4 official starts to summer & Bad driving tourists

There are multiple days on Cape Cod that we use to celebrate the beginning of summer. First the locals get excited about the first super warm spring beach day of the year. Everyone gets a sunburn, because  we're all convinced that that burn still turns into a great tan. (& when does that really happen?!?) Of course that day is just locals and of course it's not a day we can predict and it's never that same time every year, but it's that first time you lay out feel sand between your toes and soak all the vitamin D from the sun straight into your skin. I've noticed the past few years its been on a weekday so pray you don't work a regular M-F 9-5 job.

 Next comes Memorial Day the first weekend of summer. This F-M culmination of which is Memorial Day itself has become synonymous with "BBQ" & "traffic" As a local in a tourist destination you notice the sudden influx of drivers that are from "off-cape" or "over the bridge" They are not all tourists, some do own seasonal property,  we affectionately call these quasi residents "summer folk" Some families come to the Cape to the same family owned houses for generations. Locals know them and are glad to see their repeat customer faces at their boat yards, stores, restaurant/drinking establishments, art galleries/theatres & glorious beaches. But this one weekend of population influx does not mean the season has started. We're open for summer but still waiting for the massive crowds. Memorial Day Weekend's also the day everyone dusts off their grills from last year, fills the propane tank or picks up the charcoal. Families gather with children, grandparents and friends. It feels like summer but the oceans still cold.  This is also prime time, if you haven't done so already as a local, hit up your favorite bar/night spot and get your Summer pass, which usually entitles the holder to admittance to the bar without a cover charge. Top bars like the Beachcomber in Wellfleet, Embargo or Trader Ed's in Hyannis par take in this tradition.

Summer solstice on June 21 is the longest day of the year,  the calendars denoted first official day of summer as denoted by science. People actually make a big deal of this on Cape Cod especially when its on the weekend and all the summer folks and tourists are in from off Cape.  Bars have special promos. and everyone tweets, instagram and Facebook's their beach time or other adventures whether it's getting seafood,  on a boat or watching the sun rise/set. There are a few weeks between memorial day weekend and summer solstice during which time city people, vacationers and summer folk can't do full week vacations yet because the kiddos are still in school. Around or before summer solstice school gets out for summer and the summer folk come down full time,  camps and sailing tennis and golf lessons also begin. Summer is starting to come around.


The 4th and last official start of summer on Cape Cod is nothing less than The 4th of July itself. This National holiday,  accompanied by BBQ and fireworks and family time is when summer is in full swing, hotels are full & waits are long at the restaurants. The cash cows of our tourist based economy are here & lots of them come here to vacation,  and relax, so much so that the population nearly quadruples on our islands and peninsula.  This is also when I know I'm starting to gear up into road rage mode with tourists. By then my most offensive traffic issues with tourists have happened multiple times.

There's the "I'm going to stop in the middle of the rotary driver that waves in big trucks" without realizing that no-one should ever stop in a rotary because every car behind you could come crashing into you.

 Then you have the "super tortoise slow driver" this drive could potentially be elderly, but even lost soccer mom's on vacation are guilty of this when driving kids and using GPS at the same time.

 The "lane changer" is the next top offense. Now you could do this anywhere and have this be an issue because these tourists do it when their not suppose to. My last favor lane changer does so during a left turn, how does one change lanes while turning?  If you asked yourself that you are possibly a fairly decent driver. As no one should change lanes while turning, by doing that when your in the left lane and the center lane is also turning left (or also going straight like when getting off at  exit 6 route 6 going west.) already 4 times this summer a tourist has tried to turn into my car from the left lane. They don't see care or realize the lane next to them is turning they just turn and switch lanes right into you.

Then you have the "ignorant stopper" this person stops when merging on the highway, I think they are allergic reaction to merging because more times than I'd like to count I've had to go to left to get around these crazy stoppers before the car behind me merges into my vehicle.  The other ignorant stoppers are those tourists that believe stop signs are optional or unable to comprehend how a four way stop works and they go immediately after the car in front of them with out giving the other 3 sides of the four way stop a chance to go.

 with so many ways to celebrate the various starts of summer its sad that only Labor Day Mark's the end of summer.  We've only had the first 3 starts of summer so far this year and the 4th of July is still a ways away. And Labor Day is even farther. I'm glad summers here although when dealing with the poor driving skills of the tourists I wish to tell them to navigate and drive smarter and faster because "I'm not on your vacation, you'er invading my hometown." welcome to Cape Cod ♡

~@ThePreppyVixen