Today we explored the south-east side of the Cape. First we went to Red River Beach in Harwich. The parking costs $20 for the day, and after we checked out the beach, we decided to pay it. The beach is on the ocean side and it was an incredible day. The wind was strong, full sun, but not too hot, the waves were high and crashing to shore. We drove down to the end of the parking area, and went to a more remote part of the beach. There were rocks into the water, and the waves were amazing. The colors of the waves and the water, the surf and the spray, were amazing. I pulled up my chair right to the water's edge and just sat and breathed it all in. The energy was so invigorating. Peter, on the other hand, enjoyed a beach bench further back from the shore, and enjoyed reading. This was my favorite beach, so far. We stayed for a few hours and then continued with our explorations.
As we were heading towards Chatham, we went past the Oyster Pond Beach with free parking. This is a large pond in the middle of Chatham, with a small public beach. We stopped for a few minutes, and hung out in the park there.
The next stop was the Keegan Lighthouse and beach in Chatham. You could park at the overlook, across from the working lighthouse. The lighthouse is the home of the Coast Guard station, which was famous for a rescue of the crew of a ship that split in two during a huge storm in 1952. They even made a movie of it. The view was looking out at the beach, an inlet, and a spit of beach beyond that. Apparently, the waters around this area are really treacherous due to currents, shoals, shorelines etc. We didn't go down to the beach, but enjoyed the view.
By this time, it was 5 pm, so our final stop was at Nauset Beach in Orleans. This looks due east into the ocean. It is a huge, long beach that is very popular. However, since it was after 4:30 pm, the parking was free and there were fewer people. We parked and walked the boardwalk over to the beach, but, as nice as it was, it was "just another beach". We didn't feel like schlupping the chairs and hanging out on the sand, so we enjoyed the view and the water and returned to the RV.
Since our neighboring RV left the day after we arrived, we have had two sites to ourselves. The openness has been really appreciated, especially considering the parking lot/mobile home feel of the rest of the sites.
Red River Beach photos:
Keegan Lighthouse and Beach photos:
Old Chatham Rd RV campground site photo:
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