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Thursday, July 31, 2008

Cape Cod

Kristi and I had this idea that we would drive to the “Cape” and spend the day. We did minimal research (actually I did very little other than look at a map once or twice and Kristi spent some good time on the net researching places to stop). The Good Morning America weather report mentioned it was a great day to spend on the Cape…so off we go.

The first stop was Plymouth. We found a public beach and let the kids swim and play. It was a stark contrast for me (being used to Gulf Shore beaches) with the rocks. The water was cold, but the kids still had a great time. We then drove into Plymouth for some sights. We had a picnic lunch just a few feet from “The Rock.” The actual Plymouth Rock is kind of a letdown. I agree with a guy I overheard as I scrambled on some rocks to get a better view of it, “It was much bigger in the cartoon when I was growing up.” They are doing some work on the structure around it so it is kind of tough to see, but it’s just a big rock about the size of a small bench.

We were able to see multiple lighthouses during the day as we made our way farther down the cape. We also made it to three separate beaches. We only swam once, but the kids put their feet in all three times. Baby Lucy was a trooper and was in good spirits all day. She eventually wore out and was cranky for the drive home, but overall she had a good time all day. We turned back after seeing the Highland Light (some call it the Cape Cod Lighthouse) – the tallest Light on the Cape. We had a wonderful time and noted some places we’d like to come back and explore some more.

We were successful in a couple of geo-caches, both were types that did not have treasure. That kind of disappointed the kids, but it made the adults happy – no fighting over silly happy-meal toys (one pictured here is the largest boulder left by glacial activity in Massachusetts—Doane Rock).

One of the more funny moments for me happened when we were walking back to the car from beach #3 (Coast Guard Beach near Eastham). We had quite a hike in front of us and Kristi knew the kids would be difficult. She offered cash money to any kid who completed the march without complaining. About 1/3 of the way back, Cory asks, “Mom (he screamed Mom 10-15 times before he spit out his question, but I won’t type them all), is whining the same as complaining?” I was very impressed at his logic, but still laughed that he was quizzing us about the difference between whining and complaining. It turns out all 4 kids were winners in the Cash Prize. Even Lucy somehow made it back without complaint (although she was carried most of the way).



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