Last Hurrah of Summer...Atlantic Oaks Campground

After our fun weekend in Poconos we were excited to hit the road for the main event of our end of summer vacation - Cape Cod! We had about 4.5 hours to drive so after some breakfast we hit the road for what turned out to be a beautiful drive. The kids did a lot of sleeping which was perfect and Andy and I enjoyed listening episodes of the podcast "Revisionist History" so the time went by pretty quickly. After a quick lunch stop we were back on the road and before we knew it we were pulling in to Atlantic Oaks Campground in Eastham, MA.

The campground was everything you'd expect for Cape Cod - even the camp store looked like a house you'd see in Martha Stewart Magazine. They had lots of Cape Cod decor throughout and we just loved our home away from home.

The sites weren't huge but we had plenty of space and always had wonderful neighbors. We even made friends with one set and found ourselves hanging out with them by the fire until far past our bedtimes one evening. The joy of camping - you never know who you will meet. They also gave us great advice about a cute town called Chatham that we should visit and the perfect spot to grab lunch (though the food will have to wait for another post.) We took their advice and spent some time touring around Chatham and even had a fun picnic lunch out of the back of the truck while we looked out on the water. We did a little walking around town as well. 

The campground was situated right on the Cape Cod Rail Trail - an awesome bike/jogging/walking trail that takes you the length of Cape Cod. That was a perk we took lots of advantage of (though that will also have to wait for another post). 

They had a really fun park with one of the longest slides I've ever seen. Unfortunately the park wasn't great for Harper, but he had lots of fun playing around our site. He'd sweep the rug, fill his buckets with rocks and mulch, chase bubbles, rinse and repeat. Adam of course did enjoy using the park and even made a few friends along the way - love when that happens. 

We were really close to the Cape Cod National Seashore National Park so of course we had to visit. Our summer of National Parks just keeps on rolling. We visited there twice, once via bikes to hit the beach (but again that will have to wait for another post) and once to check out the actual park and museum. As per usual Adam loved reading about the history of Cape Cod - our little history buff! 

Did I mention we really loved this campground and the surrounding areas? Did I mention we loved it so much we actually extended our stay by one night? We loved it so much we were even willing to pack up and move our camper to a new site just so we could stay an extra day. Needless to say - there's a lot more to write about...stay tuned. 

Fort McHenry...

After having so much fun touring around DC we decided a couple weekends ago to spend our Sunday seeing what Baltimore had to offer. Of course the first thought when planning a trip there is to hit the aquarium - but woah - it's so expensive! We'd be in close to $100 just in admission tickets and well that's just not happening. You know what doesn't cost $100? The National Park at Fort McHenry! Thanks again to our annual park pass. :) 

I honestly had no idea what Fort McHenry was all about but that's kind of what makes days like that fun. Luckily right upon arrival they were starting a movie in the visitor's center so we quickly headed in and watched. The video taught us that Fort McHenry was the birthplace of our National Anthem. As we battled the British throughout the night, Francis Scott Key watched from a boat (where he was working to negotiate the release of a hostage) and as the sun rose everyone, including Key, looked to see which flag would be flying over the fort...and there it was...the stars and stripes flying high and victorious! A very well done video that ended with the playing of the Star Spangled Banner and as the song came to an end the screen came up and revealed windows and the American flag flying above the fort in the background. Wow. 

From there we went and explored the fort and as we got closer to the flag we all commented that, honestly, it seemed a bit small...that was about to change. Seems our timing was also right for witnessing the changing of the flags where we learned that the flag that had been flying was what they call a "storm flag" and that yes, it was on the small side. We also learned that Fort McHenry is one of 4 places that has a presidential order to fly the flag 24/7 (Points of entry into the US, the White House, and Iwo Jima round out the list). The flag they were going to put up in place of the smaller storm flag was a 15 star flag - the same flag design that would have flown in 1814 when Key penned the Star Spangled Banner. What was cool about this process was they involved the visitors. Adam got to volunteer and was in charge of making sure the storm flag was brought down safely and never touched the ground. Every one else got to help unfold the 15 star flag and raise it. It was an awesome experience we won't soon forget. 

It's really just an awesome place to visit with an amazing view of the harbor and so much history that you can almost feel it. We are so fortunate to live around so much of America's history and we'll look forward to our next adventure. 

Where to next? #FindYourPark