thervdreamlife

As Bill and I settle into Cape Cod, or any area in which we are workamping, we always try to take advantage of local festivities. Last evening we took advantage of Restaurant Week in Wellfleet, a neighboring town perhaps you oyster lovers might recognize. We chose to dine at The Bookstore, a restaurant on the water that we had visited and enjoyed two years ago while here. Unfortunately, except for the company and enlightening conversation, the enjoyment was missing this time around. Caesar salad and clan chowder – great. Key lime pie and creme brulee – delicious! Can you tell we were sharing? It’s in the entree area that we fell short. Actually, Bill’s steak looked great and he said it was “ok” but my entree, which sounded good, was not. I selected filet of sole and 2 crab-stuffed shrimp. The sole was wrapped around a mound of stuffing – I never tasted a bit of crab – and the shrimp were topped with the same little mound! Notice – no pictures taken.

Today – our next day off – we planned a trip to Plymouth, with a breakfast stop at The Red Cottage in Dennis. The Red Cottage is a very popular breakfast and lunch spot frequented by locals and tourists alike. It dates back to 1951 as an eating establishment but is housed in an original cottage built in 1936. The menu is amazing and as you can see we had a wonderful breakfast – meant to last the entire day – well, almost! We commented that today’s breakfast was more enjoyable than last night’s dinner although we tend to enjoy that first meal of the day!

Traveling onward, we left the Cape and turned toward Plymouth. Our first stop, of course, was Plymouth Rock, where the Pilgrims are believed to have landed on the Mayflower in 1620. There are many stories surrounding the rock but it is seen as the symbol for the birth of a nation – solid, steadfast and everlasting! Plymouth Rock is often referred to as the most disappointing tourist attraction in the nation, but let’s look at it as a landmark. So what if William Bradford never refers to a rock in his chronicles. It continues to mark the suspected landing place of the Pilgrims and boy, did the Park Ranger on duty enjoy telling the story in a most animated and excitable manner!

We walked through the historic waterfront section of Plymouth and out to the jetty as the weather was beautiful – one of very few such days since our arrival on the Cape.  We even stumbled upon “Priscilla Pilgrim” and my good friend from American Lit – William Bradford!

We then found Court Street which is the downtown area filled with shops and an amazing number of restaurants and bars. Our managers at the campground recommended the Tar Bar, so we couldn’t leave town before trying one of their stuffed pretzels – yes, we were eating again – but it had  been four hours! Bill and I shared a Reuben stuffed pretzel, the other choices being 4 cheese, steak and cheese, seasonal vegetable, or buffalo chicken! The Tar Bar calls itself “a dive in denial,” and when we saw a quote from Ferris Bueller etched on the wall, we knew it had to be a fun place! The pretzel was unbelievable and that’s a critique from two major fans of Philly soft pretzels!

So today we got our history fix and continued to sample the culinary delights on – and slightly off – the Cape! It was truly a “top-down-on-the-Jeep” day and a most enjoyable one at that!

Stay Calm and Travel On…