Rhode Island Business Trip: Day 2

So on the second day, the the training session ended at 5 PM. But that meant that it was still 2 PM on the West Coast. So while everyone went out for dinner, I had to put out a couple of fire drills back at the hotel room. On the way back to the motel, I cam across this house. It is the Arnold House and it was built back in 1693. For a point of reference, this house was built 73 years after the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth. I found history at every turn. To find a house that is almost 320 years old is simply amazing.

I also found Lincoln Woods Park, not very far from the Arnold House. It had a beautiful covered bridge. This park reminded me much of Georgia. Very lush and green. You could hear tree frogs and cicadas in the tree.

I was done with my fire drills just before 7:00. That meant that I could hop in the car and drive up to Boston, just 50 minutes away.

Boston is one weird city. It has the history of course, but it is a blend of New York and suburban Los Angeles. The highway and bridge system is like someone had been playing Sim City too much. I drove through the Big Dig, a huge tunnel under the city that dumped you out onto one of its many bridges. I ended up in Chelsea.

Not really having a plan and it getting dark, I decided to drive down to Plymouth.

I got to Plymouth at about 9:00 PM. Since it was summer, most of the town was surprisingly still open. Plymouth is a beautiful town that bridges its history and charm with the reality that it is a tourist attraction. Off in the distance, I could see the lighthouses out on Cape Cod.

I got to see a replica of the Mayflower (the Mayflower II). I had always known that the Mayflower was not that big of a ship. I was amazed though that it is about the same size as the pirate ship in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

A nighttime view of the Mayflower II

While I was looking at the boat, I was noticing that there was a school of small fish surfacing. I knew that they were being chased by something bigger, and I was right. The big fish, what ever they were, were chasing the fry towards the shore. These were big fish, probably 3 to 10 pound fish. I wish it could have been daylight so I could see what they were.

I also got to see Plymouth Rock, which is now housed in a building on the shore. The funny thing is that this is only a portion of the rock.  It had been moved from the original spot back in the 1800's.   What I really wondered is how do they know it was specifically that rock?

After I was done, I drove back to the hotel, getting lost a couple of times. The "highways" in New England are not well marked and I would end up on a road that would just end. I finally got back to the hotel at 11:00, ready for my next day of meetings.