Camping on the Cape

Our camping trip to Cape Cod was a joy once again. Nothing compares with the ocean for beauty and solace. And nothing's cozier than sleeping in a tent, especially on my new camp "futon."

Sarah loves to camp. Her favorite thing to do is read in the tent. This year, Yahtzee was a popular pastime, as well. I say it every year, and every year I mean it more: Don is the best camp buddy ever! He takes care of  just about everything before, during, and after the trip. Sarah and I get to just relax and enjoy.

We tried Area #7 at Nickerson State Park this year. It was much less crowded than our usual #6, with a pretty view of Higgins Pond, and we discovered a quiet beach a short hike away. The downsides of the site were being far from the bathrooms, with no clear path, and neighbors across the street who liked to come home around 11 p.m. and sit around the campfire chatting until about 2 a.m. Other than that, it was perfect.

We had masked visitors the first night,
and one autographed my bag.

On Tuesday, we explored a new part of the Cape Cod National Seashore -- Head of the Meadow Beach. We took the bike path from there to High Head and back, then strolled the beach for a bit.

Following a picnic lunch at Pilgrim Heights, we returned to camp and went swimming at the pond. That evening, we drove to Nauset Light Beach for a stroll.

We returned to Head of the Meadow on Wednesday for some real beach time. It is my new favorite spot. The wave action is great, and the pools created at low tide are nice for wading and swimming. 

After lunch, I took a walk. About a mile up the shore, I found hundreds of seals resting on a sand bar. A Park Service volunteer explained that they haul themselves out when the tide is low, then wait for it to return and refloat them -- a real energy savings when you weigh up to 800 lbs. and aren't made for locomotion on land. I hurried back to get Don and Sarah so they could see them.

Since it was the eighth anniversary of our becoming a family, we took a group selfie and stopped at Ben & Jerry's on the way back to camp. We are so very lucky to have each other and go on adventures together.

The next morning, it was time to break camp and head home. Everything went smoothly until it was time to pack up the tent. It's so airtight that it's a challenge to fold. Once again, it was Don to the rescue. I told you he's good to have along!