Whale Watching

Posted on August 1, 2013August 1, 2013 by Dusty Roads

A friend asked me what whale watching was like. The question caught me off guard. I was on my way to Plymouth to do exactly that, take a Whale Watch trip with Capt’n John.

As we pulled out of Plymouth Harbor I looked around at all the people on the boat and thought about the question. It’s a lot like fishing. You go out with your bait , toss in your line and …wait and wait…and wait and if you’re lucky you get a bite and if you’re really lucky you get a fish.

Well when you go whale watching you get on a boat and ride, and ride and ride some more. Finally someone spots a spout or blow and the boat slows down. Now you wait in one spot while everyone looks around the boat to see if the whale is going to surface any place close. If your lucky you’ll see another blow and maybe a back.

The jackpot or whale watching’s equivalent of landing the fish is having the huge mammal cruise along side the boat giving you a real good look. To borrow a phrase from Animal Planet’s show Call of the Wildman; “That’s live action , Baby!”

Just off the tip of Cape Cod we got we got our first blow with the Pilgrim Tower of Provincetown in the background. Several Minke Whales were passing through. Minke whales are one of the smallest of the baleen whales, growing to only 24-26 ft. Baleen whales are filter feeders. They strain water though the baleen hairs and Krill and other small marine creatures are captured there. Hard to believe feeding this way can result in such a large animal.

They were small and kept their distance (kind of like a nibble in fishing). It was enough to get everyone excited but not close enough for pictures. So we motored on.

It didn’t take too much longer before we got another blow. This time it was a Fin Back Whale and there was more than one. The naturalist kept telling us that the fin backs were the greyhounds of whales around here (Massachusetts) but they didn’t seem to be in a big rush. They cruised along near the surface doing shallow dives and short blows.

At one point one of them cruised right next to the boat . You could actually see it as it began to come to the surface which made timing the picture for when it surfaced pretty easy.

The naturalist was using the size of our boat to estimate the length of the whales. She said they were all around 80 ft. long.

I don’t know how many different whales we saw. I lost track.

I checked Capt. John’s web sites but they didn’t post our trip. 🙁 No humpbacks today. They are my favorite. When they dive you get the classic tail flukes but when Fin Backs dive there’s no tail. It makes me think of a submarine.

There might be a little hump and fin and then it’s gone. In a shallow dive they just seem to sink away.

There was enough action so that everyone came away happy even without the appearance of any humpbacks.

I may just have to try to squeeze in another trip just to try for the humpbacks.

Haddam CT

Posted on April 21, 2013April 21, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Since my Riverquest cruise left from the boat dock at Eagle Landing State Park in Haddam, I thought it might be worthwhile to check out this little town while I was here. It seems there’s something for everyone.

Sportsmen can go fishing on the Connecticut river or boaters can go boating.

Birders can take the Riverquest cruises and look for eagles and osprey and other birds of sea and shore.

Architecture buffs can lose themselves in the Village of East Haddam, filled with beautifully maintained historic homes and businesses.

The premier example is the Goodspeed Opera house still a fully functional theater located right on the river.

Engineers can marvel over the Haddam Swing Bridge, a steel, movable truss bridge composed of two main spans crossing the Connecticut River.

Of course East Haddam is home to the unique Gillette Castle and Gillette Castle State Park. Picnic, walk trails and explore the grounds. The intricate architecture and beautiful surroundings seem to appeal to all.

Nature is represented everywhere in East Haddam. There’s nothing like a sunset dinner while watching the world go by on the Connecticut River.

For a sleepy little town there’s plenty to do. Other attractions close by include Nathan Hale House and the oldest bell in America. ( housed in the belfry of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.)

The Nature Conservancy calls East Haddam “One of the last great places.” So take some time to drop in for a visit to a classic New England Village and surroundings.

Key West

Posted on January 30, 2013January 30, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Arriving in Key West

Good Morning Key West.

We enjoyed breakfast outside at a table on the deck as the ship pulled into Key West. The Sea Gulls are not shy at all. If you have any kind of bird phobia I recommend you stay inside to eat. The birds practically stalked their breakfast walking right down the railing to eye the food on everyone’s plates.

This determine Gull had his eye on Joe’s breakfast

When anyone got up to leave they swooped right down to the table and began picking scraps from the plates. Shooing them away only brought a moment’s respite before they were back again.

Key West Harbor

The ship docked just outside of Mallory Square, the gathering place for all Key West.

It was so early when we headed out that attractions, like the Key West aquarium, were still closed.

Some of the tourist / souvenir shops were just opening up. They probably wanted to take advantage of the hoards of tourist just waiting to come ashore and spend their money.

Even I, who was watching every penny this trip, succumbed to the urge to buy. I picked up a navy blue sarong with a dolphin pattern to wear as a shawl to dinner. It gets quite cool in the dining room.

Joe and I wandered down Duval St where I took the mandatory picture of Earnest Hemingway’s hideout…Sloppy Joe’s.

We peeked in at the lighthouse grounds where life sized statues straight from Renoir paintings danced around the court yard.

It was clear to see that Key West still had a love affair going with the chickens.

They run wild in the streets and are tolerated everywhere. Roosters crow all day, not just at dawn.

Outside of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church we spotted a couple of baby chicks.

The other creatures that Key West is known for are the Hemmingway cats. Descended from a polydactyl cat owned by Earnest Hemmingway there are now dozens of cats that make the Hemingway house home.

As any good cat lady will do, I went to visit the cats but admission was cash only and since the boat is a Cashless Experience, I wasn’t carrying any cash. Joe didn’t have any either. We hung around outside and chatted with one of the street vendors for awhile before heading back to Mallory Square.

Mallory Square is the heart and soul of Key West. During the day it’s a just a pier where locals come to fish or paint or just sit and watch the waves but come evening the crowds will gather to watch the sun set into the ocean and the square will be alive with street entertainment.

Mallory Square gave me a great view of the ship too. The size of the Imagination is amazing.

While I was photographing the ship a couple of hungry pelicans swooped in to see what they could fine for lunch. They zoned in on a young boy’s fish catch going so far as to steal a fish right off the line as he tried to reel it in.

We were looking for a place for Joe to get a signature dish of Key West and I don’t mean Conch Fritters. No he wanted the original Key Lime pie. Although we wandered quite a few streets he couldn’t find the shop he was looking for. It’s been a long time…13 years…so who knows if it’s even still around. Finally as we were heading back to the ship he settled on Key Lime on a stick, an ice cream version.

Some things have changed from the Key West I remember. It is even more touristy than I remember. Back in 2000 they had 1 trolley line

and the little Conch train for sight seeing

and the Bone Island bus line for getting around the island. Now there are 2 trolley lines and a duck tour all added to the mix. The shop owners don’t just wait for you to wander in. No, now many of them “hawk” their wares as you walk by the shops.

The presidential palace, a summer home for several past presidents, is still a great place to tour but we were told that the Fisher Museum of salvaged shipwreck treasure had relocated.

We didn’t have time to make it to Smather’s Beach or the monument at the Southern Most Point but we did spot mile marker 0 for the end of Route 1.

And speaking of Route 1, we stopped for a breather across from the Green Parrot which claims the be the last and first bar and grill on Route 1. Joe could get a wifi signal there so he could check his e-mails. It’s harder being “unplugged” than expected.

The weather stayed nice for our meanderings in Key West but it was soon time to head back to the Ship. The ship would be casting off to begin it’s cruise to Cozumel, Mexico and we didn’t want to be left behind.

On the way to Block Island

Posted on May 23, 2012May 23, 2012 by Dusty Roads

Block Island is about 13 miles off the south coast of Rhode Island. On a clear day you can see Montauk Point Long Island, N.Y. Block Island is also known as New Shoreham. I wish I’d known that when I was searching for accommodations. I eliminated any in New Shoreham because I didn’t realize it was part of Block Island. The island isn’t that large. It’s about 3 miles wide and 7 miles long. It is part of The Nature Conservatory. 40% of the island has been set aside and protected. The only way to get to the island is by ferry or by plane.

There are 2 lighthouses on the Island and a chance to photograph them was the impetus for my trip. I planned it about 2 weeks ago. We’ve been getting a lot of rain so I was hoping we would have dried out by the time I headed out on my trip. Canceling was not an option. Next week is Memorial Day weekend and the room rates triple with the start of the summer season.I couldn’t afford that…not just to get a couple of pictures. National Geographic hasn’t discovered me yet! 🙂

So you can imagine my disappointment to wake up to pouring rain Tuesday morning. The weather person was all smiles and telling all the viewers that there was only 40% chance of rain. We might get a passing thunderstorm but it wouldn’t last more than 30 minutes. I guess they haven’t looked out the window.

I got everything in the car and went to the “Facilities” for one last stop before I got on the road…oh oh the flush mechanism on the toilet seems to be on the blink. I spent more time than I should have trying to get it to work but only ended up leaving a note of warning for the Pet Sitter. Then I was on my way. That is until I checked the driving directions. When I downloaded them I thought I had the directions to Point Judith. Now here in the car I realize all of the directions were to Newport.

No time to go back now, I tried my GPS…no luck. So I pointed the car toward Narragansett and crossed my fingers that I’d find the ferry. Of course I got caught behind a car doing 20 miles under the speed limit. I began to resign myself to the possibility that I will miss the 11 am ferry.

Made it! But it’s still raining and none of the Ferry Parking lots seem to be open. I finally found one…$20 for the overnight. I took it and headed as fast as I could toward the ferry terminal. I should have taken my time. I missed the boat (literally) by 10 minutes. The next one wasn’t until 3pm. With the rain coming down like it was, I didn’t even feel like exploring. Instead I sat on the benches in the terminal until wind kicked up. Then I moved to the benches in the restroom area. At least it was warm and dry there.

There didn’t seem to be much open in Point Judith so about 1:30 I went in search of lunch. There was a little restaurant and bar on the 2nd floor of one of the retail buildings. I lugged my stuff up the stairs and entered the bar. There was only one other patron and the bartender. You could say I got exceptional service. And the fish sandwich was wonderful. If you are ever in Point Judith and want a place to eat I recommend Clam Jammers.

It was clear that Point Judith Harbor had an active fishing fleet working out of there. Trawlers where coming in and going out the whole time I was waiting. Finally the ticket windows opened and the Ferry came in from Block Island.

At about 2:30 they started loading. The trip on the “traditional” Ferry takes about 55 minutes. It’s about $25.00 for a round trip ticket so the price isn’t bad. They also had a High Speed Ferry but it was much more expensive and I didn’t think an hour was all that long anyway.

I had one of the seasick patches and had applied it in the morning so I was ready. Let the cruising begin! I’ll be able to handle any rough seas now!

I couldn’t help but be thankful that my “travel” philosophy is not to take any little mishap too seriously. It made the rough beginning to my little jaunt a bit easier to take.