9/8 Massachusetts

 We tried to get an early start on Friday morning because of the hot weather.  We had scrapped most of our plans for Massachusetts because we didn't want to be outside in the afternoon heat, so we were trying to come up with new ideas.  We decided to start the day with the Minute Man National Park, which stretches over the path that the Redcoats marched from Boston to Concord with lots of historical sites and walking paths.

It was hard to get going too early because we were wrangling three kids, but we finally got on the road and drove toward the National Park visitor's center near Concord.  The kids and Emily all wanted to get Junior Ranger badges, but this park was probably the least organized of all I've seen in terms of their Junior Ranger program.  They didn't have any formal requirements to get the badge, but they had a little handout with some questions and a bingo game, so we made the kids do a little work before we handed over the badges.  We watched a cool presentation about the start of the Revolutionary War, but it was a little too intense for Sierra, so I took her out near the end.  I would definitely recommend it for adults and older kids, though.

After leaving the air-conditioned visitor's center, we hiked a little down some of the historical trail and were hoping to see some historical sites.  When we got to a tavern that we wanted to see, we were confused because all the doors were locked, although we could see someone moving around inside.  Finally the person told us that they had closed at noon because of the heat (we got there just after noon).  We decided it was time to give up on outdoor activities and go get some lunch.  Since Summer has lots of experience with Junior Ranger oaths, she administered the oath from memory to Sierra, Rhonda, and Emily, and Emily handed out the badges.  Apparently during the ceremony, Sierra set her fan down on a rock, so once we had all returned to the SUV, Emily and Sierra had to walk back to the tavern to get the fan.  (It would be terrible to lose a dollar-store fan!)

Summer swearing in Rhonda, Sierra, and Emily.

For lunch, we went to the Minute Man Diner in Bedford, Massachusetts.  They had a huge menu with lots of child-friendly options and a very nice waitress.  Their pancakes were huge, but Summer is going through a growth spurt and she wanted four pancakes plus fries.  We were all wondering if she would be able to eat that much.  She had about two bites left of her last pancake when she suddenly lost a tooth!  So she didn't quite finish the pancake, but we all knew that she could have done it.  (She made sure we all acknowledged that.)

Summer with her lost tooth.

We had been hoping to go to a museum in Boston, but it was really expensive, so while we were at the diner I called to see if they had a reciprocal agreement with the Eugene Science Center (since I have a membership there).  Unfortunately, they didn't have one, so we picked out an indoor playground that was open from 4-8.  However, as we were leaving the Diner, it was starting to rain, and the weather was cooling off!  We still had some time to kill before the playground opened, and we wanted to get Boston cream pie in the Boston area, so we went to a bakery in Revere, Massachusetts.

We parked at a meter and went across the street to the bakery.  While we were eating, my SUV got a ticket!  It turned out to be for expired registration.  It was an issue that I knew about - when I bought the SUV a few months ago, the previous owners for some reason hadn't put the current stickers on the plates.  The DMV didn't give me updated stickers when I transferred title, but I do have proof of current registration in the vehicle.  I was frustrated about the ticket, and we were actually only a few blocks from the parking office, so we all walked down to the office in hopes that I could show my registration to someone and get the ticket dismissed.  But even though it was during normal business hours on a Friday, it turned out that the office was closed on Fridays!  The ticket said that I had 21 days to dispute in writing, so I wrote a note and put it in their drop box to make sure I didn't miss the deadline while I was traveling.  (I followed up later after we got back to Emily's house.)

By this time, the weather had cooled off enough that we didn't think we needed to pay for an indoor playground.  (In fact, there was a thunderstorm warning.)  We decided to just go back to our campground and spend the evening there.  We tried to make a fire, but everything was wet, so we couldn't get it going.  But the kids still had fun playing, and they even made a friend at a nearby campsite.  We appreciated the cooler weather even though everything was now muddy.