May 21, 2018 Cape Ann Island

May 21, 2018

We woke up to blue skies today, for a change! So, we decided to do a little sightseeing. The little peninsula we are on, has an island at the end of it. Looking at the map of the area, it’s difficult to see that, but that’s where we headed today.

The island, as best as we can tell, is called Cape Ann. The minute we crossed over on the bridge, the roads became extremely narrow! The telephone polls are just barely off the road, and for privacy, the home owners have planted their bushes right against the road pavement, which means that when the bushes grow, they are actually growing out into the road way. Keep in mind that our only vehicle is the very big, very wide truck that we tow the rig with. These roads would barely be wide enough for two SMART cars to pass without pulling the side mirrors in. That was a little stressful.

If you have ever been to southern California, and tried to go to the beach, you know it’s almost impossible to get to the public beaches because the extremely well-to-do have signs everywhere to lead you to believe that the property is private and you have no business being there. Well, it’s just like that here, only the houses are bigger and older and the roads are narrower.

Never let it be said that Phil is intimidated by anyone, or any sign for that matter. He takes it into his head that he wants to go somewhere, he is going.

 This is Annisquan Lighthouse, still opperated by the Coast Guard and buried in a ritzy housing development that has signs everywhere that we didn't belong there.

 This statue was a monument to the men of the island that had lost their lives in the Civil War. Behind it was a cemetery that we drove through. In some places the road was not as wide as the truck!!

We stopped for lunch at a little hole in the wall seafood place that was right on the water. Note the cute little lobsters on the roof!!

We shared our first lobster of this trip, little bit overcooked, but very good!! We got to talking to the manager, who was sitting at the table next to ours doing some paperwork. She was more than happy to put that aside and chat with us as we finished our lunch. A disposable plastic lobster bib was included in our lunch, which I was not embarrassed to use. As I was taking mine off, I ask her if she might have enough of them that I could buy 44 of them, as I wanted to add them to the tote bags we have for our members on the caravan. She went to get them and when she came back, she wouldn’t let me pay for them.  There are still nice people out there.

Check out the chimney

Landscape or no landscape? Across the street from these homes was the bay. Tough!!

This is the Eastern Point Light. Again, we had to drive through a ritzy housing area with the usual signs.

The keeper's house, a little larger than the usual keeper's house. A kid walking his dog told Phil that the house has been vacent for a couple of years. So, I told him to use his connections (??) and get it for us for one summer. 

I tried to get a picture today of the signs for what we call a traffic circle. Here they are called a ‘Rotary’. For all the narrow roads on the island, the traffic circles as you go on & off the island are big enough to drive a big rig around them without running the back wheels on the curbs. We were impressed!!

This is the ROTARY sign, I was trying to take a zoomed in picture while Phil was driving, not the best picture I have ever taken!!!