NET Hop 7: Littleton MA to Oakham MA

NET Hop 7

40 miles via MA 2A, MA 2, I-190, MA 31, MA 122A and MA 148. Cumulative tow miles: 471. Truck miles: 461. Cumulative truck miles: 3036.

We have been to Pine Acres Family Campground several times. We have stayed at Boston Minuteman Campground many times. But we have never traveled directly from Minuteman to Pine Acres, so the route was new. And even though it was a short trip – just 40 miles – it was long enough to have a disagreement between Google and our GPS. Worse, Google and GPS had completely different names for the street we were supposed to turn on after exiting I-190. I was confused but remembered that it was a quick left, so I took the one that seemed right and, fortunately, was correct. Jett was following in the Yaris, so I couldn’t blame a navigation error on her. It was all on me. Pressure.

Reinforced strut

This is the last hop in the New England Tour (NET). But I will defer a wrapup until the “tour” is truly over – when we leave on August 1.

We spent 9 days at Minuteman and it remains one of our favorite places. We regret not booking a longer stay. One of the regrets was that we got to Kimball Farm just once for ice cream and not at all for dinner. I had a special flavor – Peanut Butter Butterfinger. Yes, it was as good as it sounds. But their seafood is always a treat and we didn’t get any this time around. Sad.

Jett’s sisters once again came for a visit and the highlight (other than the cutthroat Hand, Knee and Foot card games) was a Sunday brunch at the Westford Regency. Their brunch isn’t cheap but it is first-rate. I had some very fresh lox and a couple of slices of to-die-for ham. I won’t mention all the other items, but I will say that it was not a good day for my weight loss goals.

Our site (80) was great, except for backing in. The large rock claimed both caps on our sewer line storage pipe. No major problem, but a “ding” for sure. I will have to figure out a good way to repair the damage.

Speaking of damage, I applied my engineering intellect to the problem of the “map basement” support strut, the problem being that the top end of the strut was pulling out of the relatively soft door panel. I decided that I needed to reinforce what the screws were going into, so I got a metal plate, drilled 3 holes, screwed the plate into the door, then screwed the strut into the plate. Works like a charm. So far.

Site 80