East Coast Trip , Sunday September 24, 2023

Sunday September 24, 2023, Cape Cod Well, for starters it rained all night, and off and on during the day but the one at night was very hard in the one during the day was more of a mist type rain. Sort of a"Scottish Dew". But that did not slow us down as we continued to wander on Cape Cod to see what we could see. Today we had two objectives, and they were to find a lighthouse at Chatham and two, to find some beaches where there might be some birds .

Coast Guard station in front of Chatham  Lighthouse

The entire station, was once used as rescue station

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So the first Stop Was Chatham Massachusetts, where one of the older lights on the Cape is located. Although it is fenced in and the front gate is locked I spotted around the back the employees parking lot(, yes I was told not to) and parked there for a few minutes. It was not a very good place to take a picture anyway. We drove across the street where there was a larger parking lot and we could do not only the lighthouse and light station, but also a retired Coast Guard rescue boat which was off to the side on the front lawn. This light was the second to be built on the Cape and that was in 1808. It was built some 200 feet away from the bluff and the water line anti-line have no come as close as 100 feet away. Neither kerosene nor lard oil is no Longer used. The coast guard auxiliary now operates the entire complex. The light has 2.8 million candlepower and can be seen 24 miles away.{ Michigan's oldest lighthouse is Fort Gratiot,built in 1814}. After getting into the 2nd parking lot we noticed there was a large white tent next to a recreation Center, and people are coming out with hot coffee, so I thought I would wander over and see. Three men, nicely attired, we're guarding the entry and I approached him and it was pretty evident that there was a wedding reception taking place. Engaging them in conversation I found they were local men and knew a lot about area. So we shared ideas, thoughts and had a short social Exchange. The one man did tell me some good places to find beaches and not on the Oceanside but On the Cape Cod bay side, which was away from the wind. – – Good advice!

View of Chatham light from employees parking lot.

That endless beach at low  tide at Skaget Beach

A good close up of a California Gull. (Those eyes!)

 

We then headed for Skaget Beach On the Cape Cod Bay side. This is an impressive beach running for miles either way, in the sand is a bright white color. And as it faces due West in the center of the curve of the Cape, it has some magnificent sunsets. When the tide is out you can walk a half-mile and today we did see people that far out on the sand bars. Parking in the summer is an issue although the parking lot can hold 100 cars or more. But it gets filled and that is The issue. We did not have to pay the $25 fee per day as the fees were closed for the season..

This is where we got our Lobster for sandwiches.YUM

Pick yur fare. Cape Cod specials!

Part of the working harbor at Rock Harbor.

Coast Guard Rescue vessel #36500

 

First Encounter Beach -British met the Nauset tribe (no deaths)

The commemorating plaque

In honor of the MLCG 36500

Church of the Transfiguration  with The "Weeping Angel" on top.

 

We still had some time left in the day, as we like to get back in midafternoon usually. So I 'spotted' further up the coast a place called "Young's Fish Market". It also was located in a place called Rock Harbor, and seeing some streams and rivers that ran near there, that was where we went. It was a good choice, as there were many fishing boats and fishing charter boats tied up there. We did get a feel for what both lobster and fishing was like in that small village. At Young's Fish Market, one had the feeling of stepping back 40 or 50 years when times were slower.(See the photo). It is not big but does a whopping business as you can see from the poster signs.

Lobster at "Young's"

We ate about 2/3 of the lobster.

 

 

 We did buy some lobster buns and 12 oz. of lobster to go that we could eat at suppertime.. The gal who ran the place (Nameless) also gave us a very large, 200 page book that was recently printed about the community of Rock Harbor. (By Mrs Higgins!) It contains stories about the many skippers that have kept their boats there as a homeport. It will make good reading some winter night. 

 

During those three stays we did see a number of birds and we might add that they were all shorebirds or waterbirds. They were: California, Greater Black Backed, Little, Lesser Black Backed and Laughing Gulls; Cormorant, Willet, Sanderling, Killdeer, GreatBlue Heron and Snowy Egret. During the day we also saw House Sparrow, Common Crow, A 100-200 flock of Tree Swallows (heading south?), and a Raven. For this time of the year it was a good day. 

We headed back to the trailer and settled in a bit before eating those lobster sandwiches. YUM! There is a little bit left for tomorrow. One chore left as we have been on this site three full days was to make sure the sewer and water were drained before another day went by. 

The rain has stopped and we can hope for a better day tomorrow when we will either do the laundry if it rains, or head for another lighthouse up at Eastham near Marconi Beach. I'll try to put some photos in this if not I'll get up early and put them in the morning . Thanks for reading–– Jim 

East Cast trip Day 6, supplement, September 23, 2023

 Cape Cod, Day 6  September 23, 2023

 These are a few of the photos from the trip to the Mashpee NWR, and the Barnes WMA both near our campsite. (Mashpee MA)

 

The Quashnet tribes lived here thousands of ears ago

A recent mill and attnding dam helped destroy the rivers

Those little "Beggar Ticks" were persistent.You cannot brush them off..

habitat for wildlife and the land.Restoration has begun.

                                                        

The entry to Barnes NWA land, grasses mostly,-no birds

                                                                                                                                                                            The rest of Barnes  WMA is Pine Barren and Oak.

 

Day 6, Cape Cod MA, Sat. September 23, 2023

September 23, 2023-- At Cape Cod. I am  going right to the jugular! Photos... as I think they are loading better. 

 With some patience we were able to download a few photos today. So here are a few of what we hope are more to come.  (See below)

On Saturday we awoke, to hear rain on the roof as the outerfinges of the Tropical storm Ophelia reached MA today  and will linger until Monday.  We will be at this site until Wednesday  so may still get more photos in the sun.

Our goal today was  find an Audubon Preserve. (Different from 'Reserve'  in that is privately owned.)  It was locted again on thesouth coast  of the Cape, and on a pennsula of large homes  named Poppenesset Peninsula. The Preserve has the same name. (Research did not show a source of the name.)

We did get there and drove over a small, cement, inclined bridge by the Marina, where we did actually see 4 species of waterfowl.  Cormorants, Mallards, California Gull and a Great Blue Heron. But finding the actual Preserve did not happen. There were some views of the water between the homes as we drove around the many streets that were on this small peninsula.  Very up-scale homes . At one time I stopped and asked a Mailman in his truck, but he did not know but guessed at where a "beach" was. We tried to reach that but only found dead ends at houses.

We did finally,  find a beach from an overlook at the end of a short road, but the wind was blowing the flag out straight, and the rian was biting. There were some Fish Crows there (Eastern seaboard type of crow).

It was time to head back and we both thought an "Ice Cream" would end the journey appropriately. Looked up ice cream places (GPS) but they were mostly closed, (September 23!!!), There was one place listed and didn't appear closed that was about  1/2 mile from our vehicle. We headed there and of course they were closed.

Heading for the trailer I told Ruth we would stop for gasoline and get "some ice cream". We did that  and I picked up two, (filled with calories and vitamin "D")., "Carmel Magnum Bars". No kidding they have 1250% of the daily need for  Vitamin "D">. Who knew? A good supplement in the winter when the sun is low.

We did get back to the TRL. and are having comfort supper of tomato soup and Toasted cheese sandwiches. We will see what tomorrow will bring with the rain. Rainy days...Laundry day? Letters, read, take a nap? (Who said that?)

Hope you are hanging in there with the fall season upon us.  We will continue to update you each day. 

Blessings,--Jim (Photos below!)

Looking out to the Atlantic Ocean

Looking out past Martha'sVineyard to the Ocean

A California Gull (Note green eyes)

Day 5, Trip East, Friday September 22, 2023

Day 5 at Cape Cod near Mashpee,MA ( Friday 9-22-23) 

 No light coming in the windows, let me know that it is dark out at 6:40 PM. Mainly because we are surrounded by a forest of trees but also because the sunset here is about one hour earlier then in Grand Rapids Michigan and points West.  Michigan being on the far Western edge of the eastern time zone. The Internet is up, and working, but it's quite slow, I may place the photos in the blog in the morning when it's not so busy. I did put one picture on the previous day's blog, so there is a photo for each entry. It was a real treat to be able to get up when we wanted, and not worry about hitching up the trailer and moving on down the road. That was more tiresome than I realized. So we will enjoy these days in one place for a week. So let's get started with the day.

At the beach on the south Coast of Cape Cod. That is Martha's Vineyard across the water.

 We did see 5 species of birds here  including , Little Gull, California Gull, Ring Billed Gull, Cormorant, and some Sanderlings, running swiftly along the beach.

 We had one main objective today and accomplished that much faster than we had anticipated. That was to explore the Mashpee NWR (National Wildlife Refuge), which is just a few minutes down the road . We found it easily and realized that it is a unique NWR as it has only trails, so no auto drives that we like to do. We did enter the parking lots to see what we could see a number of times, but not only found no birds, but some of the gates were closed and access was not possible. We tried three of the parking lots, but again no birds. This refuge is unique in that it has been brought back from private lands which surround it and it is parceled in many pieces. Hence getting around in it is difficult. (Rather 'piecemeal' arranged) 

  We had plenty of time left, so decided to start doing the lighthouses of which there are 14 in Massachusetts just on Cape Cod. The one we chose is at the southernmost Point of the Cape and has the name Nobska lighthouse. Driving these roads through places like Falmouth, on any day is a slow in winding process. (The roads are two lane, no shoulder, and the turns have no additional room for straying off the road. EVER! So we did take our time then saw the sights along the way. (Cemetaries,a "DQ", churches, statues, and great, huge, houses.) 

The drive does take us along the edge of the water as we reached the place where the lighthouse and the keepers quarters are located. It is a beautiful light and hopefully the photos will show (See next day) what that really means. There actually is a handicapped separate entrance with parking for them only, which avoids about 25 steps up to the lighthouse grounds. I did not see until after we had finished. The lighthouse was refurbished after a campaign of $5 million to put it in tip top shape. Then we headed for a WMA (Wildlife Management Area) donated by a woman by the name of Barnes, some years ago. It abuts up to The Joint Air Force Base here where fighter jets are based. We ended up at the guard station entering the base, where we realized that was not the wildlife area we were seeking. Fortunately the experienced guard at the entry station knew exactly where the Barnes WMA was located. We retreated and backtracked until we found the entrance. 

The road leading into it, passes by a very traditional native habitat, as the Quashnet Tribes had lived here for thousands of years but like many of the natives had been driven out by treaties and settlers in the 1800s. After many years of trying to use the land around it, it is now finally in the hands of those who will attempt to restore to its original shape. We are talking about the River called Quashnet, which is now a very small stream. Good luck on the re-doing of that River!  (See photos next day)

That was the end of today on the road and we got back to the trailer a little early, had some stretch time and sorting of photos and events. Supper was simple, with one of those frozen dinners that we packed in our freezer. Let me tell you what Ruth did? The dinners are packed in Hard plastic containers in our home freezer, then she took them them out and put them in saran wrap and aluminum foil, so they would not take as much room in the freezer and that increased the amount of food space, by about 30%. 

 A walk around the park after supper helped me stretch my legs. My sniffles and a cold seem to be subsiding and I feel much better and stronger. (Vick's vapo and menthol lozenges helped.) . Hopefully some photos will be in this message when you see it as I will load in the morning when the traffic on the Internet is much less. More lighthouses tomorrow!!!--Jim and Ruth

Day 3 and Day 4 East Coast trip (Sept 21 , 2023)

Day 4, September 21 ,2023 At Cape Cod MA I had skipped the Day3 on the blog but will update a little bit as we move in to day four. Traveling from Central New York near Albany and moving across the Hudson River into western Massachusetts (Connecticut River) we managed to get a campground really off the road near Otis, Massachusetts. 

After 19 miles of driving off the freeway, to the campground, we did get settled in what many would call a field with water and electric for the trailer. Comfortable and quiet. It was a very quiet night and not many birds, but when we started take a shower in the morning realized there was no water in the lines. When we started to take a shower in the AM there was no water in the lines. Talking with the owner she stated that there was a leak somewhere and no water in the tank and Ed was in the process of fixing it, but there would be no water until afternoon at the earliest . We got packed up without our usual shower, and headed out to I 90 by a different route avoiding that very difficult road with the trailer. It was a good move even though it took us almost 50 miles out of her way to get back to where we started the day before. The views of lakes and ponds off the freeway was refreshing.

 Moving eastward I noticed that the Rolling Hills we're pretty much eliminated after Springfield Massachusetts, and we were now in the "flatlands" of Massachusetts West of Boston heading down I-495, toward the Cape. The other thing that one notices in the Drive is that there are more pine trees as we are getting into what are known As the Pine barrens. Many of the islands along the east coast have that feature. We avoided one very long backup as our route took the exit ramp toward our destination. We didn't see any eagles today, nor we did you see any other birds of note. Ruth and I believe this was the day of our many trips that we saw the least number of birds. Just three. Masachusetts roads are similar to Michigan's in that some are OK others very potted and bumpy. 

Heading over the Cape Cod Canal Bridge

One of three bridges over the cnal. The Bourne (Seen here), The Sagamore, and the CCCRR Bridge. 

We had a really good view of the Cape Cod Canal (more on that later), and continued to our destination. It too was a very old and "not attended to" Campground so much so that the owner would not allow anybody into the office and worked from a window at the side. As I looked in I could see why she didn't allow anyone in. I could not describe the interior, as it had many items that were from 40 or 50 years ago that had been used in a store that was one time with the office. There was even a golf cart, tools, and old books and shelving that had not been moved in years. She worked completely by paper and pen. but did print the receipt out on a "machine". But she led us to the camp site on her golf cart, and we did get Settled in nicely. That evening we decided to have a dinner out. Went to a restaurant called "99" which is popular here on the East Coast. The meal was excellent and even though we didn't have lobster we both ended up having fish on our plates. I had a combination and Ruth settled for fish and chips. Jim had a large "cup"of seafood chowder, "Down East" style. YUM! So even though there are no photos again, I do believe we will get the camera and begin to get into the groove again tomorrow.. We are heading for the National Wildlife Refuge called Mashpee. It is just 15 minutes from us. The name comes from the Wapanoag Tribe who still live here. They were the original settlers. So hope to see you again tomorrow and we'll have an update on how it went out there on Cape Cod. Blessings, -- Jim

Day two East Coast trip.( 9-20-23)

Wednesday September 20, 2023 (This would be our daughter Mary's 60th birthday!)

It seems that today I can download a few photos as I have Internet and broadband in the park that is, well… out of the woods for sure. We are about 20 miles from any Highway of consequence, and took a very torturous winding, hilly, narrow, road to get here. Tomorrow we are going to try a different way out even know we have to back track some . It was another day of very beautiful scenery driving through the valleys and foothills of the lower New York state. That included passing by some points of interest like Cooperstown baseball Hall of Fame, Hudson river, crossed the Appalachian Trail, numerous small colleges and universities, and when we saw the limestone Cliffs in Granite rock , the Howe's Caverns appeared in view.

Seneca Casino  on I-86

                             I say good for theNative Americans who were forced off thos land.

                                                                         I-90 corridor

                                                Small patches of old farmland, much forest.
 

Purple aster and golden rod (Hundreds of milesf this)

Tioga Raceway next  to their casino, training surreys.

Another good view heading east. The same all the way.

Notice the selected fall colors. This was the only one.

                                                wonder why? Water, sun, air, soil, devas?

Approaching Albany NY, it was apparent that the New York Thruway and later the Massachusetts through way are main arteries to reach both New York city and Boston. We had never traveled on them before.

 So now, we are settled in a very quiet" fieldlike" campground, Very far away from the activities of New York. Tonight's blog will be brief, but will include a few of the photos I could not show before. It will give you a visual of the land geography geology that we went through. You can imagine how the Seneca loved this land and took care of it. Tomorrow we hope to be in Sandwich Massachusetts which is at the base of Cape Cod. As we get settled there will be more time for longer installments.

Happy Thursday.

 

Trailering from Michigan to the East Coast. (9-18-19, 2023)

Last getaway for Jim and Ruth. A trip to Massachusetts New Hampshire and Maine via Ohio Pennsylvania and New York. Its time to end the trailering with this trip. Anyone want to buy a 15-year-old trailer in good shape? 

 

 

 

The first day was quite uneventful traveling from Grand Rapids through Toledo and Cleveland to the small town at The edge of Pennsylvania called Conneaut. It was one short overnight in a very quiet campground and a very long trip for us covering some 370 miles. We were both pretty tired when we got there. So The advice is shorter trips, and the rest of the trip was scheduled that way. The second day was more to our liking with the forests of southern New York similar to Pennsylvania, at least we thought so, as the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains begin to rise more the further we drove east.

Entering central NY on I-90. Foothills of Catskills.

One of the more fascinating pieces of geology is the Genesee Valley that was first inhabited by the Seneca tribes of the Iroquois nation. Of course in the "Treaty of Tall Trees, 1789", the Seneca were moved out of that area and speculators were given thousands of acres of the land to sell to settlers coming west. There are so many sad stories about the treatment of our native people. Don't get me started. DO NOT HAVE BROADBAND HERE SO UNABLE TO DOWNLOADPHOTOS...TOMORROW? So tonight we are settled just outside of Corning New York in a little Town called Campbell. Hence the park name Camp Bell campground. We are tucked away in the farthest corner near a huge woodlot so it is very quiet. At this time of year they're not many temporary campers moving in and out of the Parks, and all of the seasonal campers come only on the weekends. Lower New York state is very wooded as a few of these photos will indicate. There's not much else to give pictorially. As we usually do our stops for lunch that are brief and usually in the trailer. On Monday we did stop at Hardees in one of the mandatory rest areas on I-90. Not our favorite lunch. Today we ate in the trailer and ate what we wanted. Tomorrow we continue eastward heading for western Massachusetts, as Massachusetts is slightly south of New York. We hope to be in Sandwich, MA, by Thursday. That's a starter for this blog and I probably won't submit tomorrow, but again after I get to the East Coast. Sandwich is just less than a half mile from the coast. Fact I never new.... St. Bonaventure U is in Allegheny NY just off I-90. THey had a great Basketball team and were in the finalfour in the late 60's and 1970. It is opersted, still, by the Franciscans. . Blessings to all