Sterling challenged Peyton, Cindi and I. We lost 42 to 49. What a great time though. "Fun to be had by all!"

The next day we headed back into old Quebec. We parked, illegally - no ticket, then walked all around the old streets. We decided to take the incline straight down the cliff, then ate at a nice little restaurant with great kid's meals. The kids enjoy the fact that everyone speaks a different language, French. As part of their home school Tanner and Sterling are learning Espanol (thanks to RosettaStone). After lunch we toured the old Catholic Chuch Notre-Dame-des-Victoires then walked back up the hill. We took pictures with the old French cannons pointing out toward the St. Lawrence where British ships tried to invade. Cindi has memories here on her trip with her folks and grandparents years ago so we took some pictures. We then headed to Quebec's most famous landmark, Hotel Chateau Frontenac. We sneaked into the old elevators and went to the top. The hotel was old and a bit spooky. The kids said the hallways reminded them of The Tower of Terror at Disneyland. I think they'd prefer staying in the Hyatt Place.

Pictures to follow...

"au revoir pour maintenant"

Montreal, Canada

After Ottawa and a peaceful night at the truck stop.  We drove into Montreal.  We found a small family owned campground through our Passport America discount membership.  If I haven't mentioned Passport America before I need to say "We love Passport America"  It seriously has saved us so much money.  We get 50% off at all participating campgrounds...cool! Anyway, we stayed at for 3 nights.  After we got settled in we headed out to see downtown Montreal.  It is a very big city with a drastic contrast of past and present.  What I mean is that you can drive by a very modern building that is sitting next to a very ornate old church.  They're all very tall glass modern  buildings and then you go into old town and everything looks as if it hasn't changed a bit since the 1800s.  The streets are very narrow with cobblestones, brick and stone buildings, and brightly colored awnings.  It was really fun to walk the streets and stop into some interesting art galleries.  The only downfall was that we were freezing our California buns off!

We walked into this church and were blown away by the beautiful arcietecture.  I actually remember going into this church when I was a teen traveling with my Grandma and Grumpy.  I was quite emotional on the whole visit to Canada since I miss my Grandma and Grumpy so much and I have such fond memories traveling thru Canada and the East Coast with them.  So don't be surprised if I bring them up a few times in the next few posts. 

The second day we were in Montreal we got up early, hopped in the red car and headed back into the states.  We had a meeting with the boys' home school teacher/supervisor Sherry.  She was on vacation with her husband in Vermont.  They had come to the East Coast for business but also to see the dramatic color change.  We were so blessed that she made time in her schedule to check up on the boys and monitor their progress.  We met at a library in Burlington, Vermont.  We spent about 4 hours with her and left feeling good about the kids' home school progress.  On our drive back we found the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory so we had to stop for a tour.

We drove back up through part of upstate New York touching the Adirondack Mountains.  Unfortunately we missed the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory and Lake Placid (we can't do it all).  We were exhausted by the time we got back to Montreal.  We all fell right to sleep.

The next day we went to the sight of the 1976 Summer Olympics (remember Bruce Jenner? Edwin Moses?).  They have turned part of the olympic area into a Biodome.  It was really cool.  Each section of the dome was set as a different animal habitat.  You first walk into the rain forest.  It was warm and humid, which actually felt nice since it was so cold outside.  

Look how he is looking at me from the corner of his eye.  Glad I was not down in the dirt with him....gulp!

I love this pic.  He looks as if he has something to say.

This cute little glow in the dark frog is highly poisonous.  Hunters would take their secretions and put it on the tip of their spears to insure death in their opposition.
This guy reminds me of someone in my family...Dad, I won't mention any names!  He's cute!
This bird liked to follow us around.
There was also a forest section and a coastal section, but Tanner's favorite was the cold artic section where his favorite animal was housed.  The penguin!  

We really had a great time at the Biodome de Montreal.  We would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Montreal.  After we left we went to a great grocery store called IGA.  I had such a great time shopping at this really cool Canadian grocery store (the simple pleasures in life). 

Off to Quebec!