The Harbour

Cape Cod National Seashore

Day 2 route

We spent a fully packed day roaming Cape Cod National Seashore, its endless beaches, quaint towns, and historic landmarks.

But not before…

…the longest 15 mile drive to get from the mainland to Cape Cod.  There are 2 bridges over the canal and they don’t seem to handle the volume of traffic.  Try and keep this in mind if you are going in the summer. It may be a bit less congested mid-week or early morning.

We had a hotel booked for the weekend wedding in Hyannis, but we were a bit early and the State Park on the Cape seemed pretty full.  Staying off the Cape and making a day trip over seemed like a good idea. Big mistake.  Now we’ll have to make the trip over the bridge twice.  During the weekend.  Ouch.

First, a bit about Myles Standish State Forest that was our homebase for a couple of days.  The campsite was great – it was spacious and private, with just the right amount of shade and sunlight.

Myles Standish State Forest

and we had a small private beach within a short walk from our site.

Myles Standish State Forest

Time for a swim! Myles Standish State Forest

Myles Standish State Forest

So far we are pretty impressed with the state parks and forests we stayed at.  They are a bit more expensive, at about $30 for non-residents, but most have dumping stations.  The sites are spacious and private and well maintained.   We especially like the dishwashing stations that help us stretch our fresh water tanks and our gully grey tank capacity. If you are not a fan of RV parks, they make for a pleasant alternative.

Cape Cod

National seashore – south visitor centre

Once the bridge ordeal was over we made our way along the coast to the southern visitor centre of the National Seashore.   The visitor centre has a interesting small museum interpreting the natural and cultural landscape

Cape Cod - National Seashore Salt Marshes Museum and visitor centre

There are several hikes along the salt marshes and throughout the park.

Cape Cod - National Seashore Salt Marshes

and lots of clam everywhere.

Cape cod National Seashore

Armed with maps and tips from the enthusiastic ranger we continued along the shore line to our next stop.

Marconi Station

There are many coves and beaches when you travel north along the National Seashore coast line. We chose to stop for the short hike to the spot where Marconi Station and its wooden towers once stood. Cape cod National Seashore Marconi site

This is the spot where the first wireless transmission between the US and Britain took place.  We can’t help but think about the impact of this feat on our daily lives today.

Cape cod National Seashore

The easy hike meandered through coastal vegetation and dunes.  Cape cod National Seashore Marconi site

and remnants of the past strewn along the way.

Marconi Station

There is a different kind of tower in the area now.  This one tracks migratory birds movements.  clearly standing on the shoulders of giants.

Cape cod National Seashore bird tower

Highland Light

Next, we stopped to visit Highland Light; a lighthouse that had to travel 450′ away from the cliff.

Cape cod National Seashore

This was the previous location

Highland Light

The lighthouse keeper’s house is now a small museum and gift shop.

Highland lighthouse Cape Cod

National Seashore Visitor Centre North

“A man may stand there and put all America behind him.” Henry David Thoreau

The north visitor centre has a cool observation deck with great views of the seashore.  Thoroeau’s observation is felt profoundly here.

Cape Cod National Seashore observation deck

National Seashore – the Beach

National Seashore Beach

The beach stretched for miles

cape cod national eashore beach

and to our delight a seal was bopping in the water trying to get our attention.  Unfortunately our phone cameras failed to capture the moment and this is the best we could come up with

seal

Provincetown

Provincetown is party town.  No doubt about it.  There is a happy, free vibe in the air and it’s really fun to walk around and people-watch.  It’s also busy and touristy and the streets are super narrow for RVs, so be aware of that if driving a big rig into town.

We enjoyed walking around and taking the scenes and colours in.

The architecture

Colour, art, and quirkiness of the place

and the water was always there, peeking behind buildings and restaurants, alluring us to the beach.

Provincetown beach

A Sandwich in Sandwich

It was a burger at Next Door Burger, but it does qualify as a sandwich, and a very fine sandwich it was!  If you are ever passing through the Village of Sandwich, check them out!

Next door burger

We found a quiet spot next to a pond and a very very old house

and ate our delicious burgers as the sun set over the pond.  There were swans with a bunch of babies too in the distance.

Sandwich Sunset

Back to Myles Standish State Forest.  The drive over the bridge was a breeze, so we didn’t think about the cross-back tomorrow…

and another quiet evening by the fire.  Perfect evening at the end of a busy day.

The weather was just perfect.  You wouldn’t guess that a tornado wreaked havoc here just a few days ago, but more about that in the next post.

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