October 6, 2002. Leaving Rhode Island but sticking to the coast, we found the first of four Massachusetts State Parks in which we spent a night. This one was called Horse Neck State Park and was a great spot right on the Ocean.

Our temporary home at Horse Neck.

New Bedford, MA, October 7, 2002

As all you Moby Dick fans know, New Bedford was a center for whaling in the mid-1800's. We went to the Whaling Museum and otherwise walked around town.

On the left is a skeleton of the rare and venerable ancient superstork. Well, maybe it's some sort of whale. In the middle is Lorri, the van and the place we ate lunch. On the right is a New Bedford street scene.

OK, all you Herman Melville addicts will know what this is. It is the Seamen's Chapel described in Moby Dick with the pulpit in the shape of a prow of a ship. It's still there but there was someone preaching on it so I didn't want to take a photo. By the way, Edith Matsushita thinks that I am the only person that has ever read Moby Dick cover to cover. (I really did!) If anybody else can make the same claim, please email me and I will forward your email to her just to prove I'm not alone. Or, maybe I am.

Scenes from New Bedford Harbor

MA State Park Number 2: R. C. Nickerson, about at the elbow of Cape Cod on the north side or crook of the elbow. The locals call it Nickason State Pahk. We had a nice fiyah theah.