This morning, we saw a lighthouse. Not just any lighthouse, but the Portland Head Light, the oldest lighthouse in the country. This area felt like the quintessential Maine postcard - rocky beaches, cliffs, and a blanket of fog surrounding the lighthouse. We hiked the cliff trail, which gave us great views of the coast and said our goodbyes to Maine.
On our way to our campground outside of Salem, MA, we stopped in Portsmouth, NH and drove around the old colonial town. It’s clear that the roads were made before cars were, because they were narrow and windy. We had planned to stop for a picnic lunch, but realized we weren’t yet hungry and couldn’t find parking...goodbye Portsmouth!
The last campground we are staying at during this trip is Lorraine Park Campground located in the Harold Parker State Forest. It is a short drive from downtown Salem. We quickly set up our site so that we could spend the afternoon and evening exploring the city.
In Salem, we stopped by the visitors center to pick up a map and found that the National Park Service oversees historic Salem and Essex County. Cool. The streets of Salem are quite unique as they are lined with witch museums and buildings from the 1700s. There is even a cobblestone walking street that spans a few blocks and all the major attractions are within walking distance. The downside was that there was a fee to get into every museum or historic house, so we found a few free things to do that were interesting.
The first was the Burying Point, the oldest cemetery in Salem with graves dating back to 1637. The headstones were so old that you could barely make out what was inscribed on them, however, we found one person who came over on the Mayflower (about 1620). Next to the cemetery is the Salem Witch Trials Memorial, built in 1992 and dedicated by Elie Wiesel, to honor the memory of the 20 people accused of witchcraft and executed in 1692.
After meandering through the streets and posing next to the Bewitched statue, we headed to the waterfront district. When we arrived, the fog was so thick you could barely see the port and the hundreds of boats docked. However, we could see (and smell) Ye Olde Pepper Companie, the oldest candy company in America. We stopped in for a few chocolates and ate them in front of The House of the Seven Gables, a house made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1850 gothic novel.
As we made our way to the wharf for dinner, we stopped in the National Park Service shop and picked up a vintage poster displaying all of the National Parks. Later, as we were heading out of town, everyone was heading in and we again escaped traffic. Not sitting in traffic equals the perfect way to end the day.
