Getting there wasn't easy, but it had nothing to do with traffic. We left Monday morning, stopping at a grocery store about 20 minutes from home to pick up some last-minute items. As we pulled into the parking lot, I realized "we" had forgotten a tote bag full of food in the pantry at home. The car got very quiet, and I hopped out quickly to do the shopping, while Don and Sarah headed back home. I wondered for a moment if they'd be back for me.
Once on the road, we missed two major turns (from I-91 to the Mass Pike, and from the Pike to I-495), resulting in more lost time. Apparently, both driver and navigator were off their game. I was starting to think we should have stayed home.
We arrived at the campground late in the afternoon and were pleased to see it wasn't too crowded. Our camp site, which was the last one left when we booked online weeks earlier, was relatively private. It was, however, rather open, due to an invasion of web worms that had defoliated the trees. Shade was scarce.
Once the tent was up, Sarah and I decided to explore the park's bike trail. I then discovered I had forgotten my biking/hiking shoes and had either Chacos or Bean boots to choose from (at this point, I realized going right from one trip to another may have over-taxed my organizational skills). I chose the Chacos.
After dinner, we drove to the park's beach on Cape C*d Bay and enjoyed some strolling and shell collecting at low tide. We returned "home" to have a campfire and s'mores, then went to bed. Unfortunately, it was a relatively sleepless night for Don and me, as we heard every slam of the screen door and flush of the toilet at the nearby women's bathroom.
The next morning (my birthday), Sarah made friends with the five-year-old girl and three-year-old boy (Evie and Zaelen) camping next-door. They were riding their bikes up and down the road. Sarah, who had just learned to ride without training wheels the week before, felt a bit left out, as we had brought the Trail-a-B*ke instead of her bike. She invited Evie and Zaelen into our tent and was soon reading them her books, which they loved.
After breakfast, I took a shower and discovered a tiny tree frog in the stall. I carefully scooped it up and carried it back to the campsite to show Don and Sarah, before letting it go.
We decided to pack lunch and head to the Cape C*d National Seashore, which runs along the seaward side of the upper Cape. On the way, we stopped in Orleans so that I could buy some somewhat-suitable footwear for bicycling (Happy Birthday to me!). Waiting in the car for me, Don and Sarah noticed a bike rental shop across the street. When I returned, we decided to rent a bike for Sarah so that she could ride with her new friends.
We ended up at Marc*ni Beach. It was a beautiful day, with lots of sun and surf. Sarah busied herself in the sand, while Don and I took refuge in our new sun shelter. It certainly made the day more enjoyable. We watched a surfing class learning to ride the waves and saw a gray seal and common eiders swim by. After lunch, Sarah and I walked down the beach a ways to fly our kite.
On the drive back, we stopped for ice cream, and I had a cone of "I Dough, I Dough," the limited edition flavor celebrating marriage equality. We returned to camp for a fish dinner (Don is the best "camp boy" ever!), presents, and leftover cake from my family party.
Wednesday started early for Don, and the rest of the campground, when, in an attempt to be quiet by using the key in the car door instead of the remote, he set off the alarm. After breakfast, we took a ride around the park on the bike trail, which proved to be more challenging than expected (who knew Cape C*d was so hilly?), then hiked to Little Cliff Pond for a refreshing swim. The water was crystal clear, and there were very few people. It reminded me of camping in "the Plymouth woods" as a child.
Sarah and I took a shower before lunch (to which she was strongly opposed until she learned Evie happened to be headed the same way). We found another little tree frog in the stall, which we released to the outdoors. I started to wonder if these were, in fact, tree frogs.
After lunch, we drove to Pr*vincetown, at the tip of the Cape, where the Pilgrims first landed and spent five weeks before pushing on to Plymouth. There is a huge monument commemorating their brief residence, which we drove past without stopping (you can see a photo here). We continued on to the National Seash*re Visitor Center and enjoyed a panoramic view of the tip of the Cape, including the monument.
On the way back to the campground, we decided to drive down Rte. 28 to Chatham (the "elbow" of the Cape, as it were) and pick up lobster rolls for dinner somewhere along the way. We were confused and amused by the "28 North" highway signs all along the way, since we were clearly traveling south. I'm sure there's a logical explanation....
The lobster-roll quest was more challenging than anticipated. We were looking for a roadside "shack," and we came across mostly sit-down restaurants along the shore. We decided to head inland on Rte. 124 and finally spotted a "Lobster Rolls" sign outside a little deli in a former general store in Harwich, called Local Flavor. Mission accomplished, we continued north, then east on Rte. 6 (past a couple of roadside shacks), back to Nickerson.
After dinner, Sarah exercised her autonomy by repeatedly walking "around the block" in the campground. She was quite proud of herself, greeting fellow campers as she went.
It poured Wednesday night (which mercifully drowned out the bathroom noises) and was still raining when we got up Thursday morning. While we were packing up our wet gear, an interesting character stopped by, offering us a crock pot he found on the side of the road. Don finally convinced him we weren't interested. Before moving on, he asked, "You don't happen to have a beer, do you?"
We took Rte. 6A west for a bit on the drive home, through East Dennis, where my aunt and uncle had a summer place when I was a kid. Although turning off the highway to search for their house wasn't in the flight plan, I was pleased to recognize the shopping plaza where my dad and I would go to buy the Sunday paper when visiting.
We got on Rte. 6 in Barnstable and continued over the Cape C*d Canal on the Sagam*re Bridge. We managed to make it home without forgetting anything or missing a turn. We all have wonderful memories of the trip (and I have a nice new pair of Teva sandals).
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