I woke up at 0630 and got ready to leave Katie’s house. Mollie got up about an hour later and we hung out in the living room (after the car was packed) until John and Katie came downstairs. After saying goodbye (and thank you), we left Hanover (0845) and drove (via MA-3 and I-95) to Pawtucket, RI. On the way, we got breakfast at Chick-Fil-A in Attleboro, MA (0940). We then took RI-1A to the Slater Mill unit of Blackstone River Valley NHP, one of the newest National Park Units (created in 2014). We arrived at 1000, just as the visitor center was opening, and Mollie was able to get a passport stamp for her NPS book. A nice ranger offered to give us a personalized tour of the building where industrial textile production in the US began and we accepted. The walkthrough we took in the mill was very informative and we learned a lot. Afterwards, we walked around in the area and Mollie reiterated (as she had in previous visits to Rhode Island) that she “loved the state." At 1130, we decided to go to another unit of the park and drove across Pawtucket (and Central Falls) to reach it. We parked at the Blackstone River Valley State Park and walked around nearby. We crossed the river on a bike bridge and explored the Ashton Mill area. Mollie was really impressed with how the old factory had been converted into luxury apartments called “The River Lofts”. We looked around in the remnants of the old Mill Village and then recrossed the river to check out the Wilbur Kelly home and barn. We met another nice ranger and watched a good video about the area. Mollie got some more career advice (NPS internship program) and we learned about how the Ashton Mill had produced fireproof materials for the Space Program. Our impression of the NHP was that it had a lot of potential - not all of the units have been fully integrated but there appears to be a good plan to make a transition to full service soon. At 1245, we back to the car and got ready to leave. Brenna called at that moment and we talked to her for a little while. Mollie and I then started our drive home via I-295, US-6, RI/CT-101, CT-74 and US-44. We passed through several interesting towns and saw lots of pretty scenery. There were several crazy drivers who nearly caused accidents around us but survived the scary encounters. At one point, we tried to follow the Google Maps route away from the traffic but found the road blocked. This setback caused us to driving an extra 15 miles, most on rural back roads - we arrived at the Springfield Armory NHS just after 1445. Mollie got another NPS Passport stamp and we took a tour of the museum there and watched a good movie about the park’s history. Mollie got some souvenirs and presents for her sisters and mother at the Gift Shop (1525). Before leaving the park, we walked around the grounds of the Armory - some of it had been converted to a technical community college. At 1600, we departed and drove through Springfield to reach I-91. By that point, we needed to get gas so I located an Irving (1630) in Whately, MA. While I was pumping gas, we suggested that we visit the nearby Yankee Candle Village - Mollie was initially reluctant but agreed anyway. The place was quite impressive (lots of pleasant smells) and we walked around inside for almost an hour. Afterwards, we drove a short distance to eat dinner at Bueno y Sano in South Deerfield (1710) - it was good! We continued on our way north (via US-5) and noticed signs for Old Deerfield Village. This seemed intriguing and we decided to check it out. We found a pretty (and very historic) town there and walked around for a little while. Mollie told me this little surprise capped off our trip in a nice way. We resumed our journey north (got back on I-91) and listened to lots of music in the car. We arrived home by 1930 and unpacked the car. About 30 minutes later, we were both relaxing in the condo (I also sent a photo of Smurfey to the girls to show we were home safe). We both went to bed at around 2200 after agreeing we'd had a great time enjoying another beautiful New England summer day.
