Flat Stanley at the Old North Bridge Concord MA

Took Flat Stanley to the Old North Bridge today. It was a very cold day for us to be riding. Standing still it felt like 14 degrees so you can imagine how it felt at 40 Miles Per Hour on the motorcycle.

The Old North Bridge is where the first battle of the revolutionary war took place. The park was closed but I was able to scramble over a hill and get a video of it. Unfortunately my camera has a wide angle lens so it looks a lot smaller in the video than it did to Flat Stanley and I.

Please read below for a little history on the Old North Bridge.

The residents of Concord erected a memorial obelisk on the east side of the river, the side closest to the town center. On Independence Day, July 4, 1837, the memorial was dedicated, an event for which Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote his "Concord Hymn". The first, and best known, of the four stanzas of this poem is:

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world.

It is this shot heard round the world that started the revolution. If you listen to the school house rock video again you will see that it is at this bridge that the revolutionaries turned the British soldiers back and fought them all the way back to Boston. What a fitting way to start off our motorcycle trip. Starting where our country was started.

(History provided by Wikipedia)

Makaden's Flat Stanley Project "Massachusetts"

Flat Stanley:

Hi children, Flat Stanley here. I just wanted to tell you how much I am learning about Massachusetts. This place is amazing! Click on the map to see a better picture of where I am right now.

Did you know that Massachusetts is known as "America's Hometown"? Plymouth rock (in Plymouth Massachusetts) is where the Mayflower landed. The Mayflower carried the first European settlers, called pilgrims, to America. Plymouth Massachusetts is also where the holiday Thanksgiving comes from. The early settlers did not have enough food to last the first cold winter. The Native American's provided food for the new settlers and the pilgrims were very thankful.

Not only is Massachusetts the landing site of the first European colonists, but it is also the birthplace of our country as we know it today. This is where the fight for independence first began. Please enjoy this school house rock video that tells the story of the shot heard round the world and the fight for independence.



I am currently at Hanscom Air Force Base which is actually between Lexington and Concord. These towns were in the video you just watched. There is something called the freedom trail that runs from Boston all the way to Concord. This is where the first shots where fired in the revolutionary war. The freedom trail runs right past Hanscom Air Force Base. Every year, there is a re-enactment of the famous march and battle. It starts very early in the morning and the troops march from Boston all the way to Concord and back. It is an amazing way to learn about our rich American History.

Here is to the birthplace of America! Massachusetts, I will never forget my time here. It is been great but it is a little too cold for my Californian blood. I am ready to ride south to warmer weather.

Just a funny video on the United States and British break up with a hip twist ;)

Riding gear for Flat Stanley.

Flat Stanley was getting a little bit tired of his business attire, so we decided to get him some proper motorcycle gear for the trip. Kristin made him some leather chaps, a leather vest, and a half helmet out of the finest materials around (construction paper). I also had him laminated so that he will not get weathered on the trip and fall apart on me. Now he is ready for the road. I can't wait for April.

Nephew Makaden's Flat Stanley Project

My nephew Makaden is doing a school project called Flat Stanley. The purpose of the project is to learn about geography through the use of a chain letter. Normally, you mail Flat Stanley around the country and people send post cards from where they live and describe the history of that geographic location. Instead, I have decided to take Stanley on my motorcycle trip across the country. What better way to learn about America then to motor west on the interstate. I will be blogging Stanley's journey, taking pictures of him in front of significant landmarks and road signs. I plan to deliver Stanley to his class in person after a long trip from Massachusetts to California. Be sure to watch out for Flat Stanley and see how this trip transforms him.