Years ago, Ocean Spray, a company known for its line of cranberry juices, aired a TV commercial that made it to Australia, with two men in a cranberry bog. Lisette had no idea that cranberries were harvested in this way, and was in complete awe. Fast forward to this trip, and while we were in Washington state we noticed signs for a cranberry farm, but were told there wasn't much we'd see in May. But now we're in October and we're in Massachusetts, the second-biggest producer of cranberries after Wisconsin...and lo and behold, Lisette found a farm that allows visitors to wade in a cranberry bog!!
Cranberry Dreams at Hartley Family Farm
About a week prior to our visit, we'd found a couple of cranberry farms to visit, and booked a tour with Hartley Family Farm, which costs $60 per person. They offer a 1-hour tour of the farm, which includes seeing the 8 cranberry beds, and learning the history of cranberry farming, culminating in the experience everyone was excited about: donning waders (waterproof overalls and galoshes) to wade into an actual cranberry bog!
We'd booked the 10.30am tour (they offer 4 tours a day, and this was the second one). When we arrived we saw people already wading in the bog from the tour before us, which looked so fun! Michael was a bit worried though that our tickets would simply go towards this Insta-worthy experience of style without much substance, but his concerns were dispelled as soon as our tour started.
Our tour guide, Amy, grew up on the farm, although when she was a young girl, the surroundings were mostly forest and cranberries weren't cultivated on the farm. It was only more recently that the family decided to grow cranberries, and only last year that they decided to get into agritourism, offering tours of the farm and the chance to wade into a cranberry bog just for the month of October. Running the farm is a family affair--her niece was at the registration desk and gift shop, her daughter was in the cranberry bog to guide visitors and take photos, while her husband, Jesse, drove the tractor that hauled a trailer behind it. Everyone on our tour (about 20 or so of us) all clambered onto the trailer, and Amy walked alongside us, telling us about the history of the farm and growing cranberries.
There were a couple of stops along the way, where we got to see old farming equipment, and learned that there are 2 ways to harvest cranberries: dry harvesting and wet harvesting. Dry harvesting is typically for fresh cranberries that are bought in stores. Here, the bog isn't flooded, but workers use mechanical rakes that comb the berries off the vines, which are then cleaned, sorted and packed. It's a much more labor-intensive exercise. In contrast, wet harvesting is conducted for about 90% of cranberries, where the bog is flooded with water and churned to knock the berries off their vines. Because cranberries are hollow inside they float, so they can then be pumped out of the bog. Most of the cranberries are then turned into juice, sauces, and dried cranberry products. We had no idea about dry harvesting, so it was fascinating to us to learn all of this!
We also were given packets of dried cranberries where we could taste the difference between a whole one (this one was soaked in apple juice for sweetness), which were plumper and juicier compared to the "crainsin" style which turns out only uses 1/16 of an actual cranberry. We got to also see and try a couple of different fresh cranberries, including those that were completely white, and compare the taste of those that end up sold fresh versus in juices.
Finally, the moment had arrived for us to line up near the bog and don our waders! While they have different sizes and try to cater to everyone, the purpose of the waders is to keep us dry, so the sizes for us didn't have to be perfect, just effective. We all got into the water, and since it was a sunny and rather hot day, it was really nice and refreshing to feel the cool temperature of the water. We had so much fun, walking through the bog, kneeling in it to be more immersed, pushing the berries through the water (they quickly came swimming back to refill the empty void), and throwing the cranberries around. There was a family with 3 young kids, and they stayed the longest, enjoying the opportunity to have a cranberry food fight and also take photos for their holiday cards (clearly well prepared--all the boys were dressed in striped sweaters for the occasion!). We chatted more to Jesse while in the bog while he took some photos of us and learned more about the farm.
At the end of the tour, visitors can stop by the outdoor gift shop to purchase fresh cranberries, cranberry goods (such as granolas and other treats), or Hartley Family Farm merchandise. We had such a blast, and it was definitely way more interesting, educational and entertaining than we were even anticipating. And finally, Lisette's wish to wade in a cranberry bog, years after seeing that TV ad, has come true!
Sandwich and Scargo
After our fun cranberry experience, we continued towards Cape Cod, heading first to the Sandwich Boardwalk, a park featuring a beach and boardwalk, with ample opportunities to see nature. Unlike other boardwalks around the nation, there are no amusement rides--it's a nature-lover's dream, and has been voted one of the top 10 boardwalks in the country. With this title, perhaps it shouldn't have been shocking that once we arrived, we had nowhere to park, with every spot already filled! Perhaps it was prime time to be there to go birdwatching and see large tankers sail in from the Cape Cod Canal. The most we got to experience was the lot, and Lisette jumping out to take a quick pic of the boardwalk.
We were more fortunate at Scargo Tower, a 30-foot-tall cobblestone tower, located atop Scargo Hill. As we arrived, most folks were wrapping up their visit, so for a brief period we had the tower and vistas all to ourselves! The tower was originally made out of wood in 1874, but the current version is from 1901. The tower is free to enter and there's a short, windy staircase to get to the top, where we could see the lower cape to Provincetown, at the northern tip of Cape Cod.
Cape Cod's Beaches
Since it was such a beautiful and warm day, our afternoon was spent getting to the tip of Cape Cod to check out their beaches. While the drive around the cape had been hectic with lots of traffic earlier in the day, since it was a Sunday afternoon, the crowds started to thin out, likely with folks returning back to their homes around Boston ahead of the work week. It still felt like summer weather-wise, despite the lack of crowds indicating that summer was technically over!
We first headed to Ballston Beach, where Michael had a bit of a rest in the RV, while Lisette and Sheila went for a walk. There were a few dogs around, but a fair way in the distance, as folks were able to scatter around the strip to sunbathe, read books (Lisette saw a couple doing this who soon after fell asleep--why is that reading on the beach always brings on drowsiness?), play with their dogs, or just relax with friends. Eventually Michael woke up and we got to enjoy walking along the beach altogether. There were quite a few rocks in the sand that the waves were hauling in, but these were small and not unpleasant to walk on in bare feet.
After this, we went to Race Point Beach, situated at the northernmost point of Cape Cod. It's popular for surfing, swimming, and whale watching, and there are dunes alongside it. There's a seasonal entrance fee for parking, but yet again, we were fortunate to be there in the off-season, so the parking booth was closed, and we could easily drive in, find a parking spot, and walk along the sand. This beach is much bigger than Ballston Beach, and we could imagine how packed it would have been a mere couple of months ago, in the height of summer.
We worried that we'd struggle to find a place to park for the night, but it turns out that we noticed quite a few pullouts around Cape Cod, and we chose one between both beaches to sleep for the night, with the road on one side and some woods on the other. We'll be ready to see more of Cape Cod tomorrow!