The Cape Cod National Seashore is a 43,600-acre National Park on the end of Cape Cod, about a 2.5-hour drive from Boston. The park includes popular beaches, historic lighthouses, and excellent walking and bicycle trails. It also contains the site of Marconi Station, where the first two-way wireless radio transmission across the Atlantic occurred. We…
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Regina Pizzeria
Going out to grab a pizza is hardly an event, but it is at Regina Pizzeria. Founded in 1926, Regina Pizzeria is the oldest pizza house in New England and extremely popular with tourists and locals alike. After doing a couple of boat projects, we walked from Charlestown Marina to Regina Pizzeria in Boston’s historic…
Charles River
The Charles River forms the border between downtown Boston, and Cambrdige and Charlestown. The famously polluted river was mocked in the Standell’s 1965 hit single “Dirty Water”: “Down by the banks of the river Charles … Well I love that dirty water Oh, Boston, you’re my home.” Swimming was banned in the river in the…
Boston Harborfest
Boston Harborfest, the country’s largest July 4th festival, takes place from July 1st through 4th. Much of the activity is centered around the waterfront and included an excellent fireworks display on July 2nd. Since we’d had such a slow day after eleven hours spent touring Boston Light and then walking the Freedom Trail :), we…
Freedom Trail
The Freedom Trail is a 2.5-mile route that leads past sixteen sites significant to Revolutionary Boston. The trail starts in downtown Boston at the Boston Commons and ends in Charlestown at the Charlestown Navy Yard or the Bunker Hill Monument. After our Boston Light trip, we took a self-guided walking tour of the Freedom Trail…
Boston Light
Boston Light on Little Brewster Island is a National Historic Landmark. It’s the oldest working light station in the country and the only one still actively staffed by the US Coast Guard. Tours to Boston Light include a climb to the top of the lighthouse with its fabulous 81-inch second-order Fresnel lens and sweeping harbor…
Crankcase Pressure
Our main engine now has more than 8,000 hours, so increased oil leaks are more or less expected. But up until recently it has leaked almost nothing and the change to leaking more happened quite quickly, so we decided to dig deeper. Oil seepage can be caused by loosening bolts, tired/old gaskets and seals, and…
Stellwagen Bank
Stellwagen Bank is an 842-square-mile federally-protected marine sanctuary about 25 miles east of Boston that is famous for whale-watching. A 19-mile plateau there rises to within 100 feet of the water surface, compared to the surrounding waters that are 300 to 600 feet deep. The steep sides of the plateau cause deep-water currents to rise…
Downtown Boston
The city of Boston has done an amazing job in revitalizing their waterfront and downtown while featuring their historic buildings and venues. Long Wharf in particular has been transormed from a failing commercial center to a thriving cultural and recreational destination. And Bostons’s late-20th-century “Big Dig” moved the Central Artery below ground, restored the close…
Deer Island Treatment Plant
The Deer Island Treatment Plant is the second largest sewage treatment plant in the country, treating 350 million gallons per day with a peak capacity of 1,310 million gallons per day. The $3.8-billion plant is the centerpiece in the successful Boston Harbor cleanup effort. The plant’s unusual egg-shaped digesters are distinctive landmarks on entering Boston…
