Camping in Sandwich

The last week of June was a big week for us. Monday was Maura’s first visit to Fenway. Tuesday we all headed to Sandwich, on the upper part of Cape Cod, for a camping trip. After we had discovered that our luggage rack wouldn’t fit the car we bought in December and then fixing the problem after a quick run to REI for a part we packed up and headed out on our trip. We arrived at our campsite in Shawme-Crowell State Forest in mid-afternoon and had just enough time to get camp set up before the first of several thunder storms hit. Fortunately there was little wind and our tent was snug and waterproof, as was our picnic shelter once we threw a tarp over the top. Heavy rain made it hard to get a fire started and once we retreated to the car because of nearby lightning but the storm finally passed. We were able to enjoy our dinner and eventually s’mores around the campfire.

Wednesday was our day in and around Sandwich. We visited the Sandwich Fish Hatchery where Maura fed the trout being raised there for stocking the ponds and rivers of Massachusetts. It was fun to watch the fish swarm to the food scattered on the water.

From the Fish Hatchery we drove to Long Pasture Audubon Sanctuary in Barnstable. While I was changing into my boots a titmouse landed on my hat. Later as we hiked along the beach the same bird visited all three of us as we walked on the sand, pecking around our feet and landing on my shoulder and again on my hat. We later learned that the bird was a fledgling. He hadn’t yet learned to stay away from humans and to avoid being caught in the open. With luck he will learn the lesson before he is eaten by a hawk. On our trip to the Audubon Sanctuary we also saw crabs and mud snails, as well as two musk turtles basking on a log in a fresh water pond. Honeysuckle was in bloom and it filled the air with the sweet scent of its flowers.

After our visit to the Audubon sanctuary we headed back into Sandwich. We stopped at the Greenbrier Jam Kitchen and bought some spicy fall fruit jam, then drove down to the Cape Cod Canal to have a picnic. After lunch we visited two historic buildings in Sandwich. The Hoxie House was built ca. 1675 and once housed the family of Sandwich’s minister. We had a very nice tour from the friendly docents in the house, though I’m not sure of the accuracy of all the information that they gave us. After the Hoxie House we visited the gristmill at the other end of Lower Shawme Pond. It is a working reproduction of one built on the site in the 1650s which operated there from the 17th century until the late 19th century. It was interesting to see how flour was made before modern flour mills.

After the visit to the grist mill we headed back to camp for another evening by the fire. We had another enjoyable night in camp, this one without rain. We cooked in the open fire, had s’mores for desert again, and read stories aloud around the campfire until it was dark (and then finished the story by flashlight). The next morning after breakfast we packed up and headed home. Everyone had a good time and we returned energized and rested, but covered with mosquito bites.