A Frustrating Day for Stamping....

I really get annoyed when parks are not open when they are supposed to be, or for reasons I can't control, I miss getting to a park.

Today was such a day.  I originally had the notion that I would clean up the 6 locations I was missing for the Essex National Heritage Area, which is essentially Northern Mass, North of Boston.  Upon checking, several of the sites were not open today, so I changed, and decided to hit some metro Boston ones instead.

First target was John F Kennedy NHS, which was closed the last time I tried to visit 2 years ago, my bad, because I didn't read the website or follow the data base.  Well, this time, the website said the site was open 7 days.  WRONG.  I got there at like 11am, after a 70 mile drive, and it is shut tight, not open Monday and Tuesday.  Damn.  So I will try for there on a Sunday visit I have already planned for a visit to a Boston Harbor site.

Then, I called over to Frederick Law Olmstead site, to make sure they would be open, and the recording said office open 8-4 M-F. The last time I tried to visit here, again 2 years ago, it was closed for renovations...  Fortunately, this site is just a couple of miles from Kennedy, and it was CLOSED.  The office was locked- I could see the stamps on a desk, just like last time.  DAMN.  I searched all over the site, and while several cars were parked, not a single ranger in sight.  It too will get added to the Sunday list.

The Longfellow House/Washington HQ site was closed today, so it was bypassed, so then I decided to try for 2 of the 3 sites for the Minute Man NHP which is basically in Lexington and Concord, about 20 plus miles away.  I did get to both of those visitor Centers, in good order, got my stamps, and a pin and hiking medallion.  Score.

The other site, The Wayside, will be added on a future trip to the city while I am here. 

Then, I decided to try for the Lawrence Mass site for the Essex Heritage area, but got stuck in horrible traffic, and was going to miss the 4 pm closing, so I kept on going to Haverhill, to the Buttonwoods Museum site for the Essex, which was supposed to be open till 5.  Got there and the door was LOCKED.  DAMN. 

Fortunately, the docent was inside, and let me in, explaining they were having a "training session"  I mildly protested that their door sign and website said that they were to be open to 5, to no avail, but I did get the site stamp anyway.  Cross that one off the list. 

So it was a frustrating day.  I will now have to double my resolve to call ahead more dilligently to make sure places are open like they are supposed to be- and ask after the stamps, I guess. 

For a lot of the metro Boston locations, I will have to make 3 trips to get a proper visit in-  all involving round trips of 160 plus miles in the car.  Got to fix that.

Here are some photos from today:

The Main VC at Minute Man, saw an excellent 20 minute film here. Long walk to the VC from the parking lot!

The North Bridge VC at Minute Man, formerly a house place for some rich guy, located at the "North Bridge"

The Actual North Bridge- site of a big skirmish during the shots that started the Revolution

The Buttonwoods Museum in Haverhill- just barely got the Essex stamp here.

Still had a 50 mile drive home, and got in around 535, in time to find out we were going out for dinner with our camping pals... we headed over to a new place, and had a nice meal with our new buds from this year:

I also snagged a Hawaii plate today while I was at Minute Man- only the fourth time I have seen one...

Tomorrow is July 4th, so we know enough to stay in at the park and not fight traffic.. supposed to maybe rain tomorrow also...  so I'll do some detail plans for August, and also the Boston NHP part of the trip, and figure out how to make up for the parks we missed today, which will mean yet another driving trip into Boston....