Cape Cod!
P-town!
Greetings from Cape Cod, where it's possible to be on the East Coast of the US, and see the sun set in the west, over the water!
Tonight, we're fulfilling an important obligation on The Homosexual Agenda(tm) - we are spending the night in Provincetown, Mass. P-town, Key West, and Palm Springs are officially listed on said agenda (maybe you knew that already, maybe you didn't!) So far, it's pretty quiet around here, but there sure are a lot of Pride flags :-)
Our morning dawned nice and bright, but the sun gave way to a few clouds. Nothing to inhibit our viewing of Newport's famous Bellevue Ave. (ha!) Mansions - the piles put up by the Vanderbilts, et al, as a "summer home." Palaces, these are. There are grand houses all spread out over the dunes near Newport, and we enjoyed winding through them. The ones on Bellevue Ave. proper are the true royalty of the mansions, and some are open for viewing by the public. We gave it a miss, though, although they do look rather opulent.
Something else we got to visit in Newport: the Touro Synagogue, which is the oldest in the US. It's a classic, but unassuming building located in the heart of Newport, amidst all the narrow streets. Interesting bit of history, that.
We left Newport by way of the Newport State Airport (surprise, surprise) which has the fabulous identifier of UUU. When she was just learning to talk, my niece Kaycee would point at you and say "You, you, you!" I thought of her today :-) (you're welcome, KC!)
Sticking to the theme, we kept to the side roads as much as possible today, too, exiting Rhode Island and entering Mass. on a secondary highway. Lots of trees along the road, mostly not in leaf yet. Pretty farmland, even a few vineyards!
We chugged through the commercial zones of New Bedford, Wareham, and some other cities as we headed east. Nancy's observation: "about one Starbucks to every 10 Dunkin' Donuts." not that we were looking for Starbucks, mind you - just an observation! Once we'd cleared the commerical areas, we found a great-looking diner, the South Coast Local Diner, and yes, it was then time for lunch. (we're not deliberately having lunch at diners every day! But when in Rome....) The SCL, Nancy tells me, is a classic style diner - all metal and rounded, and smallish, with a long counter & some booths. It was a one-woman show today; the woman who took our order was also cooking! But hey, no hurry, no worry. It was fine.
Finally, at Buzzards Bay, we crossed the Cape Cod Canal over the Bourne Bridge, and alighted upon the Cape proper. For me, it was a gee-whiz moment: kids from Montana don't know from Capes, but everybody's heard of Cape Cod! And here we were, headed off towards Hyannis, etc.
Another reminder of how it's nice to be here in the off-season - evidence that the area is capable of handling large crowds, but the crowds haven't shown up yet. Lots of motels (classic old motor lodges!) along the way aren't open yet, but most have "Help Wanted" signs out. Mini-golf, go-karts, etc. - all waiting for action. We saw fishermen (they were all men) on bicycles that were fitted with carriers for their fishing gear, too. Didn't see any with fish, mind you, but it was fun to see them on bikes!
The commercial roads finally yielded to sedate country/beachside roads, which we enjoyed. Went all the way to the lower-right corner of the Cape, then started northwards toward P-town.
Cape Cod's eastern shore, and the wrap-around bit at the top, are all preserved as the Cape Cod National Seashore. What a wonderful, beautiful bit of land this is, too! We ducked in at the "Coast Guard" beach, located near the old CG station (looking New-England-stately as it overlooks the ocean.) We shucked the shoes and headed for the sand and the Atlantic for a short walk. Saw a Chocolate Lab puppy (!!) with her/his person, and also saw a small dog getting her paws rinsed off after tramping on the beach. A bit of a marine layer rolling in, peaceful waves.
We finally started back north for P-town, and wound through town, up around the end of the Cape (past the PVT airport!!) and then back into town. Picked a place to stay - off-season rates mean we have an oceanside room for a very reasonable price! Walked into town for dinner, enjoying the narrow streets with uneven sidewalks, but very fresh asphalt on the street. Lots and LOTS of galleries here, and lots of restaurants, too, although not everything is open yet. Today being Tuesday was also an election day, so we saw a number of people holding political signs outside the local polling place. Cops keeping watch, but it was all very civilized.
We chose the Lobster Spot restaurant for dinner, where I finally tucked into some of the famous crustacean! (poor Nancy is allergic.... :-( but she enjoyed sole, instead.) A bit of a walk after dinner, and then the walk back to our hotel. The hotel has a gas-fired firepit outside, and we sat for a bit enjoying the (artifical) flames. Now, the sea is lapping outside, and it's very peaceful.
Nancy's finished re-strategizing her luggage; I'm putting it off for another day or so. Staying in a new place every night means having to haul everything inside - or, come up with a more efficient strategy. We're both working on it. Also a work in progress (but making progress!): living in the moment. That's what this trip is all about.
Tomorrow - maybe a bit of a wander around P-town when some of the shops are open, and maybe, just maybe, a climb up the stairs of the Pilgrim Monument...
cheers,
--Kit and Nancy
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