Massachusetts is in the North-East of the United States, and is one of the New England states. The South-Eastern part of the state is called Cape Cod. It is a long, low, generally sandy cape that goes first East, then at Chatham turns North, then turns back towards the West.
I have been to Cape Cod before, and this time I only visited Chatham and surroundings.
The water surrounding the cape is generally cold, and home to a variety of animals, including seals.
Another interesting creature that lives here is called a horseshoe crab. On the beach there were many shells of horseshoe crabs. I was told that the animal grows but the shell doesn't, so every so often the animal has to discard the old shell and grow a new one.
Chatham lighthouse is an attraction of this area.
I walked South from Chatham Lighthouse along a sandy area that I was told is frequently reshaped by storms. For example, there is a large sandy island South of Chatham, called Monomoy, that is currently connected to the mainland by a sandy bridge, but at other times in the past has indeed been an island. Some of the views of this changing landscape were very nice.
Birds included cormorants and seagulls, and others that I did not identify.
One of the birds on the beach seemed wounded. Later, one of the rangers at the ranger station identified it as a Northern Gannett. The ranger station was several miles away from the bird, and at the time there did not seem to be any way to help the bird. The rangers confirmed that even touching the bird would likely have caused enough stress to do substantial harm. Sometimes nature still takes its course.
On the beach there is evidence of underwater life, kelp and seashells.
The beach included interesting artwork.
The sunset was gorgeous.
And so was the sunrise the next morning.
