Four Generation Hike 2017

It's Labor Day and Matt & Becky are up for a visit.  When they visit Mom & Dad, it  usually means they'll be a some kind of fun, outdoor activity, so we'll be sure not to disappoint.

We choose to head up to The Other Cape in Massachusetts, that is, Cape Ann.  Becky's never visited Rockport, so that's were we're headed.

Our outdoor adventure will be to a Trustees of Reserations site,  Ravenswood Park in Gloucester. 
The trails are easy so neither the little ones nor the seniors should have any difficulty.

We choose a moderate length  loop where trail undulates a bit and
there are large rock formations to explore.

All four generations here, including Catherine on Alex's back.

Like I said, cool rocks.

Just a little bit of a climb, but a nice view is promised at the top.

Dominic gets a good view from the top of this rock.

From here you can see clear out into Gloucester Harbor.

Catherine says "Where is it?"

On the way down, Matt checks out the remains of an old quarry.

Dominic wasn't done hiking, so Matt went up to try, too, to try and coax him down..

When we're done, we head to our favorite seafood place on Cape Ann, J.T. Farnhams in Essex.
It's a favorite because Betsy and I can share delicious fried seafood that's gluten-free.

We park our cars at one of the Rockport lots and take a shuttle bus into town.
We stroll down Bearskin Neck past all the art galleries and ice cream shops to the end
where we can view the jetty which encloses Rockport Harbor.

When we're done, we head back to the bus stop, a little tired,
but enjoying a late afternoon snack before heading home.

The hike through Ravenswood Park was about 1.81 miles.  The parking was actually a little more challenging than the walking, but we were blessed with a couple spots.  Of course there was a little more walking in Rockport, but the highlight for the kids was probably the bus ride.  It was fun for all, to be sure!

AMC Paddle - Battleship Cove

It was a picture perfect day for this paddle adventure from Bristol, RI to Battleship Cove in Fall
River, MA.  The water on Mt. Hope bay was unusually placid as 7 hearty paddlers took to their kayaks.

In short order, we pass the  Brayton Point Power Station across the Massachusetts state line.

It's all calm here beneath the I-195 bridge into Fall River.

What's neat about this paddling adventure is you can get really "up close and personal" with the ships in Batttleship Cove.  You can't get these views of the USS Massachusetts by visiting the museum.

Don't you think this gun turret looks curiously similar to the front of a Imperial AT-AT ?

Sort of.  Sorry for the diversion.

The name Massachusetts clearly emblazoned on the  ship's stern.

The USS Lionfish patrolled the waters around Japan back in 1945.

Here's a fine view of the destroyer USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr..

Boy our kayaks look small, don't they.

You get a feeling for how the museum ships are tucked under the I-195 bridge.

We stopped for lunch at Bicentennial Park in Fall River.  The park  has it's very own Iwo Jima statue.

On the way back, we heard of the roar of "cigarette boats" racing down the Taunton River into Mt. Hope Bay.
Look carefully for the high water wake.

A ways further, and we made it back to our starting point.  Our trip today covered 11.31 miles in 4:15. 

Cape Recap

This year, as always, we had numerous fun adventures on our Cape Cod vacation.  Since much of the week does not involve just sitting at the beach, I thought it would be fun to quickly recap some of those big adventures.

Saturday

It was a little drizzly Saturday morning, but that didn't deter us in the least.

We stopped by the old  Stony Brook Grist Mill in Brewster.  Today they
were actually grinding corn into meal.  Dominic also learned about weaving
on a loom.

Later, we went miniature golfing.
Catherine is getting the hang it - put the ball in the hole.

Afterward, we went to Mass and had a nice dinner at the condo.

Sunday

Sunshine all day long!  Let's make it a beach day.  We loaded up the boats and set off for the Brewster beach, albeit with a little juggling of cars.

With the high tide, we paddled from Linnell Landing well into the Namskaket Creek Marshes.
You can see how close we got to the bike trail (green line along the bottom of the picture).
The distance was 4.1 miles in 1:30.

Betsy paddles her Calypso easily - there's lot of water at high tide.

Monday

Cassandra didn't get enough paddling yesterday, to at her suggestion, we rented a 4th boat and all of us paddled in the Orleans town Cove.

The Town Cove landing in Orleans is right next to the Goose Hummock kayak store.
We had to be careful in spots as we were short of high tide and there were still some significant shallows.
This distance was an impressive 4.29 miles in 2:09.

The whole family got in on the fun.  Catherine stood almost the entire trip

After that, we made it back to the condo to view the partial solar eclipse through our cereal boxes.

Tuesday

We opted for a different type of adventure Tuesday.  A trip to Martha's Vineyard.

We get up close and personal with animals at the Island Alpaca farm.

Later, Catherine and Grandad go round and round on the
Flying Horses Carousel.

 

 

 Wednesday

What would a trip to the Cape be without a bike ride?

Starting at Brewster Bike, we headed down to Chatham along the Cape Cod Rail Trail.
The ride was 17.11 miles for me (4 miles less for everyone else) in 2:06.

Cassandra was able to "draft" Alex hauling the trailer and both kids.
For Alex, it was only an extra 100 lbs.

Thursday

Once again, back on the water, we sailed a Hobie Cat far out into Pleasant Bay.

There wasn't a lot of wind, but with an expert at the helm (our youngest), we were still able to cover a lot of distance.
We sailed 6.83 miles in 2:07.

Easier than paddling!

Friday

Just Betsy and me biking to our last day, so just a short ride.

Leaving again from Brewster Bike, we headed east on the CCRT.
Out and back, this ride was 8.77 miles in 1:14.

Here's a view of the marsh from the bike trail bridge.
Remember back on Monday we paddled within about 50 yards of this position.

So many adventures, so little time.  While we missed our annual visit to The Sands of Time at the National Seashore, there's always next year!

AMC Paddle - Wickford to Rome Point

This day I had two different paddling adventures to choose from.  I wound up going with the Narragansett AMC since I haven't seen them all season.  As it turned out, I've paddled this route before (see Wickford).  That didn't matter, though, because as you'll see, the pictures I took and the overall experience was quite different.  Last time, I paddled my Cape Horn, a shorter and heavier boat, at a higher rate of speed, making that day much more exhausting than this one.

Today began as a "soft day", as it's known in Ireland - the air and the waters were still while a gentle mist hung in the air.  Because I didn't know if/when it was going to start actually raining, I decided to start with my paddling jacket on, even though when the sun came out later, I might be feeling a bit of heat.

Lined up and ready to go, my Gulfstream is front and center.

You get a real sense of the "soft day" looking down towards the Jamestown bridge.  Look really carefully under the bridge and you'll see he light house that we'll be paddling towards.

Coming out of the marina, we passed this unusual sight. 
Evidently there's no "bull" allowed on the Braveheart.

Ospreys nest on the channel market at the outskirts of the marina.

Here's something you don't see every day. This looked like part sailboat, part pirate ship.

Coming up on the lighthouse and bridge, it looks really close, but there's still some paddling to do.

Here's the Plum Beach Lighthouse up close.  Click on the link to read lots of interesting history about this light and how it was rescued from ruin to its beautiful restoration today.

We've been out over 2 hours, but we still paddle around to the north side of Rome Point, which is part of the John H. Chafee Nature Preserve.  At certain times of the year it's an excellent place for seal watching.

This is why we didn't land on the south side
of Rome Point.  Too many rocks.  Notice
above the rocks there
a distinctive white band of...

... small snail shells - millions and millions of them. 

After lunch, it's back to the boats for the final leg of the journey.

We paddle out of Bissell Cove.  During low tide, we might have to exit the cove the way we came in.  However, with the tide on the high side, we'll be able to paddle around the peninsula and exit at the north end.

We made it back to our put-in sometime later, as most of us returned via the scenic route, hugging the coastline and viewing sites and houses in the nearby town.  In total, we paddled 11.56 miles in 4h31m.  We had a pretty relaxed pace, averaging just over 2.5mph.  Our "soft day" had turned into a mostly sunny and very enjoyable one.