Cape Cod National Seashore

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Cape Cod National Seashore consists of forty miles of sandy beach, marshes, ponds and uplands supporting a wide variety of species. 

The views are spectacular including lighthouses, cultural landscapes and historic buildings, wild cranberry bogs and beaches for swimming. Not a swimmer, no problem there are walking and biking trails to be explored.

I lived north of Boston for so long that I didn’t begin to explore the wonders of the Cape until recent years. Even now I still have to remind myself that it’s just a short jaunt for me even with the summer  traffic. One of the rangers said he likes to tell people it’s only two hours from the heart of downtown Boston. My response…depending on traffic.

The Cape Cod National Seashore has 2 Visitor Centers. I am most familiar with the one in Eastham known as the  Salt Pond Visitor Center. It’s right off RT 6 so you really can’t miss it. This was the Visitor Center I stopped at where the ranger told me about the whales. But I have been to this one several times before. I have enjoyed the movie they offer and walked most of their trails. There is still one “spur” trail that I haven’t covered yet. I am going to have to make a point of it this summer.

At the tip of the Cape in Provincetown you will find the Province Lands Visitor Center. This center has an awesome elevated deck with ocean views. I was there once last summer with my friend JR. That was a great day.

But back to the Salt Marsh Vistior center in Eastham, the Buttonwood Trail is a short, easy walk with a boardwalk over a pond.This time of year you can’t even see the pond  because of all the Buttonwood plants growing in it. I’ve seen a lot of red wing blackbirds and ducks there.

The Nauset Marsh Trail is a bit longer but still an easy hike. That trail runs alongside a pond  until it reaches the marsh. At that point a wooden bridge leads you over the marsh.

On my most recent visit the pond was filled with white swans. I bet there was a dozen or more. As I crossed the little bridge near the pond I also spotted a little rabbit. He was hiding in the shade under the bridge. I stayed very still and pretty soon he popped back out again.

Crossing the marsh bridge the sky was beginning to cloud up and the air was getting heavy and humid. The birds seemed to sense a storm coming so there weren’t too many flying. I have watched hawks hunting and loads of other little birds flying around when I’ve walked this path before but today it was quiet.

Once you cross the bridge the trail climbs through the woods before leveling out again and opening up to overlook the marsh and the ocean in the distance. I didn’t complete the walk today but I have walked it many  times in the past.

Those are just 2 of the many trails that wind through the National Seashore. I believe there are 12 “self-guided” trails that are open year round. Buttonbush and Nauset Marsh that I just mentioned; Fort Hill, Red Maple Swamp and Doane trails are all in Eastham.

In Wellfleet which is farther south heading toward the lower cape you can walk the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp and Great Island Trails.

In the Truro- Pamet Area you’ll find Bearberry Hill Overlook, Small’s Swamp, Highlands Woods Walk, and Pilgrim Spring trails.

Not to be left out is Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod. Here you’ll find the Beech Forest Trail.

This year is special for the Seashore because Cape Cod National Seashore’s 50th anniversary celebration is underway. There will be special programs along with commemorative items at the park bookstores and visitor centers. The special logo was designed by Eastham’s own Joe Fish a 2010 graduate of Nauset Regional High School.

I love the cape..not just the National Seashore but the whole area. There’s always something new to discover. I am really hoping to get to try some of the bike trails as well as more hiking trails before the season ends. There just never seems to be enough time.

From swimming and sunbathing to fishing and whaling, clams and cranberries, artists colonies and galleries, Pilgrims and Native Americans, glass blowing and jam making, even a great white shark or two looking for a quick-lunch on the seals off Monomoy Island there’s certainly something for everyone to do and see.

Just watch out for traffic jams in the summer months! I’m sure I’ll be making many more visits here and will share all my experiences with you.

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A Little Red, White & Blue Trivia

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Now that we’ve all recovered from the July 4th celebrations, I thought it might be fun to see how much we really know about our country’s birthday.

See how you do on this “Red, White and Blue” Trivia Test.

1. What is the first word of the Declaration of Independence?

  • a. A
  • 2. When
  • 3. These

2. How many people lived in the US  in 1776?

  • a. 250,000
  • b. 2.5 Million
  • c. 3 Billion
  • d. 50 Million

3. Who was the oldest person to sign the Declaration of Independence?

  • a. John Hancock
  • b. John Adams
  • c. Benjamin Franklin
  • d. George Washington

4. Which President was born in Independence Day?

  • a. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
  • b. Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • c. Calvin Coolidge
  • d. Abraham Lincoln

5. How Many American Flags are flown at the Washington Monument?

  • a. 9
  • b. 4
  • c. 50
  • d. 13

6. How many stars are on the American Flag.

  • a. 48
  • b. 52
  • c. 50
  • d. 49

7. Who was the first president to reside in the White House.

  • a.  John Adams
  • b. George Washington
  • c. Benjamin Franklin
  • d. Thomas Jefferson

8. How many U.S. town names contain the word Eagle?

  • a. 9
  • b. 35
  • c. 4
  • d. 12

9.  Which of the following is another term used to describe the White House.

  • a. Presidential Quarters
  • b. Executive Mansion
  • c. Oval Office
  • c. Commander and Chief’s estate

10. In what publication was the Pledge of Allegiance first published?

  • a. The Washington Post
  • b. The Youth’s Companion
  • c. The Bill Of Rights
  • d. The Constitution

11. What bird did Benjamin Franklin want to be the symbol of the United States?

  • a. Turkey
  • b. Red-tailed Hawk
  • c. Dove
  • d. Bald Eagle

12. Which President mandated that the “Star Spangled Banner” be played publically?

  • a. Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • b. Harry S. Truman
  • c. Woodrow Wilson
  • d. Herbert Hoover

13. Which country is known as being the birthplace of fireworks?

  • a. China
  • b. United States
  • c. Australia
  • d. France

14.  Uncle Sam is based on a real person..True or False?

15. The Words “Under God” were part of the original Pledge of Allegiance…True or False?

Answers:

1. b

2.B

3. c

4. c

5.c

6. c

7. a

8. b

9. b

10. b

11. a

12. c

13. a

14. True

15.  False

Trivia questions and answers from Xfinity News.

Happy 4th Of July!

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The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.
 

Those words were written by John Adams  to his wife Abigail. He can be forgiven for missing the date by 2 days because July 2nd was the day the Continental Congress passed the resolution of independence. The Declaration of Independence was the document written to explain the decision. The terms and wording of the Declaration were debated and revised for 2 days before finally being ratified on July 4, 1776.

                   Happy Birthday America!

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Editor in Chief

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Good morning

Editor in Chief Rocky here to give you an update on today’s post. It will be delayed. In fact postponed might be a better way of describing it. Dusty is working on a post about the Cape Cod National Seashore but she’s been working on it for ages and she still hasn’t got it ready. With her work schedule she just hasn’t been able to prepare anything for today.

I have given her a deadline so maybe she will have a post ready for Monday. Now that gets a bit complicated because Monday is the 4th of July, Independence day and she is working!

In fact the next week looks very rough. Scout might have something in the works but I’m not sure. He ran off to visit with his distant relatives at the Franklin Park Zoo. So we’ll have to ask him when he gets back.

Wednesday Dusty’s car is back in the shop. Vapor line this time and Thursday Dusty will be back to work at the job that actually pays the bills around here. So it looks like the only day for rounding up interesting tidbits will be Tuesday. I think you can see that we may not make our publishing deadlines this week.

I do want to assure you that the whole staff, Dusty, Scout and of course, Me your Editor are dedicated to keeping a regular schedule of posts so we will persevere and hopefully won’t be too unreliable this week. Your patience is appreciated.

Thank you

Rocky

Editor in Chief

Franklin Park Zoo the finale

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When we left our heroine, she was..oh sorry wrong story.

I believe I had just recognized the other entrance as the one that I had taken the first time I explored the Franklin Park Zoo. Since I had arrived from the right side I followed the path to the left to circle back around to the start at the Zebra entrance. This took me by the hyenas enclosure but I didn’t see any. It was getting very warm and a little humid so maybe they were sleeping. I moved on.

Next up was a Baird’s tapir. This was larger than I expected. I guess since they are related I was expecting something more along the size of the little javalina’s like I saw in Arizona back in ’08. This was much bigger than that! It was just patrolling the perimeter fence.

At the top of the hill was another snack bar area but it was closed. Seems to me it was closed when I last visited too.

Turning the corner I passed the camels in the same place I remembered them from before.

A bit farther on was the lion enclosure.

 I searched around that exhibit for quite a while before I finally spotted “Christopher”, the African Lion. He was stretched out in the shade in a corner of his enclosure. I wanted to get a picture but the only angle was through the glass window and there were loads of other Zoo Visitors in the way. I commented that he was alone and one of the other visitors said that a couple of years ago they introduced a female lion and he killed it. Then they had another male lion in there for a while. No one seemed to know what happened with that but Christopher was back being alone and that’s the way he seems to like it.

Around the corner from the Lion’s Den was the tiger enclosure. These big cats were also hiding in the shady areas out of camera range. I spotted 2, one was a white tiger and the other was an orange cat. The only reason I saw the white tiger was because his huge tail kept flipping up and back down almost like it was in rhythm. The rest of him was hidden in the underbrush.

And then I was back at the Carousel with the giraffe on my right and the Serengeti Crossing on my left. Somehow I missed the gorillas, the lemurs and the new  Giant Anteater Exhibit. The zoo was closing at 5pm and rush hour was well underway so I felt that it was more prudent to wrap up for the day than to go looking for the missed exhibits. After all, I can always come back for another visit.

I had a great time anyway. I really loved the Aussie Aviary with the Budgies aka parakeets. I could spend my whole day there.