Who would ever think people would travel from all over the country and all over the world just to see a rock? Yes, a rock. This is not just any rock, though.
The rumored landing spot of the Mayflower, Plymouth Rock is one of the more disappointing yet often visited sites south of Boston, MA.
Despite it’s popularity, the rock at Plymouth Rock is not the actual rock the Mayflower struck. In fact, the rock has been said to have been moved at least three different times and the rock has been said to have been damaged several times, breaking in half at one point. Not only that, but the passengers of the Mayflower initially landed in Provincetown in Cape Cod.
While the rock itself probably isn’t the actual rock the Mayflower struck upon its landing and it’s not the actual initial landing spot of the Pilgrims, it is symbolic of the voyage the persistence of the people who landed there.
Located in walking distance of the Mayflower II, the rock is located at the bottom of a pit and protected by a fence.
The rock is located in a structure with pillar columns.
The harbor is usually teaming with activity.
There is also a monument located across the street from Plymouth Rock. The Pilgrim Mother was donated in 1921 to celebrate the Tercentenary of the Mayflower landing by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
We in New England are no strangers to stormy weather. But, the first stormy weather of the season always seems to catch us off guard. After all, it was only the first weekend of October. Much too early for stormy weather. But, it is hurricane season, after all. During this first storm of the season, I decided to go to my second stormy destination of the day.
By the time I arrived at Wollaston Beach, the storm had died down quite a bit. But, it was still pretty windy and wavy.
The water was rocky earlier in the day. This boat, the Cenzina, was one of three boats that were washed ashore Saturday.
Just like in life, a silver began to appear after the rocky weather.
Unfortunately, the wet weather made it hard to keep the lens dry which made some photos come out blurry. This was the best photo I could get of Maya.
To get the full effect of just how bad the weather was (and this wasn’t even during the peak time of the bad conditions) watch the video below. You may notice the light from the lighthouse in the distance at the tail end of the video.
After a short stay at Scraggy Neck, it was time for our next stop on our Cape Cod Farewell Summer trip.
Our next destination was the Nobska Beach in the quaint village of Woods Hole in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The Nobska area is so pretty and there are so many attractions because of its sheer beauty, I decided cover the Nobska area in two separate blogs.
The first thing that stands out at Nobska beach are the array of flowers and the makeshift trails at the beach (that and the lack of parking). The only parking available is on the side of the road along the beach and a scant few spots in front of the light house (I’ll be posting photos of the light house in the second part of the Nobska photo blogs).
Nobska Beach offers views of both Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Island.
Boats and the ferry make frequent trips to the islands
If you hadn’t noticed, one of the treasures of Nobska Beach are the rocks and the rock formations.
But, to capture the real beauty of the views from the beach, it was necessary to walk down a narrow trail down to this modest rocky ledge.
But, the ledge was wide enough for me and my camera. And the views were well worth the extra effort.
Nobska Beach is also home to a variety of wildlife.
At the base of the beach there are two memorials. A memorial for Dennis Jeff Sabo lies under some plants, almost unnoticed. The memorial does not give any more information than his date of birth, date of death and name. A Google search yielded no results. The lack of details about Dennis adds to the memorials’ mystique.
The other memorial is dedicated to Neilie Anne Heffernan Casey. Neilie was a passenger on Flight 11 on September 11, 2001. A memorial and bench bearing her name lay in the area now dubbed “Neilie Point”. A beautiful reminder of an awful day.
After a brief but rewarding stay at Amrita Island, it was on the next destination on my Farewell Summer Cape Cod trip. Scraggy Neck is a private beach in Cataumet, a village in Bourne, Massachusetts.
The beach is usually monitored by guards during the summer season. But, since summer was basically over, there were no guards when I arrived at the beach.
The entrance to the beach is grassy. But, there is a makeshift trail you can follow. The occasional flower stand in the grass
The beach is long and it was high tide when I visited. But, there wasn’t much of a beach head when I was visited. The water did look clean and clear.
Seaweed and shells littered the beach.
Scraggy Neck is divided into two sides by a road that is frequented by joggers, bikers and cars. It was on the other side of the road that showed off Scraggy Neck’s more scenic views.
A narrow path leads to the water.
The fish is visible through the transparent water.
This part of Scraggy Neck is mostly grassy. So, it would not be the ideal area to lie out for a tan.
Scraggy Neck is also a popular spot for boaters to launch from.
After visiting Scraggy Neck, it was on to our next adventure….
New England Nomad 