5/20/06 (Sunday): Today we went to Plymouth. We took the scenic route (3A) through a number of scenic towns, mostly on little coves or bays. We took a walking tour through the historic part of the town. We saw Plymouth Rock, which may or may not be where the Pilgrims first set foot on our shores in 1620. It now has a granite portico over it that was designed by some famous architect in the 1920’s.

The walking tour takes you up the banks of a creek that was the water source for the original settlement. Very pretty. There was a reconstructed grist mill, a cemetery with some really old grave markers, and everywhere you looked, peeks at the Atlantic. A reproduction of the Mayflower docked in the harbor really adds to the feeling that you’ve fallen back in time.

After our walking tour, we went to Plimouth Plantation, which is a living history museum. There’s a reconstruction of the Pilgrim settlement, the Wampanoag Native Americans and a craft demonstration area. Wiley and I were amazed that the homes in the settlement were so tiny, dark and primitive. We feel like our camper is a mansion in comparison. There was no glass in the tiny windows, no fireplaces (just fires built in a corner of the room), very little furniture, no cabinets. In fact, I think the Native American homes looked much more comfortable. I especially enjoyed the blacksmith demonstration. He was making nails. Everyone in the village stayed in character and in the 1600’s, including their language. It was pretty amazing how well they managed that with all the stupid questions people were throwing their way. There was a pair of obviously gay guys asking leading questions about homosexuality and religion in the early days, and that was pretty interesting. I thought the reenactors handled it very well.

We added two more lighthouses to our life list—Bug Light and Guinett. Very picturesque.

Wiley went fishing again when we got back to camp (hooked a few little ones, but no keepers). I lazed around and read my book. We ate up some leftovers for dinner. Tomorrow it’s off to Salisbury Beach State Park on the New Hampshire border. Guess it’s going to be a while before we get WiFi hookup again, so you’ll be reading these posts after the fact. We’re on the final leg of our adventure now.