Sun, Sand, Seals

We were delighted to get the chance to spend the day with our good friend from our HOBY days, Tina Karidoyanas, who lives in nearby Bourne, and who chauffeured us up and down the cape in grand style.

Our first stop was the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge near Chatham, where we walked the shoreline in the light fog and snapped some photos. And then we took a boat into the Nantucket Sound around South Beach for a look at the local seals, after the fog burned off.

We know, we know, looking at seals sounds about as fun as looking at sea gulls. But this was different and infinitely more interesting learning about their habits and having them stare at us in curiosity as we motored near them or go about their business of fattening up on the local seafood. Plus, we motored to where a huge nor'easter broke a barrier island into two barrier islands.

Next stops were Chatham for "first lunch" of lobster bisque and clam chowder, then to Rock Harbor for another beach stroll, and then Orleans for "second lunch" overlooking the town cove with graceful swans.

And then to the Cape Cod National Seashore and a late afternoon stroll around the Cape Cod Lighthouse.

And finally, we stocked up at the Wellfleet Market on cheese, crackers and wine for the sunset at Blackfish Cove, which was our put-in spot for yesterday's kayak trip.

Since we are unaccustomed to the huge tidal fluctuations of Wellfleet Bay, what we found there astounded us. Instead of a water-filled bay, it was completely empty, exposing the oyster beds that we had kayaked over the day earlier, and all the sail boats and fishing boats were grounded.

It was a surreal sight, made even more incredible by how quickly the bay filled over the next hour or so. As we enjoyed the sunset, the encroaching tide righted most of the boats and re-covered the oyster beds.

It was tough saying goodbye to our gracious hostess, but we needed to get to bed so we could get to Hyannis in the morning for the ferry to Nantucket island. More on that in future posts.

Here are some photos of the day:

Strolling in the Monomoy wildlife refuge

The two seals in back are sleeping, and the guy in front was just hanging out 

The Cape Cod Light 

 

 

When we first saw Blackfish Cove, it was filled with water and we kayaked across it. So imagine our surprise when we found it completely empty at low tide, grounding all the boats

 

 

Watching the sun set and the tide rush back in with a Sunstone viognier