Massachusetts - Day 15 - Cape Ann

The Pines Camping Area
Saturday, 15 September 2018

today's route

My plan for the day was to continue to follow the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway around Cape Ann, hoping for some sea views.  I got them, but I couldn't find any place anywhere to stop and take photos.  I cribbed the photos here from the internet.

I found all the way around the cape that all the little villages run into each other, and most don't have signs saying welcome to ___, so I never was sure just which one I happened to be in.  According to the map, I passed through Anisquam, Lanesville and Pigeon Cove on the way to Rockport, but I couldn't tell the dividing lines.

What I can tell is that coming into one of them there was a highway-type sign that said, "Caution - Beautiful Dreams Ahead."  (Awww.)

Rockport Harbor

This photo of the harbor in Rockport is pretty much what I saw - it's just not my photo.  Lots of boats, and lots of them commercial fishing boats.

Farther along the road, and getting fairly desperate for a place I could stop to walk the dogs, I found an enormous parking area at a place called Good Harbor Beach.  I learned later from the internet (when I was trying to figure out where this was) that parking usually costs $30!! but, lucky for me and the dogs, there was nobody in the booth.  Apparently there's a really nice sandy beach on the other side of the dunes next to the parking lot, but I didn't even try to take the dogs over there.  Figured even if they were allowed (which I couldn't tell), there would be other dogs and I wouldn't be able to hold onto them and there would be a disaster.

Wanting to avoid disaster, I walked them all around the parking lot, which really covered a lot of territory.

That beach is considered part of Gloucester, which seems to be the largest town on the cape.  Gloucester is historically a fishing town and has a moderately famous memorial at the edge of the harbor.  I actually saw this statue but, again, couldn't find anywhere to stop for the photo.

Manchester-

Farther along the road I came to Manchester-by-the-Sea, which seems to be the official name.  It's also known as Manchester, apparently, probably to confuse outlanders like me.  It's pretty though.

by-the-Sea

The scenic byway continues down south of Salem to Lynn, though I've now driven over most of it, and I have to agree it's pretty scenic.  Unfortunately most of the scenery is the little villages it runs through and not nearly enough of the sea I'd hoped for.  The map shows numerous lighthouses along the way, but I didn't see any of them at all.  Too built up.  Makes me yearn for the Maine coast, though that's much more rocky than sandy.  Massachusetts at least has sand on its beaches.