On The Road Again

My wife and I recently flew to my hometown to attend a family reunion in the Boston suburbs. Of course, it was hot and humid and rained when everyone showed up, and all the kids were stuck indoors. I think I will require therapy after that family experience. The weather was glorious the next day, and nothing clears the mind and soul like the sea. Thanks to my Florida membership to the Freedom Boat Club, we acquired a 24-foot center console in the seaside hamlet Brant Rock in Marshfield, Massachusetts. We cruised nearby Plymouth Harbor and actually saw the Mayflower (reconstructed) and Plymouth Rock from the water. It had been a while since I had navigated in New England waters - it’s loaded with unforgiving rocky shoals, and unlike Southwest Florida, where one’s propeller finds sand, here in New England it is usually solid granite. It was a bit hair-raising returning to the dock when it was dead low tide.

Subsequently, a family member decided to move out of the Sunshine State and is relocating to the Great State of Maine. I loaned my beloved Chevy Silverado to assist in the big move, so next stop is Bangor, Maine retrieving my truck for the beginning of my mid-summer coastal road trip with my wife Andrea; heaven help us!

I have to be honest here, the last thing I want to do is be in a pickup for umpteen hours. I’d rather fly, but apparently I made a promise (so I’m told!) that my stepson could use the truck and Mom and I will drive it back home. I’m a horrible road traveler and a passenger seat driver, so I would not be surprised if my wife abandons me at some desolate rest area.

The next day it’s goodbye to family and friends, and it’s time to head to the Great White North in our airport rental.

One thing is for sure, Bangor, Maine, is nothing like Marco Island or Naples, Florida. My Florida-born and raised step son said he was tired of the heat and humidity of Southwest Florida and his new wife agrees. They are both young professionals and energized - let them find out for themselves. They will certainly be leaving the Florida heat and find the alternative to that in Bangor! They bought a cute home built in the late 1880s minutes from downtown.

That afternoon we drove to nearby Bar Harbor to enjoy the seaside vistas and enjoyed the best seafood and steamed lobster I’ve had in a long time. Hey, this trip ain’t too bad so far! The next morning we wished the lovebirds farewell and good luck on this phase of their lives.

It’s time to head south.

First and foremost, we haven’t agreed on any exact way we were heading home and where we will be stopping to visit and maybe sightsee. I’m hoping to make Washington, D.C. the first place we both agreed to stop. The Smithsonian would be a must-see place for me to visit, home of the magnificent Hope Diamond. Andrea is not a big fan of museums, so I could be going there solo. She wanted to see the White House and a few famous monuments.

We drove 680 miles on Tuesday and made it to D.C. at 1:00 AM. We are still amiable and talking to each other.

It normally takes like a week to see the whole museum. Our museum tour was short and sweet - I focused on the diamonds and gemstone galley and saw the Hope Diamond up close and personal. There were many other unbelievably large gemstones that included rubies, sapphires, and an 858-carat uncut gem-quality emerald. The way they are displayed with special lighting makes them even more beautiful. We cut the museum short because it was turning into a daycare center on steroids (Kids were showing up by the bus full. I love kids but after my family thing, I’m a bit kid shy and not quite recovered yet!).

We were told by the hotel concierge most of the sights were within walking distance. We found out otherwise - yeah if you had the stamina of a cross-country camel! We trudged on and paid our respects at several war memorials, the most emotional for me was the Vietnam War Wall memorial. Like many of you fellow veterans, I lost a few friends in that war.

After seeing the Lincoln Memorial, we decided we can’t walk another yard in this heat and frankly, we both agreed we had seen enough. So we bid adieu to the nation’s capital.

It’s on to our next adventure...Charleston, South Carolina.