Doris King of Windsor Township stands in front of the Mayflower II in Plymouth, Mass., during a trip through New England earlier this summer. She said the Mayflower II, an exact replica of the original ship, was much smaller than she had imagined.

'It truly drives home the fact that these people suffered many hardships in order to realize their dreams of a new way of life," she wrote.

King spent two days in Plymouth and found the town charming. "We roamed the streets until late at night. The local people were exceptionally friendly."