Day 1 - April 1

I started at the Old State House in Boston at 8:00 this morning. Four hours and 14 miles later I walked up to Dad’s parked car at the Dedham Common. I’d only planned 12 miles today. But a wrong turn somewhere took me off course. I apparently didn’t notice for awhile….

Along the route I saw the plaque where the Liberty Tree used to be (I posted a video on my socials!), walked the street that used to be the Boston Neck (video coming), and explored little New England towns that would fit right in in the Midwest.

Dad and I drove to the John Adams houses after lunch. (Again, I posted a video!) Unfortunately, all of his houses were still closed for the winter. I knew they would be, but I was holding out hope somebody would be there and let us in. No luck.

George Washington’s Mount Vernon and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello are open year round. And great visits. I can’t help but wonder what John Adams would think about his houses not getting the same year-round treatment. He was, after all, the man that in 1790 complained that Washington and Benjamin Franklin would get all the credit for the Revolution:

The history of our Revolution will be one continued lie from one end to the other. The essence of the whole will be that Dr. Franklin's electrical rod smote the earth and out sprung General Washington. That Franklin electrized him with his rod—and henceforth these two conducted all the policy, negotiation, legislation and war.

I had to do a lot of research for my book about the Boston Neck. It was important to me that historical Boston feel real to my readers. And my main character, Tom, crisscrosses the Neck several times. He even staves off an encounter between British soldiers and towns people on the Neck. It’s amazing to me that what once used to be a 100-yard strip of land connecting Boston island to the mainland is now dotted with skyscrapers and a freeway. Boston geography in general would be unrecognizable to Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and other Boston revolutionaries. It makes writing about Boston for modern readers harder.

Picture of the day:

I had to keep telling myself this when I realized I’d added two extra miles to my route.

It worked out.

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