Tuesday 1st September, 2009.

We gird our loins and head out of Salem in the Starship Prius for a circular drive around Cape Ann which lies at the eastern end of Boston's North Shore. We drive through Beverley, Manchester-by-the-Sea and then Gloucester. We would have liked to have got out and had a look at the first two towns but, y'know, best to keep going, eh? No need to tempt fate by parking up or doing anything reckless.

We do have a brief stop on Gloucester's sea front and take a few photos (like this one of the swing bridge over the river) just to kid ourselves that we're relaxed and we've got the hang of this driving around America-thing. But we quickly get going again.

We continue along the Route 127 and arrive in Rockport. This is a lovely quaint fishing port as our excellent photo of the local Fire Station clearly illustrates.

Finally, after lingering as long as we dare in Rockport, we take our courage in our hands and head north to Newburyport along Route 1A via Pigeon Cove, Lanesville, Essex, Ipswich and Rowley. Amazingly, we find it. This driving lark is easy-peasy. We like Newburyport. It has nice churches like the one above (er, actually, this one is in Rockport - Photo Ed.) and, better still, you can go whalewatching from here. So we resolve to return on the 'morrow and do just that. We're looking forward to it already. We have some brunch to celebrate and then drive back to Salem down the 1A without incident. Now all we have to do is drive back here tomorrow in time for the whalewatch trip. No problem. Confident. Make that very confident.