Cape Cod was certainly on our radar when we began this trip, but I did not really know what to expect there, so I did not plan to spend much time there, but the closer we got, the more we learned, and the more we wanted to see. Then, Jessica’s friend told her that her cousin lived in the area. When we contacted him, he offered us each our own room for an incredibly reasonable price, so we stayed three nights in the area and enjoyed every minute of it.
Cape Cod is a large area, generally referring to the backward C shape that jets out from the edge of Massachusetts. It takes about an hour to drive from one end to the other, but it is wide enough that you generally can’t see both sides of water at the same time. It is very flat, although in the center, the forest is denser than I expected. There are marshes, sand dunes and beaches along the National Shoreline along with beautiful family homes.
Jonathon’s home was a a large home over 100 years old that he was slowly redoing. On one side of it was a large marsh, but seeing it from the front, it looked like a typical lovely neighborhood with large trees and hydrangeas blooming. Two mornings I went for a walk, and although never walking more than a mile or two from the house, I found a beach both times where I was the only person on it, with some houses off in the distance, but only the gulls as my companions.
Jonathon runs a kayaking business, and so we decided to join in for the sunset paddle. The moon was close to full, and we didn’t travel all that far, but the three hours in the shallow marshy inlet, with no one around but the six of us, some birds and a few seals, was almost magical. We traveled around the grasslands and over to a peninsula beach. On one side, we could hear the crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean while the other side was calm shallow waters of the bay. At the tip of the small peninsula, the water was controlled by the tides, coming in as we watched the sunset, bringing with it many seals who watched us like curious puppies. Although the day had been mainly cloudy, the skies opened up for us before the sunset and we were treated to a truly perfect sunset. Thanks to the moon, our paddle back was lit with just the right amount of light that allowed us to see things like crabs in the shallow sand below us and the marshy grasses that guided our path.
Our big adventure for the day was a four hour whale watching tour. It was a large boat, full of people, and we had a hard time choosing our spot. Some of the seats were empty, but both armed with our big cameras, we wanted to ensure we came home with the perfect shot. We chose a standing spot on one side of the boat and stood our ground for the entire ride. The ride out to more open waters was close to an hour. Then, we all watched and waited. We looked for signs like bubbles rising, water changing color, and even seagulls gathering in places. Finally, a humpback made an appearance. No, of course not on our side of the boat, but we knew if we moved, we short folks would loose our front row spot. Thankfully, patience paid off, and the boat stuck in one spot for a time while Hancock, the 27-year-old humpback whale came up and down for air. She was truly beautiful, and although she never leaped out of the water, she gave us quite a show. They know her name based on markings on her tail. She winters in the Caribbean and comes north at this time to feed. The boat moved in in search of more whales. Technically we saw two other times of whales. A relatively small one called a minki and the second largest animal in the world called a finback. I know that I saw them both, but I’ll be honest that because I really only saw their backs arch in the water, I couldn’t tell a difference. No matter what, seeing these amazing water beasts was quite a treat, and we were honored they showed themselves.
In honor of our new whale friends, I even got a purple whale-tail tattoo while in P-town. If you know me at all, you know my fear of needles, so this one, well, it won’t be around any more when I see you! We also treated ourselves to a delicious lobster meal overlooking the bay where the lobster had come from. Here’s the recipe if you want to try it for yourself:
The tip of Cape Cod is also known for sand dunes. It was late in the day when we went to see them, but the visitor center had an observation deck where we could see the large sandy hills with splotches of green grass. They were not as large as I thought, but nonetheless beautiful.
Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket are both just a ferry ride away from parts of the Cape. Since Nantucket was further away, meaning a much more expensive ferry, we opted for a day on Martha’s Vineyard. Betty stayed behind, so we could just walk on the short ferry ride. We landed in one of the six villages on the island and found a bike rental place. The island has many designated bike trails so that we could feel safe biking around without the fear of cars hitting us. First, we headed toward another small town. The path took us alongside the beach where Jaws was filmed. On the other side of it was often a bay surrounded by small beaches, high grasses and large, stunning homes. We stopped at one beach and watched an old yellow lab entertain himself with his ball on the beach and in the shallow waters.
Edgartown, the small village we stopped at, was picturesque with beautifully landscaped homes, clothing stores and restaurants. We chose a restaurant with a view over the harbor and the collection of expensive boats for us to see, both enjoying a delicious fish meal. We chose a different path back to Oaks Bluff through the middle of the island. The paths were mostly shaded and with just enough hills that we got to enjoy a few downhill sections. In Oaks Bluff we wandered in many tourist shops and purchased our own sweatshirts because even in June, the sweatshirt was needed on the ferry ride back to the main land.
Cape Cod was certainly a treat for us with its unique coastline and adorable small towns. The locals said that June and September were really what made the Cape as the weather was typically nice, but the area wasn’t swelled with tourists. They said that the area was fairly closed down in the winter. We asked about how places could run for just a few months a year. There had been lots of accents and even languages we had heard in our exploring, and it sounds like that is how these places survive. Many Eastern Europeans get work visas for the summer months, but unfortunately, that process had been slowed lately and businesses were struggling to find enough help.
On our way toward Boston, we stopped in the town of Plymouth. As it turns out, the pilgrims had actually landed in Provincetown first, and it was here that the Mayflower Contract was written and signed. But Plymouth was where the pilgrims chose to come on land and form a settlement. We saw the rock, although it is really more legend than true fact that the one specific rock was where they landed. I saw the rock in Plymouth, England where they set off from, so it was nice to see both ends of the exploration.
If you ever get a chance to enjoy time in the Cape, I highly recommend it!
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