A Piece of the Rock

We left our Clinton, Connecticut campground on May 30 in route to Pinewood Lodge campground near Plymouth Massachusetts. We were there for four nights so we could visit the infamous Plymouth Rock. Really nice campground nestled in the woods with two long pull through sites for gypsy in chapter 11 to call home.
Howie loaded us up into the truck and altogether we rode into Plymouth. Plymouth is a bustling small tourist town that is everything” Pilgrim” and rightfully so.

Wow, Plymouth Rock. Think about this for a second. In a way this is the genesis of America, isn’t it? The birthplace of the American Dream, hope, and opportunity for those on a wooden ship called the Mayflower. In November of 1620, after a grueling 10 weeks at sea, the Mayflower, with 102 intrepid travelers and a crew of about 30, landed on a “rock” for the first time in what would be America…All because they wanted to make a better life for themselves and start anew. Their desire to travel to America was considered bold and risky, as previous attempts to settle in North America had failed. Jamestown, founded in 1607, saw most of its settlers die within the first year. Remember the names of John Smith and The American Princess” Pocahontas? Smith told his people, if “He that will not work, shall not eat” and he help save Jamestown.

Okay, Plymouth Rock must be a big boulder of a cliffside for a large wooden boat to moor up to as the Pilgrims step onto to America for the first time…

Well, folk lore, myths, and the need to preserve “something” for history sake is what the
Plymouth rock is. WHAT?? Basically a small boulder that 120 years after the Mayflower landed someone in Plymouth decided that it would be good to have a rock commemorating this important event. A local ancestor “kind of” remembered where that rock was so the community took the rock and moved it to a protected place, then chiseled the date 1620 on it, and built a stone portico over the top of it.

So, let me get this straight, Plymouth rock is really just a local legend that gained prominence and popularity as the years went by. It was actually quite disappointing to see a small boulder when I had envisioned a grand cliff that the Mayflower was tied to as it unloaded our Puritan ancestors and their wares. Not to be too pessimistic or negative but how can a myth or a local legend be such a huge part of our history and American fabric and it was all made up? Or maybe there is some truth to the rock and maybe I shouldn’t have dreamt SO BIG.  So much for me sitting in the back row of my 6th grade history class looking out the window and dreaming.
We had a beautiful day as we strolled next to the Mayflower. A replica of one of the ships that made the voyage from that dastardly island called England. Remember the Puritans left England for a reason and then once they all got here, they said you know what we’re tired of paying taxes and drinking your tea. Then it all happened at our next stop in Boston.