thervdreamlife

Although this title is somewhat out of my usual descriptive header collection, it became the mantra for the four adventurous days that we spent with Bill’s daughter, Cara and her husband Pete, as we shared Cape Cod!

Arriving in the late afternoon on Wednesday, our first stop was the Pearl restaurant in Wellfleet for dinner. We sat on the porch and as the sun set, we enjoyed delicious seafood, chowder and some famous Wellfleet oysters – truly an appropriate beginning!

Thursday morning we ventured to Hyannis to catch the 11:00 ferry to Nantucket for the day. Bill and I brought our bicycles along and then Cara and Pete rented theirs right at the dock when we landed. Our next destination – Cisco Brewery! After about a three-mile bike ride through the quintessential Cape Cod landscape, we arrived at the brewery, which also includes Triple Eight Distillery, Nantucket Vineyard and a plethora of food trucks. We dove right into our first craft cocktails for me and Cara, while Bill and Pete began their beer exploration. To accompany our drinks, during the several hours we were there, we sampled mac n’ cheese and bacon egg rolls, tacos, hand-cut fries and “made with love” dumplings! Also available was a raw bar, a poke bowl truck and many additional options. Musical entertainment began at three as we departed to experience downtown Nantucket.

On our way back to town, we came across the Brant Point Lighthouse, established in 1746 and automated in 1965. Approaching the cobblestoned main street, we parked our bikes and walked the commercial area. Our final stop, before catching our 6:15 ferry back to Hyannis was The Juice Bar, a “line-out-the-door” homemade ice cream and homemade waffle cone establishment. Crantucket, The Carl, and Green Monster are only three of their cleverly named flavors!

Upon returning to Hyannis, we decided that we needed to eat/drink again so we stopped at Anejo, a Mexican restaurant recommended by our campground manager and fellow foodie, Katie. She certainly steered us in the right direction as here, it was all about margaritas and authentic Mexican food. What a wonderful ending to a very full day!

Do you perhaps see, not only our mantra continuing to emerge, but also the theme of eating and drinking. At several points, Bill and I questioned if we could keep up with the experienced Cara and Pete, but I am proud to say that we did!

Friday morning we experienced some much needed rain, but luckily it was over by noon and we were well on our way up to Provincetown, a very unique town of unpredictability and sights you may never see anywhere else! As the sun came out, so did the tourists! We walked MacMillan Pier, visited the artists’ cottages along the pier and then took another of Katie’s recommendations, stopping for lunch at The Patio. Again, delicious food – crab cake benedict, lobster deviled eggs – just to name a few selections – and of course craft cocktails – I believe this is where Cara had a cucumber fizz which was certainly refreshing on such a warm day – or it might have been one of their signature mojitos!

We continued our cruise of Commercial Street, stopping in stores, watching assorted drag queens, dressed to the hilt cycling through town, loudly encouraging our attendance at their show. We stopped in the famous Portuguese Bakery to grab some tarts and an eclair and finally ended our P-Town adventure at the Aqua Bar, a totally outdoor bar built in 2010 on top of the dolphin pool of the original Provincetown Marine Aquarium. Offering only drinks, patrons are welcome to purchase food from several spots in the Aquarium Marketplace and bring it to the Aquabar. Some eating establishments even deliver to the bar – another very unique concept!

On our way home from Provincetown, we stopped at the Beachcomber in Wellfleet, an extremely popular oceanfront restaurant. Surprisingly, we immediately got seats at the bar after securing a parking spot on the lot! Two weeks ago we had tried to stop for a Corona after the beach at 2:30 and their two parking lots were full! The Beachcomber was originally the first federally funded lifesaving station, constructed in 1872. In 1961, when John F. Kennedy created the Cape Cod National Seashore, through a “grandfather clause,” the Beachcomber, which had been turned into a small inn, was allowed to remain as a commercial property in the National Park area. Here we had to try the Goombay Smash – their famous rum drink complete with a Meyer’s floater! I must admit I asked for help in finishing mine but it was amazing!

After another full day, later that evening we just jumped up to the Friendly Fisherman to grab lobster and shrimp rolls for dinner. The lobster roll there is on the top ten list of the best lobster rolls in New England!

I must add that throughout all of our adventures, Cara continued to take particular interest and delight in the surrounding environment – capturing pictures of the dunes, marshes, protected turtle areas, and more!

Unfortunately, on Saturday morning Bill and I had to return to work, but that certainly didn’t hold Cara and Pete back! They breakfasted in Chatham at Hangar B, which we have frequented and then walked around the town center of Chatham. On the return trip to Eastham, they discovered Brewster Flats, the widest expanse of tidal flats in North America – Cara, the environmental science teacher was in heaven! There they also experienced the local oyster farms.

Cara and Pete decided to spend one more night with us, so for our final Cape Cod dinner together we went to Rock Harbor Grill, which has become one of our favorite places. Once again we feasted on seafood and ended our four-day binge with a cocktail that we called “Duck Duck Goose,” completed with our very own rubber ducky!

What a great time we had – from rum punch to assorted IPA’s; from Long Island ice tea to frose’, along with great sights and seafood overload,  and as you can clearly tell, “That didn’t suck!”

Stay Calm and Travel On…