Outer Cape Trippin'

Cape Cod (and some Plymouth) Fall Foliage

Cape Cod is pretty much the last in line for autumn foliage in New England. We don't really start peaking until November. I was down there last week, I thought that I missed peak time, but I was actually too early. I went out yesterday, and things were more fall foliage-ish.

Our basic route for today's foliage drive was up Route 6A, from Bourne to Brewster. I was going to run through the whole Cape out to the tip, but I got a call in Brewster that I was supposed to be at a meeting in Hyannis.. so I had to bang a U.

I'll sacrifice some Clarity if the picture has some bright red. I also blocked some traffic for this shot (this blurry, wasted shot), so I was going to use it even if my thumb was over the lens.

Blurry cameras make it look like the tree is on fire, not something that you worry about if you own a house made of stone. The third little pig planted whatever he wanted, an ease of landscaping not afforded to the little pigs who made their houses of sticks and straw.

I probably should have fired off a few of these, maybe got a pic that isn't all blurry. That's a good burst of color, however... especially for Cape Cod.

This is in the Ponds of Plymouth, which made it into a Cape Cod article because we needed some Marylou's for the trip, and we went to the Cedarville one.

All of the basketball games at the University of New Hampshire should be played in this setting.

This looked redder when I was driving by it... but was less so when I got out of the car. I immediately thought that it might be a trick, maybe a Yeti or the Blair Witch, but I got out of the area safely.

The first time that I ever stopped the car in Brewster.... nothing against Brew Town, just how things shook themselves out. I'll be back!

This must have been a tough Ask at the tree-selling store or wherever you go to get trees... "In October, I want a single tree, and I want it to be green, yellow, orange, maybe a touch of red..."

A lot of Cape Cod foliage tripping involves single trees in some dude's yard.

Fear not this November date if you are worried about missing out on Cape Cod's peak foliage season. They don't really peak until after Halloween,. and you can see quite a bit of color if there hasn't been a mean October wind storm to knock the leaves off of the trees. By mid-November, you're lit out of shuck, player.

I'm a trailblazer in the "leaning out of the car window with a shabby Wal-Mart camera" photojournalist motif.

I like when the tree moves past Aquaman-style orange into more of a near-red scenario.

Cape Cod was bangin'... so we may be back. Be sure to check out our leaf-peeping on the South Coast and South Shore from previous articles.

Tropical Storm Warning For Cape Cod, South Coast; MEMA Situational Awareness Statement

(Editor's Note... we'll be on the road all week to get you some storm pictures. For now, we'll turn it over to MEMA)

MASSACHUSETTS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS STATEMENT

DATE: September 4, 2016
TIME: 9:00 AM
SUBJECT: Tropical Storm Hermine

Situation:
No significant changes were made to the forecast overnight and Hermine remains a post-tropical storm with little change in strength expected today. At 5 AM the post-tropical storm was located about 305 miles south-southeast of the eastern tip of Long Island with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph moving to the east-northeast at 12 mph and a minimum central pressure of 998 mb. The National Weather Service continues to expect a glancing blow to the south coast, Cape Cod and the Islands mainly tonight into Monday morning. The primary concern continues to be 40-50 mph wind gusts on the south coast, Cape Cod and Islands resulting in some downed trees and scattered power outages tonight into Monday afternoon. Hermine is expected to slow down and turn northward later today. Southeastern Massachusetts, to include the south coast, Cape Cod, and Islands remains in the Cone of Error for this storm.

Forecast and Impacts:
The post-tropical cyclone is expected to turn toward the northeast and north with a decrease in forward speed expected later today, followed by a slow northward to northwestward motion through Monday. On the forecast track, the center of Hermine will meander slowly offshore of the mid-Atlantic coast for the next couple of days. While little change in strength is expected today, Hermine is forecast to intensify to Hurricane Force tonight and on Monday.

Hermine continues to have a large wind field with Tropical Storm force winds extending outward up to 205 miles from the center. The wind threat from Hermine is expected to come in two pulses, with the strongest tonight into Monday afternoon. The other (less certainty at this time) will be on Tuesday as the storm pulls away. Isolated downed tree limbs are possible across eastern Massachusetts with 25-35 mph wind gusts tonight into Monday with scattered tree and powerline damage possible along the south coast area. Despite the winds not being too extreme, drought exhausted trees could fall more easily. Expect a long duration of high surf, dangerous rip currents, beach erosion and wind gusts to Tropical Storm force on the southern waters and south coast and Islands. Mariners should expect a period of strong winds and rain beginning on Sunday afternoon and lasting through Monday with wind gusts to 45 knots and seas of 15-20 feet across southern waters. There is a low risk for minor coastal flooding, and riverine flooding is not expected to pose a significant threat due to ongoing drought conditions across much of the Commonwealth.

National Weather Service has provided the following most likely scenario at this time:

· 30-50 mph wind gusts with the strongest winds focused along the immediate South Coast and the Cape and Islands.

· Up to 1 to 2 inches of rain, focused mainly across Cape Cod and the Islands

· Rough surf and dangerous rip currents

· Minor beach erosion

· Marine impacts with wind gusts to 45 knots, and seas 15 – 20 feet over southern waters

National Weather Service has provided the following reasonable worst case scenario at this time (if Hermine takes a more northerly track than forecast by Monday into Tuesday):

· 40-50 mph wind gusts farther inland to the RI/CT border, with more gusts to 50 mph.

· 2 to 3 inches of rain on Cape Cod and the Islands

· Minor coastal flooding

· Moderate beach erosion

· Marine impacts, with wind gusts to 55 knots, and seas 20-25 feet over southern waters

Watches and Warnings:
· Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the outer waters from Provincetown, MA to Montauk, NY. Strongest winds will be tonight with gusts of 50 knots possible. Seas will build rapidly today and may reach at least 20 feet south of the Islands by tonight.

· A Tropical Storm Watch remains in effect from Watch Hill, RI to Sagamore Beach, MA to include Narragansett and Buzzards Bay and Nantucket and Vineyard Sounds. Tropical storm force winds associated with Hermine will likely develop this evening and tonight and persist into Monday morning. The strongest winds will occur tonight with gusts 40-45 knots, especially over open waters. Seas will rapidly build today and may reach 10-15 feet tonight.

· A Gale Warning is in effect from 11 PM tonight to 8 AM Monday for Cape Cod Bay, coastal waters east of Ipswich Bay and the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary with northeast winds 20-30 knots gusting to 35 knots and seas 7-12 feet.

What we do not know at this time:
· Exactly how far north the edge of the Tropical Storm force winds will reach before Hermine loops back to the Southwest

· How strong Hermine will be when it passes Southeast of New England and what exactly that means for the second pulse on Tuesday.

· What accumulated erosion effects may occur from what looks to be a long duration period of storm surge and high waves.

Rainfall Forecast through Thursday AM

Current NWS Headlines – Watches, Warnings and Advisories

Marine:
Based on National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center forecasts regarding Tropical Storm Hermine, the Captain of the Port, Southeastern New England, has set Port Condition WHISKEY. While ports in Southeastern New England remain open to all commercial traffic, the following preparatory measure is effective immediately:
Owners, operators or agents of all self-propelled oceangoing vessels over 500 gross tonnage and all barges and their supporting tugs must report their intention to depart or remain in port to Sector Southeastern New England within 24 hours.
The Coast Guard will continue to monitor Tropical Storm Hermine and, if necessary, may implement preventative measures to ensure the safety of mariners, vessels, and waterfront facilities. Possible preventative measures include, but are not limited to, terminating lightering or transfer operations, rescinding permits for marine events, and directing vessel arrivals/departures to/from port.

The NWS has issues a Small Craft Advisory for 6 AM Sunday to 8 PM Monday for Massachusetts and Ipswich Bay.

Ferry Services Update (as of 0800):

Steamship Authority – Anticipates the cancellation of Nantucket ferry runs sometime this afternoon, as the wind picks up. They anticipate that the Vineyard Route may also be impacted before the end of scheduled trips. All ferries are operating as scheduled at this time.

Hy-Line Cruises – Service to Martha’s Vineyard has been suspended for today and Tomorrow, as well as inter-island service from Martha’s Vineyard to Nantucket. Hyannis to Nantucket is still operating, however it is weather dependent.

Island Queen Falmouth - Canceled all trips Sunday and Monday, Trip by Trip Basis Tuesday, and Wednesday.

Seastreak New Bedford- Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket trips, Canceled Sunday through Tuesday, or when the Hurricane barrier in New Bedford reopens. Could be later than Tuesday depending in the impact of the storm.

Seastreak NY – New York To Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, Canceled for Monday (anticipates running Sunday) Operates Friday’s and Sunday’s and Labor Day.

Rhode Island Fast Ferry- Quonset Point to Martha’s Vineyard canceled all Ferries Sunday through Tuesday

New Bedford Hurricane Barrier is anticipating closing Sunday and anticipates reopening on Tuesday, Possible sooner or later depending on the track of the storm.

Cape Cod Baseball League Standings And Weekend Schedule, 6/23

STANDINGS

Team W L T PTS Streak L10

East Division

Harwich Mariners 9 2 0 18 3W 8-2
Orleans Firebirds 7 4 0 14 2W 6-4
Brewster Whitecaps 6 5 0 12 1L 6-4
Chatham Anglers 6 5 0 12 2W 6-4
Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox 4 7 0 8 2L 4-6

West Division

Bourne Braves 7 4 0 14 1W 6-4
Wareham Gatemen 6 5 0 12 2L 5-5
Falmouth Commodores 5 6 0 10 5L 4-6
Hyannis Harbor Hawks 4 7 0 8 4W 4-6
Cotuit Kettleers 1 10 0 2 6L 1-9

SCHEDULE

06/23/16 5:00 PM Hyannis Harbor Hawks @ Brewster Whitecaps
06/23/16 5:00 PM Falmouth Commodores @ Cotuit Kettleers
06/23/16 6:00 PM Wareham Gatemen @ Bourne Braves
06/23/16 6:30 PM Chatham Anglers @ Harwich Mariners
06/23/16 7:00 PM Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox @ Orleans Firebirds
06/24/16 5:00 PM Harwich Mariners @ Brewster Whitecaps
06/24/16 6:00 PM Cotuit Kettleers @ Hyannis Harbor Hawks
06/24/16 6:00 PM Orleans Firebirds @ Falmouth Commodores
06/24/16 6:30 PM Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox @ Wareham Gatemen
06/24/16 7:00 PM Bourne Braves @ Chatham Anglers
06/25/16 5:00 PM Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox @ Cotuit Kettleers
06/25/16 5:30 PM Orleans Firebirds @ Harwich Mariners
06/25/16 6:00 PM Falmouth Commodores @ Bourne Braves
06/25/16 6:30 PM Hyannis Harbor Hawks @ Wareham Gatemen
06/25/16 7:00 PM Brewster Whitecaps @ Chatham Anglers
06/26/16 5:00 PM Harwich Mariners @ Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox
06/26/16 5:00 PM Wareham Gatemen @ Brewster Whitecaps
06/26/16 5:30 PM Cotuit Kettleers @ Falmouth Commodores
06/26/16 5:30 PM Bourne Braves @ Orleans Firebirds
06/26/16 6:00 PM Chatham Anglers @ Hyannis Harbor Hawks

Brewster Hurricane Planner

We have two maps from FEMA to check out today. The map above is a Hurricane Inundation map, and it depicts storm surge from a direct hit hurricane visiting Brewster at mean high tide. It also shows what sort of storm would be needed to soak certain regions, which we'll get to in a minute.

The map is from the combined efforts of FEMA, MEMA, NOAA and the NHC. They use the funny-weatherman-titled SLOSH model of storm surge estimation. They do not depict freshwater flooding.

The colors relate to the Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity, and break down like this:

Light Green = Category 1 hurricane. Hurricane Gloria was one of these, and the offshore Halloween Gale was, too. Although not a tropical system, the Blizzard of '78 did Cat. 1-style damage.

Dark Green = Category 2 hurricane. Hurricane Bob was one of these.

Yellow = Category 3 hurricane. We've only had five of these hit New England since the Other Man arrived in 1620, the most recent being Hurricane Carol in 1954.

Pink = Category 4 hurricane. We've had one in recorded New England history, and it struck in 1635.

Flesh = One Hundred Year FEMA Food Zone. This is the "100 year storm" you hear people speak of, but you have to go pre-Colombian to find them ("going pre-Colombian" means using salt marsh soil samples to look for sand layering associated with large hurricanes). New England has had storms in the Category 4+ level in the 1100s, the 1300s, and the 1400s.

Sorry about Flesh, but my knowledge of color names was and continues to be heavily influenced by whoever was in charge at Crayola in the 1970s.

We shall leave the street-by-street analysis to the reader, who can use the links I'll throw in at the end of the article to zoom in on their own house if it suits them.

Note that you don't need to be in a shaded area to get yourself a quick and sudden Ending. You can have a tree fall on you, have your car washed out in street flooding, step on a downed power line, get purged by looters, enjoy the Robespierre treatment from flying shingles, be summarily executed by National Guardsmen, or even stumble into a sharknado. There's no shortage of ways for you to get Left.

With that in mind, we now present to you the down-there-somewhere Evacuation Zone map.

Remember, you don't HAVE to leave when 5-0 tells you to. Also remember that the cop you read the Constitution to before the storm may be the one who has to fish you out of the drink when the ship hits the fan.

The E-map is easier to read, as it is made up of only two colors.

Red = Get Out.

Yellow = Get the f*** out.

(Use "Evacuation Maps" link below for Brew Dog's evacuation plan)

Hurricane Inundation Maps

Evacuation Maps

Worst Hurricanes To Hit New England

List of all hurricanes to hit New England

FEMA

MEMA

NOAA

NHC

Barnstable County Fair 2015

This year's Barnstable County Fair was a blast. There were many things to do and see there. It was nice to see some returning vendors and acts and also nice to see new ones, The Barnstable County Fair is located in Falmouth Massachusetts (Cape Cod, MA).

The BCF has been coming to town since 1844. It was originally a livestock/crafts sort of fair, and that is still a big part of the show today. They didn't have electric ferris wheels or anything like that back then, maybe they used horses or something, I have no idea. The big draw early on was the merry-go-round.

Other than a brief shutdown during WWII, the fair has been going strong ever since. They have since incorporated spectacuar rides, and have brought in performers and other acts.

One of my favorite acts was Wacky Chad with his Pogo stick tricks. He has been on America's Got Talent... twice!

The animals and petting zoo have always been a nice thing to look forward to. This cow is trying to go viral, I saw him practicing that look in front of the mirror before I shot.

Who wouldn't want to feed a goat or a yak out of the palm of your hand? 

If you were at the the fair you may have noticed the baby animatronic T-Rex. He was about half-done eating this old guy when I asked him to pose for me.

The Three Dog Night performance was spectacular, my phone's video recorded it in poor quality. I guess you'll have see them in person to get the real deal. We were so close to the stage that we could feel the beat through our entire bodies. I was so psyched to see them perform in person. Their hits include: "An Old Fashioned Love Song" featured in the video below, "Joy to The Word," "Shambala" and many, many more.

We can't forget about the rides and the amazing view of the fair from the Ferris wheel. 

I saw a little bit of the Lumber Jill's Performance - wish I had a better view (I was too short to see over everyone else). And I was really hoping to see the Willis Clan. 

But overall, this years fair was awesome.