8-4-11 Cape Cod

Whale watching day. We left the room at 7:30 and drove to Provincetown, an hour trip. It was pretty quiet at 8:30. We parked and went to buy our tickets for the 10:00 boat trip. Then went to the Portuguese Bakery for breakfast of egg sandwiches on a roll. We lined up at about 9:15 and talked some with 2 ladies who were taking the trip for the second time. 9:30 we boarded and we sat at the back on the top deck, since the two ladies did that. Turns out at the front of the boat would have been better. It was cooler that the previous days, dry, sunny but with some clouds - Sue had her windbreaker on. The sun was hot but the breeze made it a very pleasant day.

One the way out of the harbor I got pictures of the Long Point Light, the Wood End Light and the Race Point Light. I got pictures of all three with the huge Pilgrim memorial tower in the background. This tower is a monument to the first landing of the Pilgrims, before Plymouth, in Provincetown area and it can be seen from everywhere - 275 feet tall. I think I may have seen the Cape Cod light in the distance as we headed out to sea, northeast of the Cape hook.

We came across whales fairly soon, in sets of 2 to 5. They were Humpbacks and were feeding. They would come to the surface, spout a few times, swim and then dive. Repeat ad nauseum. The boat got fairly close to them, say 100 feet away, so you could really see there backs, the ridge around the blowhole and their white undersides through the water. When they dive, in addition to arching their backs and flipping their tails, they leave a very smooth circular patch of water where they went down this is an upwelling column of water - looks very neat.

The people in the boat would run from one side of the boat to the other and the crowd at the railing made it hard to see anything going on near the front. After awhile, we found a whale doing leaps out of the water and hauled over to its vicinity - another whale boat was there also. Though the naturalist said they often only jump once, this guy was having a field day - he must have jumped out 10 to 15 times while we were there. I couldn't get a good picture, camera too slow. The noise of him hitting the water was amazing. It was time to go back in and we left him about 30 feet off the other boat, on his side and slapping the water with his big front fin. Quite a showman!

The ride back in was about an hour - the whole trip was 3 1/2 hours. A whale jumped as we came in but we didn't stay. I bought the video of our trip and another video of whale pictures. We went into the busy main street and it was packed now. Walked to the East looking for an ATM and a place for lunch. Found the lunch first - ate on a patio, very pleasant, very gay crowd (Provincetown is a GAY community - loads of rainbow flags all over, lots of gay couples, lots of gay-oriented stores and events advertised - like drag shows). Sue had a salad and I had a grilled (lightly - almost raw in center) tuna sandwich. Back to find the ATM and complete our walk. We went up to the Pilgrim Monument but decided not to pay the $10 to get in.

Rescued the car from the lot ($3/hr), and drove out to the beaches we had seen from the boat on the way out, both on the Ocean side and Cape side. Stopped at the Visitors Center and got a mug, calender and some postcards. Then back to the lower Cape. We decided to find the Denis Lighthouse on the AAA map. It was 6:30 when we got to the vicinity and we found it now as an Inn - the Lighthouse Inn. Sue really liked the look of this place, right on the water, lots of cottages around the main house (the Lighthouse).

We found a seafood place nearby. We didn't think we wanted much to eat until we looked at the menu and then we both got dinners - I had haddock and Sue had swordfish skewers. Good Food. Then to the store to get some yogurt and granola for breakfast tomorrow since we have to leave very early to catch the 7:15 ferry to Nantucket. Home by 8:30.

8-3-11 Cape Cod

Took time this morning to plan what we were going to do on Friday. Ate breakfast in our room - yogurt and granola we had gotten last night. We don't really have a schedule for today other than to drive to the West where 6 meets 6A and then follow 6A all the way to the East to see the northern half of the Cape. We decided that Friday would be Nantucket, that we would not go to Martha's Vineyard (just more people and houses), and that we would stay here at the Mariner for an extra night and do Plymouth on Saturday. Tried to reserve the ferry to Nantucket online but no-go, so we decided to drive to Hyannis and get the tickets in person - we hadn't been to Hyannis yet anyway.

It has slowly dawned on me what our situation is here. We are staying next to the busiest road along the south side of the Cape, loaded with strip malls, miniature golf areas, junk food eateries (there's a Dunkin Donuts every 3 mi it seems), and motels. This is very much like the road leading into the Smokeys. However, the towns on the Cape are quite varied; some have organized downtown areas, like Chatham, some are very diffuse. But we are definitely staying in the travelling family section of the Cape.

Hyannis has an organized downtown, quite nice, but not as upscale as Chatham. We got our tickets to Nantucket with no problem - slow boat over at 7:15 am, fast boat back at 6:30 pm. Then we drove around Hyannis a bit, went to the JFK Memorial. While there, a bus full of Seniors stopped for a potty break - the driver (also a Senior) was sitting outside the bus in a folding chair, staring at his feet - Good Lord, I hope I don't get to that point.

We drove up to the intersection of 6 and 6A and started our day, somewhat late, at the Sandwich Glass Factory. Along the way we came across this great New England sign. The factory closed in the early 1900s but before that had been pretty famous. It was the first to patent a pressed glass forming machine and it made hay while the patent lasted. A strike and competition closed it down. We saw a live glass blowing demo and a movie about the early times in Sandwich. It was a colony town soon after Plymouth.

Stopped at a small diner to get lunch to go and drove to the Cape Canal Visitor Center. Ate lunch and toured the museum. Sue took the exhibit boat for a drive. Very interesting, saw a Coast Guard buoy tender go by in the canal and a very large barge pushed by a tugboat. It was a very nice day, starting off cool and dry (Sue had her sweatshirt on) and slowly warming up. Outside we came across two couples sitting in lawn chairs next to the canel - a cozy scene, except the two guys were on one side of the parking lot and the two ladies on the other.

We drove off down 6A and stopped at the Fish hatchery - saw full grown (huge) Trout - Rainbows, Tigers, Browns. And lots of fish in various stages of growth. It was a nice day to be out.

We drove along 6A, not finding much else to stop for. Tried to go to a beach along the way - $20 parking fee - forget it. We had heard that Brewster was a nice town but we could find no downtown. Stopped at the Visitors Center and found that, sure enough, there was no downtown. We also learned that, in Brewster, the beach parking enforcement stopped at 3:00 and it was now 4. So off we went to Breakwater Beach, parked and walked for awhile. This is the first Bay beach we walked on. The Bay water was warm, but full of grass and "stuff" - the beach was barren of shells and rocks.

We had learned about the big Nickerson State Park near Brewster - the former hunting preserve of a very rich person who owned two large stone mansions along 6A. It was free so we stopped there for a walk. Had trouble finding the path around one of the ponds, but Pioneer Sue came through. We walked to a swimming beach and back. And then off to dinner.

Stopped at a Hearth and Kettle in Orleans. Sue have liver and onions, I had broiled scrod (yeah- I got scrod again!) - it was very good, though the veggies and dessert had some "new" spices. We tried to remember all the places we had eaten at and what we had - it finally came to us. We checked home phone messages and found one from a Realtor - wants to check out the rental house - Massoud got the letter stating our intent to move. Here we go!

Back to the room by 8. Long day. The wireless Internet connection I had been using the past three days now asks me for a password - somebody caught on. Oh well.

8-2-11 Cape Cod

Up at 6:30 and out to Breakfast at Pancake Man ( I thought it was Pancake Dan's - I was so disappointed). Then headed up the Cape, first to the Visitor's Center close to Nauset Beach. Learned that it was the 50th anniversary of the National Seashore. Took a mile walk around the pond and marsh there. We have been surprised at the number of Canadians from Quebec and Ontario we have seen here - clearly a very popular place for them - lots of French is spoken. Then we headed out to a beach so Sue could do what she came here to do - walk on the beach. And the parking lot was full at 10:30! We are so naive - we thought we were up early but everyone else was already on the beach! I got a picture of the Nauset Light and we went back to catch the tram to the Coast Guard beach close by and the parking lot for the tram was full!

We headed farther up to Cape to the Marconi Overlook area. Here, we got onto Marconi Beach. A very narrow beach, the Easterners were all clustered around the bottom of the stairs down to the beach. The tide was coming in but we could walk for a bit. Very few shells, lots of rocks on the sand. And lots of people. We next drove over to see the Marconi overlook where he had built a large antenna to transmit the first transatlantic message to England in 1903. Took another hike there to the White Cedar swamp. It was a nice walk through a pine forest. Hard to believe that the Cape's land was denuded in the 1850s by all the logging that had been done before.

Then we went up to see the Cape Cod (or Highland) Light. Had lunch (pizza slice) finally (at about 2pm) on the way back. Got a picture of the Three Sisters Lights (actually three lighthouses that stood together) very close to the Nauset Light. We drove to WellFleet town center just to see what it looked like and then went to see if we could get onto a beach on the Bay side of the cape. $15 admission at First Encounter Beach - No way. Stopped to see the oldest windmill grist mill on the Cape and then down to Chatham, to see the Chatham Light and find some seals. The light was opposite a nice long beach but only 30 min parking by the beach. We went to the Monomoy Nature Preserve and walked a bit there, but no seals. Did see a nesting Osprey pair. We would have to take the Ferry to the southern stretches of the Preserve to see the seals.

We had dinner in Chatham at the Captain's Table. We both had blackened Sea Bass with fruit salsa - very good. Chatham is the Cape Cod we thought we would see - nice downtown with stores and things to poke around in, restaurants, sort of like King Street. Yarmouth where we are staying is like the Smokeys - made for cheap family vacations - of course we are staying there because we are cheap - so that's consistent.

Big thunderstorms went over tonight on the way home - had to pull off to wait it out.

8-1-11 Mansions and LOTS of Lighthouses

Today was a day to finish off Newport and head to Cape Cod. We ate breakfast at the Marriott (a points stay). Sue doesn't like Marriott - the breakfast is not free and the towels are cheap. She thought the Hampton we stayed at the night before is a much better place than Courtyard. The Marriott breakfast of oatmeal and nuts and crasins was very good. We drove down to the Newport Visitors Center to get a map and started walking to the old commercial district we had driven past yesterday on the way to the Breakers. Took a detour into the harbor, saw some huge sail boats. Found a group of young girls on a week long trip to learn sailing skills, on a trip to Boston with a three masted square rigged ship. It was very hot and soon we got tired of the commercial district. Walked up into the houses and found some interesting designs and features. We soon came to Belview, the street of the Mansions. Lots of traffic, hotter still. We bailed and headed back to the car.

Since walking was out, and thus the Cliff walk would not happen, we decided to see another mansion by upgrading our tickets from yesterday. So for $10 we went through the Elms, the summer home of America's coal magnate, Edward Berwind. A very beautiful, elegant house in the French style, though the owner was German descent. Much nicer than the Italian over-the-top Breakers. This was an entertaining location so it only had 7 bedrooms - the couple had 3 other "cottages" in Newport if they needed more space. Full electricity, using its own coal-fired generator and a 8 x 8 x 2 fuse panel made of marble. Wonderful gardens and we were lucky that there was a great breeze blowing through the house to cool things off. Several interesting fountains to see.

 When we got done, it was about 12:30 and time to think about heading across the bay to catch the boat for the Narraganset Bay lighthouse tour we had reserved. We stopped at a grocery store and got some fruit, drinks and sandwiches and then drove off - traffic was very bad. Sue and I did not much like Newport - too commercial, too much traffic. It reminds us of old Annapolis, but on a much larger scale - all the homes are old as opposed to there being an Old Town. That part was neat but the press of humanity was not.

We got to the boat at the old Quonset AF base with 15 min to spare before the 2pm sailing. Lots of people. The boat was a fast ferry (5800 Hp in 4 motors so it could really get going). The cruise was great - got some closeup pictures of  lighthouses in the water and on the shore and also a spin through Newport harbor. Big treat - the Nantucket Lightship was in and had just been refurbished - looked brand new. Huge yachts, gobs of them, huge sailing ships, lots of 12m world class racing yachts, included some America's Cup winners. For a 90 min trip, we saw a lot. Never had a chance to eat our food on the boat so we sat in the parking lot and finished it.

I drove to Cape Cod and we got there at 6pm. The hotel is a very plain older place, right off Hwy 28 in West Yarmouth. We went out for food and tried two places with very long waits. Finally stopped at a small place, Jerry's. I got Fish and Chips, Sue got a Greek salad. We didn't need much after the late lunch. There are a lot of people here, traffic on 28 is packed. At the table next to us was a family for Boston, we guess because the father was warning his son about running into the parking lot and getting hit by the "caws". Great!

At the room we planned our day for tomorrow - heading for the seashore, do some trails, see some light houses. We have to see the whales sometime - on a cruise - and see seals and maybe go to Martha's Vineyard. Lots to do!

7-31-11 Submarines and Mansions

We had breakfast at the Hampton and got on the road fairly early. We got to the US Navy Submarine Force Museum at about 9:30, not long after it opened. A very nice morning, warm but not humid. The circles in front of the building are the cross sections of the first modern submarine and the latest Ohio class boat. We first toured the Nautilus, the first nuclear sub. Good tour. The museum is very well laid out and interesting. We talked to a docent whose son and daughter-in-law are moving to Albuquerque in a few weeks, compared notes on East Coast living. He gave us some tips on Cape Cod.

Next we started back on the way to Newport, going via US 1. I had found some lighthouses on the way. The first was Avery Point. We found two other ones close by that I didn't know about. The Avery Pt. LH was a replica apparently, on the U. Conn campus. I was a really pretty place, with a wonderful breeze. The U Conn building by the water was a classic - stone architecture. We couldn't help but think about more Summers in Conn! Looking for a Summer Place. The boats sailing off the point were are very special touch.

Next up was lunch in Mystic. Went to the Harp and Hound and I got a picture of Mystic Pizza. We headed for Newport and stopped by another LH in the town of Stonington. It was getting late so I was OK with skipping the next two LHs.

We got to Newport at about 3 and went straight to the Breakers - the Vanderbilt mansion. Lots of traffic. The place is amazingly opulent - much more than what we have seen elsewhere, at the Biltmore or the DuPont mansions. No pictures inside so just the outside views. It was a good tour.

The downtown area was totally crowded due to today being the last day of the jazz festival, so we went to an out-of-the-way seafood place for dinner - I had scrod and Sue had Nantucket scallops. Two punchlines in one meal!