Cape Cod National Seashore, MA

Cape Cod is a cape jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts.  Due to the land position jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, the Cape and islands are subject to massive coastal erosion. Geologists say that, due to erosion, the Cape will be completely submerged by the sea in thousands of years. This erosion causes the washout of beaches and the destruction of the barrier islands; for example, the ocean broke through the barrier island at Chatham during Hurricane Bob in 1991, allowing waves and storm surges to hit the coast with no obstruction. Consequently, the sediment and sand from the beaches is being washed away and deposited elsewhere. While this destroys land in some places, it creates land elsewhere, most noticeably in marshes where sediment is deposited by waters running through them. Consequently, the sediment and sand from the beaches is being washed away and deposited elsewhere. While this destroys land in some places, it creates land elsewhere, most noticeably in marshes where sediment is deposited by waters running through them. 
To the south of Cape Cod lie Nantucket Sound; Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, both large islands; and the mostly privately owned Elizabeth Islands. The Cape Cod National Seashore is 40 miles of pristine sandy beaches, marshes, ponds, lighthouses, remarkable natural beauty and cultural landscapes.





We started our day travelling through Chatham, which is located on the elbow of Cape Cod, surrounded on three sides by water, its land mass extends out to sea as the most easterly point in Massachusetts and has stunning views of the ocean. We visited the Chatham Pier Fish Market and were able to see boats coming in and unloading  their catch of "sand shark" fish. If you look closely you can identify the shark type fish by their tails and teeth.
We were told that these fish are used for fish & chips.

And swimming beside the boats that were unloading their fish were the seals waiting to get any leftovers.



On the very tip of Cape Cod, is Provincetown which is a unique blend of old-fashioned fishing village and a vibrant arts community. It's narrow streets are lined with charming old homes and architectural buildings. The entire town of Provincetown, at the extreme tip of the Cape, is a spit consisting largely of deposited marine sediment that was eroded and transported from farther south along the shore.

 

Provincetown, MA
 

The Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown, Massachusetts, was built between 1907 and completed in 1910 and was built to commemorate the first landfall of the Pilgrims in 1620 and the signing in Provincetown Harbor of the Mayflower Compact. On November 9, 1620, a ship named the Mayflower, 65 days out from Plymouth, England, made her landfall in the New World.
The Monument is the tallest granite structure in the US, and the tower has 116 steps and 60 ramps to be able to see all  of Cape Cod, the bay and the endless ocean. Almost three-quarters of Provincetown is preserved in its wilderness state as part of the Cape Cod National Seashore Park.



Pilgrim Monument, Provincetown, MA

 



The town of Eastham is best know as the gateway to the Cape Cod National Seashore. It is home to two gorgeous National Seashore beaches on the Atlantic Ocean: Nauset Light Beach and Coast Guard Beach.  The historic Nauset Lighthouse in Eastham, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, was owned by the Coast Guard and was rescued from the edge of a sixty-foot high eroding cliff in November 1996. The tower was moved approximately 300 feet to a new location across the road and has now been restored.  It is a cast iron plate shell lined with brick and stands 48 feet high and the Nauset Light still flashes it signature red and white beams across the beach and beyond.

 

Coast Guard Station and Coast Guard Beach  

 

The Great Beach, so named by Henry David Thoreau, starts here. Wow, this place is absolutely spectacular. It has high crushing waves from the wide open Atlantic Ocean and miles and miles of pristine sandy beaches. It offers solitude and scenic beauty, and as a bonus you can watch seals playing in the waves. Amazing. The sandy beach strand allows you to study coastal beach processes, including longshore transport of sand and coastal erosion. Harbor seals can often be sighted at the end of the sand bar and at low tide they can sometimes be seen "hauling out" onto the sand to sun themselves.

 The outer beach, or "backside," of Cape Cod has been the notorious graveyard for more than 3,000 ships since the wreck of the Sparrowhawk in 1626. The high cost in lives and property demanded by the sands of Cape Cod, led to the establishment of the Massachusetts Humane Society in 1786, the first organization in the nation devoted to the rescue and assistance of shipwrecked mariners. The Humane Society established shelter huts along the coast; later, it built lifeboat stations where surfboats, line-throwing guns, and other lifesaving gear were stored for the use of volunteer crews in times of emergency. The continued frequent loss of life along the nation's shores led Congress, in 1871-1872, to reorganize the Life Saving Service, a place it on a full-time professional basis. The construction and manning of nine stations on the "backside" of Cape Cod was provided for in the Federal budget of 1871.  One of the original nine stations was constructed at Nauset. It was located about 350 yards southeast of the present building. Shoreline erosion compelled the construction of a new station. The old station remained in service until 1937, when it was replaced by the present structure. The present building was in service as a Coast Guard Station until 1958.

 

 

On our travels up and down the Cape Code National Seashore we saw these signs posted at every beach. We were told that the sharks are coming in to the coast to feed on the seals that are playing in the waves and sunning on the sand bars.