We were fortunate enough to have Lauren’s parents, Bob and Walda, join us on our hike. They were especially excited to comb the beach with their metal detector. We drove on past the empty Ranger Station up to the ample parking area where there was only a handful of cars parked by the restroom/snack house (closed for winter). We practically had the place to ourselves. Bob cranked up the metal detector, and we were off.
The view on the beach is expansive – to the left, you could see all the way to the bridge, and to the right you could just make out the Provincetown Monument.
The tide was halfway out and still receding so we had plenty of beach to walk along, and Cape Cod Bay was very calm and serene. It was a tad breezier on the beach than it was at home, so runny noses and watery eyes ensued. People dotted the beach as far as you could see - old couples, young families and Frisbee catching dogs, along with a bird watcher, and a handful of four wheel drive vehicles. Cape Cod beaches are truly a year round destination.
The detector started beep – booping right away so Walda started digging with her tiny garden rake.
Surely it was a gold watch. A little sifting, some more booping, and we realized we had a lump of melted aluminum. Probably a beer can that was chucked in a fire pit.
We pocketed it with visions of the shiny nickel we could redeem it for. A nail and some pull tabs (which had to be 30 years old because that‘s when they stopped making them) were all we found before we decided to check out the dunes.
I like the word dune. I don’t know why. Dooooon. Dune. Dune. There, now it means nothing. I think the word just conjures up really cool beachy, summery images along with the smell of suntan lotion and cheap, ice-cold beer. We exited the beach onto Trail 1 and entered the hilly, grassy sandscape. Atop the first dune we could see all the way ahead to the salty marsh, and to the left and right nothing but more dunes. Dunes. Maybe it’s because when I was 10 dune buggys were wicked cool. I dunno.
About this time the sun poked out from behind the clouds it had been hiding in, and we all commented on how good it felt on our faces. We spied a hawk as we continued down the trail.
Walda commented that the metal detector sounded like a casino as Bob waved it over a spot on the trail. It sounded very urgent, so perhaps something from the wrecked pirate ship Whydah had found its way down from Wellfleet to the Neck. I like the word “neck”, too. I don’t know why. A little digging revealed a padlock; from a treasure chest?? No, no…a Master Lock probably from a gate chain. It was like a slot machine spitting out a single fake quarter. It’s funny how exciting it is just to find something – worthless or not.
We continued down the trail toward Barnstable’s Great Marsh, still in awe of the beauty of the place. We can’t wait to go back in shorts and flip flops. The marsh, which is not traversable, seemed endless, too. A haven for wildlife and plant life, the brackish water and grass is one of the richest biological habitats on Cape Cod. The trail along the marsh thins and is less sandy than the dunes, but that didn’t stop us from digging for more treasure. The hard packed dirt gave way to an old wheel, several more ancient pull tabs, and a mysterious 10 inch piece of rusted metal that we’re sending to Woods Hole to have evaluated. Not really. It’s probably an old truck spring or mower blade. Cha ching! The marsh trail leads back to the Ranger Station and parking lot so we decided to call it a day.
As it turns out, we found our treasure - the protected beaches and dunes of Sandy Neck in Barnstable. You can’t put a price on a place like this where you can go and just be. Surely there are trinkets and coins to be found in the sand, so you can bet the metal detector will be well employed. But just as in casting a line into the water and pulling in only sea weed, in the end the place and experience is the best reward.
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Beautacious!
ReplyDeleteNext nice-ish day you come down, we will go!
ReplyDeleteDune.
ReplyDelete