TBT: The Most Amazing Sound We Ever Heard
“Living in interesting times” has been reported to be an ancient Chinese curse. Navigating our way through the Covid pandemic, things sure did get interesting. People who love to run races dealt with cancellations, medical testing, socially distanced running and lots of rescheduling. Here’s a look at an incredible experience resulting from the Boston Marathon being rescheduled for the day after the Chicago Marathon. This was the day we went storm chasing in Gloucester and experience the most amazing sound we ever heard.
What Came Before
Since “the before” is a whole story in itself, let me briefly sketch what the weekend looked like for us:
- Thursday – Doctor’s visit and emergency room visit resulting in sleep around 1 am.
- Friday – 8am flight to Boston to get Stephen’s bib and check in to the hotel.
- Saturday – 8am flight to Chicago to get Stephen’s bib and for him to work at the expo.
- Sunday – Chicago marathon and 5pm flight to Boston.
- Monday – Boston marathon and playoff game at Fenway.
And Then…Vacation!
By some miracle, the logistics worked out. This wasn’t the case for a lot of the folks trying to make the “Chicago / Boston” double. We woke up on Monday we were finally able to catch our breaths.
After a quick stop by the Granary Burial ground to pay our respects to Ben and Paul, we grabbed a rental car and began to drive up the coast toward Gloucester.
So…why Gloucester?
There were two strong reasons for stopping in Gloucester:
- It was on our way to our final stop – Boothbay, Maine
- We wanted to stop in at the Crow’s Nest for a brew.
For those who don’t know, the Crow’s Nest is the bar that Bobby Shatford’s family owned and is hub for hometown activities in the movie “The Perfect Storm“.
Since Stephen is a master planner, he turned a stop for beer into memories we will never forget.
Whale Watching
Our time in Gloucester began with a tour by 7 Seas Whale Watch & Charters. I’ll be honest. I expected the tour to be…rather rustic.
BUT I am happy to report, I was WAY, WAY wrong.
Once we were out of the bay, the crew drove us to an area frequented by a pod of whales and they asked us to watch for spouts from their blow holes. When we finally spotted one, we got close and could hear them – the most amazing sound we ever heard. The quiet water, the hum of the engine and a huge exhale from the ocean. Even today, the memory gives me chills!
We spent an hour with several amazing whales and even got to see one breach, which we found out is very rare.
Then…the BEST Lobsta Rolls
As soon as we were back on land, we stopped at the Gloucester House for THE BEST lobster rolls. (To be fair, wherever I have a lobster roll, is the THE BEST. I mean, how can you even HAVE a lobster roll that isn’t the best??) Anyway…the rolls were magnificent and way more than enough to split. Which we didn’t do.
A Walk in the Park
Along the seawall is a park dedicated to all the fishermen lost at sea and to their families. It was poignant and a good mental transition before visiting the Crow’s Nest.
Next…the Bag Drop
Since it was after 3pm, we were able to check in at The Vista Motel. The view WAS absolutely outstanding and our room was 100% early 80’s rustic and adorable.
The Drive to the Lighthouse
With no particular agenda, we took Atlantic Road around around to Eastern Point Lighthouse, making sure to pull over and take it all in. After the phrenetic few days we had, this was the perfect pace.
We discovered that the road to the lighthouse was marked as a private one, for residents only. We deliberated and decided that we were only there to visit a resident, Mr. T. Lighthouse, so it was okay. You MAY disagree with this decision but let me show you what his digs looked like:
Only One Beer at The Crow’s Nest
Because the Crow’s Nest was the center piece for the movie, The Perfect Storm, I had a certain image of it in my mind:
As you can see, it’s two story, stand alone building and right by the water. In fact, it’s located a block or so away and could easily be missed if you didn’t know to look for it.
Walking in the door, we quickly discovered that actual bar took up almost all of the room and that everyone one was looking at us. It was sort of like a record scratch moment – where all activities ceased and everybody was watching you. We decided…okay, we’ll stay for one drink and then we will get the heck outta there.
After taking our order, the bar tender, Bobbie, brought over a book about the actual perfect storm and the other a photo album about the filming of the movie.
We got to talking with a man named Manni, who was a chef at a local restaurant and was having his last drink of the night when we walked in.
We met local celebrity Salvi Benson who is a 10 time Greasy Pole Champion.
And the bar’s current owner, Maryann Shatford, Bobby Shatford’s sister.
One drink quickly turned to one more as we had the chance to spend time with some wonderful people. Thankfully they had something to offer for dinner – a meatball sub with “shaky cheese” and chips. We learned that we call it parmesan over in the Midwest and that it was dee-lish!
We called it a night and immediately reflected about what a perfect day it had been in Gloucester. The people, the whales, the food and the lighthouse. Who could ask for more?
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