Mystic Seaport

It's October 17th and we finally got here - Mystic Seaport - a place I visited on a trip paid for by the Detroit News when I was 14 old - - a long time ago.  

When I was 14, a bunch of us newspaper boys won a trip to the U.S. Navy Submarine Base at New London.   Mystic was part of the travel itinerary.

Before we got to Mystic this time, we didn't get there without "interesting adventure.   After we left the Lock Haven Walmart in Pennsylvania, we drove on Interstate 80 - not a bad road pulling a heavy travel trailer (TT for short).   But the road changed A LOT when we hit New Jersey.  Lot's of dipsy do's.  

The walk up the hill to the New Jersey welcome center was a workout.

I was very FOCUSED on the driving.

But back to the trip through New Jersey.   They have some interesting exits and entrances to freeways.   So interesting that we went around three times at one exit before we got on the freeway going the right way.  We were on I-387 going north toward the Tappan-Zee Bridge to get across the Hudson River on our way to Connecticut.   

 Headed across the Hudson

 The Main span..

Only 12 miles and suddenly, we were looking at  4 lanes of wall-to-wall stop and go traffic.   Only when we were within 6 miles of the bridge did it suddenly all "speed up."   And I've had to readjust my driving to become way more aggressive than normal.   That's interesting with a TT behind the truck.

We would not recommend towing a travel trailer on I-80, I-387, or I-95 in New York State, and the first part of Conneticut.  The road is being worked on AND ISN'T smooth at all.  It was so nice to get to the Walmart, even if I had to do some work to get us situated for the night.

When we pulled into the parking lot of the Waterford, CT Walmart, the first thing we noticed was the flashing error message on the refrigerator.  It wasn't getting propane.  I knew the tanks were full.   I tried to light the gas stove and turn on the furnace..  nothing..  ummm.   Outside I went...

The place to check the "fullness" of the tanks indicated they were both EMPTY.  Not so, I thought.   I made sure the tanks were full and theorized that somehow all the "shaking" and "dipsy doing" had messed up the regulator. 

Out came the generator and with it chained to the trailer frame, we saw the temperature start back down on the fridge.  Today we made an unplanned side trip to a RV shop to buy a new regulator..  now everything is fine again.

We finally got to Mystic Seaport today around 3 p.m.   It is an old whaling and fishing village that has been preserved and rebuilt.   The whaling ship Charles W. Morgan is in dry dock undergoing an 8-10 million dollar renovation.

Here are some pics of us around Mystic:

 

 

There's a lot more to Mystic.   All of the village places and occupations that supported a life at sea - fishing and whaling and everyday commerce.   We visited the "coopers" store and learned how barrels were made.  Everything in America before the invention of the fork-lift was shipped in a barrel.   You could make a pretty good living, IF you could make a good barrel.   And it was all done by hand and eye - no plans or templates.   It took 7 years of apprenticeship to become a barrel maker or a "cooper."

We at supper in the parking lot of Mystic Seaport and since we got here so late today, the $22 each that we paid to get in (of course I got the senior discount), will allow us to come back tomorrow.  The big decision right now is:  Do we head right for Acadia National Park from here OR do we first stop in Boston, then go to Acadia stopping in Boston on the way south from Acadia.   I guess we'll figure it out.