Emergency Preparedness USA
View allAll Photos Tagged preparedness.
I have no idea what this stranger was doing, looking like a character from the 30's and apparently half asleep at a vintage airshow. Perhaps he had seen it all. Either way, the image is a kind of allegory to Britain's unpreparedness for war. (to me anyway)
HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS
On costal buildings all windows and balconies are closed with steel storm blinds.
www.myfloridalegal.com/sites/default/files/2024hurricanep...
SOC (well iPhone actually) picture as starter image for Photoshop Contest group week 846
www.flickr.com/groups/photoshopcontest/discuss/7215771959...
Living in Southern California, it behooves everyone to prepare for the inevitable earthquakes. We attended an excellent presentation on the subject yesterday at CalTech in Pasadena, California.
Day 283 of my 366 Project
© Leanne Boulton, All Rights Reserved
Candid street photography taken in Glasgow, Scotland. I simply loved his posture and the composition against the doorway, together with the protruding umbrella. Enjoy full screen detail by pressing 'L' or clicking on the image.
I've had this one sitting on the customization table for too long. Definitely inspired by Geoshift, one of the best painters and photographers of minifigures on Flickr. It feels great to be posting again, hopefully I will be doing it more regularly.
Comments and critiques are greatly appreciated!
NATO and the EU call on all European citizens to prepare for every possible calamity.
We don't expect to be bombed, but in the past two years there has been an increasing number of Russian hybrid attacks (cyber, sabotage etc) throughout Europe and there is a real risk that Putin might try to take out the power grid, water supplies and critical infrastructure.
Citizens throughout Europe are called upon to get ready to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours (by then help would have arrived).
Freezedried food is ideal for that. Depending on the type and brand, it has a shelf life between two and thirthy years. And it tastes really good. There is a very wide range of foods - even for vegans such as myself, there is a lot of choice.
Obviously you also need water (I have water sachets but also long shelf life (of 50 years) of Blue Can cans and a bottle with a water filter, as well as water purification tablets (not pictured).
just before our afternoon walk. it's -30° c outside today. I have a toque on underneath my fur hat. a turtleneck, two wool sweaters and a lined coat. long underwear, ski socks (doubled up) and super saloman winter boots. alas, the hasselblad didn't have as many layers and refused to work. it's fine now.
-30 is really cold. buckarooken and I kept checking one another's nose for frostbite. No problem.
Title:
From inside the car. 7.
(LUMIX G3 shot)
Manhattan. New York. USA. 2017. … 7 / 7
(Photo of the day. Unpublished.)
Images:
Geoffroy … No Calls Before Noon
youtu.be/Sua7LOBd9x4?si=vczU4fV0pMY6xrMN
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My new novel
B♭ (B Flat)
Volume 17😄
The following is still in its draft stage and will be revised further.
Key parts are not disclosed.
The order of the content shown here is mixed.
(Of course, this is not the final version.)
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My new novel
B♭ (B Flat)
Columbia Point Residences, a redevelopment of an old warehouse district near the piers of Red Hook that look south over New York Harbor, sat with Williamsburg’s commercial and arts quarter to its north, a reclaimed stretch of landfill between them transformed into a quiet new neighborhood of low-rise detached houses.
On the freshly paved streets the laughter of children echoed, and the soft afternoon sun gently lit the roof tiles and white exterior walls. The wind carried a cool, saline scent from the sea, and, far off in the harbor, a ship’s horn punctuated the calm.
Residents were building new lives here, apart from the city’s daily tumult.
At three in the afternoon the light was still mild, gilding the leaves of the street trees. Mariners’ Row—this new residential enclave—presented itself with almost calculated perfection: rows of white houses, straight sidewalks flanking them. The scent of new construction and still-wet paint hung faintly in the air.
Mark Sanchez stood by the large living-room window and imagined a happy future for his family.
His unit, ERO, was the field force within ICE responsible for immigration enforcement and removals—hardened by the harsh realities of carrying out deportations—contrasted with HSI’s international-crime investigations. But here, behind the glass, he was simply a father and a husband.
Rachel had begun preparing dinner in the kitchen. Children’s voices drifted from the distant school-bus stop.
— Calm. Perhaps life is distilled on a Sunday at three in the afternoon, — he murmured inwardly.
The afternoon light slanted more and more; shadows reflected in the window stretched. On the neighborhood street, an old man walked slowly, pushing a cart as he walked his dog. The crossing laughter of children made that scene seem like an emblem of a gentle, innocent world.
Inside the house, the children were absorbed in play, and Rachel greeted them with a smile. The outside air was mild, the breeze only slightly warm; curtains swayed softly.
Mark opened the front door and checked the mailbox. There were notices about the new school and an announcement for a local disaster-preparedness drill.
At three in the afternoon, as the second hand crept forward, silence deepened.
Beside the house’s foundation concrete there was a faint tremor.
In the afternoon hush, the harbor horn and the rustle of leaves in the breeze filled the soundscape—sounds that masked a subtle detonation so that the surrounding residents did not notice. Smoke rose slowly; there was no fierce blaze at the moment of explosion, only fine dust quietly filling the air. The collapse did not happen all at once but proceeded slowly and inevitably. Part of the exterior wall developed quiet fissures; glass trembled and fractured into fine shards. Wooden posts toppled one by one without a sound, the house crumbling inward as if in a muted dance. A small shock set off a chain reaction of charges that dismantled the structure from within—silently yet surely. The exterior split without fanfare; windows became powder; wooden supports began to fall.
But the noise had been suppressed to the greatest extent possible; the neighborhood’s residents scarcely noticed anything had occurred.
In the distance, silhouettes of buildings slumped and settled. Not only Mark’s house but a blue house about three hundred meters across the street, and a white house further in, kicked up clouds of dust.
Three houses vanished in an instant.
The wind halted for a moment; only the leaves of the street trees trembled.
Mariners’ Row’s afternoon regained its former stillness, as if nothing had happened.
Yet everything had changed.
By planting small, distributed charges of C4 at several points in the foundation concrete and detonating them in precisely timed, ordered sequences, the shockwave could be minimized while the skeleton of the structure was collapsed from the inside.
Rafi’s knowledge of architecture had made possible not mere destruction but a “quiet collapse.”
“Use only the force that’s necessary”—that was his credo.
From a rooftop some distance away, Rafi watched the scene unfold; a deep silence flowed through his chest. For him, it was both an outcry and a prayer. The silence dwelling in destruction was the expression of his tangled feelings.
From childhood, Rafi had found refuge only in silence. The clamor of children playing in Gaza’s dusty alleys, the thunder of airstrikes—these had only wounded him more deeply. In a rundown corner of Gaza, the small Rafi leaned against a wall. When the roar of bombardment receded, the brief stillness was a salvation.
His mother’s tears, his father’s anger—the chaos of it all—the boy sought only a place without sound. He fled inward to a world without noise.
Tinkering with the innards of a broken radio with small hands, Rafi first understood the relation between destruction and quiet. A ruined radio, after it lost its sound, simply remained there in material form, silently.
As he grew, his inner life knotted into complexity. He studied architecture at the Islamic University to make shapes and manipulate structures as a way to steady the disorder within him. Even the days bent over blueprints failed to soothe the quiet madness hidden under his skin. When he faced a building plan, his hands trembled; in his head the calculated beauty of structure mixed with the cool cruelty of demolition.
Then he found a method to produce the silence he had once sought: planting bombs.
For him, it was the only way to externalize his pain. The C4 placed silently at a building’s core crystallized the intersection of his desire to destroy and his thirst for silence. Israel’s attacks on Gaza had stoked his rage, but the true explosion had been nurtured in the quiet of his childhood. For Rafi, releasing explosives without sound was a ritual of severing himself from the world’s noise.
Rafi’s heart could find rest only in the stillness of destruction; he was trapped in a darkness no one noticed.
Without sound, unnoticed by anyone, he broke his world and obtained silence.
And no one knew that his cry was hidden within that quiet destruction.
Construction of Columbia Point Residences had begun in 2024. The three collapsed houses had been occupied by staff of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement—ICE—and its Enforcement and Removal Operations, ERO.
They took off their uniforms, sat at these tables with their families. By day they detained migrants and sent them out of the country; by night they held children on their laps and drank beer.
To Rafi, those two faces were one mask. Smile and cruelty breathed under the same skin. It was almost impossible to discern the boundary. He had seen the light in those houses many nights—the silhouettes at dinner through the curtains, laughter. There were no faces of the detained among them.
Each night Rafi never missed the five prayers. His fingertips turned sacred pages of the Qur’an; Arabic verses rang in his heart. “True strength lies in patience; vengeance is entrusted to God”—that phrase steadied him, lending calm. His anger was forbidden to flare; it lived quietly inside.
Recent news repeated the same refrain daily—“a million deported annually,” “military bases converted to detention centers,” “raids even on pending family applications”—numbers passing through the broadcast with a dry sound. But behind those numbers were names: his mother’s name, his sister’s name, the old man next door. Those names did not run on the news; they had no voice.
Rafi thought: this is not policy but selection—sorting who to keep and who to cast aside on sheets of paper. His faith taught mercy and justice, yet the world trampled those teachings. “God is the judge; we are only witnesses”—he repeated in his heart, while refusing to look away.
People in the city sought ways to lighten their lives. Yet tariff hikes made the very air heavy. Bread, nails, gasoline rose in price; sighs filled the shopping streets. Oddly, ICE and ERO garages always housed new vehicles; uniforms looked uncreased and shoes had thick soles. It was the result of budget and protection, the payoff for casting others aside.
Rafi kept calm. To erupt in emotion was to feed the enemy’s desire. So he hid his anger. The fire burning within him was tended like a vow to God—silent and steady.
Stories of neighbors taken in the night, a child crying as someone was seized—each one settled into him and became fuel. But it never flared. It only fed the coals and raised the burn temperature. From the outside, he seemed a gentle man. Inside, however, a balanced plan of destruction was quietly taking shape.
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My new novel:
B♭ (B-flat)
There’s still more to come. 😃
(This is not the final draft.)
Set in New York City.
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Soundtrack.
music.apple.com/jp/playlist/b-my-novel-soundtrack/pl.u-47...
Note: I gave a brief explanation of this novel in the following video:
youtu.be/3w65lqUF-YI?si=yG7qy6TPeCL9xRJV
iTunes Playlist Link::
music.apple.com/jp/playlist/b/pl.u-47DJGhopxMD
My new novel:
B♭ (B-flat)
Notes
1. "Bombay Blood Type (hh type)"
•Characteristics: A rare blood type that lacks the usual ABO antigens — cannot be classified as A, B, or O.
•Discovery: First identified in 1952 in Mumbai, India (formerly Bombay).
•Prevalence: Roughly 1 in 10,000 people in India; globally, about 1 in 2.5 million.
•Transfusion Compatibility: Only compatible with blood from other Bombay type donors.
2. 2024 Harvard University Valedictorian Speech – The Power of Not Knowing
youtu.be/SOUH8iVqSOI?si=Ju-Y728irtcWR71K
3. Shots Fired at Trump Rally
youtu.be/1ejfAkzjEhk?si=ASqJwEmkY-2rW_hT
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Title.
車内から。7。
( LUMIX G3 shot )
マンハッタン。ニューヨーク。アメリカ。2017. … 7 / 7
(今日の写真。それは未発表です。）
Images:
Geoffroy … No Calls Before Noon
youtu.be/Sua7LOBd9x4?si=vczU4fV0pMY6xrMN
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僕の新しい小説。
B♭ （ビーフラット）
第17弾。 😄
以下は、まだ初稿の段階です。まだ推敲します。
重要な部分は公開していません。
公開している内容の順番はバラバラです。
(もちろん最終稿ではありません。)
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僕の新しい小説。
B♭ （ビーフラット）
ニューヨーク港を南に望むレッドフックの埠頭に近い、古い倉庫街を開発したコロンビア・ポイント・レジデンシズは、北側にウィリアムズバークの商業・アート地区を背にし、その間の埋立地を再造成した、低層戸建て中心の静かな新興住宅街だ。
新しく舗装された道には、子供たちの笑い声がこだまし、午後の柔らかな陽射しが屋根の瓦や白壁の外壁を優しく照らしている。風は海からの冷たい香りを運び、港湾の遠くで聞こえる船の汽笛が静けさにアクセントを加えた。
住民たちは日常の喧騒から離れ、ここに新たな生活の基盤を築いている。
午後３時の陽射しは、まだ柔らかく街路樹の葉を黄金色に染めていた。
マリナーズ・ロウの新興住宅街は、まるで計算されたように完璧な整列を見せている。白壁の戸建てが並び、まっすぐな歩道が両脇に伸びる。新築の香りと、まだ新しいペンキの匂いが微かに漂っていた。
マーク・サンチェスはリビングの大きな窓から外を眺めながら、家族の幸せな未来を思い描いていた。
彼が属するEROは、ICEを構成する２部門のうちのひとつ、HSIの国際犯罪捜査に比べ、EROの移民の強制執行や送還を行う現場部隊で培った厳しい現実もあったが、ここではただの父親であり夫だった。
レイチェルはキッチンで夕食の準備を始めている。子供たちの声が、遠くのスクールバス停から聞こえてきた。
ー 穏やかだ。日曜日の午後３時に、人生は集約されているかもしれない ー
彼は胸のうちでそうつぶやいた。
午後の光は徐々に斜めになり、窓ガラスに映る影が伸びていく。住宅街の通りでは犬の散歩をする老人が一人、手押し車を押しながらゆっくり歩いていた。子供たちの笑い声が交差するその風景は、穏やかで無垢な世界の象徴のようだった。
家の中では子供たちが遊びに夢中になり、レイチェルがにこやかに声をかけている。外の空気は穏やかで、風はわずかに暖かく、揺れるカーテンが優しく靡いていた。
マークは玄関のドアを開け、郵便受けを確認する。ポストには新しい学校の案内と地域の防災訓練のお知らせが入っていた。
午後三時、秒針がゆっくりと動く中、静寂が深まっていった。
家の中心、基礎のコンクリートのすぐ脇が微かに揺れた。
午後の静けさの中、遠くからは港湾の汽笛と、風に揺れる街路樹の葉擦れの音が響いていた。それらの環境音が、わずかな爆破音をかき消し、周囲の住民が気づくことはなかった。煙はゆっくりと立ち上り、爆発の瞬間に生まれる激しい炎はなく、ただ細かな粉塵が静かに空気を満たした。倒壊は一気ではなく、ゆっくりと、しかし確実に進んだ。外壁の一部が静かに亀裂を生み、ガラスは微細に震えながら割れていく。木製の柱が一本、また一本と音もなく倒れ、家全体が内側から崩れていく様は、まるで静かな舞踏のようだった。爆薬はわずかな衝撃で連鎖反応を起こし、家の構造を静かに、しかし確実に破壊していく。外壁は音もなく割れ、ガラスは粉々になり、木製の柱が倒れ始めた。
しかし、騒音は極力抑えられ、周囲の住民たちは何が起きたのか気づきにくいほどだ。
遠くで小さく崩れ落ちる建物のシルエットがあった。マークの家屋だけでなく、通りを挟んで３００mほど先の青い家、そして、そこからさらに奥へ進んだ白い家から砂埃が舞い上がった。
3軒の家が瞬時に消えた。
風が一瞬止み、街路樹の葉が揺れる音だけが響く。
マリナーズ・ロウの午後は、再び何事もなかったかのように静けさを取り戻した。
しかし、すべては変わってしまったのだ。
基礎のコンクリートに小分けしたC4を複数箇所に埋め込み、微細なタイミングで順序良く起爆させることで、衝撃波を最小限に抑えつつ構造の骨組みを内側から崩していく。
ラフィの建築学の知識が、単なる破壊ではなく「静かなる崩壊」を可能にしていた。
「必要な力だけを使う」——それが彼の信念だった。
ラフィは遠くの建物の屋上からその光景を見つめ、胸に深い静寂が流れた。彼にとって、それは叫びでもあり、祈りでもあった。破壊の中に宿る静寂こそが、彼の複雑な感情の表現だったのだ。
ラフィは幼いころから、静寂の中にしか安らぎを見いだせなかった。
ガザの埃っぽい路地裏で遊ぶ子供たちの喧騒も、爆撃の轟音も、彼の心を深く傷つけるだけだった。廃れたガザの街角で、幼いラフィは静かに壁にもたれかかっていた。爆撃の轟音が遠ざかる瞬間、その静寂は彼にとって一瞬の救いだった。
母の涙、父の怒り、そのすべてが混ざり合う騒乱の中で、彼はただ「音のない場所」を求めていた。彼は音のない世界へと逃げ込んだ。
小さな手で壊れかけたラジオの中身をいじりながら、ラフィは初めて「破壊」と「静けさ」の関係に気づいた。壊れたラジオは、音を失った後に、ただ静かにそこに物質としての形状を保っていた。
成長するにつれ、彼の内面は複雑に絡み合った。
イスラム大学の建築学部に進んだのは、形を作り、構造を操ることで、彼の心の乱れを制御しようとしたからだ。大学で建築を学ぶ日々も、彼の心の奥底に潜む静かな狂気を癒すには足りなかった。建物の設計図に向き合うとき、彼の指先は震え、頭の中で計算される構造の美しさと破壊の冷徹さが入り混じった。
そして彼は、かつて自分が求めた静寂を「作り出す」方法を見つけた。
爆弾を仕掛けること。
それは彼にとって、自分の痛みを外に放つ唯一の手段だった。
建物の中心に静かに仕掛けられたC4は、彼の「破壊への欲求」と「静寂への渇望」が交錯した結晶だった。イスラエルによるガザ攻撃は彼の憎悪を燃え上がらせたが、真の爆発は幼少期の沈黙の中でじわじわと育まれていた。彼にとって、爆薬を音もなく解き放つ行為は、世界の騒音から自分自身を切り離す儀式だったのだ。
ラフィの心は、破壊の静けさの中にしか安息を見出せず、誰も気づかない闇に囚われていた。
音もなく、誰にも気づかれずに、彼は自らの世界を破壊し、静寂を手に入れる。
そしてその静かな破壊の中に、彼の叫びが隠されていることを、誰も知らなかった。
コロンビア・ポイント・レジデンシズは、２０２４年に工事の着工が始まった。崩壊した三棟に住んでいたのは、米国移民税関取締局のICEとその強制退去執行部門であるEROの職員たちだった。
彼らは制服を脱ぎ、この家で家族と食卓を囲む。昼間、移民を拘束し、国外へ送る彼らが、夜には子どもを膝に抱き、ビールを飲む。
ラフィには、その二つの顔がひとつの仮面にしか見えなかった。微笑みと冷酷が、同じ皮膚の下で息をしている。その境目を見極めることは、ほとんど不可能だった。彼は何度も、職員たちの家に灯る明かりを見た。カーテン越しに見える食卓の影、笑い声。そこには、拘束された者たちの顔はひとつもなかった。
ラフィは毎夜、沈黙のなかで五回の礼拝を欠かさなかった。彼の指先は厳かにクルアーンのページをめくり、アラビア語の詩句が心に響いた。
「真の強さは忍耐にあり、復讐は神の手に委ねられる」—その言葉が彼を支え、冷静さを与えた。
怒りは熱く燃え上がることを許されず、静かに内側で息づいていた。
最近のニュースは、毎日が同じ旋律を繰り返していた。
ー 「年間百万人送還」「軍事基地を収容所に転用」「家族申請中でも摘発」 ー
数字は乾いた音を立ててニュースの中を流れていく。
だが、その数字の裏側には名前があった。母の名、妹の名、隣に住んでいた老人の名。それらはニュースには載らず、声にもならなかった。
ラフィは思った。これは政策ではなく、選別だ。残す者と捨てる者を、書類の上で振り分ける作業だ。
彼の信仰は慈悲と正義を説く。だが今の世界は、その教えを踏みにじっていた。
「神は審判者、我らはただ証人」 — 彼は心の中で繰り返しながらも、見過ごすことを拒んだ。
街では誰もが生活を軽くする方法を探していた。だが、関税の引き上げは空気までも重くした。パンも、釘も、ガソリンも値を上げ、ため息が商店街を満たした。
不思議なことに、ICEやEROの車庫にはいつも新しい車が並んでいた。制服は新品のように皺ひとつなく、靴底は厚かった。それは予算と保護の結果であり、他者を切り捨てた見返りでもあった。
ラフィは冷静だった。
感情を爆発させるのは、敵の望むところだ。だから彼は、怒りを表には出さなかった。彼の内に燃える火は、神にささげる誓いのように、静かに、確実に燃え続けていた。
夜中に連れ去られた隣人の話。拘束の最中に子どもが泣き叫ぶ声。その一つ一つが、彼の胸の奥で沈殿し、火種になった。
しかし、決して燃え上がることはない。ただ、確実に燃料をくべ、燃焼温度を上げていく。外から見れば、彼は穏やかな男だった。
だが、内側では均衡の取れた破壊の計画が静かに形を成していた。
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僕の新しい小説。
B♭ （ビーフラット）
舞台はニューヨークです。
16
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54811315069/in/dateposted...
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Soundtrack.
music.apple.com/jp/playlist/b-my-novel-soundtrack/pl.u-47...
追記 この小説を多少説明しました。
youtu.be/3w65lqUF-YI?si=yG7qy6TPeCL9xRJV
メモ
1
「Bombay型（ボンベイ型、hh型）」
•特徴：通常のABO血液型を持たない（A、B、Oに分類されない）特殊な型。
•発見地：1952年、インド・ムンバイ（旧ボンベイ）で初めて確認。
•発生頻度：インドでは1万人に1人程度だが、世界的には約250万人に1人とも。
•輸血制限：同じBombay型しか輸血できない。
2
2024年ハーバード大学首席の卒業式スピーチ『知らないことの力』
youtu.be/SOUH8iVqSOI?si=Ju-Y728irtcWR71K
3
Shots fired at Trump rally
youtu.be/1ejfAkzjEhk?si=ASqJwEmkY-2rW_hT
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I'd already gotten water at Sam's, but all the D-cells were gone. Most of them were gone at Target. Turns out we still had four or five left at my house, so I think we're covered.
But let's not forget where I live - Charlotte, NC. People were stocking up like a comet was about hit us. The coasts I know should be worried, and the weather people are mumbling something about stalling and a lot of rain, but still...
It was CRAZY out there today.
This is what's in The Bag I carry everywhere:
Left Column:
-North Face Summit Series micropuff insulating parka. Compresses into its own pocket to 8”x8”x3”.
-Arc’Teryx Theta AR Gore-tex Proshell. 100% Wind and waterproof. Possibly the best shell money can buy. Craigslist will often have them for a fraction of retail in past years’ models.
[The shell and micropuff worn together provide about all the layering I need for whatever weather may strike when paired with whatever regular shirt or fleece or wool sweater I have on for the time of year.]
-Northface Horizon Peak Surplus cargo pants. Ultralight, breathable, moisture-wicking, quick-drying. In the winter months I throw in a pair of Under Armour long-johns.
-Smartwool hiking socks.
-Extra pair of microfiber skivvies.
-Arc’Teryx Covert Beanie
-Seirus Hyperlite All-Weather softshell/neoprene gloves
Left center:
-Arc’Teryx B.A.C. breathable, quick-drying ball cap. [Usually worn]
-Mil-spec low-profile ANSI-rated shatter-resistant sunglasses. [Usually worn]
Center:
-MSR Mini-works charcoal/ceramic water filter. [Typically wrapped in the micro-puff jacket in the bottom of the pack to insulate the ceramic filter element from shock. ]
-Eaton FR160B Microlink self-powered AM/FM/NOAA radio with LED flashlight, Solar power, hand-crank dynamo and USB Cell-phone charger. [Bought this after my cell-phone died and my car-charger stopped working right and I kept leaving my wall-charger at work. Figured I always have my backpack. This way, I now also always have a cell-phone charger. And a NOAA radio. And a flashlight. Cool, eh?]
-Ka-Bar USMC Fighting Knife. Of course I have one of these. (hidden behind sleeping bag, sorry)
-Estwing Sport Hatchet. If you haven’t read Gary Paulsen’s “Hatchet”, you really aren’t a survivalist.
-8x10 camouflage tarp. I slip this down along the back panel in the bag. It weighs next to nothing, but will provide more than adequate shelter if I can’t get to my tent in the truck.
Snugpak 40*F Jungle Bag. Works well for 9 months of the year around my area. When paired with a fleece or wool blanket, it’s good for even the chillier nights. Probably wouldn’t cut it above the snowline for too long, but with the AMK Heatsheets space-blanket bivy in my shoulder bag, I could get by.
-SealLine USMC Waterproof compression drysack. Because a wet sleeping bag is worthless, and it weighs almost nothing.
-100% wool military surplus blanket. Because it’s rad and warm and comforting.
Right:
-Stainless steel water bottles. Keeps water cold in the summer. Can be heated over a fire.
MSR Pocket-Rocket micro-compact stove. The smallest most-powerful stove I’ve found for the price-point. Simmers decently.
-Brunton stove canister with Brunton collapsible stove stabilizer. Keeps your stove from tipping over.
-SnowPeak Mini Solo titanium cookset. 28 oz pot, 10 oz cup, lid. Ultralight cookset. Easy to clean.
-SnowPeak stove canister. Small enough I just felt like throwing it in as a backup.
-Silicon hotpad. Those little wire handles on the cookset get pretty hot. This helps. It’s virtually melt-proof, waterproof and doesn’t take up much room.
-The stove fits in the little red case, which fits inside the cookpot along with the stove stabilizer and the pot-holder, and the cup fits over the end of the pot. It all fits tidily in a mesh bag with the canisters.
-Starbucks VIA instant coffee single serve packets. Because an emergency is not the time to have a caffeine headache.
-AMK (Adventure Medical Kits) Ultralight & Watertight .7 first-aid kit.
-Buck tactical folding lock-back knife.
-Laminated/waterproof maps: Two metro regions, two states, three full topographical maps of closest national parks/forests. Compass and protractors are in the shoulder bag.
-Hand sanitizer
-Hygiene/shaving kit
-Insect repellant (“All Terrain” all-natural)
-Spare eyeglasses
-2x 12-hr green glowsticks
-Surefire E2D flashlight
-Blackhawk S.O.L.A.G. Nomex/Leather protective gloves. Sometimes stuffed into the shoulder bag if I’ve been using them.
Power banks charged up, new batteries in lanterns, food- people and oets, water, cooler, ice, TP— bring on Jim Cantore!!
Information from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Cod
Cape Cod
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the area of Massachusetts. For other uses, see Cape Cod (disambiguation).
For other uses, see Cod (disambiguation).
Coordinates: 41°41′20″N 70°17′49″W / 41.68889°N 70.29694°W / 41.68889; -70.29694
Map of Massachusetts, with Cape Cod (Barnstable County) indicated in red
Dunes on Sandy Neck are part of the Cape's barrier beach which helps to prevent erosion
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is an island and a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States. It is coextensive with Barnstable County. Several small islands right off Cape Cod, including Monomoy Island, Monomoscoy Island, Popponesset Island, and Seconsett Island, are also in Barnstable County, being part of municipalities with land on the Cape. The Cape's small-town character and large beachfront attract heavy tourism during the summer months.
Cape Cod was formed as the terminal moraine of a glacier, resulting in a peninsula in the Atlantic Ocean. In 1914, the Cape Cod Canal was cut through the base or isthmus of the peninsula, forming an island. The Cape Cod Commission refers to the resultant landmass as an island; as does the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in regards to disaster preparedness.[1] It is still identified as a peninsula by geographers, who do not change landform designations based on man-made canal construction.[citation needed]
Unofficially, it is one of the biggest barrier islands in the world, shielding much of the Massachusetts coastline from North Atlantic storm waves. This protection helps to erode the Cape shoreline at the expense of cliffs, while protecting towns from Fairhaven to Marshfield.
Road vehicles from the mainland cross over the Cape Cod Canal via the Sagamore Bridge and the Bourne Bridge. The two bridges are parallel, with the Bourne Bridge located slightly farther southwest. In addition, the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge carries railway freight as well as tourist passenger services.
Contents
[hide]
* 1 Geography and political divisions
o 1.1 "Upper" and "Lower"
* 2 Geology
* 3 Climate
* 4 Native population
* 5 History
* 6 Lighthouses of Cape Cod
* 7 Transportation
o 7.1 Bus
o 7.2 Rail
o 7.3 Taxi
* 8 Tourism
* 9 Sport fishing
* 10 Sports
* 11 Education
* 12 Islands off Cape Cod
* 13 See also
* 14 References
o 14.1 Notes
o 14.2 Sources
o 14.3 Further reading
* 15 External links
[edit] Geography and political divisions
Towns of Barnstable County
historical map of 1890
The highest elevation on Cape Cod is 306 feet (93 m), at the top of Pine Hill, in the Bourne portion of the Massachusetts Military Reservation. The lowest point is sea level.
The body of water located between Cape Cod and the mainland, bordered to the north by Massachusetts Bay, is Cape Cod Bay; west of Cape Cod is Buzzards Bay. The Cape Cod Canal, completed in 1916, connects Buzzards Bay to Cape Cod Bay; it shortened the trade route between New York and Boston by 62 miles.[2] To the south of Cape Cod lie Nantucket Sound; Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, both large islands, and the mostly privately owned Elizabeth Islands.
Cape Cod incorporates all of Barnstable County, which comprises 15 towns: Bourne, Sandwich, Falmouth, and Mashpee, Barnstable, Yarmouth, Dennis, Harwich, Brewster, Chatham, Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown. Two of the county's fifteen towns (Bourne and Sandwich) include land on the mainland side of the Cape Cod Canal. The towns of Plymouth and Wareham, in adjacent Plymouth County, are sometimes considered to be part of Cape Cod but are not located on the island.
In the 17th century the designation Cape Cod applied only to the tip of the peninsula, essentially present-day Provincetown. Over the ensuing decades, the name came to mean all the land east of the Manomet and Scussett rivers - essentially the line of the 20th century Cape Cod Canal. Now, the complete towns of Bourne and Sandwich are widely considered to incorporate the full perimeter of Cape Cod, even though small parts of these towns are located on the west side of the canal. The canal divides the largest part of the peninsula from the mainland and the resultant landmass is sometimes referred to as an island.[3][4] Additionally some "Cape Codders" – residents of "The Cape" – refer to all land on the mainland side of the canal as "off-Cape."
For most of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, Cape Cod was considered to consist of three sections:
* The Upper Cape is the part of Cape Cod closest to the mainland, comprising the towns of Bourne, Sandwich, Falmouth, and Mashpee. Falmouth is the home of the famous Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and several other research organizations, and is also the most-used ferry connection to Martha's Vineyard. Falmouth is composed of several separate villages, including East Falmouth, Falmouth Village, Hatchville, North Falmouth, Teaticket, Waquoit, West Falmouth, and Woods Hole, as well as several smaller hamlets that are incorporated into their larger neighbors (e.g., Davisville, Falmouth Heights, Quissett, Sippewissett, and others).[5]
* The Mid-Cape includes the towns of Barnstable, Yarmouth and Dennis. The Mid-Cape area features many beautiful beaches, including warm-water beaches along Nantucket Sound, e.g., Kalmus Beach in Hyannis, which gets its name from one of the inventors of Technicolor, Herbert Kalmus. This popular windsurfing destination was bequeathed to the town of Barnstable by Dr. Kalmus on condition that it not be developed, possibly one of the first instances of open-space preservation in the US. The Mid-Cape is also the commercial and industrial center of the region. There are seven villages in Barnstable, including Barnstable Village, Centerville, Cotuit, Hyannis, Marstons Mills, Osterville, and West Barnstable, as well as several smaller hamlets that are incorporated into their larger neighbors (e.g., Craigville, Cummaquid, Hyannisport, Santuit, Wianno, and others).[6] There are three villages in Yarmouth: South Yarmouth, West Yarmouth and Yarmouthport. There are five villages in Dennis including, Dennis Village(North Dennis), East Dennis, West Dennis, South Dennis and Dennisport.[7]
* The Lower Cape traditionally included all of the rest of the Cape,or the towns of Harwich, Brewster, Chatham, Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown. This area includes the Cape Cod National Seashore, a national park comprising much of the outer Cape, including the entire east-facing coast, and is home to some of the most popular beaches in America, such as Coast Guard Beach and Nauset Light Beach in Eastham. Stephen Leatherman, aka "Dr. Beach", named Coast Guard Beach the 5th best beach in America for 2007.[8]
[edit] "Upper" and "Lower"
The terms "Upper" and "Lower" as applied to the Cape have nothing to do with north and south. Instead, they derive from maritime convention at the time when the principal means of transportation involved watercraft, and the prevailing westerly winds meant that a boat with sails traveling northeast in Cape Cod Bay would have the wind at its back and thus be going downwind, while a craft sailing southwest would be going against the wind, or upwind.[9] Similarly, on nearby Martha's Vineyard, "Up Island" still is the western section and "Down Island" is to the east, and in Maine, "Down East" is similarly defined by the winds and currents.
Over time, the reasons for the traditional nomenclature became unfamiliar and their meaning obscure. Late in the 1900s, new arrivals began calling towns from Eastham to Provincetown the "Outer Cape", yet another geographic descriptor which is still in use, as is the "Inner Cape."
[edit] Geology
Cape Cod and Cape Cod Bay from space.[10]
East of America, there stands in the open Atlantic the last fragment of an ancient and vanished land. Worn by the breakers and the rains, and disintegrated by the wind, it still stands bold.
“
”
Henry Beston, The Outermost House
Cape Cod forms a continuous archipelagic region with a thin line of islands stretching toward New York, historically known by naturalists as the Outer Lands. This continuity is due to the fact that the islands and Cape are all terminal glacial moraines laid down some 16,000 to 20,000 years ago.
Most of Cape Cod's geological history involves the advance and retreat of the Laurentide ice sheet in the late Pleistocene geological era and the subsequent changes in sea level. Using radiocarbon dating techniques, researchers have determined that around 23,000 years ago, the ice sheet reached its maximum southward advance over North America, and then started to retreat. Many "kettle ponds" — clear, cold lakes — were formed and remain on Cape Cod as a result of the receding glacier. By about 18,000 years ago, the ice sheet had retreated past Cape Cod. By roughly 15,000 years ago, it had retreated past southern New England. When so much of Earth's water was locked up in massive ice sheets, the sea level was lower. Truro's bayside beaches used to be a petrified forest, before it became a beach.
As the ice began to melt, the sea began to rise. Initially, sea level rose quickly, about 15 meters (50 ft) per 1,000 years, but then the rate declined. On Cape Cod, sea level rose roughly 3 meters (11 ft) per millennium between 6,000 and 2,000 years ago. After that, it continued to rise at about 1 meter (3 ft) per millennium. By 6,000 years ago, the sea level was high enough to start eroding the glacial deposits that the vanished continental ice sheet had left on Cape Cod. The water transported the eroded deposits north and south along the outer Cape's shoreline. Those reworked sediments that moved north went to the tip of Cape Cod.
Provincetown Spit, at the northern end of the Cape, consists largely of marine deposits, transported from farther up the shore. Sediments that moved south created the islands and shoals of Monomoy. So while other parts of the Cape have dwindled from the action of the waves, these parts of the Cape have grown.
Cape Cod National Seashore
This process continues today. Due to their position jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, the Cape and islands are subject to massive coastal erosion. Geologists say that, due to erosion, the Cape will be completely submerged by the sea in thousands of years.[11] This erosion causes the washout of beaches and the destruction of the barrier islands; for example, the ocean broke through the barrier island at Chatham during Hurricane Bob in 1991, allowing waves and storm surges to hit the coast with no obstruction. Consequently, the sediment and sand from the beaches is being washed away and deposited elsewhere. While this destroys land in some places, it creates land elsewhere, most noticeably in marshes where sediment is deposited by waters running through them.
[edit] Climate
Although Cape Cod's weather[12] is typically more moderate than inland locations, there have been occasions where Cape Cod has dealt with the brunt of extreme weather situations (such as the Blizzard of 1954 and Hurricane of 1938). Because of the influence of the Atlantic Ocean, temperatures are typically a few degrees cooler in the summer and a few degrees warmer in the winter. A common misconception is that the climate is influenced largely by the warm Gulf Stream current, however that current turns eastward off the coast of Virginia and the waters off the Cape are more influenced by the cold Canadian Labrador Current. As a result, the ocean temperature rarely gets above 65 °F (18 °C), except along the shallow west coast of the Upper Cape.
The Cape's climate is also notorious for a delayed spring season, being surrounded by an ocean which is still cold from the winter; however, it is also known for an exceptionally mild fall season (Indian summer), thanks to the ocean remaining warm from the summer. The highest temperature ever recorded on Cape Cod was 104 °F (40 °C) in Provincetown[13], and the lowest temperature ever was −12 °F (−24.4 °C) in Barnstable.[14]
The water surrounding Cape Cod moderates winter temperatures enough to extend the USDA hardiness zone 7a to its northernmost limit in eastern North America.[15] Even though zone 7a (annual low = 0–5 degrees Fahrenheit) signifies no sub-zero temperatures annually, there have been several instances of temperatures reaching a few degrees below zero across the Cape (although it is rare, usually 1–5 times a year, typically depending on locale, sometimes not at all). Consequently, many plant species typically found in more southerly latitudes grow there, including Camellias, Ilex opaca, Magnolia grandiflora and Albizia julibrissin.
Precipitation on Cape Cod and the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket is the lowest in the New England region, averaging slightly less than 40 inches (1,000 mm) a year (most parts of New England average 42–46 inches). This is due to storm systems which move across western areas, building up in mountainous regions, and dissipating before reaching the coast where the land has leveled out. The region does not experience a greater number of sunny days however, as the number of cloudy days is the same as inland locales, in addition to increased fog. Snowfall is annual, but a lot less common than the rest of Massachusetts. On average, 30 inches of snow, which is a foot less than Boston, falls in an average winter. Snow is usually light, and comes in squalls on cold days. Storms that bring blizzard conditions and snow emergencies to the mainland, bring devastating ice storms or just heavy rains more frequently than large snow storms.
[hide]Climate data for Cape Cod
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 2.06
(35.7) 2.5
(36.5) 6.22
(43.2) 11.72
(53.1) 16.94
(62.5) 23.5
(74.3) 26.39
(79.5) 26.67
(80.0) 25.06
(77.1) 18.39
(65.1) 12.56
(54.6) 5.44
(41.8) 26.67
(80.0)
Average low °C (°F) -5.33
(22.4) -5
(23.0) -1.33
(29.6) 2.72
(36.9) 8.72
(47.7) 14.61
(58.3) 19.22
(66.6) 20.28
(68.5) 15.56
(60.0) 9.94
(49.9) 3.94
(39.1) -2.22
(28.0) -5.33
(22.4)
Precipitation mm (inches) 98
(3.86) 75.4
(2.97) 95
(3.74) 92.5
(3.64) 83.6
(3.29) 76.7
(3.02) 62.2
(2.45) 65
(2.56) 74.7
(2.94) 84.8
(3.34) 90.7
(3.57) 92.7
(3.65) 990.9
(39.01)
Source: World Meteorological Organisation (United Nations) [16]
[edit] Native population
Cape Cod has been the home of the Wampanoag tribe of Native American people for many centuries. They survived off the sea and were accomplished farmers. They understood the principles of sustainable forest management, and were known to light controlled fires to keep the underbrush in check. They helped the Pilgrims, who arrived in the fall of 1620, survive at their new Plymouth Colony. At the time, the dominant group was the Kakopee, known for their abilities at fishing. They were the first Native Americans to use large casting nets. Early colonial settlers recorded that the Kakopee numbered nearly 7,000.
Shortly after the Pilgrims arrived, the chief of the Kakopee, Mogauhok, attempted to make a treaty limiting colonial settlements. The effort failed after he succumbed to smallpox in 1625. Infectious diseases such as smallpox, measles and influenza caused the deaths of many other Kakopee and Wampanoag. They had no natural immunity to Eurasian diseases by then endemic among the English and other Europeans. Today, the only reminder of the Kakopee is a small public recreation area in Barnstable named for them. A historic marker notes the burial site of Mogauhok near Truro, although the location is conjecture.
While contractors were digging test wells in the eastern Massachusetts Military Reservation area, they discovered an archeological find.[citation needed] Excavation revealed the remains of a Kakopee village in Forestdale, a location in Sandwich. Researchers found a totem with a painted image of Mogauhok, portrayed in his chief's cape and brooch. The totem was discovered on property on Grand Oak Road. It is the first evidence other than colonial accounts of his role as an important Kakopee leader.
The Indians lost their lands through continued purchase and expropriation by the English colonists. The documentary Natives of the Narrowland (1993), narrated by actress Julie Harris, shows the history of the Wampanoag people through Cape Cod archaeological sites.
In 1974, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council was formed to articulate the concerns of those with Native American ancestry. They petitioned the federal government in 1975 and again in 1990 for official recognition of the Mashpee Wampanoag as a tribe. In May 2007, the Wampanoag tribe was finally federally recognized as a tribe.[17]
[edit] History
Cranberry picking in 1906
Cape Cod was a landmark for early explorers. It may have been the "Promontory of Vinland" mentioned by the Norse voyagers (985-1025). Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524 approached it from the south. He named Martha's Vineyard Claudia, after the mother of the King of France.[18] The next year the explorer Esteban Gómez called it Cape St. James.
In 1602 Bartholomew Gosnold named it Cape Cod, the surviving term and the ninth oldest English place-name in the U.S.[19] Samuel de Champlain charted its sand-silted harbors in 1606 and Henry Hudson landed there in 1609. Captain John Smith noted it on his map of 1614 and at last the Pilgrims entered the "Cape Harbor" and – contrary to the popular myth of Plymouth Rock – made their first landing near present-day Provincetown on November 11, 1620. Nearby, in what is now Eastham, they had their first encounter with Native Americans.
Cape Cod was among the first places settled by the English in North America. Aside from Barnstable (1639), Sandwich (1637) and Yarmouth (1639), the Cape's fifteen towns developed slowly. The final town to be established on the Cape was Bourne in 1884.[20] Provincetown was a group of huts until the 18th century. A channel from Massachusetts Bay to Buzzards Bay is shown on Southack's map of 1717. The present Cape Cod Canal was slowly developed from 1870 to 1914. The Federal government purchased it in 1928.
Thanks to early colonial settlement and intensive land use, by the time Henry Thoreau saw Cape Cod during his four visits over 1849 to 1857[21], its vegetation was depauperate and trees were scarce. As the settlers heated by fires, and it took 10 to 20 cords (40 to 80 m³) of wood to heat a home, they cleared most of Cape Cod of timber early on. They planted familiar crops, but these were unsuited to Cape Cod's thin, glacially derived soils. For instance, much of Eastham was planted to wheat. The settlers practiced burning of woodlands to release nutrients into the soil. Improper and intensive farming led to erosion and the loss of topsoil. Farmers grazed their cattle on the grassy dunes of coastal Massachusetts, only to watch "in horror as the denuded sands `walked' over richer lands, burying cultivated fields and fences." Dunes on the outer Cape became more common and many harbors filled in with eroded soils.[22]
By 1800, most of Cape Cod's firewood had to be transported by boat from Maine. The paucity of vegetation was worsened by the raising of merino sheep that reached its peak in New England around 1840. The early industrial revolution, which occurred through much of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, mostly bypassed Cape Cod due to a lack of significant water power in the area. As a result, and also because of its geographic position, the Cape developed as a large fishing and whaling center. After 1860 and the opening of the American West, farmers abandoned agriculture on the Cape. By 1950 forests had recovered to an extent not seen since the 18th century.
Cape Cod became a summer haven for city dwellers beginning at the end of the 19th century. Improved rail transportation made the towns of the Upper Cape, such as Bourne and Falmouth, accessible to Bostonians. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Northeastern mercantile elite built many large, shingled "cottages" along Buzzards Bay. The relaxed summer environment offered by Cape Cod was highlighted by writers including Joseph C. Lincoln, who published novels and countless short stories about Cape Cod folks in popular magazines such as the Saturday Evening Post and the Delineator.
Guglielmo Marconi made the first transatlantic wireless transmission originating in the United States from Cape Cod, at Wellfleet. The beach from which he transmitted has since been called Marconi Beach. In 1914 he opened the maritime wireless station WCC in Chatham. It supported the communications of Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes, Admiral Byrd, and the Hindenburg. Marconi chose Chatham due to its vantage point on the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded on three sides by water. Walter Cronkite narrated a 17-minute documentary in 2005 about the history of the Chatham Station.
Much of the East-facing Atlantic seacoast of Cape Cod consists of wide, sandy beaches. In 1961, a significant portion of this coastline, already slated for housing subdivisions, was made a part of the Cape Cod National Seashore by President John F. Kennedy. It was protected from private development and preserved for public use. Large portions are open to the public, including the Marconi Site in Wellfleet. This is a park encompassing the site of the first two-way transoceanic radio transmission from the United States. (Theodore Roosevelt used Marconi's equipment for this transmission).
The Kennedy Compound in Hyannisport was President Kennedy's summer White House during his presidency. The Kennedy family continues to maintain residences on the compound. Other notable residents of Cape Cod have included actress Julie Harris, US Supreme Court justice Louis Brandeis, figure skater Todd Eldredge, and novelists Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut. Influential natives included the patriot James Otis, historian and writer Mercy Otis Warren, jurist Lemuel Shaw, and naval officer John Percival.
[edit] Lighthouses of Cape Cod
Race Point Lighthouse in Provincetown (1876)
Lighthouses, from ancient times, have fascinated members of the human race. There is something about a lighted beacon that suggests hope and trust and appeals to the better instincts of mankind.
“
”
Edward Rowe Snow
Due to its dangerous constantly moving shoals, Cape Cod's shores have featured beacons which warn ships of the danger since very early in its history. There are numerous working lighthouses on Cape Cod and the Islands, including Highland Light, Nauset Light, Chatham Light, Race Point Light, and Nobska Light, mostly operated by the U.S. Coast Guard. The exception is Nauset Light, which was decommissioned in 1996 and is now maintained by the Nauset Light Preservation Society under the auspices of Cape Cod National Seashore. These lighthouses are frequently photographed symbols of Cape Cod.
Others include:
Upper Cape: Wings Neck
Mid Cape: Sandy Neck, South Hyannis, Lewis Bay, Bishop and Clerks, Bass River
Lower Cape: Wood End, Long Point, Monomoy, Stage Harbor, Pamet, Mayo Beach, Billingsgate, Three Sisters, Nauset, Highland
[edit] Transportation
Cape Cod is connected to the mainland by a pair of canal-spanning highway bridges from Bourne and Sagamore that were constructed in the 1930s, and a vertical-lift railroad bridge. The limited number of access points to the peninsula can result in large traffic backups during the tourist season.
The entire Cape is roughly bisected lengthwise by U.S. Route 6, locally known as the Mid-Cape Highway and officially as the Grand Army of the Republic Highway.
Commercial air service to Cape Cod operates out of Barnstable Municipal Airport and Provincetown Municipal Airport. Several bus lines service the Cape. There are ferry connections from Boston to Provincetown, as well as from Hyannis and Woods Hole to the islands.
Cape Cod has a public transportation network comprising buses operated by three different companies, a rail line, taxis and paratransit services.
The Bourne Bridge over the Cape Cod Canal, with the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge in the background
[edit] Bus
Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority operates a year-round public bus system comprising three long distance routes and a local bus in Hyannis and Barnstable Village. From mid June until October, additional local routes are added in Falmouth and Provincetown. CCRTA also operates Barnstable County's ADA required paratransit (dial-a-ride) service, under the name "B-Bus."
Long distance bus service is available through Plymouth and Brockton Street Railway, with regular service to Boston and Logan Airport, as well as less frequent service to Provincetown. Peter Pan Bus Lines also runs long distance service to Providence T.F. Green Airport and New York City.
[edit] Rail
Regular passenger rail service through Cape Cod ended in 1959, quite possibly on June 30 of that year. In 1978, the tracks east of South Dennis were abandoned and replaced with the very popular bicycle path, known as the Cape Cod Rail Trail. Another bike path, the Shining Sea Bikeway, was built over tracks between Woods Hole and Falmouth in 1975; construction to extend this path to North Falmouth over 6.3 miles (10.1 km) of inactive rail bed began in April 2008[23] and ended in early 2009. Active freight service remains in the Upper Cape area in Sandwich and in Bourne, largely due to a trash transfer station located at Massachusetts Military Reservation along the Bourne-Falmouth rail line. In 1986, Amtrak ran a seasonal service in the summer from New York City to Hyannis called the Cape Codder. From 1988, Amtrak and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation increased service to a daily frequency.[24] Since its demise in 1996, there have been periodic discussions about reinstating passenger rail service from Boston to reduce car traffic to and from the Cape, with officials in Bourne seeking to re-extend MBTA Commuter Rail service from Middleboro to Buzzards Bay[25], despite a reluctant Beacon Hill legislature.
Cape Cod Central Railroad operates passenger train service on Cape Cod. The service is primarily tourist oriented and includes a dinner train. The scenic route between Downtown Hyannis and the Cape Cod Canal is about 2½ hours round trip. Massachusetts Coastal Railroad is also planning to return passenger railroad services eventually to the Bourne-Falmouth rail line in the future. An August 5, 2009 article on the New England Cable News channel, entitled South Coast rail project a priority for Mass. lawmakers, mentions a $1.4-billion railroad reconstruction plan by Governor Deval Patrick, and could mean rebuilding of old rail lines on the Cape. On November 21, 2009, the town of Falmouth saw its first passenger train in 12 years, a set of dinner train cars from Cape Cod Central. And a trip from the Mass Bay Railroad Enthusiasts on May 15, 2010 revealed a second trip along the Falmouth line.
[edit] Taxi
Taxicabs are plentiful, with several different companies operating out of different parts of the Cape. Except at the airport and some bus terminals with taxi stands, cabs must be booked ahead of time, with most operators preferring two to three hours notice. Cabs cannot be "hailed" anywhere in Barnstable County, this was outlawed in the early nineties after several robbery attempts on drivers.
Most companies utilize a New York City-style taximeter and charge based on distance plus an initial fee of $2 to $3. In Provincetown, cabs charge a flat fare per person anywhere in the town.
[edit] Tourism
Hyannis Harbor on Nantucket Sound
Although Cape Cod has a year-round population of about 230,000, it experiences a tourist season each summer, the beginning and end of which can be roughly approximated as Memorial Day and Labor Day, respectively. Many businesses are specifically targeted to summer visitors, and close during the eight to nine months of the "off season" (although the "on season" has been expanding somewhat in recent years due to Indian Summer, reduced lodging rates, and the number of people visiting the Cape after Labor Day who either have no school-age children, and the elderly, reducing the true "off season" to six or seven months). In the late 20th century, tourists and owners of second homes began visiting the Cape more and more in the spring and fall, softening the definition of the high season and expanding it somewhat (see above). Some particularly well-known Cape products and industries include cranberries, shellfish (particularly oysters and clams) and lobstering.
Provincetown, at the tip of Cape Cod, also berths several whale watching fleets who patrol the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Most fleets guarantee a whale sighting (mostly humpback whale, fin whale, minke whale, sei whale, and critically endangered, the North Atlantic Right Whale), and one is the only federally certified operation qualified to rescue whales. Provincetown has also long been known as an art colony, attracting writers and artists. The town is home to the Cape's most attended art museum, the Provincetown Art Association and Museum. Many hotels and resorts are friendly to or cater to gay and lesbian tourists and it is known as a gay mecca in the summer.[26]
Cape Cod is a popular destination for beachgoers from all over. With 559.6 miles (900.6 km) of coastline, beaches, both public and private, are easily accessible. The Cape has upwards of sixty public beaches, many of which offer parking for non-residents for a daily fee (in summer). The Cape Cod National Seashore has 40 miles (64 km) of sandy beach and many walking paths.
Cape Cod is also popular for its outdoor activities like beach walking, biking, boating, fishing, go-karts, golfing, kayaking, miniature golf, and unique shopping. There are 27 public, daily-fee golf courses and 15 private courses on Cape Cod.[27] Bed and breakfasts or vacation houses are often used for lodging.
Each summer the Naukabout Music Festival is held at the Barnstable County Fair Grounds located in East Falmouth,(typically) during the first weekend of August. This Music festival features local, regional and national talent along with food, arts and family friendly activities.
[edit] Sport fishing
Cape Cod is known around the world as a spring-to-fall destination for sport anglers. Among the species most widely pursued are striped bass, bluefish, bluefin tuna, false albacore (little tunny), bonito, tautog, flounder and fluke. The Cape Cod Bay side of the Cape, from Sandwich to Provincetown, has several harbors, saltwater creeks, and shoals that hold bait fish and attract the larger game fish, such as striped bass, bluefish and bluefin tuna.
The outer edge of the Cape, from Provincetown to Falmouth, faces the open Atlantic from Provincetown to Chatham, and then the more protected water of Nantucket and Vineyard Sounds, from Chatham to Falmouth. The bays, harbors and shoals along this coastline also provide a robust habitat for game species, and during the late summer months warm-water species such as mahi-mahi and marlin will also appear on the southern edge of Cape Cod's waters. Nearly every harbor on Cape Cod hosts sport fishing charter boats, which run from May through October.[28]
[edit] Sports
The Cape has nine amateur baseball franchises playing within Barnstable County in the Cape Cod Baseball League. The Wareham Gatemen also play in the Cape Cod Baseball League in nearby Wareham, Massachusetts in Plymouth County. The league originated 1923, although intertown competition traces to 1866. Teams in the league are the Bourne Braves, Brewster Whitecaps, Chatham Anglers (formerly the Chatham Athletics), Cotuit Kettleers, Falmouth Commodores, Harwich Mariners, Hyannis Harbor Hawks (formerly the Hyannis Mets), Orleans Firebirds (formerly the Orleans Cardinals), Wareham Gatemen and the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. Pro ball scouts frequent the games in the summer, looking for stars of the future.
Cape Cod is also a national hot bed for baseball and hockey. Along with the Cape Cod Baseball League and the new Junior Hockey League team, the Cape Cod Cubs, many high school players are being seriously recruited as well. Barnstable and Harwich have each sent multiple players to Division 1 colleges for baseball, Harwich has also won three State titles in the past 12 years (1996, 2006, 2007). Bourne and Sandwich, known rivals in hockey have won state championships recently. Bourne in 2004, and Sandwich in 2007. Nauset, Barnstable, and Martha's Vineyard are also state hockey powerhouses. Barnstable and Falmouth also hold the title of having one of the longest Thanksgiving football rivalries in the country. The teams have played each other every year on the Thanksgiving since 1895. The Bourne and Barnstable girl's volleyball teams are two of the best teams in the state and Barnstable in the country. With Bourne winning the State title in 2003 and 2007. In the past 15 years, Barnstable has won 12 Division 1 State titles and has won the state title the past two years.
The Cape also is home to the Cape Cod Frenzy, a team in the American Basketball Association.
Soccer on Cape Cod is represented by the Cape Cod Crusaders, playing in the USL Premier Development League (PDL) soccer based in Hyannis. In addition, a summer Cape Cod Adult Soccer League (CCASL) is active in several towns on the Cape.
Cape Cod is also the home of the Cape Cod Cubs, a new junior league hockey team that is based out of Hyannis at the new communtiy center being built of Bearses Way.
The end of each summer is marked with the running of the world famous Falmouth Road Race which is held on the 3rd Saturday in August. It draws about 10,000 runners to the Cape and showcases the finest runners in the world (mainly for the large purse that the race is able to offer). The race is 7.2 miles (11.6 km) long, which is a non-standard distance. The reason for the unusual distance is that the man who thought the race up (Tommy Leonard) was a bartender who wanted a race along the coast from one bar (The Cap'n Kidd in Woods Hole) to another (The Brothers Four in Falmouth Heights). While the bar in Falmouth Heights is no longer there, the race still starts at the front door of the Cap'n Kidd in Woods Hole and now finishes at the beach in Falmouth Heights. Prior to the Falmouth race is an annual 5-mile (8.0 km) race through Brewster called the Brew Run, held early in August.
[edit] Education
Each town usually consists of a few elementary schools, one or two middle schools and one large public high school that services the entire town. Exceptions to this include Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School located in Yarmouth which services both the town of Yarmouth as well as Dennis and Nauset Regional High School located in Eastham which services the town of Brewster, Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown (optional). Bourne High School is the public school for students residing in the town of Bourne, which is gathered from villages in Bourne, including Sagamore, Sagamore Beach, and Buzzards Bay. Barnstable High School is the largest high school and is known for its girls' volleyball team which have been state champions a total of 12 times. Barnstable High School also boasts one of the country's best high school drama clubs which were awarded with a contract by Warner Brothers to created a documentary in webisode format based on their production of Wizard of Oz. Sturgis Charter Public School is a public school in Hyannis which was featured in Newsweek's Magazine's "Best High Schools" ranking. It ranked 28th in the country and 1st in the state of Massachusetts in the 2009 edition and ranked 43rd and 55th in the 2008 and 2007 edition, respectively. Sturgis offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in their junior and senior year and is open to students as far as Plymouth. The Cape also contains two vocational high schools. One is the Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in Harwich and the other is Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School located in Bourne. Lastly, Mashpee High School is home to the Mashpee Chapter of (SMPTE,) the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. This chapter is the first and only high school chapter in the world to be a part of this organization and has received much recognition within the Los Angeles broadcasting industry as a result. The officers of this group who have made history are listed below:
* President: Ryan D. Stanley '11
* Vice-President Kenneth J. Peters '13
* Treasurer Eric N. Bergquist '11
* Secretary Andrew L. Medlar '11
In addition to public schools, Cape Cod has a wide range of private schools. The town of Barnstable has Trinity Christian Academy, Cape Cod Academy, St. Francis Xavier Preparatory School, and Pope John Paul II High School. Bourne offers the Waldorf School of Cape Cod, Orleans offers the Lighthouse Charter School for elementary and middle school students, and Falmouth offers Falmouth Academy. Riverview School is located in East Sandwich and is a special co-ed boarding school which services students as old as 22 who have learning disabilities. Another specialized school is the Penikese Island School located on Penikese Island, part of the Elizabeth Islands off southwestern Cape Cod, which services struggling and troubled teenage boys.
Cape Cod also contains two institutions of higher education. One is the Cape Cod Community College located in West Barnstable, Barnstable. The other is Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay, Bourne. Massachusetts Maritime Academy is the oldest continuously operating maritime college in the United States.
[edit] Islands off Cape Cod
Like Cape Cod itself, the islands south of the Cape have evolved from whaling and trading areas to resort destinations, attracting wealthy families, celebrities, and other tourists. The islands include Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, as well as Forbes family-owned Naushon Island, which was purchased by John Murray Forbes with profits from opium dealing in the China trade during the Opium War. Naushon is one of the Elizabeth Islands, many of which are privately owned. One of the publicly accessible Elizabeths is the southernmost island in the chain, Cuttyhunk, with a year-round population of 52 people. Several prominent families have established compounds or estates on the larger islands, making these islands some of the wealthiest resorts in the Northeast, yet they retain much of the early merchant trading and whaling culture.
Found in folder "Civil Defense/Emergency Preparedness," Ephemera Collection (Record Series 9900-01), Seattle Municipal Archives
Packing my bag the night before the Richmond Marathon. Angela and I are both kind of nervous, but we're mentally & physically prepared. Now, we're also packed.
London Ambulance Service
Emergency Preparedness Resilience & Response
Station: Cody Road
Callsign: Y997
Role: Tactical Response Unit
Make: VW Tiguan
Department of Homeland Security: Employee Of The Year
Yes - this security agent was SLEEPING ON THE JOB at Chicago's Midway Airport on Friday, September 28, 2007. Nobody seemed to notice my picture-taking.
Getting ready for a blizzard to arrive. I hope the birds fare well. I picked up a hundred pounds of seed.....my feeder birds should be okay!
Drills such as this one in a neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince by a local Civil Protection committee and the local Red Cross, helps test how the teams are ready to respond to an emergency, evacuating population in danger and helping the wounded. It is part of the Disaster Preparedness programme, which the Commission funds in Haiti, helping improve initial responses by the community to save more lives. ©2013 - Photo credit: EC/ECHO/ I. Coello |
Des exercices tels que celui organisé dans les environs de Port-au-Prince par un comité local de protection civile et par la Croix-Rouge locale permettent de savoir dans quelle mesure les équipes sont prêtes à réagir à une urgence, à évacuer les personnes en danger et à soigner les blessés. Ces exercices font partie du programme de préparation aux catastrophes que la Commission finance en Haïti, qui contribue à améliorer la réaction initiale de la population pour sauver davantage de vies. ©2013 - Crédit photo: CE/ECHO/ I. Coello