Our time in Massachusetts started off great. We snagged an incredibly massive site that was nestled in a quiet corner, surrounded by trees and shade to help combat the heat. We stayed at Gateway to Cape Cod which is almost completely covered by tree branches, so we were worried about our Starlink not working. Our Starlink is our most prized possession- we rely on it working for homeschooling and for funding this lifestyle. Much to our surprise, we had about a four foot clearing in branches directly above our site. It may have been pointing East, but it was enough for us to get signal. We finished setting up and it was go time!
Gateway To Cape Cod is a great stay. The playground was nice and updated and they have a really nice, clean pool area. They even have a lifeguard which was a nice bonus! Pickleball, a convenient food cart, and a peaceful pond setting are just a few of the other amenities we enjoyed during our stay there. The staff was welcoming and helpful and the campground itself is near great shopping and dining options.
Now, before I get into the details of our stay, let me preface by saying that we tried SO hard to find the positives in everything that happened. In the end though, the snowball effect of bad days got the best of us.
It started on day one, at check-in, and a request for our dogs rabies vaccination records. We had just spent ten weeks at our home base completing all of our appointments for the year. When we left Michigan I had an unsettling feeling that I had forgotten something. It wasn't until our arrival at Gateway To Cape Cod that I remembered what it was- the dogs' rabies vaccines! Once we got settled into our cozy site, we immediately called the nearest animal clinic and were able to snag a same-day appointment. No reason to stress- it only cost us $250 for ONE vaccine that would've cost a fraction of that had I remembered to do it back in Michigan. This was just a minor bump. It needed to be done anyways, we got it done, the campground received what they needed from us, and we were able to continue our stay.
We don't normally adventure the day after a travel day, especially long ones. However, we were so excited to explore Cape Cod! Once the girls woke up, we packed our beach items and headed out for an exciting beach day on the Cape. We hit the road and there we sat...for hours. We didn't know it at the time, but the Pan-Mass Challenge was happening that day and our entire day would consist of sitting in traffic. Almost 7000 bikers were riding in the area to raise money for cancer research and even more people showed up to cheer them along. Every street, every parking lot, every highway, and every sidewalk was packed and NOT dually friendly. We did eventually make it to Cape Cod, but we never even got out of the truck before turning back around. Five hours later, the equivalent of a travel day, we finally made it back home. We were exhausted, beyond hangry, and extremely bummed that we never got to lay eyes on the ocean. We vowed to plan better, if there was a next time.
The next day we regrouped. We came up with a solid plan, but then the skies opened up and it rained, and rained, and rained some more. We busted out the rainy day activities and played some pretty intense games of War, Nertz, and dominos.
And then it rained some more. We then discovered that the cute little dog walking path we thought was an added bonus to our cozy site, is actually where ALL of the water for the entire upper half of the campground goes. We weren't just flooded, our site had turned into a legit river with a current and everything. It would be a bit before we ventured out again.
Eventually the clouds parted and the sun appeared. Our site was still a mud pit, but our time in MA was coming to an end and we were determined to get one good adventure in. Call us crazy, but we decided to attempt Cape Cod again, however, this time we did things a bit different. We went on a week day, we left early, and arrived at the bridge before 9am in an attempt to beat traffic (it worked!), and we immediately went to the location we knew we wanted to explore- Cape Cod National Sea Shore.
The parking at the visitors center was a breeze. The girls were able to collect their Junior Ranger Badges and then we drove a short drive to parking where a free shuttle would take us 1.5 miles down the road to explore the National Sea Shore.
We were finally on our way to the ocean..
..and it was better than we ever expected it to be.
Within seconds of our feet hitting the sand, I swore I saw something in the water.
And then we rounded a corner...
The view took my breath away. The rocky terrain covered in bright green sea grass set the scene for a pod of seals that were basking in the sun. It's hard to believe such beauty exists in America. We walked along the edge of the water to find a better place to admire them from. For the longest time, we just sat on the rocks taking it all in.
The water was a tad too chilly and we know where these fellas fall on the food chain, so we decided to skip swimming and head to lunch. We wanted to eat lunch, not BE lunch, so we hopped back on the shuttle, and headed back to the truck. There happened to be a lobster place a few minutes away and we managed to find a spot to park. For anyone reading this who plans to visit the Cape with a dually- the parking lot at this establishment is huge and dually friendly. They even have additional parking in the back which is always a bonus.
The food was delicious, but it was time to head home and pack. Tomorrow is travel day.
The next morning, we packed in record time. We had the kids and animals loaded in the truck and the RV hooked up and ready to go by 6:45 AM. Rick decided to do one last walk around and check the tire pressure on the RV tires one more time. That's when he noticed a hanging shackle. A bolt had busted on a leaf spring. We decided on day one of RV life that it would be easier to pay someone to do our repairs vs using cargo space to carry our own tools. Oh, how wrong we were. I unloaded the kids and animals from the truck and back into the RV. We weren't going anywhere anytime soon.
After trying to call twelve RV techs with zero luck, we decided to fix the dang thing ourselves. We had already accepted the fact that we were staying put for at least one more night, so we made arrangements with the campground and Rick left to buy jacks and search for parts. Thankfully, he found everything we needed (even purchased extra for when the other ones break), and he was able to get it fixed up rather quickly. Last Winter, we had an RV tech friend recommend always carrying extra bolts and shackles, because there's a really good chance that you'll spend more time looking for the part than you'll spend actually fixing it. We shrugged it off at the time, but you can bet we'll always carry extras from here on out! It was such a quick fix that seemed to take forever!
One thing we're extremely grateful for is that the breakdown happened while in a campground. My worst fear is being stranded on the side of the highway for hours with a truck load of kids and animals. Rick had already done his walk around once prior to us hooking up to the truck. The fact that he had the thought to check everything just one more time after we had hooked up still blows my mind. Rick looked at me at one point and mentioned he couldn't believe how calm I was (he was far from it). I simply looked at him and said, "this could have been so much worse. We have an issue and we'll fix it, but at least we're safe!" We didn't have vehicles flying by us at 75mph, we had water, we had power, and our family was comfortable inside our home while we searched for a solution. I've heard horror stories from RV friends- being comfortable and safe during a breakdown was nothing to stress over!
The next morning we hooked back up, loaded back up, and rolled out of Massachusetts faster than we have any other state.
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