Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Cape Cod.....what can I say?

Although it was different than what I expected, I can’t say what I expected....

It was more built up than I thought, wider at the southern end than I thought, and of course, not like the Pacific Ocean waves (or even like the strong Atlantic waves that hit the Canadian shore) like I thought!  But the atmosphere was all that I expected, with the salt air and friendly people.

After Maryland, we headed south to Cape Cod. There were some pretty pricey places to stay,

but we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at a little Sandwich (which is the oldest town on the Cape) mom-and-pop family-operated motel.  The  Country Acres Motel took me back to my childhood!

A field of cranberry plants was just down the road,

as was an old cemetery.

Our timing was in synch with the government shutdown, but that did not stop us from getting up close and personal to the many lighthouses.  We just walked up the road that would normally be open to traffic.

Restrooms were closed, and we could not see inside any of the lighthouses we visited.  I felt bad for the people on the several buses that pulled up and expected to be able to use the facilities.

We decided to go to the farthest point of the Cape, Provincetown, where the Pilgrims first landed.  Although they did not stay there for long (about five weeks), and moved on to Plymouth it is a significant place, with the Pilgrim Monument a tower at High Pole Hill Historic Site,

which is 252 feet, 7.5 inches tall with 116 steps and  60 ramps.  It was an amazing structure, being the tallest all-granite structure in the United States.

The cornerstone was set by President Roosevelt in 1907 and three years later, President Taft presided over the dedication ceremonies in 1910.

Yes, we took the challenge, and climbed to the top.  The views were worth the climb.

The adjoining museum was also filled with interesting displays, not only about the pilgrims, but of the area as well.  

The Mayflower Compact confirms we began as a Christian nation.

On the way to Provincetown, we were able to see where the first intercontinental cable was installed,

and the site of Marconi’s first wireless telegraph.

The beach along that area of the Cape were beautiful!  Actually all of the beaches were lovely.

When I realized there were a lot of lighthouses along the Cape,  I wanted to see how many we could see.  Maybe even ALL of them!  Thank goodness for zoom lenses, since some would take a lot more walking and time to get to than we were willing to put in.  Some history and info on them can be found at the website www.capecodlighthouses.info 

I think we missed a couple, but did see most of them, some up close, and some through zoom lens:

Nauset Lighthouse,

The Three Sisters Lighthouses,

Race Point Lighthouse (which took us on a walk in the sand for about a mile, and then we did not get all the way there), 

Long Point Lighthouse, which, to get to, would have taken 45 minutes to cross on this jetty of rocks,

Woods End Lighthouse

Highland (Cape Cod) Lighthouse

This was the first lighthouse built on the Cape, ordered built in 1797 by George Washington, to warn sailors of the area known as the “graveyard of Ships.”  It was moved  450 feet in 1996 to its current location from only 100 ‘ from the eroding cliff.

Nobska Lighthouse

Across from this lighthouse, overlooking the ocean, is a memorial stone honoring a local flight attendant killed on 9/11

Chatham Lighthouse

with a memorial to sailors who have perished at sea, known and unknown 

Hyannis Port Lighthouse

When we visited Hyannis, we did not know if it was possible to see where the Kennedy compound was or not.  But we did find it.

The beach is typical,

the post office was classic!

We talked to a local man on the beach (who did not particularly like the Kennedy’s) and he pointed out the first mansion as being owned by  the CEO of GAP.  

and said the one next to it was Rose Kennedy’s, then the one next to that with the white rock fireplace was Ethel’s.  JFK was the third, behind that (I don’t think we could see it from where we were)

We started going down this private road, but a security guard stopped us.  The roof line of the house the security car is in front of is the same as the second house over on the right  in the above picture, and we were told sometimes when family is there, a security guard is hired.

So now I have seen another president’s family home!  I guess I would not want to be them, with people like me trying to see their homes.  We did meet another young man with a dog on the beach, heading toward the compound.   When asked if he knew who owned  the CEO's home, he replied "Not the Kennedy's";  when asked about the others, his reply, "can't say".  The dog came up to me and I made a comment on the dog being the official greeter, he just grunted.    We think with the attitude and looks, he may have been related.....

We visited the JFK Museum located in the town, which was very informative.  There was also a Baseball Hall of Fame in the basement.   Apparentlly this is where the stars come to be trained.  A great percentage that are trained here become stars.

The Holcomb’s went back to camp after Hyannis Port, but we wanted to see Plymouth, so the last day of our trip, we moved on to Plymouth.

We checked into a hotel that was right on the bay.  Thanks to the end of the season, the price was very reasonable, and this was our view.....

We checked in early in the day, and took some time to relax.  While Paul took a nap and slept in one of those lounge chairs, I sat and played with my camera.

It was a high tide the next morning, and no sand could be seen.

The next day we visited Plymouth and Plimoth Plantation.  Yes, Plimoth is spelt the way they spell it.  I read that since there were no set of rules for spelling, they spelled phonetically.  Words were spelled a number of ways, and this spelling was used most frequently.  To differentiate the Museum from the  modern town of Plymouth, the founders chose this spelling.

The Plymouth rock was really small!!  I always thought it was like a mountain that you could climb up on!  It is protected by  the structure.

Plimouth Plantation is a privately funded historic reenactment of what pilgrims lives were like.

A Wampanoag Indian Village exhibit is a re-creation of the homesite depicted the lifestyle of the Indians during the 1600’s

At the craft center, artisans create items traditionally made in the 1600’s.

A 17th-Century English Village re-created to depict the year 1627, which was well documented, showed how they built their homes 

their meetinghouse,

and even how they stacked their wood in a circle.

In the bay, the replica, Mayflower II,  can be toured.  We did not take the time to tour it.

The Kennedy Library was on my list to visit.  I thought presidential libraries were privately funded; apparently not, since it was deemed non-essential in the shut down evaluation, and was closed.  Another trip.

We saw Boston and Cape Cod in a week!  We had a great time, enjoyed the Holcombs company, shared a lot of laughs and learned a lot.

We are back at work now for our last month here in New Durham, New Hampshire, and enjoying lots of color.