Day Fifteen: Clamming, Piers, and Candy

We spent our final morning at the Cape digging for clams, a first for all five of us (Paxton decided to hang out back at the house with the non-clammers) Aside from the ever-present reminder that I was a long way from my epi pen, it was a neat experience that the kids especially enjoyed. Tegan even said that clamming was her favorite part of the trip, although in all fairness she has said that a lot of things are her favorite part of the trip. The bottom of the marsh was like quick-sand, and it was comical watching everyone trying to break the suction without losing their balance and falling with every step.

We spent the afternoon strolling around in Chatham, a lovely fishing/tourist/shopping town. We walked to the pier where we enjoyed the seals, watched the fisherman unloading their catch, and found our Massachusetts geocache (our tenth different state so far for the trip) We stopped at a traditional seaside candy store, where the kids loaded up on gummy sharks and worms, and Mike and I indulged in a few dark chocolate salted caramels. Those caramels might have been the highlight of my day.

We got the house closed up, said goodbye to Mike's brother's families - which was bittersweet - and headed back to his parents' house for the night.

Our one regret about our time in New England is that despite our original plans to visit some old friends – and some new ones too – our visits never materialized for a variety of reasons. Fitting everything in was one part of the trip that we really had trouble with, and it was frustrating and sad to have to change course at the last minute. There were simply not enough days to make it all work.

Still, we were happy and grateful for the chance to re-experience the Cape with the kids, and excited about the next part of the trip. Next up: Ashburn, Virginia.