Camping: Cape Cod 2026, Day Four

Wednesday, September 23, 2026, was the fourth of five days of camping at Shawme-Crowell State Forest in Sandwich, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod.

For the previous day of this five-day camping trip, see Cape Cod 2026, Day Three.

Morning Activities

I was very tired from yesterday’s ride, and consequently I slept fitfully while listening to an audiobook. It was windy all night. I got up with the sun at 6:00 a.m. and ate my usual breakfast of muesli and granola with cocoa mix, an apple, and cookies. I collected my trash and took it to the dumpster by the picnic area. I walked from there to the shower building on Road E and took a shower — no quarters necessary! I finished changing clothes at my campsite and hung up my towel and pants to dry. I charged my bike lights. The temperature was 58 °F and mostly sunny with a strong breeze.

Today was a day for driving to destinations too far to walk or bicycle to.

Gray’s Beach and Bass Hole Boardwalk

I left the campsite at 9:15 a.m. I drove State Route 6A east through Sandwich, Barnstable, and Yarmouth Port into Dennis. I had a pleasant drive through small, scenic New England towns and rural countryside.

Route 6A is marked for Bike Route 1, but it is a poor choice for bicycling because it is narrow with little or no shoulder, it carries a lot of traffic, and the speed limits are typically 40 or 45 mph.

Having driven too far east, I used my phone to guide me to Gray’s Beach and Bass Hole Boardwalk on Cape Cod Bay, where it was very windy.

Salt Marsh Near Gray’s Beach

Edward Gorey House

I used my phone for directions west on Route 6A to the Edward Gorey House on Strawberry Lane, just off Route 6A in Yarmouth Port, arriving at 10:45. I had made a reservation online for the 11:00 a.m. tour, but I needed to pay when I arrived.

Edward Gorey was the brilliant author, illustrator, and costume designer. I became aware of his work from the introduction to the PBS Mystery! television series in the 1980s, for which Gorey created the opening illustrations. Among hundreds of other books, Gorey illustrated the books of A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.

Gorey purchased a sea captain’s house in Yarmouth Port on Cape Cod and continued to work there until he died in 2000. The house is now managed by the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust.

Edward Gorey House

Topiary at Edward Gorey House

One of Edward Gorey’s Many Fur Coats

Tour guests can participate in a scavenger hunt, looking for all of the Gashleycrumb Tinies. I paid more attention to the wide floorboards.

G Is for George Smothered Under a Rug

Titcomb’s Bookshop

Continuing to drive west, I arrived at Titcomb’s Bookshop in East Sandwich on Route 6A just west of the junction with Old County Road. I explored the entire shop and bought Agrippa by Robert Harris and Whistler by Ann Patchett.

Sandwich Glass Museum

After driving back to the campground, I walked to the Sandwich Glass Museum.

I spent a couple of informative hours at the museum. A glassblower gave hourly demonstrations of how to create a pumpkin with a curly stem out of glass. There were displays of the different kinds of glass implements produced in Sandwich over the years.

Table Setting Displaying Many Kinds of Glassware from Sandwich

Sandwich near the Glass Museum and Town Hall has real New England looks.

Afternoon Activities

I hiked the reverse route from the glass museum back to my campsite, walking along Shawme Lake and on Coyote Den Trail to the campground. I encountered a flock of wild turkeys near my campsite.

Shawme Lake

Coyote Den Trail

Wild Turkeys

To stretch my bicycle muscles, I rode hilly campground loops for 3.67 miles until 5:30, taking a photo of an old apple tree. The weather was pleasant at 61 °F and mostly sunny though windy.

Apple Tree

After I ate dinner at my campsite, I was tired and cold. I got into my sleeping bag and slept 6:30–11:30 p.m. When I woke up, it was windy and 58 °F with a bright moon low in south but few stars to be seen because of clouds. The wind was causing acorns to bounce off the hood and roof of the car, making a loud racket.

For the last day of this five-day camping trip, see Cape Cod 2026, Day Five.