Indian Lands / Cape Cod Rail Trail Extension

By Ken VanTassell

I've been vacationing in Dennis, Massachusetts since I was four months old. In all this time I had never ventured onto the Indian Lands Conservation Area in South Dennis.

Indian Lands Conservation Area has been closed since last winter due to the Cape Cod Rail Trail (CCRT) extension which is adjacent to the conservation area. Since construction has halted for the winter, the town has once again opened up Indian Lands to hiking enthusiasts and their four legged friends.

The hike through this small conservation area is beautiful as it abuts the Bass River and the trail is mostly flat so it is an easy walk for all ages. The "frost layer" blacktop is in place on the yet unopened CCRT extension which currently goes almost up to the River and the missing railroad bridge. The rest of the trail including the bridge replacement over the Bass River is a separate MASSDOT project which is currently out to bid and construction should hopefully start in the spring of 2017.

Once the CCRT extension including the bridge over the Bass River are completed, I can see this section of the trail through Dennis as being one of the best parts of the CCRT. This spot on Main Street in South Dennis will be a major parking area for the rail trail and Indian Lands. It is also the spot of the original South Dennis Railroad Depot when passenger service ran through Dennis ending sometime in the late 1930's. There is a plan to reconstruct the Depot building and use it as a museum, but currently there is no funding so when and if this gets built remains to be seen.

                                  Original South Dennis Railroad Depot now long gone.

Cape Cod Family

By Bob Surrette

Much like much of the Cape, many Cape Cod families are different from those on the mainland. For an example that illustrates that point, I consider two of my summer only, mostly only weekends, neighbors as family. We celebrate family events together, birthdays, anniversaries, etc, but only those that occur during the high season. We go into suspended animation in the late fall only to re-emerge in the early spring as though we hadn't been apart for a day.

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The most intellectually stimulating branch of my Cape family are the members of my writers group. If anything is going to slow the atrophy of my medically certified unremarkable brain, it is interacting with these brilliant, creative and supportive Cape Codders. I cherish my moments with each and every one of them, some more than others, of course. You know who you are.

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I also have a public safety branch of my Cape family, police, fire and rescue. I am a light blue adjunct to these brave men and women in true blue who serve and protect. While they see me as volunteering my time and talent to their mission, in my mind I get back so much more than I give by being a part of their important and necessary work in our community. I believe I also get great returns serving my town by volunteering for ongoing and ad hoc civic efforts. Although it's almost always duty time when I join in with the family that is my town, we do break our overnight fast together once a year, bacon, eggs and hash browns by the Sound.

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Bourne Again

By Bob Surrette

I grew up in Worcester. From age five or so my family vacationed on the Cape, usually spending the last week of August in a one-room cottage on the north side of Old Warf Road in Dennis Port.  It was a long, long ride back to the Cape each summer in the early fifties of the last century, almost forever for little boy, me. It was always exciting to see the top of the Sagamore Bridge as it meant we'd made it back to the Cape again. It was only decades later that I learned that the Bridge is in Bourne.  And that at all those exciting moments of first spying that special span, I had become a Bourne again Cape Codder.

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Thanksgiving Week 2016 at the Beach

By Bob Surrette

Footprints in the sand often tell a story. In the earliest morning hours after an overnight storm one might only find evidence of the boots of fisherperson and the little feet of shore birds. In the warm months morning swimmers may walk barefoot down to the water's edge through the cool sand for a quick, cleansing dip in the surf—and then straight back up the beach again to their conveyances. Nothing like a quick dip in bracing salt water to heal what wounds you.

The next wave of prints may be the beach goers, with their umbrellas, blankets, coolers and kids. The more kids of all ages, the more random the evidence of human beings in the area. Besides in and out of the water, they may walk the edge of the land searching for shells, almost always barefoot. At dusk the beach goers leave like the outgoing tide only to be replaced by fisherpeople again, and the people with metal detectors, both likely in boots. Sometimes you can see evidence of the sweep of the detector across the surface of the sand or you will come across shallow holes dug in the sand, dug while looking for left-behind buried valuables. Overnight winds and the tide will fill in many of the depressions made by man and bird.

The beach is a year-around attraction. There is not nearly a day goes by that there is not some evidence of activity on the beaches—if you look for it. For example, dogs are allowed back on many beaches after Labor Day and can come back until Memorial Day. They generate copious paw prints. Perhaps a few are the results of running free.

While there may be evidence of bare feet on the beach from time to time, even in the coldest months, it is more likely you will see shoe prints. Some will leave elegant designs. Some will press lightly into the granules with little space between them. Others, heavier, deeper, will provide evidence of heavier beings with longer strides, both from long legs and running/jogging. At the beach, most of us enjoy looking at the water and the sky, especially when moisture in the air is put on fire by the rising or setting sun. However, there is another view to be admired, a story beneath our feet that is there for the looking down. 

End of the Year is Darling in Dennis !

By Bob Surrette

You might want to consider coming back and spending the end-of-year holidays in Dennis on Cape Cod this year. Snow-covered beaches and dunes create magical seascapes that must be seen in person to be believed. Onshore winds sculpt the sand and snow into curly swirls and awesome drifts against seaside cottages. The same ocean that keeps the Cape a bit cooler in summer helps moderate our winters. Snows don't often linger long on our fairways and tees. Many of the same people who make their yards a floral feast during the summer also do so with seasonally appropriate decorations at year's end with the addition of festive illuminations. Viewing holiday lights on a new Cape Cod snowfall is a memory you'll take home and cherish for a lifetime. Many of our best hotels, motels, inns and restaurants are open year-round to bring you warmth and good cheer during your winter visit. There is plenty of close-in parking and no lines out the door waiting for a seat. Chowder, lobster, scallops, steaks and other delectable offerings to satisfy any palate are available all winter long on the Cape, with knowledgeable servers waiting to take your order and serve you a great meal. Your favorite table with the great view is much more likely to be available whenever you walk in. You will get to meet true Cape Codders, those who live year-round on this unique and lovely peninsula. As some of our few off-season visitors, you will be cherished and attended to with the best we have to offer. If only the crush of the crowds didn't prevent us from being quite so hospitable during high season. Come play and stay and dine in Dennis this winter. You will go home with a different view of your beloved Cape.