OVER MY SHOULDER

This week I will talk about the second part of the Fall Foliage trip that Christine and I took a couple of weeks ago.

I was very pleased that I was not driving in the New York City, Philadelphia and Boston area----for example on the New Jersey Turnpike, there were places that there were 5 lanes of traffic, and often we would observe at least 1/2 mile lines of traffic trying to get on to or off of the turnpike. Sometimes it seemed that one would need to draw a line to tell whether or not you were moving. Many times it seemed that we were driving in a ‘channel’ of concrete and trees. There was of course the Holland Tunnel and streets that were built underground.

We took a ferry to Ellis Island and then on to the Statute of Liberty. It was with a great deal of respect that I wondered through the museum on Ellis Island. This of course was the entry place for many of the early immigrants that came to this country. It is difficult to believe the conditions that existed in the ‘processing’ of these immigrants as they arrived on the Island----early in the history of its operation much of the area looked like ‘holding pens for livestock’. It must have been very hard for individuals to pull up roots in their home country and go to a foreign land where they did not understand the language or the culture and start over. I could have spent several days here, but schedules required that we move on.

One could not help but to develop a lump in their throat as we approached the Statute of Liberty----it was very inspirational to stand at the feet of this grand lady and look up at the wondrous works that have been completed and has stood there for all of these years. The line was so long that we did not attempt to go up into the inside of the statute. We were quite content to take a guided tour around the base of the monument, and then just set and gaze at the Statute, Ellis Island and the New York skyline. Time and space does not permit me to review all of the interesting background and details of this monument.

We drove through a part of New York City and through Chinatown in this large city---I was amazed at how the driver was able to maneuver the large bus through that traffic and those narrow streets. After ‘playing ‘ in the traffic for sometime, we arrived at Plymouth, Mass., one of the historical sights of our country---the spot where the Pilgrims landed in 1620. Although “Plymouth Rock’ itself was a surprise in that it is not very large, and it at some time has been fractured into two pieces and ‘patched’ back together, it’s historical significance is however inspiring.

The Mayflower II (a replica of the original Mayflower that brought the pilgrims to America) is also on display at this site. As we toured the vessel, I was surprised at how small this ship was---certainly those who boarded the ship in England to sail to America exhibited much courage and faith in so doing. The original Mayflower sailed back to England in 1641, and was probably junked or ‘recycled’---the replica was built in England in 1955-56, and was sailed to the United States in 1957.
It was in this area that we observed a number of Cranberry bogs, and toured the ‘Ocean Spray’ Cranberry processing plant. These Bogs are very interesting in that there are only a few places in this country that cranberries grow. The plant is a native plant and can only be started from cuttings. Some of the bogs are hundreds of years old. The harvesting of the fruit is interesting in that when they become ripe, they are loosened from the plant with a beater (of sort)--then the bog is flooded with water, and the berries float to the top of the water, where they are pushed together with a floating device, and the berries are then vacuumed into a truck.

There are many historic sites in and around Boston which we visited---again, one could spend days in this area, and not see all of these areas. We had a very excellent ‘local’ guide who was both knowledgeable, and articulate. We were in the Old North Church (one if by land and two if by sea), through Boston Commons, by the Old South Meeting House, from which Boston Patriots adjourned to the ‘Tea Party’ in the Boston Harbor, and by the spot at which the ‘Boston Massacre’ took place. We toured Old Ironsides--the (U.S.S. Constitution) that is anchored in the Boston Harbor.

We followed a part of the path that Paul Revere rode on ‘the 18th of April in ‘75’ to warn that the British were coming, and stood on the Old North Bridge in Concord, where the British and the Patriots exchanged gun fire. We followed a part of the retreat route that the British took on their way back to Boston. It was with a great deal of pride and inspiration that while we were in Lexington, I stood on the same ’Green’ where our forefathers made the decision to resist the British. There are several of the original buildings around this ‘Green’.

As we proceeded toward Vermont to visit the Fall Foliage, we made a short trek into Maine---the coast of Maine is beautiful----with its rocky coast line, and beautiful water along the highway. We followed the coast line a few miles---enough that we went by Kennebunkport----the George Bush Compound---we were not allowed to stop, but the point on which his home sets extends out into the Atlantic Ocean, and is one of the most beautiful settings that I have seen in a long time.

The drive through New Hampshire and Vermont was a beautiful drive--- all of the hills and valleys were covered with trees exhibiting their beautiful colored leaves. All of the little shallow streams (and it seemed there was one over each hill) were filled with round and oblong granite stones of varying sizes. The White Mountains were very colorful, and one of the higher peaks already had snow on it. There were many covered bridges along this drive.

There was evidence of logging and timber industry, Maple Syrup production in Vermont, large silos, some corn (it looked like most of it went to silage), some hay fields (all of the hay was under cover--usually in the barn), some dairy barns (all of the barns were quite large, in many cases they were connected directly to the house). The Houses were large also--usually two or three stories. Lots of Ski runs---interesting thing about New Hampshire---no sale tax, no income tax, and I believe no property tax ----there state and local governments are basically all funded by revenue from people like me (tourists)--by taxes on lottery, lodging, and food (eating places).

We stopped a few minutes at Bath, New Hampshire and visited what was reported to be the oldest continuous run general store in America. This store set adjacent to a covered bridge that was constructed in 1832, and is still in operation for vehicular and foot traffic. I considered it a treat to walk across the bridge --the construction is a work of art. Like all of the little villages that we saw in the North East, the town of Bath had many old historic homes, and several beautiful white Churches each with a tall spire---many times the tallest object in the town.

We crossed rural New York (between the Catskills and the Adirondacks) on our way to Niagara Falls. We visited the Canadian side of the falls and found them to be the most inspiration and moving of any part of our trip. The inspiration was a different kind of inspiration than I felt at the historical monuments---as I moved to the rail of the Niagara Falls, it was perhaps the most moving moment of my life---the strength and power of the falls could only be created by our Lord. The roar, and consuming power made me feel as if I were in the presence of God himself.

There are no words to describe, and no pictures that can depict the beauty of those falls. Even the picture that I took of the falls in the late evening with a huge rainbow above them does not do them justice.

It was a great trip, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves the history and beauty of this great country of ours. LDC