Getaway Mavens on US Route 6: Wellfleet Oysters Are Only the Beginning

WHY GO: If the Cape Cod town of Wellfleet MA seems vaguely familiar, it’s because Edward Hopper captured these scenes in many of his paintings and Henry David Thoreau penned his journals nearby. Besides the vast beaches of the National Seashore, you’ll find remnants of Victorian-era technology, one of the country’s last surviving drive-ins and a wildlife rich sanctuary. There’s a reason that Wellfleet Oysters are so popular around the world: come to the source and find out for yourself. 

Things to Do in Wellfleet MA

VISIT: Marconi Wireless Station @ Marconi Beach. A Marconi Wireless Telegraph diorama is located in the spot where the first Telegraph Station once stood (its terminus was in England) and offers some idea about the precursor to the internet.  Planks of rotted wood held down by rusty chains are all that remain of this now antique international communications center, where on January 18, 1903, Marconi successfully transmitted messages between Teddy Roosevelt, the president of the United States and King Edward VII of England.

VISIT: Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. For a taste of Cape Cod and its varied landscapes, don’t miss this former bird-banding station run by Mass Audubon.  On 1,200 acres, you can easily spend a full day hiking along five miles of trails and boardwalks through a variety of habitats – woodlands, tidal marsh, beach, coastal sandplain, and fresh water ponds.  You’ll encounter ospreys and otters, kingfishers and muskrats, crabs and hundreds of other miracles of nature. Walk into the LEED Certified (read: Eco-Friendly) Esther Underwood Johnson Nature Center and sit in a sling-back chair for a bit while gazing at bird feeding stations through a wall of glass. Open daily Memorial Day to Labor Day 8:30AM to 5PM, off-season Tues. – Sun. 8:30am-5pm

To read the rest of Getaway Mavens overview of Wellfleet, click HERE

Dennis, MA to Eastham, MA on Old Route 6: The Getaway Mavens Trace Route 6 in New England

WHY GO: The light.  The clam shacks.  The breathtaking salt marshes.  All that is authentic Cape Cod is concentrated along this magnificent stretch of old Route 6A, where you can indulge in great art followed by exquisite meals and then spend a night amid the splendor

Things To Do In Cape Cod

DO: Bike the 22 Mile (each way) Cape Cod Rail Trail. The well-maintained flat and paved 22-mile Cape Cod Rail Trail runs from Dennis to Wellfleet.  No worries if you don’t have a bicycle; there are plenty of places to rent along the trail. At Cape Cod Rail Trail Bike and Kayak in 
Brewster, you can park for free, rent a bike for $30 for the day and start on the trail right out back.  You’ll share this popular path with tots and seniors – it’s the perfect “leg stretcher” before retiring for the night nearby.

For the rest of this Getaway Mavens Post With More info and pictures, CLICK HERE. 

GetawayMavens.com Provides Great Offbeat Tips on US Route 6 Towns in New England, New York and PA

And they start at the beginning with THIS POST. 

WHY GO: Provincetown, MA on the tip of Cape Cod is high energy and gay in all definitions of that word. It’s beautiful, fun and free-spirited; perfect for like-minded souls. Once a maritime center, and where the tired Pilgrims on the Mayflower originally landed, Provincetown began to draw actors and artists when “alternate lifestyles” were best left to edge of earth locales.  Now, it seems, everyone – gay or straight – wants in on the action.  If it’s your wish to rub elbows and other body parts with as many people as possible, come “in-season” – end of Spring to early Fall.  Otherwise, enjoy Provincetown’s quiet history and world famous dunes when the weather chills.

Things To Do In Provincetown MA

CLIMB: Pilgrim Monument For an overview of Provincetown and much of the Cape, there’s no better perspective than from the top of the Pilgrim Monument, the tallest all-granite structure in the United States completed in 1910 to commemorate the Mayflower’s 102 passengers who took solace on these shores. After climbing the 252 foot tower (116 steps connecting 60 ramps), spend some time in the “Grandma’s attic of P’Town,” the adjoining Provincetown Museum, which highlights early Native American life, Pilgrim days, whaling and fishing industries and the influx of artists. A Mayflower replica, Provincetown’s first horse-drawn fire engine and mock-ups of both a Captain’s home and ship Captain’s Quarters take center stage. But allow time to poke around for little gems, like the photograph of a blackface Eugene O’Neil who appeared as a “Negro Sailor” in his play, The Thirst, originally staged in Provincetown. $12 adults, $4 children, Memorial Day to Labor Day 9am-7pm, check website for other times of year.

To read the rest of this Getaway Mavens post, Click Here.

Growing Pot on US Route 6??

I get my fair share of US Route 6 Google Alert accident and fatality reports.  Too many, for my comfort.  But THIS little item sparked my interest:

SWANSEA —

Planting Hope Inc., the Boston group interested in opening a marijuana cultivation center on Route 6, has pulled out of the deal.

Planting Hope did not make it to Phase II of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s application process.

The group had initially contacted the town about opening the center and processing plant at 2241 G.A.R. Highway, the site of the current Charlmor Furniture. It would have grown marijuana and created products that contained cannabis for medical purposes.

Read more: http://www.heraldnews.com/news/x2132763458/Marijuana-cultivator-no-longer-in-the-picture-in-Swansea#ixzz2nCbhMXeF
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Wow - Route 6: Look how close you came to being the literal corridor for High Fliers!

Nebraska - a Pivotal Route 6 State Often Overlooked By the Rest of the Country - Is In National News Big Time

As I've mentioned before on this blog, the state of Nebraska isn't exactly first on anyone's Travel List.  But, as I've also mentioned before, it should be - if only for Omaha and Lincoln and the smaller towns of Ashland, Friend, McCook and Imperial with stunning surprises and warm, generous people.

Lately, thanks to hometown (or should I say, home-state) boy made good, movie director Alexander Payne, Nebraska is making national waves.  His new movie, "Nebraska," starring Bruce Dern in an Oscar-worthy performance, has turned attention to that flyover state.

Last week's New York Times Magazine featured a "Wanderlust" piece written by Kurt Andersen, photographed by Michael Christopher Brown.  "With the release of his movie, Nebraska, the director Alexander Payne travels across his home state's great plains and small towns to discover a place as quirky and authentic as his films," it begins.

And in a Q&A in the New York Times Travel Section, Will Forte, who plays Dern's son in the film, compares the terrain he encountered in Nebraska to a van Gogh painting: "these big beautiful circular corn husk bales, the way the light would hit them and the shadows they'd cast. Brilliant hues of yellow - it was really striking." Like me, he also had "an extravagant stay" in Omaha at the Magnolia Hotel.

Being recognized in the New York media is no small achievement, and it's my hope that more and more Americans will take a road trip on US Route 6 to discover the joys of the Plains States.

Nebraska's Route 6 Tourist Association is pulling out all the stops to make sure that travelers know that they are on this historic road: putting up brown and white Route 6 signs, and providing information about the road.  Many attractions and establishments that I wrote about in my guidebook, Stay on Route 6, have joined this great Association, which has dedicated Directors in most of the 14 US Route 6 states.

Allow me one plug - if you've got an urge to really explore our country on a mostly two-lane highway - or if you know of someone who does, Stay On Route 6: Your Guide to All 3,652 Miles of Transcontinental US Route 6 makes a perfect holiday gift!!

Monster Truck World Record Jump On US Route 6 at This Year's Cornfield 500 in Columbus, PA!

Two years ago, I met the founders of the Cornfield 500, Sabrena and Blair Miller, on my drive across the USA on US Route 6 in Columbus, PA. Each Labor Day Weekend, thousands of Monster Truck fans converge on their property to watch those big-wheeled vehicles launch from piles of dirt into the air (and hopefully land in one piece).  

This year, at the Cornfield 500, Joe Sylvester set a world-record distance jump in the 10,000-lb Bad Habit monster truck, which launched at 85 mph to achieve a new world record of 237-ft, 6 inches, demolishing the previous record of 214 feet, 8 inches. 

Here's a video of that record-breaking event: 

What's Stay On Route 6's Most Popular Post? It's All About the Buffalo!

People seem to find my blog for various reasons.  Most are looking for advice about a good, long, two lane cross country trip.  Others are seeking.....bison?

Yep - this post about a herd of buffalo in Brooklyn, Connecticut, has won out all others.  Who'd have thunk!

Buffalo at Creamery Brook Bison, Brooklyn, CT

Most of the Bison page views come from image searches - which leads me to believe that there must be thousands of middle-school kids looking for pictures of the beast that sustained hungry American pioneers as they made their way west in the 1800's.

It's ironic that the buffalo on US Route 6, a road that indeed runs through the American West, live on a small family owned farm in Connecticut: Creamery Brook Bison.