Plum Island Adventure

 Plum Island day dawned sunny and chilly.  Still, we packed the car full of coats, hats, and snacks and headed out for adventure.  First stop was Hellcat Observation Tower overlooking the marshland.  After the long drive to get there, the girls were thrilled to get out and run!

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 We climbed up the tower, but it was way too cold to "observe" anything.  We took this photo and got down as fast as we could!

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 Instead of the wide open and windy marsh trail, we took an inland hike on the boardwalk through the reeds and grasses.  I promised a dollar for the first one to see a frog or turtle, and $2 for a snake sighting.  We didn't see any of those, though.  Just some beaver dams and trails, geese, ducks, a swan, and a woodpecker.

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 They say "It's not a party til something gets broken".  I say, It's not an outing til you get a cheesy self portrait!"

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 These two gave a hearty thumbs up for the boardwalk trail.  We were the only ones there for the most part, so the cousins whooped and ran like little banshees.  Hmm.  Maybe that had something to do with the lack of *other* wildlife sightings.

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 The girls got a workout from all of their running and climbing.  Here they are looking a little hot and windblown.

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It is piper plover nesting time, so much of the public beach on the island was off limits.  There was a nice long boardwalk and stretch of shore to explore, however.  We found several types of shells, some driftwood, a piece of clear beachglass, and a dead crab.  Sophie filled her coat pockets with treasures!

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On the way off the island, we had lunch at the BEST seafood shack ever.  Bob's Lobster is a place we will definitely be seeing again!  I'm ready to go back right now :)