Great Island Trail

Another great March day, another great Cape Cod trail - The Great Island Trail in Wellfleet. Part of the Cape Cod Natural Seashore, the Great Island Trail provides several miles of trails through forests, along marshes and the seashore. Lauren and I spent 3 hours hiking the trails, and still only saw about half of what Great Island has to offer.

A seventy degree day in March was not to be wasted indoors vacuuming and cleaning the tub, no siree Bob. So it was a toss-up over desperately needed yard work or a walk on the beach. Tough choice. A 40 minute ride along Route 6 took us to historic Wellfleet, famous for its oysters and drive-in theater, as well as the 61% of its land area dedicated to the National Seashore. It was one of those early spring teaser days that tricks you into thinking winter is finally over. But us New Englanders know all too well that winter generally encroaches well into mid-Spring. Winter be damned, we’re going to the beach!

There were a handful of cars in the parking lot as a large family group celebrated fake summer in the picnic area. The trail heads off into a wooded area where off to the right is a monument/grave stone for an unidentified Wampanoag Indian woman on which people left offerings of sea shells, stones and flowers. We make a note that we should find a nice shell to leave when we returned. Hot summer smells of baking pine needles and salty scented air filled our heads and our spirits. Vacuum indeed!

This portion of the trail led us to a marshy inlet called “The Gut” which was separated from the Ocean by some very high dunes.

Dunes. The matted sea grass covered trail led to the wooded area which is the original Great Island, named so because when the Pilgrims first ventured there it wasn’t attached to the mainland.

Made up of mostly sand, like a lot of Cape Cod, the area has continually been reshaped by the tide. The trail forks here; one heads to an old Tavern site popular during the whale trade of the 1700’s, the other takes you into the center of the island through a forest of scrub pine on your way to Jeremy Point – a spit of land accessible only at low tide. We headed towards Jeremy Point making plans to return and hike trails we didn’t have time for.

Coming out of the wooded area we found ourselves in Middle Meadow Marsh which was also shielded from the tide by high dunes.

Picturesque Cape dunes. Sandy, grassy dunes. Neck. We decided here to circle back on the shoreline rather than the way we came. We thought it would be fun to run in slo-mo down the beach, but it was getting late, so we just walked a leisurely regular-mo down the sandy strip alongside relatively calm surf. P-Town was off in the distance, and way out where the sky met the water sat the horizon.

We unfortunately met with some flotsam on the beach – buoys, bottles and parts of Oceanic 815 (some may be Lost by that reference) had been washed ashore with all the storm activity of recent. There must be a merit badge or something for that clean-up effort. The sand was rippled from the tide, and we found several huge mussel shells, the remains of which were turning the sand purple in some places. A troller murmured in the distance.

We made our way back to the Wampanoag Woman’s grave and placed a perfect scallop shell atop a smooth stone another visitor had left.

 There were still trails left to hike, so we make plans to return hopefully with some of our adventure buddies. Bring plenty of water, trail mix or some portable lunch. It would be easy to spend a whole day here. Take a look at http://www.nps.gov/caco/planyourvisit/index.htm for more info and other trails within the Cape Cod National Seashore. And stay tuned as we bring you more of beautiful Cape Cod!

Digging For Gold

Digging for Gold

A couple of Sunday’s ago was juuuuust warm enough for a walk on the beach; low to mid 40’s with a slight breeze. We heard through the Cape grapevine that Sandy Neck was a great place to explore. Almost 6 miles long and backed by dunes and salt marsh, Sandy Neck has plenty of interesting terrain to traverse.

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.

Our Trip to Egypt (Via the Library)

We took a virtual trip to Egypt last weekend. A two hour slideshow and lecture that introduced us to ancient gods and goddesses as well as recent discoveries. The South Yarmouth library was the portal for our short but exiting trip.

Katrina Valenzuela was our tour guide through the pyramids and temples of Cairo and along the Nile.

Katrina has spent many years in Egypt and returns there each year, and moved to Cape Cod in 1980. She has established herself as an in-demand spiritual teacher, counselor and healer. She also designs and leads sacred site tours worldwide; Egypt of course being a popular trip as her special area of focus is the mythology and mystery teachings of Ancient Egypt. Katrina is a Middle Eastern dance teacher (commonly referred to as belly dance) and hosts the popular local television show “Transformations”, where she demonstrates dance technique and interviews guests. She will also be teaching 3-credit courses at Cape Cod Community College entitled “Middle Eastern Dance and Culture”. (Please visit her website for detailed information on all of the above at:http://www.transformationscenter.com/, and at Katrina's blog: http://www.transformationstojoy.com.) A wealth of knowledge and a subtle sense of humor held a large (50+) crowd captivated for the entire two hours.

Beyond the many different gods and goddesses the ancient Egyptians worshiped, one of the most interesting and enticing facts to me is the ability to enter the pyramids. I just assumed they were off limits as sacred tombs or simply just too fragile for people to walk in and out of every day. Not only are you allowed to enter the king’s chamber of certain pyramids, but Katrina informed us that they weren’t really tombs at all since they have never found human remains in any pyramid. Katrina will often meditate with her groups inside the pyramid and/or temple where she says the energy is very strong, positive, and transformative.

Another interesting fact Katrina mentioned is that it’s been proven that slaves did not build the Pyramids as has been believed for thousands of years. In fact it was well compensated workers, who lived very well - back breaking work not withstanding - who built the pyramids. Loyal to their pharaohs, these workers were buried with beer and food, provisions for the afterlife, a kind of burial never afforded to a slave.

Lauren has always been interested in going to Egypt – me not so much. But after the lecture with Katrina, my interest is piqued. The energy and intrigue of the ancient country is what makes me consider a tip to the arid, hot place. I must confess the lure of Mediterranean food is also strong. Sure, Ardeos’ is down the street, but you don’t get much more authentic than falafel and hummus on the streets of Cairo. Egypt is officially on our list of “gotta-go”.


The library is one of our favorite places to be, although we don’t get there as often as we like. Church-like in its serenity, the library is always warm, cozy and quiet. However, activities abound! Lectures like the one we attended happen on a regular basis, and there is always something going on for kids; story hour, play groups and learning activities are just a few. Our Cape libraries are getting hip with the times, offering computer language courses online, available internet access at the library, movies and DVD, and CD-ROM games for various ages. Oh yeah, they have books, too! If you’re looking for something interesting to do we would encourage you to visit your local library wherever you live. It just may take you somewhere you never dreamed you’d go.

Photos courtesty of Katrina Valenzuela

Taking the Plunge

I don’t like the cold. In fact, I hate it. You would think that having grown up in New England I would be ok with it – but when the warm sun is on my face, and it’s 80 degrees, I don’t care if I ever see another snow flake as long as I live. So I was surprised as anyone when I decided to jump in the freezing Atlantic on January 1st.

Lauren mentioned the Barnstable Fire Department was sponsoring a polar plunge to benefit the Glenna Kohl Fund. We thought it would be a cool thing to go watch and then blog about. Then the thought occurred to me – I’m always a spectator at these kinds of things, and to properly blog about it I would have to actually DO it. I was surprised at how quickly I came to this conclusion, and even more surprised when I didn’t back out 15 seconds after saying I would do it. I seemed determined. Lauren’s reaction was “Who are you??”. I guess I thought thousands of people do this every year, why not me?

Every year - for 12 years now - the Barnstable Fire Department sponsors “The New Years Day Swim” benefitting a different cause each time. This year it was the Glenna Kohl Fund for Hope. The non-profit fund helps raise awareness about the dangers of melanoma, created in memory of Glenna Kohl – a Barnstable High graduate who was a lifeguard. (For more information, or to make a donation, please visit: http://www.glennasfund.org/)

It was New Years Eve when Lauren planted this idea in my head. My sister and brother-in-law, Penny and Ian, were staying over and weren’t quite sure what to make of the situation. Seriously out of character for me. Lauren asked me every hour – are you still going to do it? “So far” I said. Any more than a day before the event and I would have surely talked myself out of it. At some point during the evening, Penny and Ian warmed up to the idea, too. We needed someone to shoot video and take pictures, so Lauren sacrificed having this unique experience in order to document the three of us. She was quite pleased with her decision.

On the morning of New Years day, after sleeping off our holiday cheer, we were all still committed to this crazy idea. We gathered some towels, a blanket, a defibrillator and dry shorts, had a delicious breakfast and headed out to Millway Beach at Barnstable Harbor.
Because of a shortage of parking there was a shuttle from the 6A Fire Department down to the harbor. We got there early and were the only people on the bus for this trip. When we got there we were surprised at how few people were there. There was still an hour until the actual plunge so we milled about listening to music and looking at some crazy outfits people were wearing.

There was a snack truck, raffle tickets and a t-shirt booth all to raise money for the chosen cause. An ambulance and fire truck stood by in the unlikely event that someone suffered a heat stroke.
Ten minutes before the countdown we made our way down the beach to stake our claim, and gradually – oh so gradually – disrobe. By this time there were at least 300 people on the narrow beach, the majority of which intended to get wet. The rest were moral support standing by with dry towels and cameras. By the time we were down to just shorts, there was no turning back. We just waited for the countdown.

After a barely audible countdown from the DJ table in the parking lot, the beach was still occupied by several hundred people. After more rousing by the DJ/pirate a new countdown was started. A loud cheer signified GO! I saw Ian bolt – Penny took off, and I did a Fred Flintstone running in place before any forward motion took over. By the time I got 20 feet out, Ian already submerged and was on his way back in. Penny sat down right in front of me, and I just paused in waist deep water and watched the madness of everyone splashing around. It was so crazy; Lauren had a hard time keeping the camera steady! I told Penny and Ian that it didn’t count if you didn’t go under. That’s not entirely true, but I suppose I was trying to motivate myself as much as them. They had fulfilled my made up regulation, so as I faced the beach fully intending to run back in – I dove in the 3 feet of water, scraped the bottom, popped up and gracefully sprinted back in. (Ed. note: Check out the video to see what Jeff thinks is graceful!) It was so cold, it felt like fire.

A dry towel never felt so good. We were all shaking like nervous poodles but as soon as we dried off, it seemed actually warmer than it was before we jumped in. It was quite comfortable in fact. The only discomfort was numb toes (and purple knees, which wasn’t uncomfortable – it just looked weird). We got out of our wet clothes and into dry clothes right on the beach.

When we got home, Lauren heated some towels in the dryer and draped them over our shoulders. Then we wrapped ourselves in Snuggies and had soup. The cold aint so bad: as long as there’s hot soup, a Slanket, and a pretty girl to hold you afterward.

So here’s to diving outside your comfort zone in 2010. The polar plunge was an exhilarating experience, although I’m not sure if I ever have to do it again. If I am so compelled next year maybe I can talk Lauren into it. In the comment section maybe you can persuade her! We are hoping to do more out-of-the-box stuff this year to blog about – if you can think of any, let us know!

Happy New Year and stay warm!

Whale Ho!

One of the oldest professions in New England, whaling, has thankfully been abolished; because now we get to watch in awe the graceful beauty they possess as they feed off Stellwagen Bank.

We went rather late in the season so we weren’t sure how cold it was going to be. But as it turned out, we had a nice sunny day with calm waters; a cozy sweatshirt and we were good to go.

If you’ve been reading our blog, you know we love boats, and tooting around Cape Cod Bay is half the fun of a whale watch. We climbed aboard the Dolphin VIII of the Dolphin fleet in Provincetown. We were nearly the last one to arrive and confirm our reservation, and the line of people waiting to get on the boat made it seem as if we might not even get on, or at the very least it would be so crowded as to be uncomfortable. Not the case. Even though the cruise was sold out, Dolphin limits the number of passengers so everyone gets a good seat and a good view.

The Dolphin Fleet vessels are specifically designed for whale watches. A second level sun deck and first level cabin offer sun and shade, while the galley offers snacks, drinks, beer and wine (and Dramamine for you landlubbers). There is also a naturalist on board who throughout the trip delivers information about the whales of Cape Cod Bay, and alerts when whales are surfacing.

We saw several whales on the trip - some from very far away, and some as close as 25 yards. We didn’t see any breaching this time out, but a lot of tail shots as they arched to dive deep. You never know what you’re gonna get, and some trips are better than others. Dolphin actually offers a free trip to paying customers if they didn’t see a single whale (which, thankfully, is not a common occurrence.) Once reaching Stellwagon Bank, we stayed for about an hour during which there was rarely a few minutes where we didn’t see any whales. Quite a successful cruise!

After pulling back in we enjoyed some oysters and beer overlooking a beautiful sunset over Provincetown Pier. A perfect ending to an afternoon at sea!

Sail Away from Falmouth...

We did just that for an impromptu day trip to Martha’s Vineyard. The reasonably priced Island Queen ferried us from Falmouth to Oak Bluffs under a sunny sky and over calm seas to one of the most visited summer destinations in the North East.
The boat ride alone was worth the trip. Awesome views of the island shoreline as well as the Cape shoreline accompanied us the whole trip across Vineyard Sound. The Island Queen is a 608 passenger ferry with 3 decks, one of them open air, several clean restrooms, and a refreshment counter mid ship. We chose to ride the upper deck for better views and the warming sunshine.

We landed in Oak Bluffs 35 minutes after departing Falmouth. A harbor full of every kind of boat you can imagine, and a pier lined with open air restaurants and bars greeted us with a promise of fun-in-the-sun-summer-livin’. We strolled around town for a bit and had lunch with an appetizer of littlenecks before deciding to take a tour bus to Edgartown. We would explore Oak Bluffs further upon our return.
A scenic 20 minute ride took us along the shoreline and back roads. Edgartown/Oak Bluffs Road has a two mile stretch of thin land separating the ocean from Sengekontacket Pond which was lined end to end with cars as well as pristine beach ocean side. Thousands of people took advantage of the perfect weather basking on the sand and splashing in the surf.

Edgartown is just what you expect from an old New England whaling town. Quaint, breezy tree lined streets, houses close together, and an ice cream shop on every corner. An old town hall with huge white pillars, picturesque side streets crowded with private residences and B&B’s that were once sea captain’s mansions. It’s like you’re walking through a post card. We popped into several shops along the main drag, which eventually led to the harbor. The auto ferry to Chappaquiddick is down here, so we hung around watching the ferry, and people jumping from pier pilings into the water. Several people were fishing from the covered picnic area on the pier. We devoured our ice cream while we watched motor yachts cruise in and out of the harbor.
When we got back to Oak Bluffs we went on a trek to find the Gingerbread house village. If you’ve never seen them, surely the name will conjure up images of what they look like; charming little cottages with ornate trim, vibrant colors, and tiny yet impeccably kept yards. My pace slowed as Lauren re-enforced the fact that we could not eat them. The day was winding down, and the boat schedule dictated our departure time. We could have rushed back for the 5:15 ferry, or relaxed on a deck overlooking the harbor sipping drinks while waiting for the 6:45. I’m sure you can guess which boat we took…
It was not an action packed trip, but a perfectly lazy day trip to a beautiful island. The bike trails, beaches, boating and boogie boarding will be for a longer stay down the road. We got home sun kissed, tired and happy.

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***Congratulations to Kristine M! She was the winner of our blog destination contest, with the excellent suggestion to visit the Cape Cod National Seashore! We will be doing just that, and blogging all about it! Thank you Christine! We're sending you a little token of our appreciation - two round trip tickets to Martha's Vineyard on the Island Queen! Enjoy! :)