A Long Drive for Lighthouses

Several of our neighbors here in the campground told us we had to go to Provincetown, at the tip of Massachusetts, to people watch. Unfortunately, they were looking at the openly alternative lifestyle of many of the citizens there as a freak show but I wanted to see this historic town and hit a couple of lighthouses on the way.

Taking US 6 and bypass 6A Denny and I headed north. We had to cross over a couple of very tall bridges and saw the Buzzards Bay Railroad Bridge in the distance. This bridge raises up to allow the passage of tall ships down the Cape Cod Canal. I loved the bit of whimsy on the part of the architect. Driving up 6A you get to see all the gray clapboard cottages and houses you could ever hope to see. After a while, I was hoping for a nice colorful painted lady or something along the Italianate line just as a change of pace. Nope, simply more gray clapboard. The homes are all charming and what I have enjoyed about this area is the propensity of the owners to use wildflowers and perennials in wild abandon in their front yards. The brilliant splashes of color make a wonderful contract to the muted towns of the homes' siding. Driving on twisting, narrow two lane roads did not allow for stopping and taking photographs, sadly.

Our first stop was along the Cape Cod beach where we discovered not only the Highland lighthouse but a nine hole golf course that wandered around the grounds of the lighthouse itself.
If you enlarge the photograph below and look closely at the lower left hand corner, you'll see the red flag of the green on this par 3 hole of the Highlands Links Golf Club in North Truro (yep, thought we were in Nova Scotia for a moment!)On the grounds with the lighthouse (which you can tour) is a small museum and an observation deck where you can look out over the ocean. You can't wander the bluff because of the danger of the land falling away; since the lighthouse was built on its ten acres of land many years ago, all but four acres has been lost to erosion. Me, I'd rather wander around than be confined by a 15x15 foot observation deck, but that was not to be.

Hopping back into the truck we continued north to Race Point beach where we decided to have our picnic lunch. The state of Massachusetts has lifeguards along the public beach area, there is a visitor center and one can buy an off road pass to park on the beach (see the upper right side of the picture for the line of RVs parked on the beach) and miles of biking/walking trails. Race Point is actually a part of the Cape Cod National Seashore, so there is a fee to get into the park (except for those who have one of the park passes such as the wonderful Golden Age Pass which has since been renamed to American the Beautiful-Senior Pass.)As you can see, you are literally on the beach here; it is a favorite spot for local fisherman to stay because just off this beach are some of the best fishing on the Cape, per our neighbors who fish commercially here.
The ranger told Denny and me that it would be a two mile walk in the very coarse sand of the beach at high tide (which meant I was sinking well into the wet sand at the tide line with each step) so we opted to drive to Herring Cove Beach where we could climb near the dunes and take a picture of the Race Point Lighthouse in the distance. While there, this three masted schooner (yeah, I SO sound like I know what I'm talking about!) was skimming by in the distance.
By now it was time to see Provincetown since we had a two hour drive to get back home. Provincetown is a huge tourist area and since whale watching tour season had just started as well as all the other activities the town holds on a daily basis it meant that we were unable to find a parking spot for our big, honking truck. I have to be honest here, we are not shoppers or store browsers or people gawkers, thus Provincetown was simply a too crowded tourist area to us. If we had a smaller car and had come during the middle of the week we probably would have found a museum or tow, climbed up the Pilgrim Monument and wandered the beach. Instead, we simply drove through the middle of town and on out. Unable to stop to take a photograph of the Pilgrim Monument in the center of town, I snagged this one from the 'net.Image via Wikipedia

On the way out of the Cape area we did miss the turn for the Nauset Lighthouse, which I regret, but it was time to head home and put our feet up for a while. It was another beautiful day in the neighborhood, and a great day of sightseeing.

Yet Another Lighthouse

A walk with the cat before 6AM and then Denny and I make a walking loop around the campground after breakfast. Yesterday morning we walked a little farther off the beaten path of the campground and discovered the river-like pond that sits at the rear of the grounds. We had been told we could find egrets and great blue herons and even the ospreys that nest on the nearby cell phone tower but all we saw was this little green frog.The day was going to be another muggy, scorching hot day but the Old Rochester Farmer's Market didn't open until 3PM so I thought maybe a trip to Ned's Point in Mattapoisett might be a tad cooler while we waited.Mattipoisett (supposed from the Wampanoag Indian word for "place of resting") was once a major whaling shipbuilding center and in fact one of the boat builders built the ship Acushnet which I have learned was the ship that Moby Dick author Hermann Melville sailed on. Denny and I didn't explore the town itself, but simply wandered the small park on Ned's Point where the lighthouse is located. The Ned's Point lighthouse is one of the smaller lighthouses in the area, standing only 39 feet tall. Originally built in 1838, the contractor cut corners and used shoddy materials but the little lighthouse was kept going by a staff of dedicated lightkeepers. The history of the lighthouse is interesting to those of us who enjoy the different character and architecture of the various lighthouses that dot the oceans and lakes of the U.S. The small city park itself is well used by the locals and although the "beach" is simply large boulders tumbling down to Buzzards Bay, the water itself is clear and shallow, perfect for wading and cooling your feet on a sultry day. Apparently during the summer months of July and August the lighthouse is opened to the public on Thursdays (and of course we were there on Tuesday.) There are a couple of picnic tables under some small trees, but the locals know to bring lawn chairs to enjoy the view.

The shallow waters are good for kayaking as these two ladies show. The gentleman in the right hand corner is actually lying on his stomach in the water about 30 feet from the rocks. Farther out, sailboats skittered across the bay in the slight breeze and the distant haze made them appear ghostly.
Our last stop was the Farmer's Market which was a disappointment in the size and number of booths as well as a distinct lack of farm produce. However we did manage to snag a couple of tomatoes and some corn to take home and turn them a yummy meal of BLTs and corn on the cob. Add to that Denny's famous cherry-rhubarb pie topped with a bit of French vanilla ice cream and we were in hog heaven.

Not such a bad way to brave the heat.

A Lighthouse and a Fort

Sunday was our final day in Maine so after breakfast at the Cupboard Cafe (huge sticky buns and cinnamon rolls that had people standing in line for a half hour) Denny and I explored a little bit of the area around Bristol, Maine. Our first stop was the Pemaquid Point lighthouse. Because yes, we like lighthouses.Originally built in 1827, something went wrong with the structure so it had to be rebuilt in 1835. The lightkeeper's house had the same problem but today both look as they did in the early 1800s. The Pemaquid lighthouse's lantern stands 48 feet above ground and 79 feet above sea level and has a range of 14 nautical miles. Because there is a lot of fog over the ocean, a bell tower was built in 1897 to house a hand operated fog bell. The fog bell was replaced the following year with a steam engine operated fog bell which also only lasted one year before being replaced with a Stevens striking machine which used lead weights to operate the bell, thus the need for the tall tower to house the weights. On foggy days, the lightkeeper would crank the weights to the top of the bell tower and the bell would toll at regular intervals for a period of six to eight hours while the weights slowly sank down, rather like the weights of a cuckoo clock.You will note that Denny does not like to have his picture taken.
But since I wanted to show the size of the magma flow in the granite rocks I took his picture more than once.
There is a tiny museum inside the lightkeepers house, as well as a small visitor center and an art gallery on the grounds. There is a $2 per person parking fee but there is no fee to enter the lighthouse, museum or visitor center although donations are accepted.

A mounted 28 pound lobster on display in the Fishermen's museum at the lighthouse.The lighthouse, the bell tower and bell tower building (and bell).
The Atlantic Ocean was very calm this Sunday morning.After enjoying the views and the fresh sea air Denny and I decided to stop at the Colonial Pemaquid State Historic Site in Bristol. The site was settled in the late 17th century and the Fort William Henry that has been partially reconstructed was the second fort built on the grounds. What you see today are part of the foundation of the fort plus the rebuilt bastion which now houses some interpretive displays and allows a nice view of John's Bay from the roof. The Fort House has a gift shop, some interpretive displays and a parlor furnished with periods pieces. Further down there is an early cemetery and the visitor center and museum. The cost for us to wander the grounds as non-Maine residents was $1/senior and $3/adult.Pemaquid was settled somewhere around 1625 and thus was one of the earliest of the English settlements. The people living here prospered due to the abundant fishing, the fur trade, timber and agriculture. However, the settlement had to be abandoned twice due to Colonial wars since there were no adequate defenses in place, which is why a fort was eventually built. The first fort, Fort Charles, was thought to be strong enough to defend against the French and any invading troops, but the Native Americans soon proved them wrong. Pemaquid was abandoned for the next three years. Fort William Henry was built in 1692 and was extraordinary in the sense that Massachusetts Governor Sir William Phips spent two thirds of the colony's budget to build it. Stone walls ten to twenty two feet high were constructed and the bastion was built to a height of twenty-nine feet. Thought to be impervious to attack by the Native American tribes, the engineers were wrong, because a poor quality mortar was used and the fort was destroyed in 1696 when Native Americans once more attacked the soldiers housed within. A third fort was built in 1729 but was decommissioned in 1759 and in 1775 the local residents voted to destroy the fort to keep it from being occupied by the British troops during the American Revolution.

When Denny and I were up on the roof of the bastion, we noticed this huge building across the bay and asked one of the rangers if it was a hotel. It turns out this is the summer cottage of a wealthy family who she declined to name. I have nothing to show the scale of this mansion, but suffice to say, it's huge.

This was a wonderful way to spend our final day in Maine.