Up, Up Into And Onto The Sand Dunes

I was in Provincetown for the weekend in order to sing in a concert to benefit the Provincetown Soup Kitchen. But I had lots of free time and was exploring the sand dunes at Head-Of-The-Meadow Beach on Cape Cod. I'd tasted rose hips and wild cranberries and now found an Earth Star on the sand near the cranberries. Earth Stars are a spherical fungus with a double layered wall. The outer layer splits open and curls back, forcing the spores out of the inner sphere. I thought this was an especially fascinating discovery:

I climbed higher and higher on the sand dunes, following the bare spots between the scrub roses, beach plums, wild cranberries, scrub oaks and coastal grasses:

I could see for miles. Notice that in many of these ocean view photos taken from atop the dunes, one can actually see the curvature of the earth:

I wasn't sure if these were the fabled beech plums until I got brave enough to taste them. They were indeed wild plums, sour but full of flavor. It's no wonder the locals collect them and make jams. With a little sugar, they'd be really delicious:

A brief video taken at the top of a sand dune:



Higher and higher I climbed, until I decided it was time to find my way back to my car:

But every "trail" I followed turned out to be a dead end. I kept searching until I found a road through the woods. I figured it surely must lead back to the parking lot, so I followed it:

I followed this road for a very long time. I found an empty beach house which I guessed was used by rangers during the busy season. But there was no access to anywhere else except to continue on this small road. When it turned toward the highway and began going sharply downhill, I knew that following it any farther would be big mistake:

So I retraced my steps, descended a steep sand dune and made it back to the beach:

Truth be told, I was getting mighty tired. Walking in sand is like those dreams where you're trying to run but are bogged down and everything is in slow motion:

I was happy when I found the pathway between the beach and the parking lot:

And, as at the end of many hikes, my little red car was a most welcome sight:

Beach Walk

I had just arrived in Provincetown and checked in at the Watership Inn. Then I drove to Head-Of-The-Meadow Beach, parked my car and started hiking. A solitary walk along the ocean is an experience unlike any other. Well, a solitary view from the top of a mountain would be similarly calming, meditative and restorative. I sometimes feel I live a blessed life because I get to have these experiences:

For most of the hike, my only companions were the seagulls. But they are sociable in their own fashion:

The plastic slippers I was wearing allowed me to repeatedly wade right out into the chilly Atlantic, sometimes to explore and sometimes to rid my shoes of sand:

I found a piece of sponge:

A short video taken at Head-Of-The-Meadow Beach:



Large sand dunes followed the shoreline and after I'd walked for a long way, I decided to climb right up them:

I soon noticed these concrete and steel structures atop the dunes. I remembered reading that in World War II, bunkers had been built to help with our national defense. I've since checked the internet without finding anything, but I think that's what these were:

Defense bunkers, manned by people back when my parents were young and in love - and the world was at war:

Anything wooden had rotted long ago, and the steel was deteriorating rapidly. But the concrete will stand for a long time yet, watching out over the Atlantic:

The view from atop the sand dunes was magnificent:

From my lofty position I saw only a very few other souls - beach explorers and fishermen:

And plants which appeared to be wild cranberries grew in profusion on the sand dunes. I thought it must be far too arid up there for cranberries, but when I tasted a berry, decided that must be what they were:

Excursion To Head-Of-The-Meadow Beach

I arrived in Provincetown and checked in at the Watership Inn, a bed and breakfast in the heart of town. But I was way ahead of schedule and the weather was beautiful, so I drove out to the Head-Of-The-Meadow Beach, a part of the National Seashore. I parked my car and prepared to take a long ocean side walk:

I began by climbing up some sand dunes because I wanted to get close to these magnificent roses:

The rose-hips were abundant, huge and tasty:

Yes, I ate one:

And a few flowers were blooming still:

So I crossed the sand dunes on my way to the beach. Why take the easy way when there's a much more difficult route?

I arrived at the beach and began walking, walking, walking:

I'd worn plastic slippers so that I could walk right out into the water. I wished Seamus was with me. He'd have gone right out into the cold waves. Little Clover might also have tried it:

I didn't find too many signs of life, but I did find this crab claw, a carapace and a skate egg case:

And on I walked, farther and farther from my starting point:

The round polished stones were abundant and looked so beautiful. When I was a boy on the Oregon coast, I'd pick up lots of them and bring them home. But almost all turned dull and lackluster when away from the salty ocean mists. The Oregon coast tourist stops used to sell polished beach agates in bubblegum dispensers. Now that's the way to get really polished stones: