EASTHAM - Those who know the outer Cape know that its subtle charms and salt-sprayed majesty are nestled nearly everywhere. An exit from Route 6 can quickly turn up perfect terrain for soft adventure or idle hours outdoors.
So the outer Cape is a good place, particularly outside the high months July and August, for two travelers to spend two days for under $200 (not counting gas). Here is one way to do that.
DAY ONE
Morning: First Encounter Beach, Eastham
In the tides of time, this stretch of sand backed by salt marsh on the bay side of the Cape looms large: It is the site, on a December day in 1620, where Myles Standish, William Bradford, John Carver, and others, including three sailors of the Mayflower Company, met members of the Nauset tribe. Historical accounts speak of flying arrows and muskets fired into the darkness, auguring the centuries of settlement that followed. Today the beach, managed by the town of Eastham, is nothing if not tranquil, a perfect place to get your feet wet on a warming morning and settle into the rhythms of tidal life.
Lunch: Box Lunch, Eastham
This get-it-on-the-go staple of the Cape has six locations, and the one here is just a short drive north once back on Route 6. You can order the rolled pita (a "Rollwich") filled with everything from seafood salad to roast beef. But if you're still in the Pilgrim mood, try the John Alden: turkey with cranberry sauce, mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. Then continue on for a picnic.
Afternoon: Marconi Site and Marconi Beach, Wellfleet
In 1903, antennae set atop four wooden towers broadcast the first two-way wireless message between Europe and the United States. The hungry ocean has eroded much of the site and the bluffs beneath, but you can stand near a model of the towers and type a text from your BlackBerry. Better to disconnect, look out at a sweeping view of the sea, and then grab a spot on a bench to enjoy lunch.
Refueled, you can head off for two very different looks at the nearby natural world. The first is a one-mile round-trip hike to an Atlantic White Cedar Swamp, a wet woodland home to pinus rigida (the ubiquitous pitch pine); high bush blueberry; red maple; and bear oak, a slight, gnarled survivor of a tree that seems to outlast whipping wind with sheer willpower. A boardwalk trail meanders through the still swamp before meeting up with the old wireless road and a short uphill walk back to the parking lot. Repair then to nearby Marconi Beach to finish out the afternoon with surf and sun.
Dinner: Savory Pizza Grill, Truro