Last weekend was our traditional first visit to Cape Cod for the year. We couldn’t have picked a better day, but we were missing a few things, really important…

My wife and our dogs. Let me explain.

Its become a family traditional for us to visit a Cape Cod National Seashore beach over the Easter weekend. We live about 90 miles from Nauset beach, and we usually take the dogs and let them roam free on the beautiful wide-open beaches. (Yes, we are responsible and take little baggies with us)

Now officially, you can’t take your dog on Cape Cod beaches after April 1, but as Easter fell in March this year we could - without fear of reprisal from authorities - let them on. But this year my wife had to work on an important project and wasn’t able to make the trip. Now I’m a good sport, but with three energetic kids, and two large dogs who have even more energy, we all decided it was best if we saved our dog beach day for the fall this year.

So minus the wife, and minus Jazz and Buddy our dogs, the kids and I headed for Nauset Beach.

If you’ve never been to Nauset Beach you’re in for a treat. We usually take the south beach (nothing to do with the diet!) walk, because you can stroll a long way even at high tide.

The winter has been brutal to Nauset Beach this year. Its suffered a lot of erosion, and already they have roped-off one of the beach entrances so it can recover. But nonetheless we had a great time skimming stones, collecting rocks, and staying one step ahead of the crashing waves.

After Nauset we visited the Cape Cod National Seashore Salt Pond Visitors Center in Eastham. The main building has been closed since 2003 due to renovations and they told me they were about one month away from re-opening. So it sounds like by May they’ll be dancing in the streets. They’ve used a trailer in the lot since it closed as a double for the center. You can get maps and trails, and watch “The Sands of Time” film.

Back in the car we headed to Nauset Light Beach. This area has a really beautiful lighthouse and imposing beach cliffs. You can get a view of the Nauset Lighthouse at my Cape Cod National Seashore page at the New England Vacations Guide web site.

We were one of only a few cars parked in the lot, but strange to feel that in a few months this same lot would be bursting at the seams by 9:30am, and by 10:00am closed - full!

Our final beach excursion was out to Marconi Beach in Wellfleet. Actually we not only went to the beach but also visited the station site where Marconi transmitted the first transatlantic wireless message to King George in England from the U.S. (The first transatlantic message from North America was made from Newfoundland.)

Well, another romp avoiding the waves by the boys and plenty of fresh air, and it was time to head back to Orleans for a meal at the Jailhouse restaurant, and then head back to central Massachusetts.

I hate leaving the Cape. I lived here, in Orleans, for two years and I know one day I’ll be back, and not just as a visitor. There’s something peaceful, majestic even, about the area. And in many respects I’ve never left the Cape, and never will. And it takes these yearly trips for my bones to wake my soul up to that fact.

This is your spring wake-up call Cliff Calderwood!

Please do visit the Cape Cod vacations page at the web site for many more ideas of ways to experience the Cape.