Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary (Mass Audobon) is a wonderful nature preserve on Cape Cod. It is located in South Wellfleet, just off the 28. The sign is very small as is the turn off from the main road. We missed the exit and I imagine a lot of people do …
A short drive takes you to the main parking lot. Entrance fee is four dollars. We chose to take the spring loop and then take the boardwalk down to the ocean. The spring loop took us around a small brook. ALl the trails here are well kept and anyone can handle them. The highlight was seeing seven or eight turtles enjoying the sun on a log half submerged in water. They could care less about us passing by. The path to the beach leads through a marshy area. Once you are on the boardwalk, look down, you will see a multitude of crabs and other creatures from the water’s edge. The tide started rolling in as we were crossing this area. This was like watching a live wildlife show. As the tide rolled in, the tiny animals scurried to their dwellings.
It was horse shoe crabs and several other species of crustaceans that I saw. The most exciting moment for me was seeing a horseshoe crab try to mount another crustacean. When they clums with each other they produce a soaking wet drop of mud that coats the crab’s body.
It was amazing to watch a bull shark at the top of it’s blade like it was diving for fish. The shark sometimes lunged and took several swipes at him. A few swipes and the insect came off.
There was a sea turtle here on the trip. I was surprised to see the female laying her eggs so I just stayed to watch the others. I was amazed at how she was able to lay her eggs in the wild without any real protection from the eggs. They were definitely waterproof. We were told that the mortality rate for sea turtles is about 10%. Not sure what that means.
There was also an octopus in the water that I swear looked like something out of a horror movie. It was ten or 12 feet long. The head was about an inch in length. The others in the room agreed it was a little scary.
When we left the parking lot there was construction going on. When we left the site an hour later it was about middle of afternoon and it was pretty much finished. I would like to see the remainder of the construction completed before I go back to Cape Cod.
Since we had to leave early we beat the rush and had a private beach all to ourselves. We had a swim and then went into the surf. The waves were pretty big but all the kids enjoyed the thrill of coming into the surf. We rented machines for: water skiing, parasailing, and kayaking.
It was about four or five that afternoon when I decided to head to the beach. I had on a light sweater and my new summer jacket. The weather could and would have continued a while longer. As it was I took off my sweater and tied it around my neck, pulled it on over my head and settled in. I laid there for a while enjoying the breeze. Feeling more comfortable I took off my jacket and tied my sweater around my waist.
Soon I was ready to play and my kids joined in. There was a wide table spreading out before us. snacks were opened up in little piles and everybody had a seat. Still feeling hungry, I took off one of my son’s summer hats and crammed it into my backpack. I had a beer and a minute or so to drink and I started worrying about having an ingeniously designed straw with me in the cold.
All four kids were now playing with Legos. There were plenty of little toys surrounding us. I was enjoying seeing my kids enjoying something other than what I was used to. Still feeling hungry, I took off one more of my son’s hats and stuffed it in my backpack. I brought out some fruit and vegetable juice and some other drinks and everyone smiled. We stayed like this for a few more minutes until I had to leave. It was dark and I headed off into the unknown.
The wind was blowing and I had to keep my scarf down to my neck. A bit worrisome myself, I thought. Dealing with the cold in the sub-zero temperature was not an option. I began to stroll back to my car and stopped at the lookout. I was not sure what on earth I was seeing. Certainly not what I expected. This was certainly not what I was expecting. It was as if time had stood still and I was witnessing the now infamous, timeless momentous event–glacier retreat!