One of my favorite things I did in my earlier life was spending one month on Cape Cod in a rental house with my husband and two children (ages 11, 8). I felt I really got to see Cape Cod and experience everything it had to offer. So, with that being said I was a little worried that the trip to the Cape with George would be boring. Boring wasn’t a word that even came through my mind for the two weeks we were there.
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| Cape Cod Canal |
We started
off by going to Plymouth, MA to see the famous Plymouth Rock Memorial. I didn’t say a thing to George because I
wanted to see the look on his face when he saw this little rock (about 4 x 4 ft
in size) in this huge covered memorial.
First time I saw it I said ‘where’s the beef?’ (for you older people-
you will remember that commercial). I was
expecting this ROCK…not a small stone.
George’s reaction was about the same.
They say at the museum there that it probably isn’t even the rock that
the Pilgrims touched when they unloaded off the ships in 1620. At least we didn’t pay any money to see
it….whew!
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| Plymouth Rock |
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| Peggy in front of Plymouth Rock looking disappointed |
Next day we went to Provincetown on the very northern tip of Cape Cod. On the way we stopped at the Cape Cod National Park Visitor Center. What surprised me from the film they showed us, is that the island is slowly disappearing at the rate of three feet per year. I guess my great, great grandchildren will be seeing a very different Cape Cod than I am seeing today….kinda sad.
Provincetown, which is at the very top tip of the island,
is such a crazy and diversified little town.
It was first a Portuguese fishing village then in the 60’s it became an
artist spot with the gays & lesbian communities settling there.
The community came together in 1907 and decided to build a monument to the pilgrims. The monument is the tallest all-granite structure in the USA. President Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone and then President William Taft led the dedication ceremony in 1910. It is 252 ft tall and quite impressive.
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| Downtown Provincetown |
The community came together in 1907 and decided to build a monument to the pilgrims. The monument is the tallest all-granite structure in the USA. President Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone and then President William Taft led the dedication ceremony in 1910. It is 252 ft tall and quite impressive.
Another day we decided to ride our bikes on the numerous bicycle trails across the island. We picked the one that went from Falmouth to Woods Hole. After peddling for about 4 miles we came to Woods Hole which has the ferry that goes to Martha’s Vineyard Island. It's a very small town with just a few shops and restaurants, but still very picturesque. Had our sack lunch on someone lawn and got back on bikes to peddle back to Falmouth. Lovely sunny day, warm weather and fairly easy riding…really enjoyed the day.
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| Peggy on her way to Woods Hole |
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| Woods Hole main street |
Another day we decided to ride our bikes on the numerous bicycle trails across the island. We picked the one that went from Falmouth to Woods Hole. After peddling for about 4 miles we came to Woods Hole which has the ferry that goes to Martha’s Vineyard Island. It's a very small town with just a few shops and restaurants, but still very picturesque. Had our sack lunch on someone lawn and got back on bikes to peddle back to Falmouth. Lovely sunny day, warm weather and fairly easy riding…really enjoyed the day.
Another day
we went on the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard Island. What a special island for such rich
people. Yes, I said rich AND
famous. The land & houses there are
really beyond an average person’s budget.
Went into Vineyard Haven first and walked around enjoyed the two blocks
of shops and restaurants, docks, fishing and sailing boats and had a nice lunch
at a cute restaurant. Then it was off to
the bus tour of the island for 2 ½ hrs.
Most of the homes of the rich and famous that were pointed out by the
tour guide were hidden behind lots and lots of trees and bushes….darn. They let us out for half an hour at Gay Head
Point Lighthouse that is on Wampanoag Tribe land
and all the little shops there are run & owned by the tribe.
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| Oak Bluffs |
When we
finished the tour we got dropped off at Oak Bluffs. I loved that little town with its cute
houses, one of the oldest merry-go-round, ice cream shops and restaurants, and
tourist shops. The one place on the
island that really interested me were these small and very Victorian small
houses that were built in the early 1900’s by Methodists that came to the
island for camp revival meeting in the summer.
They first
started out with tents, and then they poured 11’ x 17’ slabs of concrete so
they could put their tents on a more permanent foundation. Then a company in NJ designed and built these
little rectangle houses to go onto those slabs of concrete. So, the campers had more permanent places to
stay when they came to the island. Over
the years owners have added to the little houses, painted them all kinds of
colors, added a second story, combined two units together or tore down the
whole house and rebuilt on the small piece of land. In the center of this complex is a large open
air, round outdoor giant meeting building that they still use every
summer. What is really funny about this
whole setup is the Methodists still charge for the spot that the cottages are
built upon every year. They won’t take a
payment over one year, the people have to pay each year, no more, no less.
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| One of the oldest Merry-Go-Rounds |
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| Revival Camp Meeting |
They first
started out with tents, and then they poured 11’ x 17’ slabs of concrete so
they could put their tents on a more permanent foundation. Then a company in NJ designed and built these
little rectangle houses to go onto those slabs of concrete. So, the campers had more permanent places to
stay when they came to the island. Over
the years owners have added to the little houses, painted them all kinds of
colors, added a second story, combined two units together or tore down the
whole house and rebuilt on the small piece of land. In the center of this complex is a large open
air, round outdoor giant meeting building that they still use every
summer. What is really funny about this
whole setup is the Methodists still charge for the spot that the cottages are
built upon every year. They won’t take a
payment over one year, the people have to pay each year, no more, no less.
After the ferry trip back and the drive back to our campground…exhausted, I dreamed of small cottages in yellow, pink, purple, blue….etc, etc. and what fun it would be to own one of them. Future question for George: which color cottage do you want to trade the RV for?
Happy
travels,
Peggy
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