Home again

We had a surprisingly easy and uneventful drive home from Pennsylvania.  Avoiding Washington and Baltimore, we took I-81 most of the way---out of the way and adding some miles, but a pleasant drive.  The only traffic back-up we hit was about 5 miles from Ashland, our exit from I-95 just before getting home.  

What a great vacation!  We lucked out on the weather, as they were expecting rain several days in the coming week up in Cape Cod.  Here, there was no rain during our absence, so everything is very dry, but we expect to get some rain early in the week from Hurricane Nate.

Heading south again

Today we were on the road by 8:00, unusual for us.  However, we anticipated a long day of driving, with our destination a campground in Pennsylvania.

Today's drive was the same as last week's, but in reverse.  We took Route 6 westward along Cape Cod, connected with I-495 to the Mass Turnpike, and took that to I-84.  Then it was hours of driving along that highway, crossing the Hudson at Newburgh after a fairly uneventful drive across Connecticut.

In just one week's time, the leaves in the northeast have started turning.  All along, through Connecticut, New York, and Pennsylvania, there are brilliant reds, oranges, and golds.  

We have stopped for the night near Tobyhanna, PA, in the Poconos.  The campground is mostly seasonal campers, and this is the weekend of their big Halloween celebration, so there are tacky decorations at most of the sites, and it looks to be a big partying time for all.  So far, though, it's a quiet evening, our last in the RV for who-knows-when.  

A Day in Provincetown

After our usual slow start to the day, we headed out in late morning to explore Provincetown.

Our first stop was at Race Point Beach where we took Ranger for a walk.  He still is not thrilled about walking on the beach, particularly when there are people with scary fishing rods along the way.  But he lasted a bit longer than he had at Coast Guard Beach on Tuesday.

From there, we headed into town, which is an interesting place.  There are lots of shops, restaurants, and galleries, as well as a wharf from which whale-watching boats and ferries leave.

We had an excellent lunch at a local restaurant, both of us finding our fish really delicious.  We returned to the campground for an afternoon of relaxation before beginning to pack things up for our return home.  I could stay much longer....but it has been a great week on Cape Cod.  

Day 2 on Cape Cod: Hyannis and Chatham

The weather continued to be cool and sunny today, but with stronger winds.  We decided to explore a couple of the towns south of the campground, starting with Hyannis.

Hyannis has little houses near the water that are used by artists to sell their work.

The harbor was a busy place with charter boats, whale-watching boats, and ferries to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.

Downtown Hyannis has many shops, as well as the JFK Museum.

From there, we followed Route 128 along the coast to the town of Chatham, where we picked up some groceries and made a stop at the Chatham fishing pier, where commercial fishermen bring in the day's catch.  Gulls and seals were on hand in case anything happened to be dropped their way.

Dan is enjoying all the beautiful work boats in this area.

In late afternoon, we headed out for some cycling on the Cape Cod Rails Trail again, going northward.  We didn't make it to Wellfleet, given the late hour, but it was a pleasant ride anyway.  

A day at Cape Cod

After a late breakfast, we went to the visitor's center for Cape Cod National Seashore to check on where  we were allowed to walk with the dog.  Any of the beaches, we were told.  So we went to Coast Guard Beach and walked along it, though Ranger did not seem to enjoy the noise of the surf and the soft sand.

From there, we drove a few miles north to the Nauset Lighthouse, which is the one shown on the package of Cape Cod Potato Chips.

We returned to the campground for some lunch and relaxation.  In mid-afternoon, we headed out on the Cape Cod Rails Trail, southboard, and after a little over four miles of cycling we were in the town of Orleans.  Dan replaced his bike mirror which had broken, and we walked around a bit before heading back to the RV.

Dinner was leftovers, followed by another campfire.  With temperatures in the mid-60's in the afternoon, falling to about 50 at night, it's perfect for enjoying the warmth of a fire.  

Arrival at Atlantic Oaks RV Park, Eastham, MA

Monday was a very good day.

Partly because of what did NOT happen:

1. We did not have to have the RV towed into a repair shop when it did not start up at the time we were ready to leave.  Dan found a loose connection to the battery.  I believe that he can fix anything mechanical or electrical.
2. We did not have our RV go up in flames along Interstate 495, as did one we passed along our route.  Actually it was just the van that was pulling the camping trailer.  How they managed to get the trailer unhitched from the burning van and a safe distance away was a mystery.  
3. I did not permanently lose the spare Honda key.  After about a half hour of hunting everywhere, in every pocket, all over the car and RV, I retraced my steps from the earlier dog walk and found the key at the spot where I bent over to pick up after Ranger.  Sigh.

And what DID happen was that we got settled into Atlantic Oaks RV Park along Route 6 in Eastham.  And we went from the tall hemlocks of Boston Minuteman Campground....

 

to the scrubby oaks, sandy soil, and fall flowers of Cape Cod.

This campground is very nice.  It is located right along the rails-to-trails bike path that runs for twenty-some miles, so we could get into either Orleans or Wellfleet without going out on busy Route 6, which is busy even at this time of year.  The campground is run by the daughter of its founder, with its "sister campground" run by his son and family.  The campstore is well-stocked, the person at the desk was helpful in providing maps and suggestions of things to do, and our site is spacious and flat.

Ranger definitely had a good day, in that it began at the dog play area at Minuteman CG:

and ended at the dog play area at Atlantic Oaks.

For Ranger's people, the day ended with a campfire, which felt good with temperatures in the 50's (at that time of day).  So far, it's been in mid-60's during the day and 40's at night.  It is definitely fall in New England!

Visiting Eugene, Part 2

I had good intentions of taking some photos today, but I never got around to pulling out my camera.

We stopped at Sean's in Arlington around noon to pick up the family cradle which Sean had stored since Philip's birth.  It was tricky to get it into the back of the SUV but we managed.

Then on to Gene's for another afternoon of eating, drinking, telling stories, and so forth.  Philip continued to be Ranger's best friend, taking him out on the beach three times for walks (really runs).  Unlike yesterday, it was warm and sunny today, so my turn at beach-walking with the dog was very pleasant.

Gene again outdid himself with cooking: Pasta with tomato sauce and sausage, salad, bread, and lemon meringue pie for dessert.  

Today, Gretchen was able to spend time with us, as well---good to catch up on news of her parents and so forth.

We are back in our cozy RV now, relaxing in preparation for packing-up and heading out to Cape Cod tomorrow.  Hoping for somewhat warmer temperatures for the early morning dogwalk--- for today's walk at 7 am it was 40 degrees!