20 Aug – Plymouth, Massachusetts
Opus
Bridget & Nick Gray
Wed 20 Aug 2014 18:16
Nick sent the morning replacing the fuel filters on both main engines. We filled up in Rockland with a fast speed pump that delivered 50 gallons a minute! It seemed to stir up the sediment in the tanks and the engines have been complaining ever since.
The afternoon was spent on a whistle stop tour of Plymouth:
First stop, Forefathers Monument - commemorates the 102 passengers that arrived on the Mayflower in 1620 - another incongruous looking neo-classical construction. Apparently, the statue of Faith at the top is made from a single block of granite.
Next a cycle through town in search of a petrol station that could fill our propane tank – described variously as 5 minutes or 10 miles away by helpful locals. Luckily it was somewhere in between!
Next stop, Plymouth Rock – Glacial Dedham granodiorite! It marks the traditional site of disembarkation by the Mayflower Pilgrims who founded Plymouth, and a very important symbol of American history. More interestingly, there is no written record of the rock until 1715. Authentication of this particular rock was made by Elder Faunce in 1741, who at the age of 95 confirmed it as the one his father identified to him in his youth. Since then its location has been moved repeatedly, it has been broken in two, depleted by up to 30% by those who came to see it, and finally reunited in an arbitrary location under this neo-classical portico!
On to the Mayflower. An authentic replica built 55 years ago which still sails on special occasions. It seems very small for 102 passengers and 33 crew on a six seek voyage – with one more born on the trip!
We also found the statue of Massasoit, commemorating the vital role the American Indians played in the survival of the colony 0 and the origin of today’s Thanksgiving Holiday.
Nearby however, is the gravesite of many of the pilgrims who did not make it through that first winter. They were buried without headstones so as not to let those same Indians know how many of them had died. All remains subsequently found have been placed here, with the names of those known to have died that year.
The afternoon was spent on a whistle stop tour of Plymouth:
First stop, Forefathers Monument - commemorates the 102 passengers that arrived on the Mayflower in 1620 - another incongruous looking neo-classical construction. Apparently, the statue of Faith at the top is made from a single block of granite.
Next a cycle through town in search of a petrol station that could fill our propane tank – described variously as 5 minutes or 10 miles away by helpful locals. Luckily it was somewhere in between!
Next stop, Plymouth Rock – Glacial Dedham granodiorite! It marks the traditional site of disembarkation by the Mayflower Pilgrims who founded Plymouth, and a very important symbol of American history. More interestingly, there is no written record of the rock until 1715. Authentication of this particular rock was made by Elder Faunce in 1741, who at the age of 95 confirmed it as the one his father identified to him in his youth. Since then its location has been moved repeatedly, it has been broken in two, depleted by up to 30% by those who came to see it, and finally reunited in an arbitrary location under this neo-classical portico!
On to the Mayflower. An authentic replica built 55 years ago which still sails on special occasions. It seems very small for 102 passengers and 33 crew on a six seek voyage – with one more born on the trip!
We also found the statue of Massasoit, commemorating the vital role the American Indians played in the survival of the colony 0 and the origin of today’s Thanksgiving Holiday.
Nearby however, is the gravesite of many of the pilgrims who did not make it through that first winter. They were buried without headstones so as not to let those same Indians know how many of them had died. All remains subsequently found have been placed here, with the names of those known to have died that year.
