Safe and sound in Cape Cod

We got lots accomplished for Evan in the morning. He now has a bank
account, and we had a good walk through campus and down town. We then
got our groceries, from a huge store--Evan likes to try new foods, so
we got string cheese and sweet corn.

Our first night camping was in Myles Standish State park, and it was
lovely. Pine needles on the ground, red and white pine, birch, maple
and oak, lined the perched pond (about the size of Lyndhurst Lake). We
were fortunate to have a waterfront site, so with a little scrambling
we could get down to the water to have a swim, which was great because
it was pretty hot!

We made a campfire and toasted marshmallows, a first for Evan. The
campground facilities were good, flush toilets, and free showers, and
a dishwashing sink. Luxury! We didn't quite get the hang of the
airmattress, it deflated through the night, but we were too tired to
notice too much.

The next day we went to Carver to visit a cranberry bog. We got a tour
from the husband and wife pair that own and run the place. They must
have been in their late sixties. The man was eager to show us the
picking machine, and when I told him I studied mechanical engineering
he went into great detail about how it worked, and what the design
constraints were. This bog grows for Ocean Spray, and their berries
are destined to be packaged and sold as fresh fruit, so they are
picked dry. All the wet harvested bogs berries get made into dried
fruit, sauce, or juice. We got a good close up look at the fruit, and
then saw how they are sorted, using machines from the 1920s. The good
berries get air lifted to the packaging plant by helecopters in the
fall.

We drove after that to Plymouth and saw the rock, and a replica of the
Mayflower, and then headed to Cape Cod. It seemed like a long drive to
me, but the view was great for Evan.

When we checked in at our site (which is 4star camping) we headed off
to Nauset beach to see and tour the lighthouse. It seemed a popular
thing to do-- we had to wait an hour in line! It was neat to look
out the windows and hear about the history of the lighthouse ( it was
one of three sister lighthouses but the cliff was getting eroded so
they moved them all. Not needing all three in a row anymore, the two
other sisters are in the woods a few minutes away).

After the lighthouse tour, it was almost sunset, so we headed to the
drive in to see Despicable Me and Toy Story 3. I saw both movies, and
Evan saw half of each. I think he has jetlag, but he won't admit it.

The air mattress was good last night. We both slept well, and are off
to the beach later today, after our pancakes digest a bit.

This site has Wifi right in our tent, so communication should be good
for the next few days. Weather also is supposed to be great. Fingers
crossed! Tomorrow is whale watching day.

Evan says hello to all!

Sent from my iPod