We parked the car in a little pothole filled dirt lot. The sun beat down. Soft sand pulled at our feet as we trudged along. Biting flies and mosquitoes buzzed us. It was all ok though. We are hiking out to a light house on Race Beach. We crossed a dike that protected the marsh then worked our way through the convoluted dunes paths careful to “stay off any vegetation” as the Ranger had told us.
The light house lens came into view. Glistening waves appeared just over the final dune. We turned the corner and………jeeps, SUVs, pickup trucks. They were parked all over the beach. So much for a sort of secluded little spot and the romantic notion that it was remote and reachable only by those willing to work a little for it. What a bummer. But, it was a pretty beach with a great tidal pool to cool our feet in. We found our own little patch of sand and relaxed a while before heading back. We had earned it.

We are at Cape Cod. Beaches…choppy rough ones on the Oceanside great for playing in the surf, whale and seal watching, lighthouse climbing and lots of fishing…. Calmer ones on the Cape Cod Bay side for tidal pools and shellfish digging or quiet beach time. Little towns with quaint shops and lots of seafood restaurants and more Dunkin Donut places than anyone needs.

The cliff walk runs between the mansions and the oceanside cliffs. We enjoyed the views as seen from the verandas and got glimpses of the magnificent houses and grounds along the way. There was one winner in the location, location, location contest. Right out on the point with rugged cliffs as a front yard including a stone bridge over a rough narrow gorge where at high tide the waves crashed in. Pretty cool digs.

Providence has just recently become food truck friendly…so they say. We found three of them today at a downtown park; Gyros, Indonesian BBQ, and a hotdog truck. We tried the gyros, fantastic and only $10 for the two of us. These guys are at much smaller scale then the Portland truck clusters but they are starting out alright by me.

Two more cool carousels. “The Flying Horses” is really a kids carousel since the chains suspending the horses can’t carry adult weight. It isn’t fancy as some of the others. They claim it was built by a rocking horse manufacturer who had more inventory than he knew what to do with so he built this carousel for a carnival. It kind of looked like that story might be true.
We found another historic Loeff . This one predated the up and down mechanics. These horses just stand but they make up for the potentially less exciting ride by going around really fast. I rode this one. For a quarter…can you believe it? Its organ had been rebuilt and played wonderfully. That added to the authenticity. Another great ride.

Spinning cotton is what gave birth to the American industrial revolution. So they say at the Slater Mill in Pawtucket, RI. Here they harnessed water power to drive the implementation of British technology for spinning and weaving and drew laborers in from the fields to run the machinery. The beginning of the end of an age dominated by agriculture and rural life.

The entire exhibit at the Sub Museum painted a crystal clear image that the cold war era military personal asked no questions and carried no doubt that their mission no matter the consequences was to beat the Russians in every arena possible. It was an amazing effort at all ranks. They invented powertrains and weaponry. They trained unceasingly. I wonder, was it really that clear cut? Maybe the folks with doubts found their way out of this effort quickly.

We checked out the Nautilus at the Groton Submariners Museum. My heart rate went up just a little as I had to simultaneously duck and highstep through the tiny doorways and I realized I was now underwater. They certainly made their space work for them…not unlike a motorhome I’d say.
Then, we happened upon a newer sub coming in to port. They have this mysterious air about them. The coast guard rousted private craft and literally chased them out of the way as they cleared a wide path for the sub.

If you do beaches, this is the place for you
We have found a couple wildlife refuges and there are lots of historical sights if you look for them but it seems that beaches are the thing here on the Connecticut shore! We have walked along a few and enjoyed the sights, but no sunbathing for us in this heat. The locals must be tougher!