Trip Report - Cape Ann Cruise - June 7, 2003

When I think of Miata owners, one phrase comes to mind. "Hope Springs Eternal."

We have supreme belief that someday the sun will come out and the tops of our Miata's will come down.

On Saturday, June 7th, Mass Miata Club with a group of fifteen cars met at the rest stop right after the Beverly exit on Route 128, to meet up with and drive with the visiting Big Apple Miata Club, who was staying at the Cape Ann Marina in Gloucester. Optimistically, tops down, we caravanned along the highway to the Manchester exit on a drive through bucolic Manchester to arrive at the back door of Gloucester on the way to the Cape Ann Marina. The first drop of rain greeted us at the Gloucester City limits sign. This was not a good sign for the planned day's events.

We met up with the Big Apple Miata club at the Marina. They had five more Miata's to add to our cruise. We left the Marina only to come to a halt due to the bridge being up letting a boat out into the Harbor. This seems to be a common event since it happen to us twice during our drive. Once mobile again we had to stop to put the tops up because the rain was getting serious. On the road again we traveled to the town of Essex, along scenic back roads, over the Essex River and onward through downtown Manchester. Can't you just feel that old Yankee Money? We hugged the shore and drove by numerous sandy inviting beaches that were only occupied by shore birds.

Our first stop was at the Hammond Castle in Gloucester. John Hays Hammond Jr. who built the Castle, was an inventor of many products that dealt with radio, movies, stereos and television and is credited with close to 800 inventions Hammond Castle. He had lived in England as a young boy and fell in love with castles and life in the middle ages. He built the castle as a Wedding present for his wife in 1929. To say he was eccentric is an understatement. His most prized possession was a skull of one of Christopher Columbus's crew.

From the Castle we voyaged through Gloucester out the one of the oldest artist's colony in the United States, Rocky Neck, circled around on the rocky shore of Atlantic Ave in Gloucester and ended up a Amelia's restaurant, where most partook in one on New England's best meals, Fried Clams.

Since the planned visit to Halibut Point State Park was out due to the increasing downpour of rain, the cruise drove through Rockport on our way to the 'Paper House'.
This house, which is located in Pigeon Cove, is a house made up of newspapers. The papers were all folded and pasted to make up the walls and furniture. There were tables, lamps, a desk and even a fireplace mantle make up of papers.

This ended our cruise, with some deciding to return to the Center of Rockport for shopping, some going back to Rocky Neck and some to start homeward. I for one am going back, if the sun ever shines, to do the route again. I'd like to thank the Tripmeister, Jim Gillis for a very scenic 'Miata' route.

Lillian Orchard