Today, after launching at River Road in Sudbury, I paddled downstream following the river's channel as it zigged and zagged through a sea of grass. Both weather conditions and water levels were ideal. Wildlife was pretty much the same gang as usual: red-winged blackbirds, a pair of wood ducks, several mallards, great blue herons, eastern kingbirds, tree swallows, painted turtles, a cormorant, a belted kingfisher, and a turkey vulture.
Approaching Shermans Bridge, I heard what always sounds like the rumble of thunder and causes me to instictively look skyward for approaching thunderheads. The thunder like sound occurs each time an automobile rumbles across the wooden bridge and is heard long before a paddler can actually see it...
Shortly, I passed under the old structure but not before catching a pleasant whiff of the creosote with which the wood is saturated.
After rounding the base of Weir Hill, I began hearing the sound of cascading water and soon pulled up the base of Pantry Brook Falls...
While it's certainly no Niagara, it still made a nice spot to stop for lunch!
The trip back upriver was into a nice breeze out of the south and it wasn't long before my boat and I were back at our starting point. Trash today had been paltry. In fact, if I walked into the Crow's Nest up in Gloucester, I'm sure that Quentin, the old timer sitting at the bar, would remind me, just as he reminded the crew of the Andrea Gail, that "it wasn't exactly a slammer!"
The count was 12 for the day. There were only 4 from the river and another 8 from the River Road launch site. Ten were recyclable (2 redeemable) and 2 were rubbish. Dunkin Donuts was well represented. Until today, I had no idea that they were the 'Official' ice coffee of the Boston Red Sox! Imagine that!...
YTD total stands at 2340.
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