to Cape Cod

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We are just back from a 9 day trip to Massachusetts, Cape Cod and Nantucket; we used a time - share week and invited old friends Ross and Brenda to share the 2 bedroom place with us. We have travelled together as far afield as Australia and New Zealand in the past - and they have spent time aboard Gust O'Wind with us as well. A shared love of seafood was evident again this week!

Every day threatened rain - but luckily it passed us by, until the last afternoon when the deluge that everyone else on the east coast was getting, caught up to us.

We took bicycles and had 3 good rides on Cape Cod trails.

A day trip to Nantucket Island, 30 miles off the coast by ferry, was a highlight. It has a long whaling history and the museum is ranked among the top ten "things to do" in the US.

A volunteer" gammed" (old seafaring term meaning to get caught up on the news) with us and told the story of the Essex - a whaling ship out of Nantucket that was sunk by a sperm whale in the Pacific - the 3 survivors drifted for 90 days and resorted to cannibalism before being rescued - the novel Moby Dick was based on their story.
House prices on Nantucket all seem to be in the $millions$ - - the rich newcomers are not appreciated by the locals (such as our tour bus driver) who have to pay the same inflated property taxes.

Easy side trips to Provincetown, Woods Hole and Plymouth gave us a good look at the Cape.
On the last day we enjoyed gamming with friends Ken & Heidi of "Rising Tide" - we shared several adventures with them as we moved Gust O'Wind south 2 years ago.

In less than 2 weeks we are off again - this time to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Australia - stay tuned!

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Photos

time share unit
a comfortable place to stay and a great location in Mashpee, MA. Close to all the Cape attractions

Provincetown
once a gathering place for gay couples it is a quaint town with lots of good restaurants - advertising itself as "the Key West of the Cape."

foggy day at the beach
this family must have been intent on a day at the beach - no matter what the weather was like.

National Seashore beach
these steps down made it much easier to access the beach - otherwise it was a scramble down a steep dropoff

biker
preparing to bike the Cape Cod Canal trail

Cape Cod Canal
the short cut avoids the dangerous shoals outside Cape Cod - we had a good 13 mile bike ride beside the canal

wall art
lobster trap floats - Woods Hole

for openers...
Ian was the designated oyster opener...there was no shortage of volunteers to eat them

before the swim...
we had seafood most nights - these local lobsters were a real treat

after the swim in the pot
delicious!

ferry to Nantucket
we opted to take the fast cat to Nantucket - we saved 3 hours travel time and enjoyed the quick ride

Nantucket
harbour light and entrance - in the 1800's it was the busiest whaling port in the world

mill
this is a working grist mill - the miller pushes the pole with the wheel to align the vanes into the wind

Whaling museum
worth the trip out to Nantucket all by itself - we attended 2 excellent presentations - this is the skeleton of a sperm whale and a typical whaling boat

scrimshaw
intricate etchings on sperm whale teeth, done by whalers in their spare time on a voyage that could last up to 5 years

fishermen's cottages
once owned by struggling fishermen - these "shacks" are now worth millions

Mayflower
not the original of course - this one probably has GPS

with Heidi
we visited with friends Ken & Heidi in Plymouth - we had met up with them several times during our sail down the east coast to the Keys 2 years ago

Pilgrim museum
this home has been converted into a museum containing many original furnishings and artifacts from the 17th - 19th centuries

Plymouth Rock
apart from the inscription it could be any old rock - luckily there was a lot more to see in Plymouth!

Comments

[LIN MUTIGER]

The Great Travelers
Hi There, sounds like you have been having lots of fun on your travels and indeed the pictures depict that. You have some great shots and hopefully you will do up one of your magnificent albums. Take care. Have a wonderful time in Australia if we dont see you before. LUV LIN AND RICK

[Connie&Andy Poste]

Great pictures
Ian and Marlene Thank you for the pictures they look great. Andy and I are in the Whitsundays Australia till the 28th of October. Great sailing area. Cheers and have a safe trip. Connie and Andy Poste