< more recent | 1-7 November 2023 | older >
5 November 2023: Left Cape Cod and made the journey all the way back to New York today. It’s been an interesting week despite the bad weather. Stopped en route to get some dinner because I was driving the whole way. Unfortunately there was no choice but to take the highway as the ferries across the LI Sound were all booked up. Made the best of it, and caught the sunset somewhere along I-95…
4 November 2023: Took one last loop around the National Seashore this morning, focusing on the Province Lands area with it’s famous sand dunes, the marshes around Pilgrim Lake and the dirt roads of High Head. The weather was calmer and made for a nice day exploring the different landscapes all concentrated in this one tiny area…
3 November 2023: The sun came out today, but the wind is back with a vengeance making it impossible to get a beach fire permit. Still, got the ORV permit for the National Seashore and a friendly Ranger suggested taking the Racepoint route in the late afternoon to the lighthouse — which turned out to be a spectacular drive to the very tip of the cape where waves were crashing on shore as we drove out and turned back sooner than we might have if the seas were a bit calmer. Out on the tiny strip of beach with big waves crashing in on three sides it seemed a bit precarious, so drove back and caught the sunset from the Bay side of Provincetown instead …
2 November 2023: Weather is still harsh but the winds have calmed a bit. On the Ocean side of the cape the sea almost seems tranquil beyond the dunes and bluffs. The air is still cold and damp, and it’s really not “beach” weather…
1 November 2023: Another cold wet day on the Cape today, with high winds to add to the dis-incentives for outdoor activities — however we pushed ourselves to get out anyway and explore along Corn Hill Beach and visit the historic Highland Lighthouse. The only advantage of this kind of weather is the solitude that lets you imagine the wildness of these places before mass tourism…
THIS MONTH:
Heading to Cape Cod, Massachusetts for a quiet week of off-season exploring around the National Seashore, then participating in a presentation about the Rebelle Rally to a local group there before turning back towards New York…
COMING UP SOON:
Helping out with the TreadLightly! Trail Stewardship project at the Wharton State Forest in New Jersey on November 12th…
December is Holiday Roadtrip time. Getting ready to celebrate the Christmas holiday somewhere warmer and out in nature — will be setting up Christmas camp and enjoying exploring in the southeast this year…
USnomads.org is very proud to be presenting the third edition of the Nomad Overland Virtual Adventure Rally in 2024. This is a unique kind of rally experience — a ten week event that participants can do from anywhere within the continental U.S.A. Competitors design their own routes as part of the rally, then drive it in a points-based online competition that includes optional activity tasks, quests and weekly challenges. The 2023 rally will run from 4 June – 12 August and is open to any driver within the United States who has an off-road capable vehicle — stock or modified. Registration for 2024 opens in November. For more information see the Rally website …
THE HIGHLAND LIGHTHOUSE
The Highland Lighthouse is owned by the National Park Service as part of Cape Cod National Seashore, and is located on Outer Cape Cod in North Truro, Massachusetts. The United States Coast Guard operates the light itself. Highland Light Station, also known as Cape Cod Light, was commissioned by George Washington and established in 1797 as the 20th light station in the United States. The original 45-foot tall wooden tower and keeper’s dwelling were built more than 500 feet from the edge of a 125-foot-tall clay cliff. A new brick lighthouse was erected near the original tower in 1831. The present 66-foot-tall brick light tower, keeper’s house, and generator shed replaced the previous structures in 1857. An enclosed walkway connects the tower and the one-and-one-half-story, L-shaped, Queen-Anne-style keeper’s dwelling. Erosion of the steep cliff throughout the years brought the present light station around 100 feet from the cliff’s edge by the early 1990s. Using funds raised by the Truro Historical Society combined with state and Federal grants, Highland Light Station was successfully moved 450 feet back to safer ground. After the 18-day move, the light was relit on November 3, 1996, and is an active aid to navigation. Today, the keeper’s house features a gift shop and museum exhibits and a dedicated staff provides tours of the tower…
ABOUT CAPE COD
The Cape Cod National Seashore encompasses 43,607 acres on Cape Cod, in Massachusetts. It includes ponds, woods and beachfront of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecoregion across the towns of Provincetown, Truro, Wellfleet, Eastham, Orleans and Chatham. Administered by the National Park Service, the National Seashore serves many purposes — for some it is “the beach” while for others it is the wilderness. As the longest continuous stretch of shoreline on the East Coast, the national seashore doesn’t just host sun-loving humans; it provides a refuge for many species, including threatened shorebirds. Salt marshes and forests support a diverse array of plants and animals. And off-shore, the ocean teems with life, including the microscopic plankton that lure massive whales into Cape Cod Bay to feed – plus fish, seals, and the sharks that hunt them. Change is an ever-present force, with wind, waves, and storms constantly shaping and reshaping the land.
MORE NOTES FROM THE ROAD:
27-31 October – Cape Cod
16-26 October – Long Island
1-15 October – Roadtrip East
23-30 September – Roadtrip East
16-22 September – Colorado
8-15 September – Moab LONCON
1-7 September – Roadtrip West
August – Long Island
July – Roadtrip North
June – Nomad Rally Start
23-31 May – Nomad Prep
16-22 May – Nomad Prep
8-15 May – Long Island
1-7 May – Long Island
16-30 April – East Coast
8-15 April – Long Island
1-7 April – Roadtrip Home
1-7 April – Roadtrip Home
22-31 March – DVE
15-21 March – Arizona
8-14 March – Joshua Tree
1-7 March – Glamis
20-28 February – Southwest Roadtrip
1-19 February – Woman and Machine
January – Woman and Machine
22-31 December – Holiday Roadtrip
16-21 December – Holiday Roadtrip
1-15 December – Long Island
November – Long Island
Archive
ROADTRIP
An epic journey crisscrossing the USA from east to west and back again, exploring some of the beautiful wild spaces that make up our “public lands.” The roadtrip covered almost 15,000 miles, much of it off-grid and off-pavement, focusing on the deserts of the American southwest. Some locations were truly “iconic” while others were little known, and the segments of independent exploration where punctuated with some fun events across the region… [read]
SPECIAL REPORT
All about exploring ghost towns and abandoned places in the USA and beyond, with tips, and information on the many different types of sites to be found across the globe, including detailed guides for eight specific sites… [read]
REFLECTIONS
EGYPT: CAIRO REFLECTIONS
A quick overview of impressions from a stop in Cairo during our recent scouting mission in Egypt and Sudan … [read]
SPECIAL REPORT
A look into south-eastern Algeria on the border with Libya and Niger: overlanding with the Tuareg in one of the most remote corners of the Sahara … [read]
LOCATION
This installment of a series that focuses on locations around the USA takes a look at some favorite places near our home base in NY. We share a few places we like to explore, where you can experience something of the raw natural beauty of coastal beaches, pine barrens and a little bit of obscure military history… [read]
