Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Pedalling Along the Assabet in January

Taking advantage of yet another pleasant day in January, Mrs. Trashpaddler and I pedalled our local waterlevel bicycle route through Assabet Village, Pompositticut, and South Acton.
The photo at left was taken in Maynard from the pedestrian bridge which once carried the rails of the Boston and Maine RR's Marlborough Branch.  It shows the river flowing under Main Street at a gauge height of 2.6'.
Further upriver, at Mill Street, the river looked like this...
This is the spot where the river comes closest to the base of Pompositticut Hill and may be the stretch of water described in its Native American name Assabet.  Note: Only my two cents.

Just downstream of the bridge things looked a bit bony...

Speaking of Maynard (aka Assabet Village), I've recently been enjoying a good read.  The book is Maynard, History and Life Outdoors by Beacon-Villager columnist David A. Mark.


After a short detour to White Pond Road, where the boat launch was noted to be iced over, we reached Pompositticut's Lower Village and stopped for refueling.  Now, having left the river,  we rode by Pilot Grove Farm where we picked up the road to South Acton.  Running through that village is Fort Pond Brook and we crossed it 4 times on our way home.  At the brook's confluence with Pratt's Brook (in the distance) we stopped to admire the unwinterlike scene...

Our trash haul was a modest 10 pieces.  There were 8 recyclable containers (1 redeemable) and 2 pieces of styrofoam trash.  YTD total 157.

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