Nantucket: It Truly is a State of Mind

Recently, I took advantage of a special FAM trip to Nantucket sponsored by the Steamship Authority, which offers fast ferry service to the island. The day dawned bright and sunny, but unseasonably cool for spring on Cape Cod and with the threat of afternoon showers. Undaunted, I grabbed my windbreaker and headed down Route 6A, the Old King’s Highway, to pick up my friends Helen and Mary for our date with the 11:00 AM fast ferry.

Nantucket, many say, is a state of mind, and having lived there briefly between college graduation and my first teaching position many years ago, I must concur. There is something about the light, the rustle of leaves against the cobblestones, and the wind that whips the sails in the boat basin that envelopes your soul in a dreamlike reverie. It haunts you when you leave and embraces you when you return, as you undoubtedly will after your first visit.

The name, of Native American origin, means faraway island, and so it is, yet still readily accessible, so that even a daytrip is worthwhile. The trip from Hyannis is a little more than an hour by high-speed ferry and only 15 minutes by air. I particularly enjoy arriving by ferry and seeing the whole town come into view as the vessel rounds the lighthouse at Brant Point and enters the harbor. At approximately 3.5 miles deep and 14 miles wide, the island is smaller than Martha’s Vineyard and just a bit larger than Manhattan. More than 12,000 acres (almost 40 percent of the island) are protected from development, which is a fact that is much appreciated by the nearly 7,000 year-round inhabitants. When the “summer folk” arrive after Memorial Day the population swells to more than 50,000.

It was smooth sailing across the Atlantic to Nantucket Town, where we were greeted by Chester Barrett, a native islander with a gift for gab. Chester is a septuagenarian character with a New England twang and a fondness for his ancestral home that is infectious. He took us around the island in his comfortable 30-passenger tour bus and regaled us with humorous anecdotes about windmills, cranberry bogs, and whaling captains in a delightful 90-minute circumnavigation of the “Gray Lady”, Nantucket’s nickname.

After our tour, we walked the cobbled streets of downtown Nantucket, admiring the storefronts and serene nature of this fabled island situated just 30 miles offshore. A few hardy local proprietors were readying their shops in anticipation of the hustle bustle that the upcoming “season” will bring.

Nantucket is the only place in the United States that is a town, a county, and an island, and in its entirety, both a State Historic District and a National Historic Landmark. It is a place where nearly half the land is held in conservation, and there are no stoplights, shopping malls, or fast-food franchises. Instead, there are cobblestoned streets and brick

walkways where locals stop to chat and everyone seems to know your name. It doesn’t take long to feel at home here.

Sadly, our day came to an end much as it began, with a trip aboard the MV Iyanough.  But, I am hopeful as the ferry rounds Brant Point on the return to “America”, as Chester referred to the land across the sound. Hopeful that the daffodils waving their lovely heads signal the advent of spring; that the contentment I feel from a day well spent will endure; and that Nantucket will be waiting for me whenever I am able to return.

Girls Just Gotta Go

Six girlfriend-getaway spots perfect for decompression, relaxation, chatting, and good food & wine.

For more information and to book , visit:AAA.com/Travel

Cape Cod Cranberries

As we rounded the corner on our favorite route back from Sesuit Harbor in Dennis this fall, Rich and I happened upon a cranberry bog in full harvest. It was one of those rare October days when the sky is impossibly blue, the sun warm, and the primary colors of summer softly waning autumnal. There in the midst of the bog the thrashers were churning slowly back and forth shaking the berries loose. Floating gently on the surface of the water, the fruit glistened in the bright sunshine. A brisk wind guided them slowly towards the edge of the bog. Armed with his brand new SLR camera, Rich felt as if he had hit the motherload of photo ops.

We spent over an hour watching the harvest, talking with the farmers, and taking pictures knowing that our guests would be interested in learning as much as we could share with them about the humble cranberry. So, here in a nutshell, is our newfound wealth of knowledge about Cape Cod cranberries and harvesting.

Famous for its tartness and beautiful color, the cranberry is an essential part of Thanksgiving, as well as Cape Cod’s namesake cocktail. Cranberries are big business here on Cape Cod as well as many parts of southeastern Massachusetts. The cranberry industry in Massachusetts does about $200 million in revenue annually and employs 5,600 people. One tenth of the cranberries grown in the state are grown here on Cape Cod. The world-famous Ocean Spray factory is located in Plymouth and has tours for the public.

Native Americans living on the cool, northern areas of North America showed early settlers how to pick the ibimi (their word) which grew wild in bogs. The settlers called them “Crane-berries” because their blossoms resembled the heads of cranes, and the berries were a valuable source of vitamin C, used by sailors to prevent scurvy The tart-tasting cranberry rendered the drab, gamey diet of colonial people palatable in the winter months.

Because cranberries require constant moisture, a bog, which is a spongy, low lying wetland that holds water and is full of ancient decayed vegetation, makes a fertile and moist natural habitat for cranberries. Water draining from adjoining ponds and lakes provides protection against frost for the young vines, which begin their annual cycle in early spring.

Today, commercial growers create bogs from appropriate areas by scraping off top brush, replacing it with sand, and planting young vines. The cranberries are ripe for harvest September through October. There are two ways to harvest cranberries: dry and wet. In a dry harvest, a machine that also trims the plants is rolled along the bogs, collecting berries, which are stored in large crates Then a helicopter lifts the crates off the bogs so as not to damage next year’s buds, which are already forming.

In a wet harvest, the bogs are flooded. A wide-tired machine called a water reel moves through the bog and beats the water, knocking the berries off the vines. Then, workers assemble miles of yellow tubing, called a boom, that corrals the berries into a conveyer belt .

While on your visit here, try some of the many products made with cranberries and/or observe a cranberry harvest. The Cranberry Harvest Festival in Harwich, usually held in mid-September, is a week-long celebration of this humble but tasty fruit, including food booths, music, crafts, a pancake breakfast, and fireworks. Here at the high Pointe Inn we serve Cranberry Vanilla jam made by the Chatham Jam and Jelly Shop in season. It is perfect with Rich’s homemade popovers and biscuits.

Fascinating Factoids

•    Each acre of planted cranberries, in accordance with Massachusetts law, must be surrounded by four acres of wetlands.
•    The variety grown by most growers on the Cape is early black, which although is it the most costly and difficult variety to grow, provides a rich, dark color to the juice.
•    Cranberries are also grown in Washington, Oregon, Wisconsin, and New Jersey.

Cocktails by the Cape Cod Canal

Often during the summer months, Rich and I will pack our folding beach chairs into the car, fill a cooler with drinks and hors d’ouevres, grab the dog and head for the Cape Cod Canal for what we like to call “Cocktails by the Canal”. It’s a great way to wind down after a busy day at the inn. Positioned on the grass near the Cape Cod Canal Visitors Center, we set up our chairs, pour our cocktails, and settle back for an hour or two of “canal watching”. Rich spends his time watching the fisherman cast for stripers or hauling lobster traps up from the side of the canal. I like to scan the horizon for the next approaching yacht, dreaming of the day when it will me onboard swirling my martini and eating canapes. Casey just likes to sniff whatever and wherever she can. It’s a true family outing.

Many of our guests are intrigued by this modern marvel and often ask us questions about its history. Here, in my humble opinion, is the best article written about the canal and its history *:

“When William Bradford and Myles Standish were exploring the area around Plymouth in 1626, they discovered that two rivers, the Manomet on Buzzards Bay and the Scusset on Cape Cod Bay, were separated by only a short distance of land. The Pilgrims realized the advantages to trade and transportation of digging a canal that would connect the two bodies of water; however, the idea was not acted upon. In 1776 General George Washington, hoping to avoid a British blockade and to enhance security, sent an engineer to conduct the first feasibility study of the area, but still no canal was constructed.

Well into the late 1800s, attempts to organize this mammoth construction project continued to be thwarted until 1904, when New York financier Augustus Belmont considered the project. He purchased the Boston, Cape Cod and New York Canal Company. By July 1907 his newly formed Cape Cod Construction Company moved its first shovelful of dirt, and digging was underway. Over the next seven years the men and machinery removed earth. In 1912 two large dredges began digging toward each other from Bourne and Sandwich.

Workers completed the Buzzards Bay Railroad Bridge in September, 1910, and finished the two vehicle bridges within the next two years. The finished canal became the world’s widest sea-level canal at 480 feet across. It was 17.4 miles long and 34 feet deep. On July 29, 1914, exactly seven years to the day since work first began, the Cape Cod Canal officially opened, heralded by a parade of ships and boats, among them Augustus Belmont’s private 80-foot yacht and the U.S. Navy destroyer McDougall, which carried Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The Cape Cod Canal beat the opening of the Panama Canal by 17 days.

In 1915, canal traffic numbered more than 2,600 vessels, but it never achieved the volume of traffic that Belmont had hoped for. When a German submarine attacked and sank the Perth Amboy off Nauset Beach in Orleans, President Woodrow Wilson ordered a readily compliant Belmont to permit the government to operate the canal. Eventually, Belmont sold the canal to the American government for $11.5 million, and the Army Corps of Engineers took charge of its operation and maintenance. Although the canal was technically a success, it never brought the commercial prosperity to Upper Cape towns that its planners anticipated.

During the Great Depression, the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 provided $4.6 million to build the present three bridges, employing some 700 workers for two years. These modern bridges were completed in 1935. The Bourne and Sagamore Bridges, with a span of 616 feet, became among the longest continuous truss bridges in North America. The railroad bridge, at 544 feet, remains the third longest vertical lift drawbridge on the continent. You can admire the workmanship of the bridges from the 7-mile paved service road that lines both sides of the canal.

If you are taking a boat through the Cape Cod Canal, you’ll move along at a good clip in the direction of the tide but seem to be fighting an uphill battle when you go against it. One reason for this is that Cape Cod Bay waters are about 5 feet higher than Buzzards Bay waters, so a tremendous current is created as they merge and flow through the narrow passageway. Average high tide waters move through the canal at 4 to 5 mph per hour. When high tides are accentuated by a full moon or other conditions, the water’s speed can reach more than 7 miles an hour.”

You can learn more about the history of the canal at the Canal Visitors Center where you’ll find a 46-seat theater showing continuous presentations on canal history, flora and fauna. You’ll also find interactive monitors, as well as displays of maritime artifacts, historic photos and a retired 41-foot US Army Corps of Engineers patrol boat. Throughout the summer, park rangers offer guided walks, “bike hikes” and evening campfire programs. Check with the Visitors Center for scheduled events. The visitors Center is located just off Tupper Road in Sandwich; telephone 508-833-9678.

When we’re not enjoying cocktails by the canal, we take our bikes to ride the level seven-mile service roads on either side of it. Great for biking, walking, jogging, and rollerblading, the service roads are maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers. Benches along the service roads invite visitors to sit and watch some of the 20,000 vessels that pass through the canal annually.

* Reprinted with permission from Inside Cape Cod.

Off-the Beaten Path: The Backroads and Breadmakers of Cape Cod

For a real taste of Cape Cod the average visitor will need some Innsider Innformation. It’s not just all sand dunes and salty air on this remote sand spit that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. Cape Codders are hardy stock, hardscrabble folks who have learned how to eek out a paycheck using all sorts of local resources and creative enterprise. Cape Cod is populated with artists, writers, and entrepreneurs of all ilks. You’ll find organic farmers, natural soap makers, herbalists, brewers, wine makers, bread bakers, chocolatiers, jewelry makers, and folks who do all sorts of things with cranberries. Many of these creative and enterprising people have achieved success locally and regionally with their products, and in some cases, nationally. If you want to sample the real Cape Cod, seek out products that are made here. Some of our favorites include:

Cape Cod Potato Chips: Made in Hyannis, but known world wide, and deservedly so; they are Rich’s favorite chips. Offering free tours of the Cape Cod Potato Chip factory on Breed’s Hill Road between 9 AM and 5 PM daily, Monday through Friday. You may also call them at (508) 775-3358 or look them up on the web at www.capecodchips.com

Barnstable Bat Company: Makers of the bat used by the Cape Cod Baseball League as well as some major league teams. Made of white northern ash, the bats bear the Cape Cod logo and start at around $40 for an adult bat and $30 for a youth bat. For $5 more you can get it personalized. The company opened in 1992 and is located at 40 Pleasant Pines Avenue in Centerville. The showroom is open Monday through Friday and some weekends in summer. Telephone (508) 362-8046 to request a brochure. You can also visit  their website at www.barnstablebat.com.

Cape Cod Metal Polishing Cloths: Famous the world over, these cleaning clothes were developed by an antique brass restorer living in Dennis, MA. The clothes are packaged in a distinctive tin and sold nationwide, and in Canada and Europe. For more information and store locations, call (508) 385-5099 or check them out at www.capecodpolish.com. Most hardware stores the Cape carry them.

Cape Cod Lavender Farm: Follow the signs from 124 in Harwich to a little oasis down a long windy dirt drive for an olfactory adventure you won’t soon forget. Here on this family-run lavender farm, are handmade soaps, oils, lotions and candles, all scented with lavender grown on the premises. If you can’t get there, call (508) 432-8397 for a brochure; or order online at www.capecodlavenderfarm.com.

Arts & Artisans Trails

In 2006, the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Economic Development Council, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and several others, released the first printing of the Arts & Artisans Trails, a guidebook featuring over 200 of the region’s finest artists located along seven defined itineraries that crisscross the byways and backroads of Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket.

The seven itineraries contained in the guide feature drives and walks to almost 200 stops.

Rough maps guide you around each trail, with starting points and a route that seemed logical to the editors. The first five trails are on Cape Cod, and a good map of Cape Cod is a handy thing to have with you, as are maps for both islands. The seven trails are identified by location and include:

Shining Sea Trail – Upper Cape

Old King‘s Highway Trail – Mid Cape

String of Ports Trail -Lower Cape

Sea Captain‘s Trail – Lower Cape

Great Dunes Trail – Outer Cape

Grey Lady Trail -Nantucket

Moshup‘s Trail – Martha’s Vineyard

Some of the artists can be accessed from bike trails and via shuttles in the summer. Walks to galleries in the harbor towns make a nice day trip. In the quiet seasons (November to April) it’s easy to drive the routes. Most stops are on or near major roads, and many of the artists open their studios year-round. Artists with regular hours all year are noted in the book. Others are open by appointment, which is also noted. If you visit in the winter, be aware that some sole proprietors take vacation in the slow season, and it would be wise to call ahead to check their hours.

We keep a copy of the Arts & Artisans Trails Guidebook in each guest room for your use while you are here. Or, you can purchase the guidebook from our Inn’s gift shop, at local bookstores on the Cape and Islands; at the Cape Cod Chamber Visitor Center, located at the junction of Routes 6 and 132 in Hyannis; or online at http://www.capecodchamber.org/store/Product.asp?pid=26.

Cape Cod Lighthouses

A couple of weeks ago, Rich and I headed down Cape to Truro, an area we have not yet explored in depth. It was a rare day for us in the summer– – no guests checking in that day and our already-checked-in guests all off early for a day of exploring on their own. We looked at each other after breakfast cleanup and simultaneously shouted “Road Trip!”

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Won’t You Let Me Take You on A Seal Cruise?

On one of our frequent “jump in the car and see where it takes you” adventures, Rich and I discovered the Monomy National Wildlife Refuge, a division of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in Chatham. Around the corner from the Coast Guard Station, off Morris Island Road, we followed the signs for the Rip Ryder Monomoy Island Ferry. Pulling into the lot, we tucked the Miata into a parking spot and headed towards sign holding a large map of the area. It was here that we were first introduced to Captain Keith Lincoln and his crew, who operate the Rip Ryder IV, a 32 foot, twin-engine vessel that takes passengers to North and South Monomoy Islands on fishing excursions, lighthouse adventures, and our favorite, the seal cruise.

Rich, or Chatty Cathy as some of us like to refer to him, struck up a conversation with a gentleman in the parking lot selling tickets and handing out brochures for the Rip Ryder. He and his wife (we assume) man their mini-van from 8AM to 5PM daily offering a variety of trips and tours, including beach, birding, and fishing shuttles to South Beach; day trips to the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge and the historic Monomoy Lighthouse; sea duck tours in the fall; and the ever-popular seal cruise, which is the subject of this missive.

Apparently Cape Cod is a great spot to see seals, although until this encounter we were unaware of that fact. What we did discover is this: the two species of seal predominantly found along the Cape and islands’ shorelines are the harbor and grey seal. According to our informant, there are as many as 3,000 to 5,000 seals inhabiting the waters of Cape Cod year-round, but, according to him the best time to spot them is November through April.

For some reason Chatham seems to be a popular spot for these seals, especially along South Monomoy Island. Our guests have also spotted them in nearby North Beach, Tern Island, and Aunt Lydia’s Cove (which is across from the Chatham Fish Pier). They have also been know to sun themselves on the beaches in Wellfleet, Provincetown, and Woods Hole, and many of our guests have photos to prove it.

The seals begin to arrive in the waters off Cape Cod generally between September and October. The breeding season, especially for grey seals, runs from late September through early March. During this time, the pups are born on the barrier beaches or the shores of the Monomoy Islands. Most experts agree that the best time to view seals is at low tide. As the tide goes out and the sandbars are exposed, the seals hoist themselves up on the sand bars to conserve energy and soak up the heat from the sun.

Of course, if you’re not interested in spending your day sunning next to a seal, a seal cruise is your best bet. The Rip Ryder offers 90-minute tours along the west side of the Monomoy Islands with a trained naturalist onboard to offer educational information and spot the seals for you. Although they appear as bobbing heads in the surf at a distance, up close they will treat you to a cacophony of  barking and chattering as they frolic in the in sea.

Of course, if a seal cruise doesn’t interest you, you can always do what we do at the wildlife refuge. Start by packing a picnic and a couple of beach chairs (you may have to have a vehicle larger than my Miata to comfortably transport these items). Find a good parking spot in the lot, walk the nature trail along the top of the cliffs, stopping at the frequent overlooks for spectacular views of the ocean, then mosey down a set of wooden stairs to the beach below. At the bottom, take off your shoes, stroll down the beach a bit away from the stairs (which is the launching spot for the shuttle), park your chair at the edge of the water and watch the parade of boats, birds, and sea life until the sun sets (or the tide comes in, or you get hungry or thirsty and the picnic basket is empty, or nature calls). At any rate, its a helluva great way to spend the day.

Shopping in Cape Cod – Shop Treasures

When Rich and I lived in North Conway, one of the major outlet shopping Meccas in New England, it was not unusual for guests at our inn to plan a whole weekend around shopping. This was especially true in the weeks just prior to Christmas, when hoards of folks would take advantage of tax-free shopping at literally hundreds of outlets that lined the narrow strip of Route 16 in the White Mountains. We also noticed an influx of Canadian visitors at all times of the year, coming across the border to load up on what they perceived as bargains compared to the economic situation they found at home. It was not unusual for our guests from Canada to arrive with multiple suitcases, mostly empty in anticipation of filling them with all sorts of great deals for the return trip home. Upon their departure, we would find dozens of discarded shopping bags, boxes, and price tags strewn across the room from a buying frenzy of which any shop-a-holic would be proud. A strain on our recycling efforts, to be sure, but a necessary by-product of shopping.

Once we moved south to Cape Cod, we expected our “shopping” market to drop significantly. Though there are a few outlets in the immediate area and a more comprehensive outlet mall within an hour’s drive, we did not expect that the prime motivator for a trip to Cape Cod would be shopping. What we failed to consider was the overseas market, mostly from Great Britain, Germany, and other European countries, who are currently taking advantage of the weak U.S. dollar and find that not only is travel to the U.S. a considerable bargain, but consumer goods are nearly half-price compared to prices at home.

So when our foreign visitors asked us where to shop on Cape Cod, we were at first  a little stymied. Our first inclination was to direct them to something comparable to the outlet shopping malls that were so prevalent in North Conway. But the nearest venue was an hour’s drive, which would take them off Cape, something that no Cape Cod business owner wants to encourage. Then we took a closer look at the myriad shopping opportunities we have right here on Cape Cod, from traditional shopping malls to quaint shopping villages and small town Main Streets. So now when we get the inevitable question “Where can we go to shop?” we direct our guests to any of the following  settings, depending of course on what they are looking for. And, oh by the way, now when we still shopping bags and tags left behind in our guest rooms, we take heart in knowing that at least we are supporting the local economy.

Cape Cod Mall
Route 28 & 132, Hyannis; 508-771-0200
Enclosed, single-level shopping mall. Anchored by Macy’s and Sears; 100+ additional stores including Banana Republic, Ann Taylor Loft, Talbot’s, Gap, Victoria’s Secret, Abercrombie and Fitch. 400-seat Food Court, 2 full-service restaurants, 12-screen cinema megaplex. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9:30 am – 9:30 pm.; Sun., 11 am-6 pm.

Mashpee Commons
Mashpee Rotary, Route 28 & 151, Mashpee; 508-477-5400
Laid out like a traditional New England village. Over 90 stores, including upscale merchants such as Ann Taylor, Pottery Barn, Banana Republic, and William Sonoma; plus Chico’s, Claire Murray, and Gap. An assortment of smaller stores featuring fine arts and crafts, antiques, toys, and jewelry. Several cafes and fine dining opportunities, 6-screen cinema.

Lemon Tree Village
Main St., Brewster (Rte. 6A, about 1 mile west of town center)
A small shopping complex on two levels, with unique shops featuring garden statuary, gourmet cooking utensils, locally made arts and crafts, pottery, birding supplies, clothing, gifts, jewelry and toys. Small café adjacent. Hours: 10 am-5 pm. daily, year-round.

Main Streets

One of the beauties of Cape Cod is that it is comprised of 15 uniquely individual small towns, each with its own main street of commerce, some more populated than others, but with their own charm and appeal. Walking down the main streets of Cape Cod is a delightful pastime. Naturally the larger the town, the more walkable its main street. But we could spend hours meandering the shops in Falmouth, Hyannis, Chatham, and Provincetown, and often do.

Main Street, Falmouth
One-of-a-kind gifts, home decor, men’s and women’s apparel, housewares, books, art and antiques, plus plenty of bistros and cafes for lunch or dinner.

Main Street, Hyannis
In addition to the usual fare, you’ll find vintage and designer clothing, beachwear, leather goods, gourmet cookware, candles, homemade fudge and saltwater taffy, sporting goods, an Army/Navy surplus store, fine art, and the requisite tourist souvenir shops. Interspersed along the way are several good restaurants, ice cream shops, mini-golf, and a  carousel.

Main Street, Chatham

The shops of Chatham are perhaps a bit more chic, in keeping with its old world and old money tradition. Here you’ll find a preponderance of casual resort wear, children’s clothing, vintage clothing, contemporary art, fine arts and crafts, handmade gold jewelry, antiques and accessories, lightship baskets, fine linens, gourmet cookware, home furnishings, alongside tee shirt shops, a candy store, a jam and jelly shop, and a shop featuring 1960’s memorabilia. And when it’s time to rest your weary feet there are plenty of casual restaurants, plus a fine-dining opportunity or two.

Commercial Street, Provincetown
Commercial Street in Provincetown is a one-way street lined with everything from fine art galleries, funky eclectic shops (some featuring items that may make you blush), tee shirt shops, import stores, great bistros and bars with outside dining, a kite shop, soaps and toiletries, hand-crafted jewelry, hip men’s and women’s ware, a pet lover’s store, and just about anything else you can imagine or need. One of our favorite things to do is just to sit and watch the constant parade of humanity. When our guests are looking for something out of the ordinary or want to take a walk on the wildside, we always recommend P’Town.

Most shops are open from mid-April through mid-October. In summer, some shops may remain open until 11 pm. Shops that stay open year-round are often open only on weekends during the quiet months of January through March.

It’s A Bird…It’s A Plane…No, Wait, It IS A Bird: Cape Cod, A Birder’s Paradise

I grew up in New England, and one of my parents’ favorite pastimes was watching the birds at various feeders and bird baths they had placed around the yard. They weren’t birders, mind you, they just enjoyed watching the antics of birds bathing and munching on seed. It seemed pointless to me at the time, if not downright boring, but I’ve come around.

Rich is a bird lover of sorts. Not all birds, mind you. Oh, he marvels at the size and color of our summer hummingbirds and the sheer beauty of the male cardinal with his crimson breast. He gets a kick out of the chic-a-dees who seem indifferent to his presence on the deck as he fills the feeders. But some birds he categorizes as just plain “nuisance birds”, more trouble than they are worth. The grackle, crow, and blue jay would fall into this category for him.

He can spot a red-tailed hawk from a distance and an osprey by its wings. He puts out oranges for the Baltimore orioles in spring in hopes that they will linger longer. On his recommendation, we put binoculars and

bird books in all our guest rooms, primarily for our foreign visitors who seem equally impressed by a sparrow as a downy woodpecker. He is, in a word, an admirer and protector of our winged friends. But he is not a birder.

He does not go off on long hikes armed with spotting scopes and bird logs, nor does he stand motionless as if a bird dog “en pointe” when he spots a great blue heron. It’s a simple pleasure for him, I suppose, to watch unnoticed from the kitchen window as he prepares the morning repast for our guests. First the tit mice, then the sparrows. Next, the chickadees and cardinals. The downy woodpecker comes and goes as he pleases. He is protective of their seed, admonishing the gluttons with a quick “ssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhttt” to get them moving, and letting the squirrels (those interlopers) know who’s boss.

It was Rich who introduced me to my favorite harbinger of spring. As the gray of winter gives way to longer days and milder temperatures, the gold finches shed their winter khaki green for their summer garb of yellow. Long about April, when you yearn for summer breezes but cannot yet feel them, a gold finch appears at the feeder with one bright yellow feather, (canary yellow, you might say) amidst the green. And in that moment you know, just as you know that the leaves will fall in autumn, that spring has arrived on Cape Cod.

According to some experts, Cape Cod, it seems, is one of the best spots along the Northeastern seaboard to view birds, especially during the migration seasons, when more than 260 different species of birds may make a stop on Cape Cod. They feed on local delicacies, such as marine worms, insects, crustaceans, and mollusks before continuing their journey. Having started in the Arctic Circle, the trip might end in South America, 12,000 miles away. Cape Cod lies about half way along this busy flyway, and places like Monomoy Island and Nauset Marsh are regular stopovers for these birds.

Spring is the best time to view migrating birds, and August is best for observing shorebirds. Winter birds are plentiful, too. Herons, egrets, and sandpipers, all birds associated with wetland habitats, are abundant in winter.

Some of the best spots for observing birds are in wooded areas, such as the Crane Reservation in Mashpee, or the Beech Forest in Provincetown. The Wellfleet Bay/Audubon Sanctuary and the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History in Brewster offer short hikes that take you through upland areas and marshlands to Cape Cod Bay.

Sandy Neck Recreational Area in Barnstable and Monomoy Wildlife Refuge in Chatham offer a beach and wetlands habitat.

Wherever you go, whatever you do, birds are omnipresent on Cape Cod. They share this fragile ecosystem with us, and add a layer of enjoyment to those of us who appreciate them. Come visit Cape Cod and catch a glimpse of any number of the birds that frequent our shores, including:

• pine warblers
• rufus-sided towees
• common yellowthroats
• Carolina wrens
• gray catbirds
• northern orioles
• black-capped chickadees
• tree swallows
• ospreys
• red-tailed hawks
• red-winged blackbirds
• willets
• sparrows
• common terns
• common grackles
• least terns
• kingfishers
• oystercatchers
• great blue herons
• laughing gulls

Whale Watching: A High Pointe Inn Adventure

When Rich and I first moved to Cape Cod, we were intrigued by the many whale-watching excursions offered throughout the spring, summer, and early fall. Rich, ever the skeptic, thought that whale watching fell into the category of “submarine races” and other questionable activities designed to take advantage of the ill-informed or naive tourist. That, of course, was until we took our first whale-watching excursion from Barnstable Harbor via the Hyannis Whale Watcher. Departing around 3:00 PM on a perfect summer afternoon on the M/V Whale Watcher, a new state-of-the-art jet-powered boat that can literally turn on a dime, we sped north across Cape Cod Bay toward Stellwagen Bank, which lies roughly 6 miles northeast of Provincetown.

My reserach revealed that Stellwagen Bank is an 842-square-mile section of shallows in the open ocean lying in the Gulf of Maine just off the mouth of Cape Cod Bay. A prime fishing area, Stellwagen’s unique conditions and topography enable it to support a tremendous diversity of marine life, from single-cell organisms to great whales. A protected National Marine Sanctuary since 1992–the first area in the Northeast to receive that designation–Stellwagen Bank attracts the whales that migrate here because of its abundant food supplies. Many types of whales are found here, including finback (the largest), humpback (the most playful), right (the most endangered), sei, minke, killer (also known as Orca), and pilot whales (also known as black fish). Each species has its own distinct habits, but, generally, the whales begin arriving in this area in early spring and leave for warmer waters in early winter.

We cruised past the quaint cottage colony and lighthouse at Sandy Neck, a beautiful barrier beach just two miles from the Inn, sitting on the top deck of the boat to soak up the afternoon sun on our way to see whales. In less than an hour, across very calm seas, we reached our destination.

State and federal agencies have strict guidelines for whale-watch boats. On Cape Cod, boats are prohibited from coming within more than 300 yards of most whales and 500 yards of the endangered right whale. Arriving at our destination, our boat approached the feeding ground and cut the engine. The onboard naturalist came over the P.A. system as the boat jockeyed for position, cautioning us to watch for “foot prints” on the water, the distinctive pattern left on the surface of the ocean after whales breach and dive below. “Thar she blows” echoed through my mind as I scanned the surface of the water, looking either for a foot print or a spout from the blowhole of an active whale in the area. I didn’t have to wait long.

Within minutes we spotted our first whale, a minke. As the naturalist directed us to this first sighting, eager cries from the opposite side of the boat lured us toward the stern. Soon we were surrounded by humpbacks, fin backs, and the omnipresent minkes. We, and our fellow travelers, found ourselves scurrying back and forth across the deck to catch a glimpse of each whale as it appeared on the scene, and scouring the horizon for a possible breach. Our naturalist was nearly giddy with excitement each time she made a new spotting. With each new sighting, the naturalist was careful to enlighten us with fascinating insight on whale behavior, plus commentary on the local ecology and history of  Stellwagen. Some naturalists, who have worked around whales for a long time, can identify individual whales by distinctive markings on the flukes of the whale’s tail, underside, body, or head, and often know specific details of their lives, from their offspring to their travel patterns.

Rich was absolutely in his glory trying to juggle between binoculars and his digital camera, though I thought the best approach was simply to wait for the “oohs and aahs” of my traveling companions and focus where their fingers pointed me. Several times during our trip, the captain maneuvered the boat so that all aboard could have a front row seat. In the end, we counted dozens of sightings, some a good distance away, but many so close to the boat we could almost reach out and touch them. The most exciting moment during a whale watch, of course, is when (or if) one of the whales shoots straight up out of the water and splashes down again into the sea in a maneuver known as breaching.

According to one local guidebook, humpback whales are the most popular species to watch because they are inquisitive enough to come close to the boats and have an engaging tendency to perform. Humpbacks feed for about six or seven months in the waters of Stellwagen Bank, which is rich with plankton, squid, herring, sand lance, and other sea life, and then leave the area, fasting until they return the following year from their wintering ground in the West Indies, where they breed and give birth. Different species of whales feed on different types of sea life. Right whales, for instance, feed mostly on plankton.

All too soon it seemed, but actually after more than an hour at the feeding grounds, our captain announced that we must leave. On the return trip, we spotted dolphin, and several basking sharks sunning themselves in the shallow depths near Sandy Neck. And, as an added bonus, we were treated to one of Cape Cods spectacular sunsets over Sandy Neck (more about that in another blogicle).

Needless to say, Rich is now a total convert, enthusiastically encouraging all our guests to take a whale watch adventure. No one has ever been disappointed, and several have told stories of mothers and calves breaching together, humpbacks seeming to wave their tail fins, and once, of the captain having to turn off the engines while a humpback scratched its back back-and-forth on the bottom of the boat.

Whale-watching boats run from mid-April through the end of October and usually last between three and four hours. Guests may depart from Barnstable Harbor, a short 15-minute drive from the High Pointe Inn, or Provincetown, which is about an hour’s drive. All whale-watching excursions guarantee sightings during the season, so on the off chance that no whales are spotted, you’ll be given a rain check to use at another time.

We offer our guests a small discount on trips departing from Barnstable Harbor aboard the Hyannis Whale Watcher, and can make reservations in advance to ensure seating.

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