Massachusetts Coast Trip, Day 3 - Andey's Interstate Road Trips

I woke up at 5 AM and quietly ate a Clif Bar and some cereal before heading out. I took the Red Line then the Blue Line to Wood Island Station where I had a van from Enterprise Rent-A-Car pick me up. In a short time, I got a Toyota Yaris with an extra bottle of water and drove south out of the city. First, I stopped in Plymouth, where I saw the Mayflower II. Unfortunately, construction on a portico prevented me from seeing the nearby historic Plymouth Rock.

I felt sleepy so did my best to fight that with periodic breaks and a snack of Cape Cod chips. I took the scenic route 6A for a while then switched to route 6 in Dennis. Eventually, I arrived at the historic Penniman House to walk the outside of the ornate whaling captain's home, complete with a whale bone arch portal. I got back in the car and drove to the Salt Pond Visitor Center to get information and briefly look at the salt pond.

I continued my driving tour with a quick stop at Coast Guard Beach, where I saw an historic Coast Guard Station and people bodyboarding. Then, I moved onto Nauset Light Beach to look at the beach and nearby Nauset Light. At a stop along the road after that, I walked in a field around the remains of the Three Sisters Lights. Finished with the Eastham area, I headed north to Wellfleet and the exhbit and foundation remains of the Marconi Wireless Station.

After reading about the first trans-Atlantic wireless transmission by Marconi, I headed down to the nearby Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail. At the farthest part of the trail, I encountered an elevated boardwalk that led me through the swamps. I tried to take the longest path and ended up on the Old Wireless Road as I had hoped. It led me directly back to the car. I then drove north out of Wellfleet and into Truro.

I parked by the closed Highland House Museum and then walked over to the Highland Light, looking at it from the seaside before entering to climb the spiral steps to the top. A guy up top answered questions and some posted index cards attached to the windows provided brief notes. I saw Provincetown, a castle turret known as the Jenny Lind tower and the curve of the coastlines. Downstairs, I viewed a video about the massive move of the light away from the unstable cliff.

I felt hungry so ate a Clif Bar before arriving at Pilgrim Heights. When there, I did the short hike that gave me a view of dunes and led me to the first spring the Pilgrims encountered, still flowing. I drove west afterwards to the Provincelands Visitor Center to check out the view from its observation deck and look at park information. I continued to Race Point to walk on dunes and see the old Life-Saving Station. I stopped at one more beach before entering Provincetown.

Near the farthest tip of the cape, I found a plaque about the Pilgrims, then drove to Commercial Street to park and explore by foot. I saw many shops and a couple sclulptures. In a park below the Pilgrim Monument, I found a few bas reliefs about the Pilgrims, like an engraving of their Mayflower Compact. I walked up the hill and entered the Pilgrim Monument, climbing the steps to the top for a decent view despite the clouds and mist.

The tower closed soon after I descended but I had time to browse the small museum at the bottom about local history, seeing a model of the Mayflower, whaling artifacts and items from arctic expeditions led by town native Donald MacMillan. I walked back down to Commercial Street when done and leisurely made it to my car. For dinner, I stopped in Wellfleet to eat a clam strips platter at Moby Dick's Restaurant and then take a quick look at its gift shop next door.

As a precaution, I bought some fuel in Plymouth on my way back to Dorchester. I managed to find close parking to Linda and Rosa's place and went inside to relax. I tried a fruit popsicle and hung out with "So You Think You Can Dance" on the TV. I then took a shower and came back when Linda and Rosa watched their Netflix selection, "Gone Baby Gone," pointing out local landmarks they recognized. Having recently seen the film, I skipped the rest to go sleep.