Saturday 1st July – completing the 48 states!

Waking up in what was probably our last State Park of this trip, I went for a walk.  It wasn’t the most picturesque scenery and I had made the mistake of setting out without putting any mosquito repellent on, which tarnished the experience slightly, but I was still happy I had made the effort.

 

Checking out, we headed into New Hampshire to stock up on cheap booze for 4^th July celebrations and top up the gas to the max – we spent $73 on booze and another $73 on gas! Our preparation was not complete until we had visited a nearby Walmart for us both to have our last US haircuts.

Being the Saturday of Independence Day weekend, we struggled but finally managed to find a campground with space in the State of Rhode Island for our final night on the road.  It was a 2-hour and 20-minute drive through Massachusetts to Echo Lake and there it was – Rhode Island; we had completed the 48 states!!  

We had bought some bubbly to celebrate our achievement with but it didn’t seem fitting at this campsite.  How can I describe it?  It was very ‘local’.  The place was seething with families sharing a large field, most of whom were pretty drunk by the time we got there. Our site wasn’t exactly defined so people wandered right across it and there was no electricity or fire pit.  And it was $50 for the night.  Bit of a rip-off.

Spot our camping spot..... no, I can't either, it was basically parking in a field.

I think we both felt a little deflated to be honest, it wasn't the fanfares and exuberant atmosphere we had hoped for but we were still determined to make the best of the situation.  Si sparked up the BBQ and we had steak with sweet potatoes and cracked open some beers.  The best we could then do was sit back and watch as the family disco started and some of the worst songs in history were amplified into our ears.  That included the ‘birdy song’ so I don’t feel I need to explain any further!

After the disco, there were several illegal but lengthy firework displays overhead, which we took to be the rest of the revellers celebrating our achievement with us.  Or it may have been pre-4^th July celebrations?  You decide.