Boston Day Eight

We got out of our room a little later than we wanted today, though it was nice to sleep in and take our time after having to get up early for class all week. We left Homewood Suites yesterday afternoon and now we are staying at Hanscom AFB until we leave Monday morning. We actually listed this base as our first choice when Landon was commissioned (we were given Edwards AFB though), so we've always hoped end up here at some point - maybe our next move. So after finally getting ready for the day, we drove around the base locating the stores, schools, and housing. It seems that most people live in townhouses. The larger, non-joined homes were very nice and New England looking - and it seems, meant for colonels. There must have been 20 colonels on that street! Maybe all the colonels in the AF happen to really like this base.

As we drove through the housing I remembered that a friend and neighbor of mine from Edwards moved here with her family several years ago. I hadn't known their new number or address, so as we drove I looked for the names on the houses to see if they actually were still here. Not every house had a name, so I wasn't too hopeful, but then I saw 'Blake' on a townhouse! Landon pulled over, I hopped out, and as soon as I got to the door, she was there and recognized me! It was a fun, quick visit and nice to see how big their children are now (and there was a new little boy I didn't know!). It would be great if they were still there when we {maybe} move there in a few years.

We soon got on our way for today's destination: Concord, MA. I don't know if I've ever seen a cuter, more picturesque New England town. I absolutely fell in love with it. I'm so mad I didn't get any good pictures of it (this is only decent one). We ate lunch at the Colonial Inn, then planned to start at the Minute Man Visitor Center to begin walking on the Battle Road Trail.

Concord (and nearby Lexington) are historically famous for a few things: several well-known authors have lived here and these are the sites of the very first battles that started the Revolutionary War. This is Landon and Grant at the Minute Man Visitor Center - a great place to start to get information about these first battles.
They had the BEST multimedia presentation. I learned so much about all the events that started the war - stuff I'm sure I've been taught before, but never has it stuck with me until this really cool visitor center presentation. I highly recommend a stop here. This is the where Paul Revere and two other men were riding (after the whole lantern lighting signal) to alert the townspeople of the British marching in. The men in Concord were stockpiling ammunition and weapons, the British governor heard of this, and sent a regimen to stop them and seize their arms. Now that the colonists were warned, many prepared and when the British got here to Concord, they pushed them back and fought them all along this Battle Road Trail we walked on - until they were back to Boston and the rest of the British army. "The shot heard 'round the world" happened here (back at North Bridge in Concord) because until then no shots had been fired and no one knew who fired that first shot that began the battle along the road. Many more British soldiers were killed and injured than the colonists-and it's all the very beginning of the eight-year Revolutionary War.

(Wow - I'm amazed that you're still reading this)

The Battle Road trail is a five mile trail to walk or bike along. We didn't have time to do it all, so we drove, parked along different marked spots, and walked just parts of the trail. One part was called Hartwell Tavern. Some of the fighting and gunfire between the British & Colonists occurred right in front of this tavern-still here and preserved well.

Behind the tavern, a guide in costume demonstrated the loading and firing of a musket from that time period. It took 15 seconds to load and fire - if you were really good. It's amazing how they were able to fight with these guns.
How come all the pretty good presentations and sites have a charged a fee and the really great stuff has been free?? Ironic. I really enjoyed this trail and wish we could have walked more. I think if I ever return, we should rent bikes and see the entire trail. It was so GREEN and beautiful-I've never seen so much green and lush beauty.
Last Concord Stop: the Louisa May Alcott home (author of Little Women). I love this story and even all the movies made. It's very close to the end of the trail, but it was closed when we got there, so we only took pictures outside. The movies made the homes look just like one, so I knew right when I saw it. This is the Alcott home where she lived and wrote Little Women (based mostly on her childhood experiences here in this home with her sisters).
It was so neat and well kept, that if not for the cars rushing past on the street, I could imagine the March sisters coming out the door any minute.

Hanscom is almost right between Lexington and Concord and a very quick drive, so should we ever get to live here, we will be able to come here as often as we'd like! We made our way back to Hanscom to have dinner then for our final destination: the Boston Massachusetts Temple.

It was also a quick drive from Hanscom (another great thing to look forward if we ever live here), but it was already dark when we got there, so no good pictures. But I did get a picture of the sign!

Tomorrow we get up at a time that no human should wake: 4:00 a.m. to catch our 7:30 flight home to L.A. Needless to say, this was one of my favorite trips. It is a beautiful area of the country combined with really cool historical sites to see. I hope we get to visit {or maybe move} here soon!