We made the drive from Rhode Island up to Cape Cod on Saturday and hit full on vacation traffic as soon as we approached the bridge to cross onto the Cape. We quickly began to question the wisdom of making the trip today as we probably could have done it any other day of the week. Eventually, we made it through the 5mph traffic and made our way out the Cape to the town of Eastham, Massachusetts fully expecting to see all the people from those cars on the beaches.
Once we got settled into our campsite, we decided to grab our bikes and ride to the beach. The Cape Cod Rail Trail runs right by the campground we are staying at, so we rode this over to the Cape Cod National Seashore and Coast Guard Beach. The first thing we notice when we get to the coast is that it is nothing like we expected. The coast feels rugged and wild, not like the crowded Amity beach lines with Vineyard Vines tents that I was expecting for some reason. Huge bluffs overlook the beaches that are constantly being eroding back into the ocean with rough waves. I feel like this is what the Outer Banks of North Carolina may look like if they were somewhere on the Pacific Ocean.
As we started to walk down the dunes to the ocean below, we notice a red warning sign with a picture of a Great White Shark. The sign goes on to say how Great Whites feed on seals here and have killed people here. Well, that’s comforting. We climb down the dunes and see a purple shark flag flying at the lifeguard stand. We ask about it and they say they just fly it all the time now as a warning. Seals are protected now which means Great Whites have an all-you-can-eat buffet. Well, that’s even more comforting. The waves are pretty rough and Archer is the only one to get in. We see several seals swimming in the water as well. When we walk off the beach back to our bikes, Archer said, “See mom, I didn’t die today.” Jamie replies back, “Well, the day is not over yet!” The look on the woman’s face standing next to Jamie was priceless.
That evening, we went and watched the sunset over Cape Cod Bay at First Encounter Beach and it was absolutely beautiful. Cape Cod is one of the few places where you can watch the sunrise over the water in the morning and sunset over the water in the evening only a few miles away.
After a “work day” filled with laundry and grocery shopping, we rode our bikes back to another beach at Nauset Light. Nauset Light is the red and white lighthouse that is on the Cape Cod potato chip bag. We get some ice cream right at the beginning of the bike ride since we rarely pass up a brewery or ice cream parlor. The day had started to get pretty hot and we had about five miles to ride out to the light. Archer quickly proclaimed that ice cream is not the best energy food for athletic endeavors! We were eagerly anticipating a grand lighthouse like those of the Outer Banks. Those don’t even make potato chip bags! We get there and, well, the thing is really short. Looking on the bright side, we were going to climb to the top and it should be pretty easy. The reason the lighthouse doesn’t need to be tall is that it sits on a high bluff overlooking the ocean. This scenery and the rustic lighthouse give this place a special charm.
We took a road trip on our third day here up to the end of the Cape to a town called Provincetown (or P-Town). It seems like this is where a good portion of the party life may be in Cape Cod. The best I can figure, this town was established after Pilgrims made a trek to Key West, liked what they saw, and brought as much as they could possibly stand back to Cape Cod to start a new settlement. A large stone Pilgrim Monument in the middle of town overlooks the fabulous bars, dance clubs, and t-shirt shops. There are plenty of great galleries and restaurants in town as well. Definitely worth a visit! As we were headed back Smith asked, “When are we going back to the Airstream? I feel homesick.” I guess that means we are starting to settle into this lifestyle.
We spent the next couple of days on the beaches of Cape Cod. One of these days was spent with an old friend’s sister. It was fun to catch up and spend time with her family. We turned on our TV for one of the first times on our trip to watch a bit of Shark Week . This seemed like a good idea for the night before before heading back to Nauset Light Beach. We learned that sharks like fish blood (not human), camera strobes, and paddleboarders. The kids decided that the GoPros should stay in the Airstream that day.
Cape Cod has been wonderful and has surprised us in such a great way. I hope that these wild stretches of coastline along the east coast remain for generations to come. Even though we have loved it here, we are really looking forward to the continued trek north to the rocky coastline of Maine.
