Massachusetts

We took our time getting out of Massachusetts, staying with friends on the way and seeing some cool stuff around the central and western parts of the state.

-Amanda

WPI:

We were excited to go to Worcester, MA to see friends and to visit Taras’s alma mater, WPI. We were able to get a look at the college’s soon-to-open athletic center.  Taras was a swimmer throughout college and continues to help out with the team, so he was really excited to see the new pool – it was mind blowing! Later, Taras walked me around campus and we were able to find the brick his parents bought him for graduation.

Worcester Art Museum:

While in Worcester we took advantage of Bank of America’s Museums on Us program and checked out the Worcester Art Museum for free.  Taras had always heard great things about the museum but never went (I guess there are bigger “priorities” during college!). We really enjoyed going through all the collections – featuring European, American, Asian, and Greek arts - and easily could have spent more than the hour or two we gave ourselves. I personally would have loved more time to appreciate Carrie Moyer’s work. (Psst: the orange piece above was drawn on-site!)

Roadside dandelions (hubs picked the bouquet for me!):

Quabbin Reservoir:

We left Worcester and headed to western Mass.  Our friends suggested that on our way to their place we check out the Quabbin Reservoir in Belchertown, MA.  We obliged and did a little wiki reading on our way – we shamefully had no idea that this reservoir is the primary water supplier to Boston. This man-made reservoir was created in the 1930s and holds up to 412 billion gallons of water, and the water covers 39 square miles. What interested us the most was that, in order for the Swift River Valley to be flooded, four towns had to be “disincorporated,” which is just a polite way of saying the towns were completely relocated – homes, businesses, cemeteries, and even a highway.  There is a lot to do on the 181 miles of shoreline: lookout points (the reservoir is beautiful and peaceful), hiking, bicycling, shoreline fishing, and more. And the visitors center is good for a quirky look around!

Mount Sugarloaf:

Our friends took us on a quick hike before dinner, to Mount Sugarloaf in Deerfield, MA.  It was an easy hike to the 652 foot summit and the views of the river and valley from the top were stunning, especially as the sun was starting to set. If you’re not a hiker, you can drive to the top, then picnic and take in the view.

Eat and Drink:

Western Mass has its share of good breweries – our friends treated us to some delicious beer at The People’s Pint and later an amazing dinner at the Blue Heron. Thanks again!

Seeing friends and discovering new things in Mass was a great way to start off the trip!

Leaving Boston Behind

We're gonna back-track a little bit to our last week in Boston.  It was all a bit hectic and exciting.  We both worked through the end of April, which was Monday the 30th.  This also happened to be the night we had to be out of our apartment and have our car packed for the trip... there was a solid 24 hours of no sleep and, of course, we managed to lock ourselves out of our building with just an hour left to be moved out. Fun! We spent Tuesday through Thursday nights with our families, then hit the road Friday morning. Throughout our last week we managed many farewell dinners and some fun around Boston. It rained during all the big moments: as we left the apartment, our last night in Boston, the morning we left for the trip... good thing rain means good luck!

-Amanda

 Both of our companies we so supportive of our endeavor, and made sure we had the proper send-offs.

Leaving our apartment was probably the most difficult part of the week.  This had been our only home together. Locking up the apartment truly seemed like the end of an era. And that's me zonked out after unloading the U-haul!

Our last big event in Boston was the Saturday before we left.  We went with friends to the Bacon and Beer fest and it was pretty perfect - all the beer and bacon delights you can imagine.  Then we came back into Boston on Tuesday night for our private farewell to the city.  We had been given tickets to a Sox game and imagined we'd bike to the game and frolic in the city - perfect, right?  But it was raining and miserable.  So we cabbed to the game, stayed only for a couple innings, then called it quits and ate oysters and had cocktails instead.

On Thursday we had a little farewell gathering in New Hampshire with the families and some friends. It was so good to spend time with everyone before we left.

Then we headed out bright and early Friday morning!  Russian tradition is to "sit for the road" which is basically sitting down for a second before leaving on a big trip.  This is Taras's mom and I taking a sit!

We cannot thank our families, friends, and coworkers enough for all the support and encouragement they have given us these last few months!  You all truly made this decision a million times easier.  xo

A Little Update

Hello, friends!

It's about time we pop in and give a little update on the trip. We have been busy packing up our apartment (seriously, how did we accumulate so much stuff in four short years?!). The fridge is officially empty - down to the last pbr - so we're eating our way through Cambridge this week. We're both wrapping up work and have been meeting up with friends to say our goodbyes - this is really happening! Our final farewell to Boston will be none other than the Bacon and Beer Fest this upcoming weekend. Boston couldn't send us off in any better way.

We've adjusted our departure date to May 6th and have some great guest bloggers lined up for our first week of traveling so we can get used to our new life on the road. We won't be blogging too much for the next little bit, but we're trying to stay active on Pinterest, facebook, and Instagram - come visit!

1 - On Saturday we took a little photography course and I got to try out my new makeshift camera bag (vintage Ghurka bag scored at the Brooklyn Flea for a steal a couple weekends ago - just popped in a camera insert then good to go!).
2 - Packing is exhausting. Especially when husband wants to keep all his college notebooks. 
3 - Some refreshments to help motivate Friday night packing sessions.  The week before we relied on pbr. #packingjuice.
4 - We picked me up a new bike for the trip because I needed something a little lighter than my stylish commuter bike, Caroline (I already miss her).  I feel so sporty! The new bike needs a name - help!!

-Amanda

Camping | Myles Standish State Forest

After one of our trips to Newport, RI we stopped to camp one night at Myles Standish State Forest, which is the largest publicly owned recreation area in southeastern Massachusetts. The grounds boasts camping, a pond, 15 miles of bicycle trails, 35 miles of equestrian trails, and 13 miles of hiking trails.  Since our stay was a quick one, we mostly enjoyed the sun setting on the pond.

One thing we learned from this camping experience is that September nights in New England can get a little chilly.  Taras woke up early the next morning to make his wife a nice, warm fire to wake up to.  Awww!

-Amanda

Macho man:

Please note that this tree was unfortunately dead.  No living trees were harmed from our carvings.

Plymouth on Dwellable

Boston Harbor Islands

The Boston Harbor Islands are about five miles off the coast of Boston.  There are 12 islands and peninsulas ready for endless exploration. Accessible by boat, the islands are full of history and are ideal for even a half day adventure of walking, exploring, fishing, swimming, and more. Ferries run regularly out of Boston from May through October. Each island is unique, but all are popular for delivering gorgeous views of Boston. Fun fact: the book Shutter Island was based on the Boston Harbor Islands and parts of the movie were filmed here, too!

The islands that we have visited are Lovells, Spectacle, and Georges. Visit here for our time at Lovells Island. Spectacle Island is great for swimming and has a large dock, making it a popular destination for boaters. For a period of time during its history, trash was dumped on Spectacle Island.  Even today, people find pieces of glass and china along the shoreline.  Any findings must be turned over to the rangers and are then arranged into art murals at the island's visitor center. Georges Island houses the historic Fort Warren, which defended the harbor from 1861 through the end of WWII, and was used as a prison for Confederate officers and government officials during the Civil War. On the island you can walk around and through the fort structures, and there's also a great museum that covers the history of the island.

-Amanda

Spectacle Island wall mural made from collected glass and china:

One of the museum exhibits shows what traditional meals were during the prison days:

Boston on Dwellable

Camping | Lovells Island

The photo above is Boston as we were pulling away in the boat, on our way to Lovells Island. The views of Boston from the Harbor Islands do not disappoint! Also exciting, when your boat crosses the path of the planes landing at the Logan airport - for a moment in time it looks like the plane will land on your head.  Eeep!

Lovells Island is one of the Boston Harbor Islands where camping is available. There are six smaller campsites and two large group sites. During our stay, only the smaller sites were filled and we didn't notice many daytime visitors, which means we basically had the whole (tiny) island to ourselves for a weekend of exploration.  And explore we did. Lovells Island was used for defense of Boston and today there are structural remains of old gun batteries and of Fort Standish. Around the island there are partial foundations that are equally rad and creepy to walk through. The shoreline on one side of the island is sprinkled with random debris and old lobster traps and another side boasts a shoreline that is smooth and clean for lounging and swimming (sans a lifeguard).

As for logistics, a group of us chartered a private boat to take us from Boston's waterfront to the island and back.  The Harbor Islands do have a ferry, but the schedule for arrivals and departures to this smaller island are not very frequent.  We also had camping equipment, so a private boat was easier and not super costly when divided amongst the group.  The island has no utilities and is carry on, carry off.  We brought our own drinking water and then had to bring all our trash back on the boat with us to Boston. There is one solar powered compost toilet for the island.

It was kinda spectacular to camp on a seemingly private island, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with Boston in the background.

-Amanda