Into the Bog!

Out taking care of some last minute errands in Foxboro, we ran across a sign directing us to one of Ocean Sprays Cranberry Bogs. Never having seen how Cranberries come to be, we had to have a look.

This is the Bog that the 1/2 mile trail led us to:

Complete with life size sculptures and real ducks!

The Cranberry plants grow throughout the summer, and the fruit is harvested in the fall. At the moment these bogs are not flooded, but they will be later on. The nearby source for the water is a great place for lilly pads and turtles.

And some beautiful native plants.

There are two methods of harvesting; dry and wet. In the dry method, metal combs rake the berries from the plants and deposit them in burlap bags at the rear of the machine. In the wet method, the field is flooded and reel type machines are driven over the vines, loosening the berries, which then float to the surface for collection and removal by helicopter. Yup, chopper…

The bogs are flooded for the winter, so that the water can freeze and protect the vines. In the spring, the melted water is pumped out, and away we go again...

The nature trail left the area of the bogs and the water supply and wandered through the woods. Very cool and refreshing on a warm day!

We've enjoyed our week at Normandy Farms Campground in the Boston area. I believe we've had a better time here than either Philadelphia or New York. DC is in a class by itself, and was over the top!
NF provides such an upscale, professional experience that a camper feels pampered at all times. Families come for a week or a month and their kids leave early in the morning and don't get home till dark….just like the old days! They provide a huge Dog Park, a BMX bicycle track, two swimming pools, two baseball diamonds, two soccer fields….the list goes on and on. A great place to stay!

Boston and the surrounding area has much to offer. We only hit the high points, but we learned a lot about the city. Did you know that Boston had America's first post office? Or first lighthouse? America's first chocolate factory? Boston also claims many other firsts: America's oldest pub…first swimming pool…first YMCA…first subway…first World Series victory..The official state dessert of Massachusetts is the Boston Creme Pie..The Fig Newton was named after Newton, MA…Norfolk County, MA, is the birthplace of four US presidents: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, John Kennedy and George H.W. Bush. Boston developed its love for baked beans because it had a huge trade in molasses. A gentleman named James Michael Curley was the first Boston mayor to have a car. The plate number was "576"…the number of letters in "James Michael Curley". The mayors official car still uses the same number on its license plate!

OK, OK, enough….but we did enjoy our stay in Massachusetts!