Fulltime RV couple traveling the United States in our 2018 Tommy Bahama 27FBQ Airstream!
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Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces, which is currently observed every year on the last Monday of May. The holiday was held on May 30 from 1868 to 1970. It marks the unofficial start of the summer vacation season, while Labor Day marks its end.
Many people visit cemeteries and memorials, particularly to honor those who have died in military service. Every year volunteers place an American flag on each grave in all national cemeteries.
Excerpted from Wikipedia
Our 2019 Memorial Day campsite
Until next time
TWO PEAS
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Nickerson State Park is a beautiful summer destination place to visit, if you're tent camping! There are over 400 campsites here but only a few are well suited for anything larger a 25 foot travel trailer. Some of the curves inside the campground loops are very tight and there are low hanging branches within most of the campsites.
However there are several ponds for swimming and fishing and an extensive trail system for hiking and biking. Reservations are a must between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends, but outside of these dates the campground usually has open sites for last minute arrivals.
Even is you do manage to get a larger trailer onto a campsite you'll find most sites are sandy and unlevel. After several different attempts we were finally able to get level enough for our three day visit here in the middle of May.
MONDAY
TRAVEL DAYYEAR #2 - STOP #31
"The Bay State"
is our 18th visited state
Just when I thought I had a handle on how to deal with all the different kind of intersections we have been coming across lately, we get into Massachusetts and all of a sudden we stumble into something new. A roundabout, traffic circle, rotary, call it what ever you want it is daunting when you are towing a trailer. No stop lights, no stop signs, everyone just merges into the outer ring of a circle and goes around until they want off.
Good news is once you get into that outer ring you have the right of way and everyone else has to yield to you, of course that's if they are familiar with the rules, not everyone is and that is what sometimes causes close calls as far as collisions go.
We had three such intersections to maneuver though today and once I got the hang of it things went a lot smoother. It's all in the timing of when you reach the intersection that determines the degree of difficulty you encounter when trying to negotiate the traffic flow.
TUESDAY
SIGHTSEEING DAY88 MILES DRIVEN TODAY
Today's sightseeing adventure is really quite simple, we want to go visit the Cape Cod National Seashore (#8 out of 10 for us), look at several lighthouses and drive down to Provincetown for lunch.
Our first stop was the Salt Pond Visitor Center of the Cape Cod National Seashore. Here we got my Passport Book stamped and watched several short documentary films about the history and future of the National Seashore. We also dropped a few dollars in the gift shop as always and then proceeded down to the beach.
Coast Guard Beach is the nearest access to the beach from the Visitor Center so that's where we headed. First thing we saw there was the old Coast Guard Station which is due for a major facelift later this summer and from the looks of it, it sure could use it.
Coast Guard Beach Headquarters
Next up was a short walk down to the pristine shoreline to collect our thimble full of sand to take home and add to our collection.
The pristine shoreline of the Cape Cod National Seashore
Less than a mile north of here is Nauset Lighthouse, one of many lighthouses located all along the coastline of Massachusetts.
Nauset Lighthouse
Then a quick look at the Highland Lighthouse before heading down to Provincetown for lunch.
I see many similarities between Provincetown, MA and Key West, FL, a city I'm very familiar with. First off they are both literally at the "End of the Road". Provincetown is at the eastern end of US6 which up until the 1960s was the longest road in America, stretching from California to Massachusetts. Key West is at the southern end of US1 which is currently the longest north-south road in America, stretching from Maine to Florida.
But that's just geography, let's talk about the people who live there, now and centuries ago. Centuries ago both towns had many legendary characters, including poets, authors, wreckers, pirates and fishermen. Today both cities are proud of their large LGBTA communities. In both towns you'll find lots of touristy discount T-shirt shops and galleries filled with local arts and crafts. You'll also find a very high cost of living and likewise high priced restaurants and bars.
Each town hosts their own annual festival, Provincetown has their Carnival Week in August and Key West has their Fantasy Fest in October. While Carnival Week in Provincetown temporarily increases the town's population from 3,000 to an estimated 90,000, Key West's population triples from 25,000 to an estimated 75,000 during Fantasy Fest. Both cities depend heavily on just this one week of tourism to support the annual income of it's merchants.
And don't think there aren't still some quirky and creative characters still hanging around. I submit the following photo as proof that Provincetown is still just a little off in their advertising methods.
Does this make you want to stay at this beachside bed and breafast?
WEDNESDAY
WORK DAY FROM MOM's64 MILES DRIVEN TODAY
This morning we are going to drop in for a visit with Trica's mom and step-dad, it will also give us a chance to decide how best to place THE POD in their driveway for the next seven days. There is plenty of room, we just have to decide how to stack everything so no one gets blocked in.
Tricia and I both got some work done and before we knew it dinner time had rolled around. Our hosts generously offered to take us out for a great meal at Cooke's Seafood and then we treated them with a trip to Four Seas Ice Cream for desert. Both of these establishments are tops on Tricia's Cape Cod favorites places to eat list and I suspect with seven more days on The Cape we haven't seen the last of them.
Just so everyone knows we won't be blogging next week, so I guess I'm taking my first vacation in over a year. We'll be visiting with Tricia's extended family and friends, BBQing and generally just enjoying their company during The Memorial Day Weekend.
We hope everyone has a great three day holiday weekend and then arrives safely back at work on time Tuesday!
Who will be the first to correctly guess our next location?
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