The Seven (or so) Wonders of the South Coast

My mother took us to the beach Monday through Friday. Sunday was reserved for my father’s notorious “scenic route drives” to visit relatives or to get ice cream at Gulf Hill in Dartmouth. We’d all pile into the station wagon, including my slightly-dotty grandmother, and we’d all get maple walnut cones, whether that’s what we wanted or not.

But no matter where we went, those Sunday drives were adventures for me. The world(s) we passed through looked very different than the view from my bedroom window – sand dunes, forests, airplanes, lots of boats, cornfields.

And even if there were a more direct route to our destination, my father always chose the road less travelled, so the view from my car window changed every week.

Fortunately for me, there were a few other indulgent grown-ups with cars who thought it was important that I visit a herring weir or watch cows getting milked or visit the seven-plus wonders of the South Coast.

The cost of gasoline is a lot higher now than it was when Route 6 was the major highway to anywhere, but a child’s “Wow!!!” is priceless.

Here’s my list, seen from the rear-view window of 50 years ago:

read it all in the August edition of the South Coast Insider