Cape Cod... here we come beaches!!

After a great trip to Cape Cod in '08, we decided to head straight back for another round - this time with our friends the McMullans. Last year we stayed at Massassoit State Park but this year they are closed for some massive repairs to their electrical system after a major storm. That meant that we had to pick a new destination. Easy enough. Nickerson State Park is located about midway up Cape Cod itself thus making it the ideal choice for beach proximity and Cape exploration.

We arrived at our campsite around supper time on Independence Day and after a quick set up we were off to the local JT's Seafood for some lobster roll platters and fish and chips. Bellies full we drove off to Hyannis to check out the Independence Day fireworks. Traffic was insane (apparently this was the official fireworks location on the Cape for '09) and we missed about half the show as we scrambled around to find parking but all in all it was worth the effort.

Day 2 was one of our more relaxing days. We picked up some lunch and snacks at the local Shaw's and whipped straight out to Marconi Beach for some boogie boarding. Sweet rides. Too bad I wasn't able to take photos of myself cause I was smokin'. Next year I'm stepping up and hangin' ten if it kills me (and it very likely will).



Day 3 we drove up to Provincetown (aka P-Town, aka expensive-cramped-verygay) and then out to Race Point Beach on the National Seashore. Here we opted to turn in our previous day's parking pass ($15) and upgrade to the full 2009 pass ($45). Here we come beaches!!


While quite beautiful, the waves at Race Point were not big enough for our newly acquired boogie boarding skills. So back down to Marconi we drove to catch some curlers.


After a full day in the sun and surf we zoomed across the Cape to First Encounter Beach to catch the sunset. Spectacular!


Day 4 brought us back to the beach. This time we opted to ignore the signs saying that Nauset Beach was full and take our chances in the noon hour queue. We were only about 5 cars back and soon enough we were in the lot and heading down to Nauset for some more sun and surf.

Day 5. Martha's Vineyard. After a little mix up on where to hop on the ferry we finally reunited with the McMullans on the shuttle from Falmouth to the Martha's Vineyard ferry to Oak Bluffs. The ride over was about 45 minutes - just long enough to hand feed the sea gulls as they swooped down alongside the ship.






Day 6, more beach. Day 7 on the other hand was spent entirely in Nickerson State Park relaxing on our very own private beach and hiking one of the many trails. A great way to wind down the week.

Cape Cod, MA

Our first trip to Cape Cod was all the way to Provincetown on the tip. Traffic was light all the way allowing us to make it in about 2 hours from base camp. After a minor squabble with the parking attendant I managed to calm him down enough to get some advice on beaches and hiking trails. Apparently the Provincetown beaches are very close to the harbor where boaters tend to dump their waste (aka stinky poo-poo) which is the reason why this 24 year resident warned us that swimming from the local beach is not something he recommends. Instead he suggested one of the many beaches along the National Seashore (pdf map here) where we could also hike one of the many trails. He also warned me that this year was seeing a high level of inappropriate trailside behavior. "Just use the blinders.", he said as he demonstrated using his hand at the edge of his eyes. I think he winked at me too but I can't be certain.

Race Point Beach was our first Cape Cod beach. It was beautiful. It was a hot sunny day and the Atlantic was definitely refreshing. We relaxed here for a few hours before heading down the shoreline to check out another National Seashore beach. Once purchased, the day pass for this area allows you to park and visit any of the beaches in the Cape Cod National Seashore park. If you're Dutch, you will hear the word "free" in there somewhere.




Our next stop was Nauset Beach. We arrived at about 2:30pm and the lot was full but the wait for an opening was not long. This beach was definitely the most memorable beach for us. The waves were much bigger than at Race Point and the water was slightly warmer too. We spent another 2-3 hours here relaxing and taking photos of each other wiping out in the crashing waves. As the day wore on the waves started getting bigger and they were curling out further from shore. This meant that fewer people were being swept off their feet and more surfers were pulling out their boards. Another entertainment scene was about to unfold.




Finally we left the beach and started to make our trek back to base camp. At one point I decided to turn off and explore one of the Cape side beaches. First Encounter Beach ended up being the random pick. We arrived about an hour before one of the most spectacular sunsets I've every seen. The colours popping out of the sky and water were amazing. Impossible to catch on camera but I tried.




The last day on the Cape we drove down to Woods Hole and Hyannis Port, summer getaway for the Kennedys. We also managed to squeeze in a tour of the Cape Cod Potato Chip factory where we scored some free samples and of course one last trip to a beach. This time we hit Town Neck Beach in Sandwich where we could watch the boats, large and small, come and go through the canal.




Oh, and we did see another lighthouse or two along the way.



Another great day spent making memories. All said and done, we still have several things left on our Cape Cod to-do list... oh well, there's always next year.

Massachusetts and Rhode Island

Easton's Beach - Newport, Rhode Island

Last week we hooked up the tent trailer and drove out to the coast to spend 8 days in the Cape Cod and surrounding area. We were on the road by 4am and crossing the border before sunrise. After a few stops for food, gas, toll booths, and one small outlet mall shopping spree in Wrentham, MA we arrived at our campground at 3:30pm. A total of 800 km and 8 hours of driving time (see map of route).

I had opted for Massasoit State Park in Massachusetts as it was the most central location to all of the sights I had planned on visiting over the next 8 days. It turned out to be a great choice. The park had some nice hiking trails, a cranberry bog, nice beach, friendly staff, and clean showers. There was a bit of a hum off in the distance from the diesel fueled generators. Apparently a few weeks earlier they had a crazy storm that knocked out their electrical system so they opted for the $1000 a day generators to provide power for the last month of the summer before making repairs. Lucky us.



The first couple of days we decided to avoid the infamous Cape Cod weekend traffic by heading to some of the other sights along the coast.



First we hit the beach in New Bedford, Massachusetts. East Beach on Buzzards Bay to be exact. Free parking, small crowds, and one very busy ice cream truck. Definitely worth a return visit. Next we toured over to Fall River and snapped a pic of the Lizzie Borden house. And for the record, we think she did it. Chop chop, an 1892 version of the OJ case.

The next day we hopped straight back in the van and drove to Newport, Rhode Island. We arrived at Easton's Beach in time for a thunderstorm but this only meant that we would have free parking and a front row view of the downpour during our lunch break. After it cleared we hopped out and took a stroll up and down the beach and then a hike down the Cliff Walk trail.



Sunday we hit Plymouth to see the famous rock. Weather was sunny and hot. The place was hopping with tourists but we still managed to snag the perfect parking spot with the Tourist Information Office on one side and the harbour and Mayflower on the other. Sweet.




I would say that Plymouth Rock was a let down but we had been forewarned by others on what to expect. It's a rock. What we didn't expect was the reconstruction blockade leaving us with only a small window to peek through. Oh well, our awesome lunch stop at Sam Diego's Mexican Cookery & Bar more than made up for it.



All in all a great start to the vacation. Next on the hit list... Cape Cod.