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We got to the beach early in the morning, around 9:00am, which meant we were able to easily snag a street parking space for free. So many beaches around Massachusetts have entrance or parking fees which can be in excess of $20 at times!
The day started out cloudy, which kept the air comfortable and the ocean feeling like ice. Don't forget - cloudy days are deceiving! Some of the worst sun burns are from cloudy days because people incorrectly assume that they don't need to slather on the SPF like normal. Whether you think you need it or not, a little SPF 30 (or above for my fellow pasty friends) can go a long way.
We set up camp with our towels laid out, umbrellas anchored into the sand, and coolers stationed in the shade with waters, snacks, and lunches (more on the bites to eat later!). Before settling down on our towels, the four of us enjoyed the open space still around us so early in the morning and played Frisbee and passed a football around for awhile. Finally, we felt like we had worked up a sweat and figured that the ocean would now feel perfectly refreshing. We were wrong. The only way to enter the way was to sprint in before the cold could take your breath away and you realized that you were absolutely nuts for voluntarily leaping into an ice water bath!
After flopping down on our towels, we all laid out for a bit to soak up what warmth we could from the sand and the slowly emerging sun. Eventually, after I could feel my toes again, we all decided that it was chow time! Our fellow beach buddies had picked up lunch for us that morning at Bagel World in the town of Reading. I had asked for a ham and cheese bagel sandwich and was delightfully surprised with the Havarti cheese on my sandwich over the standard white American. The bagel was fresh - soft inside and just the right amount of chewy on the outside. It was a great idea to bring along bagel sandwiches to the beach as the dense dough was able to stand up to staying in a cooler for a few hours until we worked up our appetites.
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By now, we were surrounded by many other beach goers who hadn't gotten quite as early of a start as we did, but were still looking for a day by the water. There was a mix of older folks taking it easy, young families with little ones digging in the sand, college-aged coeds sunbathing in their hip shades and trendy bikinis on and country-pop tunes playing.
In the end, the sun did beam down on us pretty strongly causing us all to reconsider just how terribly cold the ocean felt before. We all got up the guts to give it one more go and let me tell you, it was so much better! The temperature now felt not only bearable but refreshing once you dared dip in past your shoulders.
After another round of lounging around on our towels, we decided to pack up for the day and head home. This was my first trip to Salisbury Beach, but I'm hoping that Mr. C and I can make it here again this summer. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a clean beach with respectful other beach-goers and chilly but easy-to-manage waves. Also, if Reading is a town en route to your beach adventure, snag a packable lunch at Bagel World (and get their Havarti cheese!).
Until next time, travel on!
Maggie
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