Travel dates: June, 2021
We’ve been to Cape Cod many, many times, and I’ve already blogged about the two times that happened post trailer acquisition. We’ve been going since my big kids were littler than THIS:
So if you’re looking for more of “things to do with kids on Cape Cod” sort of post, I can provide you with that here and here. This post will tend more toward travel journal/photo essay, but I’ll also talk about a couple of things we did that weren’t in those last posts.
We needed to be on the Cape this particular week to celebrate my in-law’s 50th anniversary. So we didn’t do as much touristy stuff as usual because the bulk of our time was spent getting ready for and having their anniversary get together and just catching up with family in general, including lots of people we hadn’t seen in several years.
We were able to get a rare photo of Nana and Grandpa with all 6 of their grandsons:
And then of course there was lots of beach time with the cousins:
And also hanging out inside time with cousins:
There was some kayaking:
We made it to a Cape Cod Baseball League game for the first time in many years. We got there late, so we didn’t have a great view, and it was a very chilly evening, so we didn’t make it through the whole game.
A new discovery on this trip was the Pamet Trail in Truro (part of the Cape Cod National Seashore). It was a pleasant, easy walk, and we were surprised and impressed to find views like this along the way:
These boys look less impressed with the view:
There’s a network of trails taking you different places, but our route took us over the dunes and down to the beach:
We parked in the small lot adjacent to the hostel in Truro, but spaces were in short supply there so probably getting there early is your best bet. It’s .6 miles each way to the overlook pictured above, and then there are assorted spurs you can take to put together a hike of a couple of miles.
We also did a “Sharks and Seals” Ranger talk/beach walk one morning and learned all about the balanced relationship between sharks and seals on the Cape, which is to say that sharks love to eat seals. We saw a ton of seals (no sharks, thankfully) both at the actual program and every time we went to the beach. Seeing seals is very cool and also means that we don’t go out very far into the water. Because sharks.
(I need a telephoto lens for seals. And other wildlife. I think maybe it works better for pictures of kids and Christmas trees, too? I’m not sure. Anyway, my birthday’s coming up).
But at our ranger talk, we learned that we shouldn’t be scared of sharks because they’d rather eat seals than humans. So we should wear brightly colored wetsuits so as not to resemble seals and also they’ve installed special kits at all the beaches to stop you from bleeding to death if you manage to get bitten by a shark anyway, despite your best efforts not to look like a seal. Honestly, it wasn’t super reassuring. But that’s why I don’t let the kids go as far out as the seals.
She’s showing us how big sharks are:
We spent some more time checking out National Seashore trails and the visitors center in Eastham:
The kids performed the first scene from a play they’ve been working on (for a very long time). Because there was an amphitheater:
We stayed at Atlantic Oaks in Eastham:
This was our third stay here, and we’ve had great experiences every time. You can read my full review from our first stay here. We were farther back in the campground this time than in the past, which had its pros and cons: it was a longish walk to the bathhouse and store/office, but we also had a bigger site than in the past and it was quieter.
And this was the end of our week on Cape Cod and also, as you’ll see, the end of our relatively good fortune when it came to weather. Next up: very hot New Hampshire followed by very rainy New Hampshire!
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