Cape Cod

Jill's Journal: I’ve always wanted to go to Cape Cod. I don’t know why – I knew nothing about the place except it is a summer beach destination and anytime the word “Cape” is involved, it sounds a little exotic.

Rob and I figured we’d never be closer than we are right now, so we packed up the girls and took the beautiful drive up “the Cape” yesterday. The “arm of Massachusetts” lives up to its billing. It is a beautiful drive and absolutely littered with charismatic fish joints. The two-lane Route 6A is one of the best-known scenic drives in New England with bucolic homes, historic buildings, stone walls, ancient trees, bay views, and lots and lots of flowers. The road extends for 34 miles and was originally a Native American trail, then became a Colonial thoroughfare called the Old King’s Highway. It winds past hundreds of historic structures, including dozens of homes once belonging to sea captains of yesteryear. It’s actually the largest historic district in the nation.

Windmills are not uncommon and, in fact, it was Windmill Weekend this weekend on the Cape, complete with a fair and parade. This particular windmill was built in Plymouth in 1688 and moved to its present site in Eastham in 1808. Nearby is First Encounter Beach, where the Pilgrims first came across Indians, exchanging arrows and musket fire.



Provincetown, at the tip of the Cape, was our main destination. Amazingly, the Vikings first landed here in 1004. And then the Pilgrims touched down in November of 1620. This is where they coined and signed the Mayflower Compact, declaring themselves a “civil body politic.” They stayed in the area for five weeks before sailing on to Plymouth in search of a more hospitable environment to settle. Apparently the sand dunes, salt marshes, and cranberry bogs were not what they had in mind for a New World.

Today Provincetown is half old-fashioned fishing village and half very liberal arts community. Its narrow old streets and historic buildings are as charming as they come. It seems just about every other building is an art gallery. Another observation: a disproportionate amount of people were walking small dogs (we never once saw a big dog or even an average-sized dog!). The girls were endlessly delighted by so many little dogs.

We climbed the 252 feet of the Pilgrim Monument, the tallest granite structure in the U.S. It commemorates the first landing of the Pilgrims and rises 350 feet above sea level. It’s well worth the climb, even if little Victoria did have to be carried about a third of the way up. What a view, with bay or ocean on three sides!



Side note for my dear old Dad: It’s hard to fathom, but the divine clam chowder in Cape Cod might even surpass the chowder in Plymouth. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that it was paired with a Lobster Roll (a lobster sandwich which is as plentiful here as hamburgers are by you). Out of this world!