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!

7-30-11 Mystic Connecticut

The first day of our last "bucket-list" trip. We left the house at 5am, drove to BWI and got to Providence RI at 9:30. A short drive and by 11 we were in Mystic and had located the Mystic Seaport. This is an 18 acre area that is like a maritime Williamsburg, without the re-enactors. The time period was the mid 1800s when the wooden boat business was booming. Our first tour was of the Amistad, a rebuilt version of the famous ship where the slave uprising took place.

After lunch we walked around a bit and then took a boat ride on the Sabino, a smallish coal fired steamboat. It is a National Landmark and, with the SF Cable Cars, one of only two such things you can actually ride on. There was a good breeze and the ride was most pleasant. We had tried to get a 2 hour cruise on a large clipper but they were full - Thank heavens - we saw the boat and there was no shade. It was hot!!!! We saw most of the place, including the huge whaler that is being restored. By 3:30 we were on our way.

We eventually went to an Italian restaurant and then walked around the old Mystic town. Saw the Mystic Pizza place. Saw lots of old homes (and probably very expensive then and now) from the mid 1800s with some from the late 1700s. Wandered through the grounds of an arts shopping center and found a great place to take a picture of Sue amidst the flowers.

7-16-11 Frederick and Monocacy

We took one of our last road trips today. The weather has been nice and it seemed like a good time to see someplace we had not been yet, so we headed to Frederick Maryland. We first went to the Monocacy Battlefield where an outmanned Federal force delayed Jubal Early on his drive to threaten the North side of Washington DC in the summer of 1864. The Feds pinned him down for a day, enough time for Grant to send reinforcements to Ft. Stevens by Rock Creek Park in DC and convince Early that it would be suicide to attack. The battle in Frederick took place on the fields of two farms - almost 2000 casualties. It is so peaceful today.

We then walked around the town of Frederick. Sue found a street she particularly resonated with. Very nice and reminded us of Alexandria - nice downtown, lots of eateries, shops, and a green belt that runs through the downtown with a canal or stream flowing in it.

We then headed south to the Potomac and found the C&O canal trail. Some folks helped us locate the Monocacy Aqueduct, a feature of the C&O built in 1833 that carried the canal across the Monocacy River where it entered the Potomac. This structure was built to last - the Confederates tried to destroy it twice but couldn't budge it.

7-9-2011 Happy Birthday Alexandria

Every year Alexandria celebrates its Birthday on the weekend after the fourth. Since we had been in Albuquerque over the Fourth and missed the DC version, we though this would be good to see. It is Alexandria's 262nd BD. We walked down to the waterfront park - it was actually not too hot - and found a spot right behind the 4 howitzers that the Marine Cadets from Quantico had brought. We had to wait about 90 minutes for it to get dark enough. The Alexandria Symphony played the 1812 Overture and the fireworks went off at the end - a nice show - probably nothing to compare with DC's but then there were 20x fewer people probably - and we could just walk home.