While we were there Leon realized that he did not get too close to the poison ivy while geocaching and his muscles were not sore from driving. He had the perfect symptoms for shingles. We decided to head to the house and here is Leon picking up medicine in Asheville, NC. Eighteen hours of driving and we were back at the dead end. Home again, home again, jiggety jog. It has been a delightful whirlwind tour of the northeast US.
Brian grilled steaks and veggies for supper while Leon waited patiently. What a fine meal!
Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning, especially when Brian fixed waffles for Jennifer, Hayden, Leon and myself. Then it was off to school for Hayden. His mom, Jennifer, helped him put on his new jacket. He took his new Adirondack bear with him.
But we did enjoy one short hike on the Appalachian Trail before we left the park. The views were magnificent.
We made several stops along the coast, maneuvered around New York, and through New Jersey. Of course I had to complete a geocache in each state so we even ducked into Delaware for a short while.
we took the backroads from Gap and all seemed so peaceful in the surrounding countryside. Children were playing and riding their scooters.
Transportation is just a little slower among these backroads.
Several families we met were apparently returning home from church.
We blocked traffic, like tourists do, as I took photos of the many gates in Newport, behind which stood the mansions on Bellevue Avenue.
We took a nice hour stroll along the Cliff Walk on the oceanside of the properties for which Newport is noted. We even found two geocaches along the trail.
This looked like a good spot for a rest so soon after breakfast at The Creamery.
This limb seemed like it was made for relaxation. I held on for safety. In the spring the herring run up the river from the sea to spawn. We did see a few nice bass that were going nowhere.
Scargo Hill Tower in Dennis provided a little step exercise. The view from the top was nice.
And this shows that rain was imminent but only a short sprinkle fell from those clouds.
The Eastham windmill was built in 1680 in Plymouth by an Eastham resident, Thomas Paine. It was moved four times before coming to its final resting place in Eastham in 1808. It is claimed to be the oldest and last working gristmill on the cape. As hard as I tried I just couldn't get it started. The tour bus arrived just as we were leaving. Most of the towns we visited were dated from the 1690s.
Provincetown is like few other places. We enjoyed strolling the streets, eating the Portuguese food, and shopping the shops.
This week is leather week and also Women's Week. Too bad we could not stay for the festivities.
The Highland Light is also known as the Cape Cod Light. One could spend days just visiting lighthouses on Cape Cod.
At the Salt Pond Visitor's Center we learned about the geology of the area and how the cranberry bogs or kettle ponds, which number over 300, were created from receding glaciers. Nearby is the site where Marconi first transmitted a wireless signal across the Atlantic. A portion of the base of his tower remains. The national seashore runs for about 40 miles alongside the eastern coast.
Captain Penniman was from Eastham and made his fortune in the whaling industry by the time he was thirty, having left home at eleven. He built this home in Fort Hill in the French Second-Empire style in 1868. The national park is refurbishing the inside which we enjoyed touring. He had a hot water system that collected rain water and piped it through the cookstove to heat it for the bathroom and kitchen.
This is the third set of whale jaw bones that have been erected on the steps leading to the house. Imagine meeting a whale. Leon is 6'2".
Three nights were spent at the Elk's Lodge in Falmouth and one night at the Nickerson State Park in Brewster. Falmouth is a very pretty city with a village green and quaint shops lining Main Street. It allowed us a great opportunity to explore the area and have nice visits with the locals. They even serve Quahogs.
Tuesday was a beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the mid 60s and the perfect day to spend on the island. Our 45 minute ride took us to Oak Bluffs, a town that was made popular in 1835 for a spiritual revival held amid a grove of oak trees. By 1880, the Methodist revival meeting spot had grown into a summer city of a thousand wood framed cottages and tents that surrounded the tabernacle. The current Tabernacle seats 3,000 and was built in 1879.
The giant Pagoda tree was brought from the orient in 1833 and planted on the island. It shaded Captain Milton's home, built in 1840.
The Old Whaling Church is a Greek Revival building built in 1843. It has a 92 foot clock tower which can be seen far out to sea.
On Dock Street we lunched near the ferry to Chappaquidick, known as Chappy to the locals.
The Edgartown lighthouse was not far away.
We ended the awesome day by driving over to the Hyannisport area where we just happened upon the Kennedy compound. One would think we were tracking down former presidents.
Even if it isn't the real rock, what rock ever had a better shrine built over it?
We could have toured the boat and visited several other historical sites but afternoon often finds us tired and not so eager! But we were eager to get to Cape Cod.
