After Paul set me up for the day with a splendid breakfast and sightseeing advice, I know that I have traveled all of the most scenic routes on Cape Cod and seen several of its highlights today.

Taking scenic route 6A out to Eastham on the lower Cape again took me through picturesque villages separated by a variety of beautiful natural habitats, Eastham is the location of the main Cape Cod National Seashore visitor center which houses a small museum that captures the geography, history and economics of the Cape very succinctly. As always in the National Parks, the rangers are able to give great advice for making the most of any length of stay and I decided to focus on two areas. One was Nauset beach and lighthouse where the forces that created and reshape the Cape are easy to see and understand. The second location was the spot where, in 1903,  Marconi successfully broadcast and received the first trans-Atlantic telegraph messages, between Theodore Roosevelt and King Edward VII. This was also the trail-head for a nature trail to a grove of rare Atlantic White Cedar trees that had once been common in the area. The trail was practically deserted and gave me the opportunity to stretch my legs in natural solitude.

My final stop on the Cape was Provincetown. I had very limited time there but was able to see the center of town and absorb a little of its culture. However I did not encounter any of the hugely flamboyant displays of gay culture that I’m told are in evidence in the summer.

To end the day I moved on to Woburn, just north of Boston. I have visited Boston several times before and the hotel prices downtown are so outrageous that I decided to give it a miss this time.

The map and video of the day’s route are here.

The Nauset lighthouse

I always find it difficult to capture the feel of forests but this is my best shot of the cedar grove.

The huge Provincetown Pilgrim Monument that marks the location of the first landing of the Mayflower pilgrims in the New World.