2011 - September 10 - 13: Boston, MA to Sweet Home, OR

 September 10 - For our last bike ride of this journey we tried to ride out to Moon Island to see if we could get a picture looking east without land in the background.


However the bridge had been closed the day before for safety concerns. So instead we found this "beach" on the Quincy peninsula. It was low tide and really foggy so the view was probably about the same.


After lunch the end of our ride found us at the UPS Store in the Back Bay neighborhood. We had to leave the bikes sitting this way as they were behind on boxing up things and wouldn't insure the bikes if we did it. It was a little unsettling to leave our trusty steeds this way.


We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring more of the Boston Commons. This is a statue of George Washington. Felt a little envious of the guy on the bike.


Doug found a new buddy. We headed back to the motel about 4 to sort of beat rush hour. Had an early dinner and did laundry one last time.


September 11 - The JFK Presidential Library and Museum seemed like an appropriate place to be on this rainy morning and day for reflecting.


This was JFK's favorite sailboat.


There was a whole section on the campaign including the debates with Nixon.


Other sections discussed the Cuban missile crisis, civil rights, space exploration, and mental health advocacy.


Some of the museum was also devoted to Jackie's role in restoring the White House and the many State events that she and JFK hosted.


They showed a video of JFK's entire Inaugual Address, which was very inspiring, especially this line.


The tour ends in this airy space.

On a clear day the Boston Harbor and the islands would be on display.


This is a copy of the lamp given to Profiles in Courage award recipients.


We took the subway downtown after finishing the museum but took refuge in a Starbucks close to the station for quite awhile. It was only 68 so hot fluids were most welcome.


The rain made for interesting people watching. We heard later that it rained 1.2" today.


This teapot puffs out steam every few seconds. We found a nearby Borders and hung out for another hour getting reading material for our flight home. Had dinner at the Hub Pub, "Friendliest Pub in Boston", amidst a bunch of Boston Red Sox fans getting ready to attend tonight's home game.

A mural in the subway station. The locals call the subway the "T". It was a little eerie being in Boston on this day since so many of the ill-fated flights in 2001 originated from Logan Airport.


September 12 - We started this very sunny day with a walk along the Neponset River Trail and still got to Logan Airport with plenty of time to spare. Then our 1:30 flight to Philadelphia was delayed to 2:50.

Goodbye Boston


One of the Boston Harbor Islands, maybe Long Island State Park? We had about an hour on the ground in Philadelphia, then it was non-stop to Portland. We arrived there at 9 p.m. to the wonderful hugs of Megan, Cameron and wife Meagan. It had been a VERY long day and all that sitting was tough on our bike-hardened legs.


September 13 - Back in Sweet Home after a little car trouble on the way home from Portland with 3,653 bike miles at a cost of 2 rear tires, 3 trashed inner tubes, 1 pair of gloves, 5 tubes of sunscreen, 2 tubs of zinc oxide, 3 small scars (2 knees, 1 elbow), 1 lost yellow jersey, 2,250 digital pictures (over 3.5 GB), a couple hundred gallons of fluids (Powerade, Gatorade, Exude, lemonade, tea, and water), untold pounds of ice and ice cream and all the food we could eat. This is the official end of this chapter of our continuing LiveStrong journey. It was a priceless experience!

September 8 - 9: Auburn to Boston

September 8 - Already pleasantly warm at 8:00 when we started out. This is the oldest town we've seen so far.


These little ponds are scattered throughout this part of the state.


The shadiness of the road definitely moderated the gathering heat of the day. We had a few hills but it was generally downhill as we headed for the coast.


We are getting sooooo close. Highway 20 is called the Boston Post Road here. It was used in the Revolutionary War to bring cannons to Washington during the siege of Boston according to Michael, owner of Dunkin Donuts in Palmer, MA.


The Charles River with Harvard in the background.


Almost to the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge. It is right next door to MIT.


We took off all our "luggage" at the motel, then headed into Boston proper. We will be crossing that bridge to get there.


Saw this group several times over the next hour.


Back Bay with its block upon block of brownstones. It is a very desirable place to live for Bostonians.


It was 95 F as we made our way along the streets of Boston, a record for the day.


The official end of Highway 20 at the Boston Commons. These Duck Tour vehicles were everywhere.


Inside the Public Garden. That is a Swan Boat just to the right of Donna's head, one of the icons of Boston.

There really is a full blown bike shop down those steps behind our bicycles.


The view from our 14th floor balcony, a very generous congratulatory gift from friends Bob and Timmi O'Brien. They met us here when we returned from downtown Boston.


We all took a taxi to the North End for dinner at Lucia's, a very good Italian restaurant on Hanover St. It was such a warm evening that we walked about for several hours along with thousands of other people. One thing we did was go through this Holocaust Memorial. It was especially moving going through it for the first time in the dark with the steam rising through these towers meant to evoke the chimneys of the ovens used in the death camps. They are etched with the 6 million numbers.


September 9 - Watching the sun rise. Where did all those clouds come from?


It is quite a bit cooler this morning. We had breakfast and checked out. We rode our bikes to the Comfort Inn in Dorchester section of Boston. Bob and Timmi met us there, then we all took the van shuttle and subway back into downtown Boston.

The red line is the Freedom Trail which we planned to follow today. That is Bob and Timmi with Doug.




The tombstone on the right is Paul Revere's original headstone. The larger one on the left was added when he became more famous because of Longfellow's poem.


This fellow was doing a guided walk (Tony - think Heritage Hike with a Revolutionay War theme!). He was very knowledgeable and entertaining as we listened in for a bit.

The State House was the site of the Boston Massacre.


It was the tallest thing around in its heyday.


Paul Revere's house built about 1680. Don't think it had a pickup in front in those days!


It has been very well preserved and had many of his original furnishing inside but they didn't allow photography. He was quite the silversmith.




The Old North Church built in 1723 - one if by land, two if by sea.


Inside the Old North Church which is still an active Episcopal Church.




The death's head at the top was a very traditional part of tombstone during the 1700's.


Boston is full of character and characters. That is the Freedom Trail in brick in the middle of the sidewalk.

This was our sound of the day. For over an hour we could hear the brass band that followed behind the statue as they paraded through streets close to the Freedom Trail.


That is Bunker Hill monument on the skyline. Bob and Timmi had a ferry to catch to get back to New York so we didn't walk all the way to it.


This new bridge carries the freeway and is part of the Big Dig. It is meant to remind you of sailing ships. The Big Dig has made Boston even more walkable than it already was. We didn't get rained on all day but it sure looked like it wanted to.


WE REALLY MADE IT! The second "endpoint" of our journey: The Atlantic Ocean. The bumps in the background are the Boston Harbor Islands.


Doug's thinking that the pedaling gets quite a bit tougher east of here! On a cool, breezy late afternoon, there was no one else on this beach to take a picture of us together.