Nice whale.
Thanks.
After last weekend, in which everybody who lived in Boston left, and the city was crowded and heaving with tourists this weekend seemed marginally more back to normal. The streets had cars parked on them, the subway was busy but still accessible, and people were back out reading and picnicking in the parks. Having had a busy week I was actually looking forward to spending a bit more time in the Boston area. I hesitate to say Boston as I found myself out in Charlestown and somewhere off the Massachusetts coast.
Having mentioned Charlestown in detail last week, it being most famous for its Navy Yard with the USS Constitution and the monument to Bunker Hill, I will keep it short this week. This week I passed along the harbor front, which had great views if not particularly pretty in or of itself. You can follow this road through to the oldest part of the city, Harvard Square- named after John Harvard of the university fame, but not to be confused with the one in Cambridge- which does have some well preserved houses, unfortunately not ones you can look around. Having seen lots of these types of houses in Boston, it would be nice to have some slight variation here.
For a town that had a major battle fought there in 1775 historical resonance seems remarkable slim. The three highlights being the House of Deacon John Larkin who lent his horse to Paul Revere for the ride to Lexington, alas it was never returned. Warren Tavern, which was built after the burning of Charlestown and still functions as a pub today. It was named after Joseph Warren (who was killed at the battle of Bunker Hill), doctor to John Adams, who would later become the second president of the USA. Still a two hundred year old pub isn’t really a big deal in this part of the US, in a city that was founded, albeit by Puritans, in 1630 a drinking establishment from the 1800s is still relatively new. The third attraction is Phipps Street Bury Ground, which does date from 1630 and does claim to have many Revolutionary soldiers buried there. However, there seems to be little known about any of them, and the feeling of linking to a historical past that I think can be felt in the Granary Burying Ground or the Kings Chapel Bury Ground just wasn’t there.
So, onto my more adventurous and unusual trip- whale watching. This excursion was run by the New England Aquarium and I was a little apprehensive to say the least. They claim that by heading out of the bay to Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary, a rich feeding ground for whales, and other marine life, you are likely to see several kinds of large whales, including humpback whales, finback whales, minke whales, as well as pilot whales and the critically endangered right whales. I know very little about whales and sea animals, actually I know very little about most animals, I stocked up on Dramamine and enthusiastically joined in with a talk given by a marine biologist on the way out to the bank. I did discover that Stellwagen Bank was once dry land where mastodon and mammoth roamed- this did appeal as I like the idea of mammoth, although I do wish people would stop using them to advertise modern day attractions- particularly aquariums as I don’t think I am actually going to see one, and I do continue to feel a little disappointed about this fact.
Anyway, the Stellwagen Bank is located in the western Gulf of Maine, the large bay north of Georges Bank and between New England and Nova Scotia, the bank is about 26 miles long, about 13 miles wide at its south end, and narrows to about 3 miles wide at its northern end. Water depths to the top of the bank range from 65 to 100 feet. See I was listening while things were being explained to me! The whales themselves were amazing when they appeared. Mainly it was a mother and a calf, although there were a couple of others along the way. Needless to say, I was so busy actually watching them that I totally neglected the photo taking opportunities that presented themselves, so when I remembered I got some great shots of…. Nothing! I was always too slow, or not pointing the camera in quite the right direction or too busy looking at water spouts to actually notice the whale.
I do however, have some great memories, including the one I really wanted to capture on camera, the when were the whale dives and its tail comes up in the air, and then splashes down. The typical whale watching moment, the one always associated with the trip. Many times the whales can be identified by markings on their tails. Often they are females, who can be counted on to bring their new calves up to Stellwagen Bank. It is in the Sanctuary that the mother whales feast on nutritious sand lance and teach their offspring to hunt. The one we saw most of was Dusky, and her new calf, who will be named in a few years when its tail pattern has developed- or at least when it shows its tail, until it is a few years old it is able to dive without the extra force required from its tail to push it down. Maybe in a few years time I will be feeling as though I can head out again, and leave the Dramamine at home.
Thanks.
After last weekend, in which everybody who lived in Boston left, and the city was crowded and heaving with tourists this weekend seemed marginally more back to normal. The streets had cars parked on them, the subway was busy but still accessible, and people were back out reading and picnicking in the parks. Having had a busy week I was actually looking forward to spending a bit more time in the Boston area. I hesitate to say Boston as I found myself out in Charlestown and somewhere off the Massachusetts coast.
Having mentioned Charlestown in detail last week, it being most famous for its Navy Yard with the USS Constitution and the monument to Bunker Hill, I will keep it short this week. This week I passed along the harbor front, which had great views if not particularly pretty in or of itself. You can follow this road through to the oldest part of the city, Harvard Square- named after John Harvard of the university fame, but not to be confused with the one in Cambridge- which does have some well preserved houses, unfortunately not ones you can look around. Having seen lots of these types of houses in Boston, it would be nice to have some slight variation here.
For a town that had a major battle fought there in 1775 historical resonance seems remarkable slim. The three highlights being the House of Deacon John Larkin who lent his horse to Paul Revere for the ride to Lexington, alas it was never returned. Warren Tavern, which was built after the burning of Charlestown and still functions as a pub today. It was named after Joseph Warren (who was killed at the battle of Bunker Hill), doctor to John Adams, who would later become the second president of the USA. Still a two hundred year old pub isn’t really a big deal in this part of the US, in a city that was founded, albeit by Puritans, in 1630 a drinking establishment from the 1800s is still relatively new. The third attraction is Phipps Street Bury Ground, which does date from 1630 and does claim to have many Revolutionary soldiers buried there. However, there seems to be little known about any of them, and the feeling of linking to a historical past that I think can be felt in the Granary Burying Ground or the Kings Chapel Bury Ground just wasn’t there.
So, onto my more adventurous and unusual trip- whale watching. This excursion was run by the New England Aquarium and I was a little apprehensive to say the least. They claim that by heading out of the bay to Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary, a rich feeding ground for whales, and other marine life, you are likely to see several kinds of large whales, including humpback whales, finback whales, minke whales, as well as pilot whales and the critically endangered right whales. I know very little about whales and sea animals, actually I know very little about most animals, I stocked up on Dramamine and enthusiastically joined in with a talk given by a marine biologist on the way out to the bank. I did discover that Stellwagen Bank was once dry land where mastodon and mammoth roamed- this did appeal as I like the idea of mammoth, although I do wish people would stop using them to advertise modern day attractions- particularly aquariums as I don’t think I am actually going to see one, and I do continue to feel a little disappointed about this fact.
Anyway, the Stellwagen Bank is located in the western Gulf of Maine, the large bay north of Georges Bank and between New England and Nova Scotia, the bank is about 26 miles long, about 13 miles wide at its south end, and narrows to about 3 miles wide at its northern end. Water depths to the top of the bank range from 65 to 100 feet. See I was listening while things were being explained to me! The whales themselves were amazing when they appeared. Mainly it was a mother and a calf, although there were a couple of others along the way. Needless to say, I was so busy actually watching them that I totally neglected the photo taking opportunities that presented themselves, so when I remembered I got some great shots of…. Nothing! I was always too slow, or not pointing the camera in quite the right direction or too busy looking at water spouts to actually notice the whale.
I do however, have some great memories, including the one I really wanted to capture on camera, the when were the whale dives and its tail comes up in the air, and then splashes down. The typical whale watching moment, the one always associated with the trip. Many times the whales can be identified by markings on their tails. Often they are females, who can be counted on to bring their new calves up to Stellwagen Bank. It is in the Sanctuary that the mother whales feast on nutritious sand lance and teach their offspring to hunt. The one we saw most of was Dusky, and her new calf, who will be named in a few years when its tail pattern has developed- or at least when it shows its tail, until it is a few years old it is able to dive without the extra force required from its tail to push it down. Maybe in a few years time I will be feeling as though I can head out again, and leave the Dramamine at home.
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