The Other Cape

Posted on August 25, 2013August 25, 2013 by Dusty Roads

No Not Robin’s , not even Batman’s. It’s not a style of home. I’m referring to the less famous cousin of Cape Cod, Cape Ann.

What makes a “Cape” anyway? In geography, a cape is a headland or promontory of large size extending into a body of water, usually the sea. A cape usually represents a marked change in trend of the coastline. Their proximity to the coastline makes them prone to natural forms of erosion, mainly tidal actions. This results in capes having a relatively short geologic lifespan. Capes can be formed by glaciers, volcanoes, and changes in sea level. Erosion plays a large role in each of these methods of formation.

Cape Cod’s coastline is constantly changing and eroding when winter storms come through. A great example is Monomoy Island In Chatham. Not so long ago it wasn’t an island, it was a peninsula. A “wicked” Nor’easter came through a couple of years ago and washed away part of the barrier and now it’s an island.

But today we’re talking about Cape Ann, the north shore “cape”, the neglected cousin.

On that bright blue day a couple of weeks ago I took a water tour around the cape. I was feeling really nostalgic as Cape Ann was home to most of the dives I made in Massachusetts while I was certified. Cathedral Rocks and Folly Cove being my favorites.

Looking at the dive map above I am amazed at the number of beach locations now. I didn’t know of all those places back in the 70’s. Back then getting access to the water was never easy. Many of the entries were blocked by private land.

But back to the harbor cruise. We boarded at the town landing in Gloucester and headed across the harbor. In spite of a slight haze we could see the skyline of Boston all the way from here!

As we motored through the harbor we passed all types of fishing boats from the classic lobster boat to the various trawlers. The captain explained each type of fishing as we passed .

We got a glimpse of the Turret of Hammond Castle on our left and the Annisquam river Bridge which is where we’d be returning.

We passed motels and million dollar homes hugging the rugged coast.

We slowed down as we passed the mouth of Folly Cove.

I could see the restaurant where we always had lunch after diving.

We hardly realized when we left the ocean behind and entered the estuary that is Annisquam River.

As we got further into the river we had buildings on both sides. The properties to our left were very rustic with no electric or other utilities. To our right were more gorgeous homes.

A Spanish style home was reported to have sold for over 2 million dollars yet the captain said the interior was totally trashed and would have to be rebuilt! Location, location, location!

We passed under an old railroad bridge and then waited for the draw bridge on the next bridge.

There were cute little house boats but unless you are “grandfathered” you can’t put one in anymore. 🙁

Someone thought the lovely scenery wasn’t enough and painted some rocks to look like a frog family. I guess a little whimsy never hurts.

Following the shoreline of the inner harbor we passed the Gloucester Fisherman then spotted a young man trying to master the round pole.

Every spring this pole is greased and contestants dress up in costumes and lingerie and try to make it to the end before they fall off. This fellow better not bother to try when they grease it. He had enough trouble because it’s round!

Approaching the dock at the end of our tour we spotted a little harbor seal. Unlike the seals of Chatham this little guy was not going to hang around for a photo shoot.

All in all a perfect way to spend a late summer day.

One or Maybe Two Final Comments on this Maine Visit

Posted on September 7, 2012September 7, 2012 by Dusty Roads

Rise and Shine it ‘s time to check out and get on the road home but I can’t help feeling like it wasn’t quite complete. I got a decent picture of Pemaquid Light but not the one “in my head”. One more try…

I checked out giving a call to the Hardy Boats as I pulled out of the parking lot. They said they were fogged in and to call them around 11:00 for an update. Since that gave me a couple of hours to kill I headed north to Maine Wildlife Park.

It’s not too big. I walked most of it in a little over an hour but you do get great views of native wild animals.

The park takes in orphaned or injured animals that would not survive if left in the wild.

There were raptors like eagles, a red fox, coyote, deer…some of the cutest fawns you’d ever hope to see, bears and turtles, bobcats and cougars.

I was following one of the game trails. A sign thanked the Kittery Trading Post for the use of the fake animals. I’d just seen one of them. At a pond was a Great Blue Heron. Now I’ve taken enough pictures of them that I knew something wasn’t quite right, still it was a good enough imitation that I had to look really closely. And yes, it wasn’t moving but live herons can stand still for hours when they are listening for fish and frogs.

Walking along the path I was thinking that the noise I was making would scare away any wildlife. The path was gravel and no matter how hard I tried I was “crunching” . Out of the corner of my eye I spotted what looked like a moose. I chalked it up to another fake put along the trail as decoration so I was not ready when I turned the corner and came face to antler with a cow and bull. The bull had a full rack of antlers, still in velvet.. The cow drifted away but that bull just stared me down. I grabbed for my camera.

I just had time to get off the one shot before a family with two young children came around the corner. The kids were having a great time whooping and hollering and that was when Mr. Moose had enough and slipped silently back into the woods. It’s amazing how such a large animal can be so quiet.

Leaving the Park I was thrilled with my visit but it was time to check in with Hardy Boats. They said they were going out but that they were going to delay until 12:30. That was good. I could take a leisurely ride over.

When I arrived I again parked up on the hill and walked down to the dock. The closer I came to the water the foggier it got. I bought my ticket and chatted with the attendant. She told me of a spot where I could drive that might let me get the picture I wanted if I couldn’t get it from he boat. Her father is part of the search and rescue team in New Harbor and he is out to Pemaquid almost daily rescuing people who fall on the rocks. That made me glad that I’d chosen to be conservative yesterday.

I settled down to wait. A family came down to fish from the dock so it was fun watching the action.

About noon the boat pulled in.

The fog was still really thick so it wasn’t too surprising when they canceled the cruise.

My ticket price refunded, I took a quick run over to the spot I’d just been told about. The fog was so thick I couldn’t see the lighthouse at all. Disappointed I headed back to the south. Amazing how just a few miles inland the fog was gone , the sun was shining and the sky was blue.

Lunch time found me passing a bunch of interesting looking shops known as Heritage Village. If I had more time I would have loved to explore them all but for now I’d settle for lunch at the Lighthouse Restaurant.

It just seemed fitting somehow. A fish sandwich was plenty. It was very tasty and I would eat there again. I must say I haven’t had a bad meal at all while in Maine. Lunch out of the way it was back on the road.

There was just one more thing I had to do before I left the Pine Tree State.

I had to meet Lenny the 1700 lb. chocolate Moose and his companions, the dark chocolate black bears.

Lenny resides at Len Libby Chocolates just south of Portland in Scarborough, ME. It’s definitely worth a stop. A full size chocolate moose is almost as rare as the real life kind! To the best of my knowledge Lenny is the only one of his kind.

But even if Lenny wasn’t there, the homemade candy is awesome. They also have ice cream. They have a candy that makes me think more of a caramel but they call it Len Libby Taffy. They were giving free samples when I was there. Soooo good.

So, my friends, that about wraps up my Portland trip. I didn’t get THE Pemaquid picture of my dreams and I didn’t have time to visit York’s Wild Kingdom but I would not have missed the Maine Wildlife Park for the world. It was a great visit. I saw a real Moose and got some great pictures of Nubble light decked out for Christmas in July. I have a feeling I’ll be going back to Maine again.

Portland by Sea

Posted on August 22, 2012August 22, 2012 by Dusty Roads

I chose a good cruise. One of the passengers on the trolley said that I should make sure to sit on the right side (starboard side) facing the bow if I wanted to get good shots of the lighthouses. I kept that in mind as we boarded. Guess what the ship is called…The Islander! That’s the same name of the boat that I was on for the Puffin Cruise in Bar Harbor!

I climbed to the upper deck seating myself about mid-way back. (Is that called mid-ship?) It was tricky because the benches were not bolted to the deck. Everyone had a tendency to put their hand on the seat back for balance and were caught off guard when the bench moved!

I didn’t miss any lighthouses by taking the afternoon cruise. We saw plenty including Portland Head Light, Spring Point Ledge Light, Portland Breakwater Light and Ram Island Ledge Light.

They told us the history of the forts that line the bay and the breakwater that was built to protect the pipeline to Canada.

History and folk-lore was sprinkled throughout the cruise. The day was beautiful. One of our last places to visit was a tiny rocky island ( I use the term island loosely) where the harbor seals like to haul out and sun themselves.

The island was loaded with seals, seals on the land, seals in the water and then something I’ve never seen before, a seal jumped in a graceful arc looking so much like a dolphin that there was a collective gasp. Then every one of us began to bemoan the fact that none of us had the camera ready,( and there were lots of cameras) it was so unexpected.

Too soon we were heading back to the dock. It was a great time. But I still had more of the afternoon and I knew just what I wanted to do.

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It was a 3 hour tour…a 3 hour tour

Posted on July 9, 2012July 9, 2012 by Dusty Roads

“Just sit right back and you’ll hear tale

A tale of that fateful trip…..

…5 passengers set sail that day

on a 3 hour tour, a 3 hour tour…..”

Ah Gilligan how I missed you on that cruise. Remember how the Minnow was lost? Little did I know what an adventure lay ahead of me as I stood in line to board the tour boat.

The sun had burned off the fog and haze and it was a beautiful afternoon. The sea was calm, what more could anyone ask for. Well maybe a bigger boat?

There were 2 boats tied up to the dock as I stood in line. One was a fair-sized boat with a sign “Nature Tours”.

The other was a smaller boat. I took a picture of the larger boat thinking that was the one I would be on…wrong it was it’s smaller cousin the Islander. About that time the theme song from Gilligan’s Island began to play in my head. This tour was supposed to be around 3 hours…a 3 hour tour…

What a happy little group we all were as we motored out of the harbor past picturesque islands, the water a sparkling blue. On board with us tourists were the Skipper, his mate, and a naturalist/guide.

We no sooner left the protection of the harbor when the seas began to roll and chop. Spray off the bow had me soaked in no time and that water was cold! I noticed many of the other passengers heading inside. I thought it was to get warm but in fact that was where the main mass of tourists went to share their misery…seasickness! Oh boy, it was not a pretty sight. So far I was hanging tough but even as cold as I was, I didn’t want to press my luck by staying where I was surrounded by barfing , green faces. At least the sun was still shining…for now.

We slowed down as we passed Bear Island with a very pretty lighthouse. Then picked up speed again to head for another island that was several miles out to sea. This island, known as Petit Manan Island, also had a lighthouse and this was where we hoped to find the Puffins.

The farther we went from land the rougher it got and more and more passengers retired to the “sick” room. Then the fog rolled in. The Gillian’s Island song started playing in my head again! 🙂 Louder this time.

Finally we spotted the island. The skipper brought us in as close as he could safely go and dropped anchor and there were the puffins. My they were tiny! Only about 10 inches and they were almost lost in the surf but there were so many of them.

They were on the land, in the water and in the air. Along with the puffins were laughing gulls, arctic terns and a few other sea birds whose names I have forgotten. On land and at a distance they made me think of penguins.Naturalist/guide broke away from his nursing duties long enough to explain that this island was the most southern point of the Puffin’s range. They don’t do well with any sea gulls except the laughing gulls so a few years ago the scientists removed all of the gulls, dug holes for puffins to nest in and put fake puffins around the island. Then they broadcast puffin calls.

The first year a few puffins stopped by to investigate but didn’t nest. The next year a few pairs came and they stayed this time. Now there is a thriving colony large enough that it can protect its territory from gulls and other invaders.

It was soon time to head home. I didn’t get the ” National Geographic Shot” but at least I saw real live Puffins.

I learned about them and about another location where you can actually go on the land to see them. Sounds like a plan for another time. Heading back we were going by one last island, Egg Rock Island, where there were seals and possibly eagles.

So anchors away! Let’s get this ship turned around!

Block Island at Last

Posted on May 25, 2012May 25, 2012 by Dusty Roads

High Speed Ferry Returning to Point Judith

The ferry cast off and as soon as we cleared the jetties it was apparent that we were going to hit some heavy seas. I was on the top deck (a true glutton for punishment) which was open. The deck below was enclosed and warm but silly me wanted to stay topside. It was kind of like riding a bucking horse.

The bow would go up and up and then ever so slowly we’d begin to tip into the trough and then picking up speed the stern would rise and with a crash of spray the bow would slice the waves at the bottom of the trough.

Up and down! I watched the rollers moving toward us and tried to judge how much the boat would buck by the depth of the trough approaching.

All though it was cold and wet the 55 minute trip passed quickly. Pretty soon we were passing another jetty into a calm harbor.

The waves were crashing over the sea wall making a spectacular scene.

The Ferry unloaded quickly and I found myself standing in the middle of the parking lot a bit lost. In my rush to catch the ferry this morning I had left my reservation confirmation in the car. It had the address for my guest house. I thought it was right near the ferry but I didn’t see it as I looked around but I did see a Chamber of Commerce building.

At the Chamber I asked for directions to Ashley House. At first the woman at the desk seemed puzzled but she quickly brightened up and told me to go through the Harborside Inn. As I headed over there I was approached by a taxi/tour driver. He also said I’d find it in back of the Harborside Inn so I short-cutted down an alley and sure enough..there it was. Only one problem. There didn’t seem to be an entrance. But there was an ice cream and pastry shop so I asked there how to get into the Ashley House. The girl took me out to the front and around the corner to an alley, pulled open a door and pointing said “Up the Stairs”. So up the stairs I went following a long corridor of polished wood floors and doors along the length but after I wandered the whole length and went back down the other stairs, I found myself back out side and still no place to check in.

I began to retrace my steps to the Chamber building for more detailed directions when I bumped into the Chamber lady leaving. She asked me if I’d found Ashley House. I told her yes I found the house but where do I check in?. She then went into more detail. The Harborside Inn owns Ashley House and if I go to the front desk of the Inn they will do the check in and give me my key. It seems so obvious in retrospect.

Check-in, once I found it, was quick and simple. The clerk even gave me a map and a list of restaurants that were open. Since this was still the “off-season” many of the restaurants and shops were still closed although you could see them being freshened up with new coats of paint and displays set up for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.

The clerk pointed out the 2 Lighthouses. She said the southern lighthouse was an easy walk from town but the other lighthouse was more challenging. I thanked her and headed to Ashley House to find my room. I was anxious to see what the inside of the rooms would be like after my trip down the corridor.

I wasn’t disappointed. It was a beautiful room with a large sleigh bed, a TV and a private bathroom with shower. That was important to me as a lot of the guest houses on the island have shared bathrooms. I was very pleased.

It was beginning to lighten up and the rain had stopped so maybe I’ll be able to get a sunset picture after all! But first I need to stop in at the Ice Cream shop and buy something as a way of saying thanks. Without the clerk’s help I could still be wandering around looking for the entrance!