"In this sticky web that we're all in, behaving decently is no small task." -- Novelist Stacey D'Erasmo

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

On a Spit of Sand

     Now that I've been certified as a safe driver, B and I are going on vacation, driving up* to . . . well, you tell me where.

     As soon as we arrived we took our bikes out to the National seashore and rode the loop through Beech Forest and out to Race Point Beach.

Fog bank over the ocean. Blue sky above.
 
     The trail is about six miles long, making its way up and down the dunes.

Curving around a sand dune

     It goes past the airport, where I stopped to take a picture ...

Hmmm, maybe they don't want me photographing here ...

     We finally arrived at the beach.

The dunes, the beach, the ocean


     The water was a little too cold to go swimming.

Skipping stones in the Atlantic Ocean
 
     There was a fishing boat out there in the fog.



     We then sweated our way back up the hill, put the bikes back on the car, and drove into town, where we wandered around with all the other tourists.

Commercial St.


     We ate lunch at a place near the pier called the Surf Club.


Guess what I had for lunch!

     I made a new friend . . .

Which one is the real fisherman?





     Then we headed back to the car,

One of the more colorful storefronts ... tattoos are available
    
     past the Governor Bradford restaurant.

William Bradford was governor of Plymouth Colony, 1621 - 1657


     But first, B had to find a bathroom . . .

It says:  Open for "business" 8 a.m. - 10:45 p.m

     And if you haven't figured it out by now, we're vacationing on Cape Cod. We spent the day in Provincetown, as far out on the Cape as you can get.

     Provincetown is located on what is referred to as the Lower Cape, even though it's north of the Upper Cape, which is where we stayed last year in Falmouth. If you say that Provincetown is on the Upper Cape, they know you're not from around here.

     * Another way they know you're not from around here:  If you say you're going up to the Cape. That means you're from someplace else, like New York, New Jersey or Pennsylvania. If you're a real New Englander, you say you're going down to the Cape, since the Cape is to the south. That's how the Bostonians tell if you're "one of us," as opposed to one of those tourists from somewhere out to the west where the yahoos live.

7 comments:

DJan said...

Love that picture of the two fishermen. And I have never been there, so I had no clue! Looks like a great place to visit, Tom. :-)

Anonymous said...

I want to escape to any cape because it is hotter than a pepper plant here and they say no relief in sight..Wild fires burning up the state of Washington and even the coast has smoke and wind and heat..I would take that place by storm and never leave for a good long while! Enjoy your vacation and the fine dining too, yummm!

Anonymous said...

Too funny. My in-laws are here in Hawaii and are from Boston.

Anonymous said...

Before scrolling down, I Googled Governor Bradford Restaurant. Didn't know you would give us the answer!

I would have to drive back east to get there.
; )
Cop Car

Olga said...

I knew it was Cape Cod right away. Mike and I went there in September the first year of my retirement, that's when the water is supposed to be the warmest, but I did not believe it. We did have a spectacular whale watch out of Providence.

stephen Hayes said...

I've never been to Cape Cod but would love to visit sometime. Glad you're having a great trip.

Anonymous said...

We're descended from Anne Bradford, so I liked that last item. Like your blue shirt too, but you need to suck in that gut!

I'm not a safe driver but I got a new VA plate that says, "Don't Tread on me. Problem is, the words are covered by "Alexandria Toyota" on the plate holder. Grrrr.