Over the Christmas holiday, I got the privilege to see my family in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I have been going there my entire life, as my Grandparents own a house in Marstons Mills, one of the many quaint towns on the Cape. With that said, it was a lovely trip full of beautiful sights and wonders.

Just and hour and a half south of Boston, Cape Cod juts out off the U.S mainland for about 35 miles. Shaped like an arm, Cape Cod is “split” into two sections called the Inner Cape and the Outer Cape. The Inner Cape is home to the “Sound” side, and the “Bay” side. The Sound side is the side that faces the rest of the U.S east coast to the South, while the “Bay” side is the side that lies in the arm of Cape Cod. The Outer Cape is home to the “Outer” side, which faces the Atlantic Ocean. The Outer side is the closest to the U.K from the U.S mainland.

The “Outer” side is home to the U.S National Seashore. Set aside by President Kennedy, this stretch of shore is a beautiful National park with beautiful sandy beaches, featuring Sand dunes up to 177 feet tall. When I visit in the summer, me and my family all rent a house on the Outer Cape, and visit these beaches regularly. During this trip however, it was freezing (5 degrees) so we decided that it would be best to stay at my grandparents house on the Inner cape.

Just North, in walking distance, from my grandparents house lies Middle Pond. Middle Pond is one of the hundreds of ponds on the Cape. Since it was so frigid outside, portions of the pond had frozen over. It was absolutely stunning to see the many different layers of ice sparkle in the sun, shifting and moving to form large sculptures of water. Middle pond is also connected to a large bog that produces fresh and vibrant Cranberries. Portions of this bog had also frozen over, providing a beautiful glimpse into the majesty of nature.

I also got a fair bit of beach time as well. First, we went to Sandy Neck beach in Barnstable. This beach faces they bay, so, when walking up to the water, we were astonished at what we saw. They were waves, 5 feet in length towering over the murky waters. This comes at a surprise, as the bay is typically calm and collected due to its position and protection from the Outer cape. Our second beach run was in Truro off of North Pamet road. This is in the Outer Cape, so when walking on the soft sand, huge 100 foot dunes toward over us. The water was strikingly cold, and far off in the distance you could see waves crashing against a reef or sandbar. Walking around, with the Atlantic before your eyes, was a truly exhilarating experience.

Our last beach run, (sadly), was in Chatam, which is in the Southern Outer Cape. Here, there is little to no height in the sand dunes, as it is lower in the cape. A long time ago, this whole section of land was connected out all the way. In the map below you can see the several different sand bars just off Chatham. Over the course of many years, many storms breached the land, causing it to split up and form the bars around Chatham. This causes extremely dangerous water, therefore the U.S coast guard resides there to this day.

All in all, it was a wonderful trip. I treasure the sight of my family, and going home to the Cape is truly a gift. The beautiful topography and sights make for a wonderful, riveting experience.