Old Cape Cod

Aquinna Cliffs and Lighthouse - Martha's Vineyard
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10/7/2008

Drove to Dennis, Massachusetts today (on Cape Cod). Our campground is right across the street from the Atlantic. We took a drive to Hyannisport to check out ferry’s to Martha’s Vineyard and hit the grocery store.

10/8/2008

NOT ANOTHER ISLAND!!!! Yes, we did it again, this time to Martha’s Vineyard. We took a ferry from Falmouth which took about 45 minutes. Martha’s Vineyard is a larger island than we thought. We landed at Oak Bluffs, but there are other towns – Vineyard Haven, Edgartown, Aquinnah, Chilmark and Tisbury plus Chappaquiddick Island, Nomans Island and the Elizabeth Island’s . When we arrived we boarded a tour bus for a 2-1/2 trip around the island. Our driver was very funny and knowledgeable and gave us lots of history about the area. There many famous people who have places here – of course you can’t see any of them from the road. The highlight of the tour was visiting Aquinnah Cliffs (formerly Gay Head). The cliffs are at the highest end of the island and the lighthouse there has been moved inland several times due to erosion. We drove close to Chappaquiddick but the busses don’t go there. Some interesting tidbits: John Kennedy, Jr. died just off the coast here when his airplane went down, John Belushi is buried here, and Diane Sawyer has a home here. Oak Bluffs is famous for its “Gingerbread Houses” which are prevalent in the town. They are really ornate and some are painted strange colors but they are charming. We had a lovely lunch in Oak Bluffs – clam chowder and fried clams (specialties here). It was a great day and we enjoyed our visit.

Chatham Lighthouse - Chatham, Ma
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10/9/2008

After a leisurely morning, we took a short drive to Provincetown which is located at the end of Cape Cod almost directly east of Boston across Cape Cod Bay. On the way we stopped at Chatham Lighthouse and Nauset Lighthouse. Much of Cape Cod is designated a National Seashore and we stopped to take a short walk on the beach. Provincetown is a typical sea side town with many shops and eateries. We had a great lunch at the Lobster Pot and found a 70% off sale at one of the local shops where we bought a couple of sweatshirts. There is a Pilgrims Memorial – commemorating their landing here - that is quite impressive. It is a very tall tower looming high above the town. It was closed to visitors today so we couldn’t go to the top. There is also an impressive Town Hall that was build in the 1700’s. The day started out rainy but ended up glorious – near 70 and sunny.