Visiting #Brewster on #CapeCod #QuarantineLife #Hiking #Barnstable #MA #nature Cape Cod #Travel

Historic Stony Brook Grist Mill in Brewster, MA

Like many people, I am struggling to stay positive during this time of isolation and find fun things to do to keep my family active and get us out of the house (safely, where there are no crowds) when possible.  The weather here on Cape Cod has not been particularly cooperative, but a few weekends ago we had a beautiful Sunday, and the four of us took a trip to explore some trails in Brewster, a town further out along the bent arm of the Cape.  If you picture the bent arm, the bridges from mainland Massachusetts are near the shoulder, and Provincetown is up at the curved hand.  Brewster is along the bay side of the peninsula, between the "bicep" and the inside of the elbow.

Stunning scenery at Stony Brook Grist Mill site

Since we were not in a hurry, we took the scenic route...6A. (Sidebar...the faster way is via Rt. 6, which is a highway that runs continuously across the U.S. from Bishop, CA to Provincetown, MA.  A bucket list trip!)  Route 6A is also known as the Old King's Highway, which makes me think of Game of Thrones.  It definitely offers amazing history, with buildings, homes, churches, and cemeteries dating back to the 1600s, and Native American sites going back much further.  One of my novels, Haunted Souls, incorporates a ghost mystery that begins in the Old Jail, which is the oldest wooden jailhouse in the entire country, built circa 1690 and found along 6A in Barnstable Village.

View of Cape Cod Bay from Eddy Bay Trail in Brewster
(in the direction of Wellfleet and P-town)

It was a beautiful drive, with farms, old stone walls, blooming trees and flowers, cranberry bogs, and kettle ponds.  When we arrived in Brewster, we headed to a trail known as the Eddy Bay Trail, as the land was once owned by the Eddy family.  The trail loops through the woods with a gradual climb to the highest bluff in Brewster.  From there is a breathtaking view of the Cape Cod Bay.  In the distance, you can see the land mass of Providence, RI on one side and Provincetown, MA on the other.

An old foundation along a river
Eddy Sisters Trail

The Eddy Sisters Trail is across the street, with markers indicating the remains of old buildings and farmland.

From there, we headed over to the Stony Brook Grist Mill, which is the sole remaining structure from the 19th century Factory Village in Brewster.  The museum inside the restored mill was closed, of course, but we enjoyed the trails along the brook and the herring run.  The herring, known as alewives, make their way from the bay, up through Stony Brook with help from a series of ladders, to return to the freshwater ponds where they were born so they can spawn.  It's an incredible and dangerous journey, and a sign of spring here.

The herring run at Stony Brook Grist Mill

It was a wonderful day and an amazing opportunity to explore some areas that we rarely see, since it is often human nature to forget about the treasures we have in our own "backyard".  We've lived here over 20 years, and there is still so much we haven't seen!  Since many of my novels are set on Cape Cod, I do try to spend a lot of time visiting the area I'm considering as a setting, and I often use pieces of Cape history as inspiration for my stories.  If you'd like to virtually visit some of the other towns or landmarks I've blogged about, check out Visiting Truro (setting for my latest release, Ghost Moon), Visiting Falmouth, and Exploring Bourne Farm (inspiration for The Haunting of Hillwood Farm).

If you enjoy Romantic Suspense and Ghost Mysteries, check out some of my titles and take a fictional visit to Cape Cod while getting lost in a page-turning story!  Reading is a proven stress-reliever too :)  Thanks for coming by and stay safe everyone!

Gull Harbor is set in a fictional village in Wellfleet
and is a #1 Amazon and Barnes & Noble Bestseller!
Also available on Audible as an audiobook!

Exploring #Truro for #Book 7! #CapeCod #Travel #ghosts #romance #amwriting

Spectacular view from the Pamet Cranberry Bog Trail
Truro, MA

Sometimes I get my inspiration from a place, like when I visited the Old Jailhouse and came up with the idea for Haunted Souls.  And sometimes I decide on the setting first...and on a few occasions, some very odd coincidences have made me believe I made the right choice.  Like when I decided my debut novel, Silver Lake, was going to be set in Connecticut, in a lake district outside of NYC.  In particular, I knew I was basing my fictional lake on some of the lakes surrounding Candlewood Lake.  Having never been there, I was a little nervous about this, but I had a good reason for choosing the location.  I started reading books on the area, and then the strangest thing happened...my 8-year-old's club baseball team qualified for a tournament...right near Candlewood Lake.  I did some research in advance, and between games, we visited the spots I needed to see to make the setting come to life.

Ballston Beach in Truro

My seventh book needed to be somewhere particularly isolated.  I set a lot of my books on Cape Cod, where I've lived for 20 years, and since our peninsula is already somewhat cut off from the mainland (you can only get here via car by crossing one of two bridges), I knew I could find a location that would work.  

Doing a few quick searches, I learned Truro is the least populated town on Cape Cod, with about 2,000 year-round residents.  It's not the smallest town land-wise, but over half the town is undeveloped, protected land, and the population density is less than 100 people per square mile.  To get there takes over an additional hour from the two Cape Cod bridges.

Pamet Trail...Pamet is a Native American word for the area

So, my story was set...but I hadn't spent much time in Truro.  We've been to Wellfleet, the town south of Truro, many times (Gull Harbor is set there, although the town of Gull Harbor is fictional).  Wellfleet not only boasts beautiful beaches that are part of the Cape Cod National Seashore, but it has a quaint harbor town, a drive-in movie theater, a big flea market, and the Beachcomber restaurant/bar.  North of Truro is Provincetown, another destination spot we enjoy.  P-Town offers vast, incredible sand dunes (also part of the protected National Seashore), Commercial St. with its colorful crowds, shops, restaurants, galleries, eclectic shows and street art, quaint houses, and wonderful bike trails.

Old King's Highway in Truro.  Not the usual version of a
highway!  Unsure what we would have done if faced with
a car coming the other way...but all was quiet.

But Truro has mostly, for us, been a town we drive through to get to P-Town.  And that's the way the majority of residents want it--there are no fast food chains, no shops, no main street to stroll along.  It almost like being in another world...a beautiful, peaceful oasis.

So, I put more exploration on my list of things to do, but again, it's not right around the corner.  But then an old friend (think 40 years...we've known each other since 6th grade) messaged me to let me know he was on Cape.  Staying at a relative's place, in Truro.  Another wow, that seems like fate moment.

First Congregational Church of Truro, founded 1709

My husband and I made plans to spend the day in Truro and meet up with my friend for dinner this past Sunday, and I'm sharing the pictures I took for research.  I'll avoid spoilers, but I will say this book is, like most of my novels, a ghost mystery/romance with some history sprinkled in.  So of course a graveyard was on the list of places we needed to go, in addition to the beaches and trails.  If you ever get a chance to visit this beautiful town, don't miss it!  And if you'd like to keep up with news about this new novel (Ghost Moon), sign up for my newsletter over on the right-hand side of this page!

Very old headstones at First Church of Truro