My Summer of Independence in Cape Cod

The summer after high school graduation was my best summer vacation. It was my first time travelling without my family. My best friend and I stayed in Cape Cod for a week. Neither of us had a car or a credit card, but we found our way there. Two airplanes, a bus, and a taxi later, in the drizzling rain we arrived at our rental cabin ecstatic with freedom.

The rain continued for half the week, but we walked around in it like it was sunshine. Being on our own was all we really needed. Shopping in Chatham, I bought a painting of the beach that still reminds me of that first vacation. We rented bikes and rode to Orleans and Harwich. We took a ferry to Nantucket. We rode on horseback near Providence. Since that first vacation on my own, I have travelled many places around the country and beyond. In my mind, Cape Cod is still up there at the top of the list of my favorite places.