Wellfleet - Arrival

 July 8 (Friday)

As we did last year we flew in on Friday and got a hotel mid-Cape to avoid traffic. Our hotel this year, the Cape Sands Inn, was a step up from last year’s Hyannis Host Inn but not quite a big enough step – the strong smell of disinfectant and poor air conditioning weren’t ideal. We had a delicious dinner at the Wendy’s next to the Hyannis Airport at 8:45 local time and both slept pretty well.

July 9 (Saturday)

We woke up very early – before 6 local time – which I thought was kind of a bummer, since we couldn’t get into our Wellfleet house until the afternoon. I’d picked up some brochures in the lobby and spent some time perusing them, and also looked for hikes. I found the Horse Pond Trail (thanks, AllTrails Pro) and the Cape Cod Railway, so after a yummy McDonald’s breakfast (don’t worry, the food gets better!) we headed out for our first Cape Cod hike – in long pants with bug spray, due to deer ticks. The hike was lovely, and we got back to the hotel in time to shower and get checked out and head to Hyannis for the train ride. I’d left a message on the train’s voice mail before we went on the hike because they don’t do same day reservations on the web, and they called while we were on the hike and we managed to have enough signal to get our reservations. The reservation person was very helpful in describing the different fares, and we ended up in “Premium class” – top floor of the domed car, at a table by ourselves. The journey was very fun and we learned a lot about Cape Cod, cranberry bogs, salt marshes and the Cape Cod Canal (which the train drives along from the Sagamore to the Bourne Bridge). We were fascinated to learn that differences in tides on the two sides of the canal means the current in the canal changes directions, and if you look at a Cape Cod Canal tide table you’ll see it not only gives tide info but also tells you which way the canal is flowing. We couldn’t order a sack lunch because you need to order a day in advance, but we shared a beer and some chips and crackers and a chocolate bar and did ok.

By the time we got off the train it was late enough to head to Wellfleet and pick up our linens at the Furies* and get into our house at 25 Finn Road, about a 3 minute drive from downtown. The house was very nice, on 3 levels with a screened in porch. The daylight basement had a couch, ping pong table and bathroom; the main level had 2 bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen, dining room and living room – the latter being one big room with a cathedral ceiling, separated by a fireplace. On the 3^rd floor was a loft with 2 twin beds. You might be wondering why we needed so many rooms for 2 people. Hold tight.

We got unloaded and unpacked and put sheets on the beds on the main floor. Bubby had been to a funeral in Wellfleet earlier in the day and arrived not long after we did to settle into the other bedroom. She was tired and not in the mood to go out, so she stayed home while Dave and I headed to Winslow’s for dinner. We ate there last year for lunch with Lynn and were excited to go back, and it did not disappoint. The food was wonderful, and the outdoor seating under the trees is beautiful. It was kind of chilly so I had a little too much to drink – but who knew that they would have not 1 or 2 but 4 kinds of Madeira with dessert?

We got takeout for Bubby and headed home. We were glad to get into bed and have our first night in the house.

* Pick up linens? For most vactioners, Cape Cod is a driving destination – folks come from the surrounding states, and a lot of them are from families who have been coming to the Cape for generations. Since providing linens is a hassle for the owners, many (most? I don’t know) rentals don’t come with linens (sheets & towels), so locals just toss their own in the car. For people who aren’t local, rentals places like The Furies in Wellfleet solve the problem. We rented deluxe linens for ourselves and standard linens for all our guests, and I must say the difference was obvious and worth it.