Secret Spaces: Miller's Pond

I'd like you to think about Cape Cod for a minute. What pops right into your mind? Beaches, right? Fighting traffic to get here, and then sitting in the sun with a cool beverage to relax after you've arrived. There are lots of other things that people fixate on - Cape Cod Baseball League games, taffy, and the seafood, of course. The things people associate with the Cape are iconic, but they tend to have one thing in common.

Summer. It's always the summer things people associate with Cape Cod, never any other time of the year. And like other New England destinations, the benefit of having 4 seasons is the ability to see a place as beautiful in 4 completely separate ways.

I'm what is called around here a washashore - someone not born on the Cape, but who has settled here for good. It's been 7 years now, but I suspect I'll aways be considered a washashore. My son, on the other hand, was presented with a tiny t-shirt after his birth at Cape Cod Hospital, which read, "Native Cape Codder."

One of the things that all of us year-round residents (native or otherwise) secretly love is when all the tourists go home. Sure, there isn't as much to do, and some of our favorite restaurants close for a couple months, but the weather is milder and the pace is slow. "Come visit us in September," we tell our friends, "and you'll never want to leave!"

One of my favorite places to go when the seasons change is for a quick walk on the Botanical Trails in Yarmouthport. We used to live near this land, and in fact could access the marked trails by tromping out our backyard and across some of the acreage. Once the temperatures drop, the bugs go away and some of the foliage dies back. It's the perfect time to go for a walk in the woods!

Fodor's Guide says:

"The Botanical Trails of the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth, behind the post office (231 Main St., Yarmouth Port), consists of 50 acres of oak and pine woods and a pond, accented by blueberries, lady's slippers, Indian pipes, rhododendrons, and hollies. Stone markers and arrows point out the 2 mi of trails; you'll find trail maps in the gatehouse mailbox. Just beyond the historical society's trails, you can find Kelley Chapel, built in 1873 by a father for his daughter, who was grieving over the death of her child. An iron woodstove and a pump organ dominate the simple interior. Off Rte. 6A. $1 suggested donation. Gatehouse July and Aug., daily 1-4. Trails during daylight hrs year-round."

The pond mentioned above is called Miller's Pond, and it is the particular secret space I'm sharing today. You tromp through the woods, and you marvel at the enormous old rhododendrons, and you spot the trail markers, and then you come to a set of steps braced with wooden timbers leading down.

You walk down the step and follow the trail around to your right, and then suddenly you are on the edge of a pond. There are no houses, docks, boats, or roads to be seen. Just trees, circling the pond. It is quiet, and lovely, and serene.