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.