A Seal Of Approval

Posted on August 16, 2013August 16, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Great White Sharks are prowling the shores of Cape Cod once again as the seal population continues to explode. If there was any doubt that the great predators are here to stay it was dispelled when the discovery channel aired Shark Week and the Great Whites of Cape Cod were prominently featured.

I would still like to see a Great White Shark but I would hate to have to go to South Africa to see “air jaws” when we have our own crop of “Jaws” right here at home. At first they were just hanging out in Chatham eating the seals of Monemoy Island but now it appears that they are spreading northward toward Orleans and Truro.

So on a sunny day last week I headed to Chatham to see for myself. My last visit to the seals on Monemoy was back in 2010.

A lot of changes can happen in 3 years. The first change was that the little shuttle isn’t running. I’m still researching ways to get to the island but in the meantime I called the Beachcomber Seal Tours and made a reservation for an afternoon trip.

The tour didn’t leave from the Fish Pier this time. They said that parking had become impossible there so they had us go to their marine showroom and then shuttled us to the boat in a green trolley.

We had a full boat for the afternoon trip. The boats stay in the harbor so are pretty small, certainly nothing like the whale watching boats. As we loaded a seal popped it’s head up right by the dock.

Even though we could say we’d seen a seal, that wasn’t part of the tour. We actually had a bit of a ride to get to the harbor near the seals. As we approached North Beach we saw the first of the seals.

The tide can swing up to 9 ft. here between high and low tide. The tide was still low so the sand bars were just below the surface and the seals were sitting in the water on these submerged sand bars.

Oh what a racket they were making.

They weren’t concerned about the boat in their midst at all. We moved on past Lighthouse beach to another seal colony.

Eventually we reached the fish pier where we passed Chatham’s pirate ship before turning for home.

The whole tour was maybe 1.5 hours. There weren’t any Great Whites but we sure did see seals.

Wave Bye Bye

Posted on August 14, 2013August 14, 2013 by Dusty Roads

A Whale of a Day

Posted on August 9, 2013August 9, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Monday past was a beautiful day, not too hot, not too cold and not humid. The weather forecast for Tuesday was more “iffy” so I made the always difficult decision to go to Boston on Monday.

Boston is a great city. I used to love going in to spend the day. That was before the “Big Dig”. No matter where you live you’ve probably heard a lot about Boston’s Big Dig. It was supposed to make travel into Boston easier and quicker. After years of traffic delays while they worked on it, it is now finished and traffic is worse! The expressway never clears out. 1 1/2 hour drive before is now 3 hours. The MBTA is crowded and hot. Not a pleasant experience and not much faster.

After much deliberation I prepared to drive into Boston and pay the exorbitant parking fees ($40-$50 for the day depending on which garage wasn’t full) but as I neared RT 128 I turned on the WBZ traffic on the 3’s and learned that even at 10:30 am the expressway was still tied up. The residual backup was all the way back onto RT 128. So change of plans, I went to Quincy Adams station on the Redline and took the “T” in.

To get to my destination, Aquarium station, I rode the Red line to Park St. where I changed to the green line to get to Government Center Station where I changed to the Blue Line to get to the Aquarium stop. Arrival time…1pm. 2 hours from parking at 11am to arrival at 1pm.

I had a combo ticket for a whale watch at 2pm and admission to the aquarium. I had to dash into the Aquarium where I had 1/2 hour before boarding.

I grabbed a hot dog as I ran out the doors to get in line to board the catamaran.

That was an expensive 30 minute visit to the Aquarium. I won’t do that again.

They crammed a lot of people onto the boat. There was minimal seating outside. Most seating was inside so everyone tended to line the railings. A family with very active children offered me a seat. The mother said “you might as well take it, they will never sit still.” That gives you some idea of the atmosphere. 🙂

As we left Boston Harbor we passed Boston Light, with a glimpse of Graves Light beyond it.

Then came Minot Ledge light.

We also saw the Nantucket Light Ship.

We were on our way to Stellwagon bank, an underwater ledge that is a prime feeding ground for humpback whales. The southern end of the banks is near Provincetown on Cape Cod. That was where we went with Captain John’s Whale Watch and saw the fin backs.

I’m hoping since the New England Aquarium Whale Watch stresses the humpback whales that we’ll actually see some this time. If we do, I wonder if I’ll get close enough to the rail to get any pictures. In the meantime I will enjoy the boat ride.

Hump (back) Day

Posted on August 7, 2013August 7, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Cruisin’ the Cape Cod Canal

Posted on August 5, 2013August 5, 2013 by Dusty Roads

It was hot and humid so I thought there might be some relief out on the water. I thought I’d follow up on the sight-seeing cruise ship I’d seen on the Cape Cod Canal. I’d learned that the boat went out of Onset. I don’t think I’ve ever been to Onset so that alone would be interesting.

Driving into Onset took me past clam shacks , souvenir shops and typical tourist attractions. I think I even passed a miniature golf course. I finally pulled over and asked 2 young men if they could tell me where I could find the sight seeing boat. I was a block away!

Following the road the men pointed me toward took my right along the beach. To my surprise it was practically empty! Once I reached the parking area and wharf I was greeted at the entrance. The attendant told me I was in the right place and pointed me to a parking spot.

An automated parking meter accepted my debit card and spit out a receipt for me to put on the dash of the car.

The MV Viking was pulling in as I parked. Timing couldn’t be better.

I bought my ticket and about 15 minutes later I boarded for the 2 hour cruise.

We reach the canal from Onset Bay.

At buoy marker 21 we passed an active Osprey nest then turned to port (left) to head into the canal.

Ahead was the Cape Cod Railroad Bridge and the Mass. Maritime Academy (both of which deserve their own posts).

The Cape Cod Railroad bridge is a vertical lift bridge. This means that the rail bed is elevated when not in use and lowered to connect with the rail bed on terra firma when a train needs to cross the canal.

I was surprised to learn that the bridge is still in use being raised and lowered about 3 times each day when the Cape Cod tourist trains come through.

The Mass Maritime Academy has been preparing men and women for careers on land at sea for over 100 years. The co-ed academy balances a unique, regimented lifestyle with a typical 4 year college environment. Moored near the academy is the MV Kennedy, a huge training vessel for the cadets.

Next up was the Bourne Bridge, one of the 2 bridges that span the canal and connect the upper and lower cape.

The center spans on the Bourne Bridge and the Sagamore are the same size.

The Bourne Bridge is the larger bridge because the topography requires to additional extensions on either end that the Sagamore doesn’t need.

The cruise provided an answer to a mystery that I have always wondered about. Have you ever noticed the round “balls” attached to some high tension lines? No one hs ever been able to tell me what they were for.

Well, according to the commentary on the cruise, they are so low flying planes can see the lines and if they can’t see them then radar can pick them up so the planes don’t get entangled. They are called “Talons”.

Finally we came to our turn around at the Sagamore Bridge.

There was the Herring run near the Butterflies of Cape Cod and the Seafood Shanty where I’d first seen the Viking cruise by.

There was a lot more to the cruise covering history and antecedents but I need far more room to include it all. I invite any one local to try the cruise and if you aren’t, then come on down for a vacation and give it a try. http://hylinecruises.com/cape-cod-canal-cruises.html

Cape Cod is beautiful in the summer.