Vacation 2016, P is for Ptown

Much of the lower cape (which is actually the northern part of the Cape) is part of the Cape Cod National Seashore.  We spent much of our day at the National Seashore, including a stop at the visitor center where Ava and Sierra learned a lot (or at least messed around at the displays).

The National Seashore is home to several lighthouses, and the girls had fun walking to Nauset Light (as seen on bags of Cape Cod Chips) and the Three Sisters. 

After saying goodbye to Sierra, Jen, and Rob, we headed north to climb the Highland Lighthouse, the first lighthouse on Cape Cod.  

Getting back into our trusty Nissan Versa, we then headed to Provincetown (aka Ptown) at the end of the Cape. 

Ptown is the liveliest of the towns we visited on the Cape, and after a lunch of lobster rolls for the adults and clam chowder for Ava, we strolled through the streets and around the bay. 

Of course, we couldn't visit a new town without stopping for sweets.  In addition to fudge and saltwater taffy, Ptown offers amazing malassadas - a Portuguese specialty.

After a brief rest at our hotel, we drove to Orleans for our final Cape Cod Baseball League game between the home town Firebirds and the Harwich Mariners.

We spent most of our time sitting on the grass and had the chance to meet pitcher Jason Morgan as the Cardinals brought home a big win.

Tomorrow we're off to Rhode Island and Connecticut.  We'll miss you, Cape Cod!

Vacation 2016: More Beach, More Baseball

Although the day started off pretty chilly and grey, that didn't stop the twinsies - Sierra and Ava - from enjoying our time at Nauset Beach on the Atlantic Ocean in Eastham.  

The girls worked hard to build a small pool, and spent lots of time wandering the beach looking for shells and cool rocks.

When it warmed up, the girls jumped into the cold water and were able to find a few low tide "islands" where they could play. 

In addition to the usual clam shells, they also found crabs, crab legs, and even a lobster claw.

After heading back to the hotel for pool time and getting cleaned up, the girls had dessert before dinner at Sundae School in East Orleans.

We then drove to historic downtown Chatham where we explored for a bit before walking over to Veteran's Field to see the Chatham Anglers take on the Wareham Gatemen.  The girls purchased 50/50 tickets from pitcher Lincoln Henzman who had the night off, and they had a lot of fun despite the home team getting blanked 1-0.  Fortunately, we were able to see two UCLA players do well - shortstop Sean Bouchard hit a double, and pitcher Moises Ceja pitched a scoreless inning.

As we got home late, there was no time for another round at the pool and the girls were off to bed.

Vacation 2016, Feeling Beachy

A lazy, morning drive through the mid- and upper-Cape led us to the world's largest Adirondack chair (or at least the largest we've ever seen).

After stopping for gas at a station that only had full-serve (who knew such a thing still existed), we pulled into Hyannis to meet up with Jen, Rob, and Sierra.  Our first big stop was the JFK Museum, which details not only JFK's life generally, but his time spent on the Cape.  The museum is also home to the well done Cape Code Baseball League Hall of Fame - sort of a bite-sized preview of what is to come when we head to Cooperstown later this week. 

By actually reading the exhibits and captions for all the photos, the girls were able to complete the JFK quiz, and earned special "Students for JFK" stickers.

Downstairs, in the Hall of Fame, we learned about the many stars of the CCBL - both real (Frank Thomas) and fictional (Freddie Prinze and Jessica Biehl in the cheesy movie "Summer Catch").

A stroll through Hyannis led us to lunch at Spanky's Clam Shack, right on the water, where Ava enjoyed more fried seafood.

After lunch, we took a quick tour of the Cape Cod Chip factory.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at Mayflower Beach on the bay side in Dennis, where the girls hung out, played soccer, and played in the calm, shallow water. 

We ate dinner at Arnold's Lobster and Clam shack and the girls finished their meals with enormous ice creams.  

After dinner, the girls hit the indoor hotel pool for some late night swimming before conking out.  Tomorrow may be a day of surprises.  Will it rain?  Will the girls be grumpy after staying up late?  Will we go to the beach or a baseball game?  Find out tomorrow night at Ava's Adventures. 

Vacation 2016, The Adams Family

After sleeping in (a rarity for the Cruz family), we had breakfast at Margie's Dream, another diner in Manchester, before hitting the road.  

We took a short detour to Quincy, MA, to see the homes of John, Abigail, and John Quincy. Their homes clear grew fancier over time as they became more successful.

A late lunch was had at Wood's Seafood in Plymouth, MA where we feasted on lobster rolls and fried shrimp. 

The highlight of Plymouth was the Mayflower II, a replica of the original ship that transported the Pilgrims from England.

We had the chance to talk to a "real" Pilgrim who survived the journey and the brutal winter, and we were able to go below deck to learn about how the Pilgrims lived aboard the ship

Plymouth is NOT where the Mayflower first landed.  They first stopped in what is now Provincetown Harbor in Cape Cod.  Nonetheless, we had to check out Plymouth Rock (or at least a portion of it), which is housed underneath a Roman-style portico.

After checking into our hotel in Cape Cod, we drove to see our first Cape Cod Baseball League game.  The Cape is home to a summer wooden bat league featuring the best college players in America.  One out of every six major leaguers played on the Cape.

We practically sat in the dugout as we watched the hometown Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox defeat the Harwich Mariners.

The game breezed along in just two hours, so Ava was able to take a quick dip in the indoor pool at our hotel before heading to bed.

Tune in tomorrow for more Cape Cod adventures.