Today was a big driving day. We went through three states! Starting in Connecticut, through Massachusetts (missing Rhode Island by about two miles) and ending in New Hampshire. It’s so weird! We are used to driving through three states in three days or more. But before we started we visited a submarine. 

The nuclear driven submarine Nautilus was built before either me or Brian was born. Radios still used tubes and batteries weighed a thousand pounds, at least the ones on Nautilus did. This submarine is one of the largest made at that time. But we still felt enclosed, somewhat claustrophobic. I can’t imagine what one of the smaller models would feel like.

This is Brian for scale on the ramp to the Nautilus.

Look at the difference in diameter between submarines! The Nautilus is the larger one. The smaller is only about six feet wide.

Clare for scale.

The museum is housed near a town called New London. And, yes we crossed the Thames River. Not the “New Thames” surprisingly.

The rest of the day, we aimed for scenic highways, as is our habit. Unfortunately, the weather was drizzly, blue sky rare. I bet the views will be astonishing in a few weeks when the fall colors come. We were amused by the exit numbers in Massachusetts because they are in the midst of changing them into the interstate system used in the west, miles from the borders. Many of the signs had two numbers, like “Exit 4, Old Exit 89”. Also mile markers along the edge of the road were set every 0.2 miles. Really? Are things so close together in Massachusetts that they need markers every thousand feet or so?

When we got to New Hampshire, “The Granite State,” we decided to visit the capital building in Concord. It was closed by the time we arrived,  but we wandered around anyway.

Capital Building in Concord NH.

Church near the capital.

You might be wondering about this obsession with capitals. It began when we were first together, exploring the western U.S. It is fun to wander around buildings housing such political power. Also, they are usually beautiful and free to visit. You can learn a lot about the state you are visiting at the capital. We did not go to Boston on this trip because we have already been there. We got to know the capital building in Denver well when Laura’s troop made the Colorado State Rock.

We are staying in North Conway, NH. We had hoped to see some mountains on the way here, but the weather did not cooperate. We hope for sunshine tomorrow.

• Coast-to-Coast Trip