Cold Winter Days, Plymouth, Bourne, Massachusetts, USA

Low sun angle, long shadows, cold wind - hallmarks of a stunning winter day.



The Sagamore Bridge (one of the two automobile bridges) connects Cape Cod with the Massachusetts mainland. The bridge opened in 1935 and spans the 7-mile long Cape Cod Canal. There were few walkers/joggers/bicyclers out on this cold winter day - and I didn't stay very long either.

Cape Cod Canal, Sagamore, Bourne, Massachusetts, USA

When I first arrived after the cold frontal passage, the sky was mostly clear but, the wind was howling.



The clouds developed quickly.



I wasn't the only one out enjoying this crisp day in early winter.



There were hundreds, maybe thousands of ducks hanging out along the edge of the water - and no boats transiting the canal while I was there.



The ducks seemed to be practicing various precision formations.



Perhaps they have a secret marching band that requires such arrangements.



I stopped at the beach on the way home, the strong onshore wind gave this gull a nice upslope condition to soar along the dune face effortlessly. It may be winter but, it's still spectacularly beautiful around here.

After the Storm, Manomet, Plymouth, Bourne, Massachusetts, USA

I have been lazy after this storm.  It ended two days before I went out to make these photos. This view is from the north side of the Cape Cod Canal facing southward. 



It's cold but the roadway/path is clear thanks to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who maintain jurisdiction over the waterway and this parallel service access road. During the hour or so I was walking, I did not see one single vessel on the waterway - that's very unusual in my experience - in warm weather.



Priscilla Beach Theatre continues to wait patiently for the re-opening of the performance venue - now expected on April 30 with a run of "Sisters of Swing." Tickets are not on sale yet but, let's hope for the best.



The 2021 Performance Season Schedule looks like this:

"Sisters of Swing,"  April 30 - May 8.

"She Loves Me," June 4 - June 12.

"Mamma Mia," July 1 - July 17.

"Monty Python's Spamalot," July 29 - August 14.

"25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," September 4 - September 12.

"The Addams Family," October 2 - October 10.

Plan to come out and support this extraordinary local venue and the fine actors and musicians who have struggled during the past year of pandemic impacts.



White Horse Beach. Note the storm tide has destroyed most of the fencing that protected the dunes and kept the humans out.

One of Plymouth's 365 ponds mostly frozen over. The circles are from the underground springs that feed it.

Cape Cod Canal, Bourne, Massachusetts, USA

The Cape Cod Canal was constructed in the early 20th century and connects Cape Cod Bay and Buzzards Bay. On both sides of the canal, a 7-mile paved service road provides opportunity for walking, jogging, and bicycling and folks daily take advantage of the beautiful and interesting location.



Boats large and small pass through the canal.



I found this view interesting. The wind is strong blowing right to left, the vessel is moving fast left to right, yet, the flag is lightly waving as if the breeze is left to right. Go figure.



Fishing along the banks is also a popular activity.

Me, I enjoy a nice 2.5-mile out and back (10,000 step) walk along the paved path.

Cape Cod Canal, Bourne, Massachusetts, USA

I was struck by this dramatic sky on my most recent visit to the Cape Cod Canal for a walk along the path. It's a seven mile canal and path and it is open year-around. (Click on an image for a higher resolution version if your device supports that action).



The volume of boat traffic, while not particularly dense, is certainly steady during this time of the year. This vessel is passing under the Sagamore Bridge (constructed in 1933-35).



I don't know where they are from or where they are going but, I'd like to fantasize about being aboard and heading for an island to island sailing cruise of the Caribbean.........

Sagamore Bridge, Cape Cod Canal, Bourne, Sagamore, Massachusetts, USA

The Sagamore Bridge is one of two highway bridges that connect the mainland to Cape Cod. I was particularly struck by the awesomeness of the clouds on this day.



It was built in 1933-35 by the Army Corps of Engineers. A bike/foot trail parallels the canal for recreational use. A great place for a walk - nearly flat and about 7 miles long from end to end.



The bridge was often shrouded in tenting over the past few years as a re-painting project was underway (and now complete).

Cape Cod Canal, Bourne, Massachusetts, USA

A bicycle/walking path parallels the entire Cape Cod Canal (about seven miles long). It is open year-around and a great place for outdoor exercise with the added benefit of seeing all manner of vessels traversing the waterway. Here's a link to my blog post last year when the Mayflower II went through.



The Sagamore Bridge, completed in 1935, is one of two bridges that spans the canal allowing access from the mainland to Cape Cod.



An artsy midday image from beneath the bridge.



Inquiring minds want to know, "is it correct to walk on the left facing traffic or, walk on the right with the flow of traffic? This man chose a third solution........right down the middle!

Mayflower II, Cape Cod Canal, Bourne, Massachusetts, USA

On a beautiful spring morning, folks gathered at the Herring Run Recreation Area to watch the Mayflower II pass through Cape Cod Canal on its way back home in Plymouth, Massachusetts. I figured it would be a slow passage considering it was being pulled by a tugboat, was in a narrow channel, and the tide direction might be against it.



That was not the case.  Riding a fast and favorable current, seemingly in seconds, she approached, passed abeam us, and was gone.



It happened so quickly that folks were still taking pictures long after it passed.



Moments after passing us, she went under the Sagamore Bridge and then out into Cape Cod Bay for the last couple hours of the journey home to Plymouth.

This fisherman was surprised by all the people out and about on a weekday morning. Like many of the regular fishermen here, a well outfitted bicycle makes hauling all the stuff much easier.

Bike Path, Cape Cod Canal, Bourne, Sagamore, Massachusetts, USA

I haven't been to the canal in many months.  It is a great location for walking or cycling. Although it was chilly and breezy, the late afternoon sun made for nice images.



The construction is done on the Sagamore Bridge so no more tarps, equipment, and associated noise. The bike trail is almost empty today.......



...except for this one lone cyclist approaching.

A Walk in the Woods, Cape Cod Canal, Bourne, Massachusetts, USA

The snow has all melted and the calendar may say spring but there aren't many obvious signs yet along the Bournedale Trail at the Cape Cod Canal.

I came upon these feather remains of a gull.lying in the trail. I wonder how it came to this fate? Gulls don't fly in the woods.  Was he flying by overhead and just died and fell?  Did he die elsewhere and was dragged here by a fox or other critter?  Where are the rest of the feathers? Seems an odd place to end up for a gull.

The picnic area at the Herring Pond parking area is quiet. This tree knot reminds me of an owl's eye - or the eye of Sauron.

Sagamore Hill, Scusset Beach State Reservation, Sagamore Beach, Bourne, Massachusetts, USA

Once an Indian Council gathering place, and during World War II a coastal military installation to protect the canal, today, the Sagamore Hill historic site is a preserved section of hill, marsh, and woods as part of the Scusset Beach State Reservation and Cape Cod Canal.

A very pleasant trail winds through the parkland and can be accessed from the fishing pier parking lot on the Cape Cod Canal.

I have found that when I walk alone, sometimes my best photographic subject is my shadow. 

Fall still lingers, but it's starting to fade.

Most of the path/trail is wide and easy for brisk walking.

Out and back is about a mile or so.

And at the end of the trail, here's part of the view from the top of the hill. Towering (okay, not really towering) above the distant beach and Cape Cod Bay, Sagamore Hill offers full advantage of its elevation of 82 feet above sea level.  

Here's what you get when you rotate the camera really fast and click the shutter at some point during the rotation.  Digital Art - yeah - sort of.........

A Walk in the Woods, Cape Cod Canal, Bourne, Massachusetts, USA

There is a nature trail on the north side of the canal near the Herring Run parking area.  It isn't exactly wilderness, located as it is sandwiched in between the highway and the canal but it is quite pleasant nonetheless.

I will enjoy a sun-dappled path and fall colors anywhere I find them.

There is a sandy narrow trail that seems to be seldom used.......

......except for some of the natives out for lunch.

This image doesn't even look real to me. It looks more like a photograph.

Oh yeah, these are photographs.

And if you turn your head sideways, a peek through the branches will sometimes reveal boats traversing the canal. 

I hope you are enjoying fall wherever you are in the Northern Hemisphere - or spring in the Southern.