Cape Cod Day 1 - Wellfleet Bay MAS (8/12)

Last week I vacationed at Cape Cod with my family. I will try to provide highlights of the trip on a day-by-day basis since it will make for more manageable posts.

Saturday was our first day. We spent most of the day traveling but got to Eastham a few hours early. So we decided to check out the grand reopening of the Wellfleet Bay Massachusetts Audubon Sanctuary. This is a place we visit several times each year... so many times that I could probably walk it blindfolded. As we drove in the parking lot I was immediately struck by the changes. The main office had been doubled in size and the flower garden had been totally redone. Also, the boardwalk at the mudflats had been resurfaced with plastic "boards".

In general these were significant improvements to the property. The larger building will house the summer camps much easier and the new lecture hall is great. Its a huge leap forward from the cramped one they used to have (boy could that room get hot). But, I couldn't help but think that the money would have been better spent aquiring new land. I realize that this is a very popular sanctuary and it brings in significant contributions. But I think that the organization as a whole would be better served by redistibuting this wealth to other, less visited areas. The improvements just reminded me of the huge house that are going up all over the cape: big for the sake of being big.

That being said, I enjoyed the day. There was a raptor show (American Kestrel, Screech Owl, Common Raven), a steel band, and free ice cream from Ben and Jerry's. It was a great way to start off the week.