Chasing Clean Air

Venture Athletics Kayak Shop, Provincetown, Cape Cod

Carlos and Elizabeth fell in love, got married and opened the world of kayaking to  Provincetown visitors with Venture Athletics Kayak Shop.

Since I love kayaking,  Cape Cod sunset light, and learning about the natural world, I chose the Naturalist 2-Hour Kayaking Tour 6-8 pm.

Once home to thousands of whales, I learned from my naturalist guide (currently at Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies) that Provincetown was so crowded with whales back in the day that during springtime it was hard for boats to maneuver through them.

Provincetown is noted to be the first whaling village in the world to outlaw whale killings and instead promote whale conservation and tours.

I also learned the ocean's phytoplankton are one cell plants on the surface of the ocean responsible for half the world's oxygen.

Whale Watch Dolphin Fleet of Provincetown

Wow! She's breaching!

Like a forty-ton dancer, light on her belly, spraying joy all around, my camera snapped, Snapped, SNAPPED!

And she flapped, Flapped, FLAPPED.

And the seagull's wings (photo below) showed vividly nature's shapes mimicking one to the other from air to sea.

I love Provincetown, Cape Cod for so many reasons let me count the ways...

My wildlife adventures began with a Whale Watch tour with Dolphin Fleet of Provincetown where whale sightings are guaranteed or you get a free ticket for future trip. But don't worry about that this time of year!

Whale sightings were plentiful, and because Provincetown is on the tip of Cape Cod, a peninsula jutting out on the Atlantic Ocean, it didn't take long to see these gorgeous, sleek black humpback whales.

Yes!

Our group saw twenty-five humpback whales, mostly females, each 40 feet, 40 tons of playful fun.

According to the marine experts on board, the whales are recognizable and have names like Puma and Echo.

Clean Air Cape Cod National Seashore

Cape Cod National Seashore is a quick 90 minute ferry ride from historical Boston.

So very beautiful and peaceful, too.

Whales, seals, sailboats...

Stunning sunsets.

Keep your eyes peeled for my Cape Cod (and Boston) review to include kayaking and sand dunes and learning about the rich literary, artistic and Pilgrim history.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a shuttle into Provincetown to catch. Just wanted to let you know Cape Cod is on my map, and soon yours too.

Carmageddon vs. Kayak-Heaven on the Charles River

Chasing clean air brought me to kayak heaven in clean air Massachusetts. Land of water, smart kids, and a low population.

Would you believe in response to Carmageddon, I made a snap decison to fly to Boston?

One day, Hmmm, I wonder about Boston? Seat of revolutionary power, history and enough Ivy League universities that if you throw a few marbles, you're bound to hit one, assuming you didn't score high enough on your SATs to get in the distinguished way like several of our forefathers, and mine.

My dad went to Harvard where he met my mom at a dance.

Hence my very being is tied to Boston and Harvard, and women who back in the day wanted a Harvard man, but today aspire to be a Harvard woman.

Progress.

Anyway, the next day I'm flying on American Airlines from LAX to Logan International, wondering where I'll replace the arteries of cars with waterways and ducks?

True.

And the reward was kayaking down the Charles River today under puffy white clouds and blue skies.

Cutting through rich preserved lands, maneuvering the Charles River home to Native Americans and the artery that enriches Harvard and MIT dating life, (Mom and Dad used to sail the Charles River) not to mention numerous Cambridge and Boston establishments along its banks, was a delight!

It made for gentle kayaking and colorful nature photos.

I picked up the kayak with a friend in nearby  upscale Newton, Mass. where houses are older than grandpa.

If you're visiting Boston area, you can navigate the Charles River by starting here.

Stay tuned for my Clean Air Boston review... and Cape Cod, too!

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Things To Do
Boston

I Love Boston

Enjoy your freedoms?

Sure you do, that's the American way.

Your freedom started in Boston, a succession of American firsts, including the bloodiest battle (for freedom) at Bunker Hill. First library. First public school. First subway. First Navy Fleet. First time American Constitution read aloud.

This is a delicious city steeped in  American history and beginnings, where the best of nature, art and man coalesce in magnificence.

Subways run on time.

Traditional and new architecture shimmer in the sun.

And when I dropped a pen from my purse in the underground subway, saving who knows how much carbon emissions by not driving alone in L.A., a young man picked up my pen with a smile under a mural depicting animals and nature.

Manners and nature.

Everywhere.

I love Boston, and soon I'll tell you why in a comprehensive article but I couldn't wait for you to glimpse its grandeur with photos from last night's photo shoot at Bunker Hill. I love the angles, strength, and sky.

That's Colonel William Prescott. He led the colonists against the British at Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War.

This is America's revolutionary city, where history jumps to life on clean streets without leaf blowers.

Building spirals reach for clean skies in large part due to a low population and little industry outside of Ivy League schools. And government? Wow. Housed in an-honest-to-God gold dome.

The city of Boston prioritizes people and nature. And there's symmetry and a plan to their city design and architecture. I was so impressed.

I hope you'll stay tuned for my clean air Boston review. But for now if you'll excuse me, I have a smooth 2010 Good Earth Fine Wine to attend to along with a new crop of photos. 

To follow my clean air search and explore air pollution solutions together, subscribe to the Chasing Clean Air RSS feed! 

SS Constitution: America's First Navy Fleet

Blue skies gave way to rain just before I  captured the SS Constitution at Charlestown Navy Yard at the Boston Harbor.

One of America's first ships launched in 1798 to defend America's freedom.

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