Thursday, August 30, 2012

Merrimack River - Southwell Park to Middlesex Village

Late this morning I launched into the Merrimack River at Southwell Park in North Chelmsford, Massachusetts and headed downriver towards Middlesex Village.  Across the river from the ramp the City of Lowell's drinking water intake facility can be seen (at left). 

Conditions were spectacular and I felt fortunate to be out on the water.  With today being the next to last day in August it reminded me of a voyage started by John and Henry Thoreau on the last day of August in 1839 (173 years ago).  On the second day of their voyage they passed through this section of the Merrimack after exiting the Middlesex Canal locks in Middlesex Village.  Their trip took them upriver all the way to Hooksett, New Hampshire.  Coincidently, today I would recover 131 Hooksett disks that were accidentally released from the Town of Hooksett's wastewater treatment facility in March of 2011.  They make nice poker chips.

There were also a few Cardinal flowers...

At Stony Brook these railcars were resting before heading north...
 
This railroad line was being built in 1839 and, when finished, eliminated the need for the system of locks used by the Thoreau brothers to navigate the Merrimack to Hooksett.
 
As I passed under the Rourke Bridge the breeze was building...
 
 
I continued downriver until the Pawtucket Dam came into view...
 
 
It was here that I stopped at a small sandy beach before heading back, and where most of the Hooksett disks were found.
 
On the way upriver I crossed over to the river's other side in hopes of finding less breeze.  The flag at the UMass Lowell Boathouse attests to how little relief was found...
 
 
Once back at Southwell Park, the day's haul was regurgitated from my boat...
 
Today's trash composition was 60 recyclable containers (5 redeemable) and 182 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish including plastic bags, styrofoam and the aforementioned 131 Hooksett disks.
YTD = 5129
 
The interstate nature of trash found in the Merrimack can be seen in the fact that half of the beer cans had no redemption stamp (having been purchased in New Hampshire).
 
This past Sunday Mrs. Trashpaddler and I rode our bicycles to where the Mighty Merrimack enters the Atlantic Ocean at Plum Island's northern tip.  By arriving very early in the morning we found ample parking at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge and enjoyed a day of biking and swimming from one end of the barrier island to the other.  We also enjoyed biking over the drawbridge to Bob Lobster for lunch.  Brought me back to when I spent time there as a kid in the late 1950s.





Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Winding Down on the Assabet River

I almost didn't paddle this afternoon.  Work had been a little tough for this "old dog" learning new tricks in order to meet a fast approaching deadline.  After leaving work I passed on the first launch site, but the second one got me and I'm glad it did.
Launching at Lowell Road I headed into a very shallow Assabet River and began trying to find the deeper channels on my way up to Spencer Brook.  The inscription at Egg Rock shows just how low water levels are...
  
Aside from a chattering belted kingfisher, things were fairly quiet.  This blue heron proved to be unflappable...
 
 
I imagine it takes a lot to ruffle his feathers.
 
Most of the trash looked like it had been hanging around for awhile including a couple of old glass relics for my "Riverbottom Blues Old Bottle Museum"...
 
 
There were 19 recyclable containers (2 redeemable) and 13 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish. 
YTD = 4887
 
It wasn't a long paddle but it provided just the right note to end the day on.  Actually, an old sounding new song by Nick Lowe helped in that department.  His song "Sensitive Man" is a pretty catchy tune.


Saturday, August 25, 2012

The Assabet River's Trash Hatchery

This morning I visited a section of the Assabet River where trash is always in plentiful supply.  In fact, I think it's where one might say trash is "hatched".  An early start had me on the water at the Cox Street bridge in Hudson, MA at 6:30 am, and my goal was to get downstream past the shooting range before the daily gunfight erupted.  The picture at left shows me past that point and just beginning to follow the river's meander around Orchard Hill.
I already had a good amount of trash when I came upon this gang's hangout...

Twenty minutes later it looked a little better...

Once past this point the amount of trash encounterd lightened quite a bit, and before I knew it I'd reached the end of the line at the Gleasondale Dam...
 
 
For the first time I noticed the water flowing into the mill's raceway at the right side of the dam...
 
 
There was no way to fit through that opening, and since no portage options are readily visible here it was time to turn around and begin the trip back to Cox Street.
 
Many flowers were in bloom but I thought these guys looked the scrappiest...
 
Near the pump house for the golf course was this roadway construction barrel...
Unfortunately, there wasn't room for it today.
 
Back at Cox Street my traveling companions posed high and dry...
There were 60 recyclable containers (11 redeemable) and 71 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as a large plastic storage container's lid, a 4 foot fluorescent lightbulb, nip bottles, styrofoam, plastic bags, etc.  YTD = 4855
 
Oddly, no gunshots were heard this morning!



Thursday, August 23, 2012

Ipswich River's Crown Jewel

Work left me in Ipswich this morning and the river of the same name was just a few stone throws away.  Over the past 2 years or so, I've been chipping away at paddling different sections of this river in Middleton and Danvers.  Today I launched into the Ipswich River from Ipswich Rd. in Topsfield at the Bradley Palmer State Park Canoe Launch...
My objective was to paddle the stretch from the Willowdale Dam upriver to the Bunker Meadows Canoe Landing at the Mass Audubon's Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary in Topsfield.  To do this first required a short downstream paddle to the dam where I turned around and began heading upriver...
To the left of the Willowdale Dam is Foote Bros. Canoe Rentals which has been renting canoes and shuttling paddlers to different upstream locations since 1955.

My trip upriver was a most pleasant one with numerous wildlife encounters and very little trash.  This is the most pristine section of the Ipswich that I've seen to date.  It's hard to imagine any other section of the Ipswich being this beautiful and easy to navigate.  Of course the dam (built in the 1800s) helps to maintain adequate water levels during late summer and fall. 
At Colt Island I stopped for an early lunch before covering the last bit to Bunker Meadows.  Good thing I took my break at Colt Island, as Bunker Meadows was a busy spot with a large group of canoeists preparing to depart...

The most interesting wildlife encounter of my trip happened when I came upon some young beaver kits playing near their lodge.  Upon seeing me, one did a tail slap but with such a small tail, his mates didn't seem to notice.  Mama beaver was on the shore and watching me like a hawk...

On my return trip downriver, I came upon what I believe was either a mink or otter.  Rounding a bend, I briefly saw it in the middle of the river before it ducked under and swam to the shore.  There it raced through the reeds etc. before re-entering the river and disappearing.  Other wildlife seen were herons, ducks, and a hawk.

This section of the river has a good amount of blooming Cardinal flowers such as these...

The Horse Bridge reminded me of Concord's Old North Bridge a bit...



My trash haul was quite small for a 5 mile section of river...
There were 8 recyclable containers (3 redeemable) and 11 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, an old shoe, and a balloon meant to welcome someone back home.  YTD = 4724


Tuesday, August 21, 2012

75th Anniversary of Captains Courageous Movie

(photo of fishing vessel heading out from Gloucester on 7/27/12)

This past Saturday night I was happy to stumble upon Turner Classic Movies' showing of the 1937 movie Captains Courageous on the 75th anniversary of its release.  The movie is based on Rudyard Kipling's book of the same name published in 1897, and uses the Grand Banks fishery, in its age-of-sail heydey, as its backdrop.  Most of the story takes place on the Gloucester-based fishing vessel We're Here.  Spencer Tracy won an academy award for his portrayal of Portuguese crew member Manuel Fidello.
I'm wondering if the movie was sort of the "Deadliest Catch" of its day, giving folks a rare glimpse of a world most would never see or experience.
After the movie was thoroughly enjoyed, Mrs. Trashpaddler produced a book she had given me in 1996 entitled Kipling in Gloucester, The Writing of Captains Courageous by David C. McAveeney published in 1996.  In McAveeney's book I learned that Kipling chose the title of the book from one of his favorite poems, Mary Ambree:

When captains courageous, whom death could not daunt,
Did march to the siege of the city of Gaunt,
They muster'd their soldiers by two and by three,
And the foremost in battle was Mary Ambree.

and also this: "Kipling, referring to Captains Courageous and Conland (his friend and source for many of the fishing details in the book), in his autobiography said, "Yet the book was not all reportage.  I wanted to see if I could catch and hold something of a beautiful localized American atmosphere that was already beginning to fade.  Thanks to Conland I came near to this."

I think most would agree Kipling accomplished this and more.

Subsequently, I was reminded of Kipling's famous and timeless poem:
 "If"
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream-and not make dreams your master;
If you can think-and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build'em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings-nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run-
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And-which is more-you'll be a Man, my son!

Monday, August 20, 2012

Paddling Gloucester's Coast to Magnolia Harbor


This afternoon's little jaunt from Gloucester Harbor to Magnolia Harbor (photo at left) provided, yet, another enjoyable post-work affair of the salty variety.  Launching near the boulevard (no charge btw) I followed the harbor's western shore passing Stage Head, Mussel Point, and Normans Woe.   
One locale I passed had a kind of Mediterranean look...

Proceeding a little further, this structure reminded me of Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail...
Fortunately, no cows were catapulted towards me.

Boston's skyline and the twin stacks of Salem's electric generating plant came into view after I rounded Normans Woe Rock.

Little Magnolia Harbor sits in a protected cove behind Kettle Island.  Kids were jumping off of the pier in classic summertime fashion.

The return trip at the top of the tide was pleasant and allowed this view across Normans Woe Rock towards Eastern Point...

As I was proceeding into Gloucester Harbor, this Coast Guard vessel was heading out at a fairly good clip...

 My modest trash haul was a lucky 7 pieces...


There were 2 plastic water bottles, 3 plastic bags, part of a plastic pail and a cardboard box. 
YTD = 4705.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

"D-Lights" of Rockport

Yesterday, the work-week's conclusion left me on Cape Ann and I soon found myself driving into the small coastal town of Rockport, Massachusetts and its Granite Pier boat launch.  This has always been one of my favorite launch sites (over 80 times since 1991) but these days find me here less often due to the steep (in my opinion) fee for launching and parking.  Combined they total $12 dollars ($18 for 2 kayaks) for non-residents.  This seems excessive to me especially if kayakers are launching from the old ramp near the pier's end.  Half the cost would seem more appropriate if using that particular ramp.  At any rate, I decided to get my money's worth by taking in as much of Cape Ann's outer reaches as possible on such a beautiful day.
After launching, I paddled towards Straitsmouth Island and as I drew near saw a large group of kayakers who'd tied-off their boats and gone swimming and rock hopping.  One kayaker was practicing seal launches with the Straitsmouth Island lighthouse in the background...
Multiple launches were successful, though (not using a spray skirt) his bailing pump was getting a workout.
Rounding Straitsmouth's NE tip into a refreshing SE breeze, I drew a bead on Thacher Island's twin lighthouses and closed the mile and a half distance...

Conditions were ideal for paddling around the island's ocean side so I did just that before landing at the wooden ramp and going ashore...

The twin 124 foot granite towers of Thacher Island are a majestic site rising 166 feet above water level.  The south tower's red flashing light is said to be visible 19 miles out to sea and was manned by the US Coast Guard until 1980 when it was automated...


The north tower has an amber fluorescent light and is maintained by the Thacher Island Association...

While signing the visitor's log at the landing, it was noted that the north tower was open to visitors and I began the short hike passing several resident gulls along the way...
This last fellow allowed my passage to the tower's steps.  The gulls, in fact, act as if they own the place and, because of this, US Fish and Wildlife has a program aimed at restoring breeding space for common and roseate terns whom the gulls displaced.
After ascending the 156 steps of the spiral stairway, the balcony afforded this view of other kayakers from high above...
Back in the early 90's I camped on the island and recall climbing these same steps to watch the sunrise (just a wee bit earlier than anyone else).  On an especially clear day, the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown to the southeast as well as the Isles of Shoals to the northeast can be seen with binoculars. 

Thacher Island is named for an early colonial shipwreck that occurred here in August 1635.  The family and friends of Anthony Thacher were sailing from Ipswich to Marblehead aboard the Watch and Wait when they encountered a great storm (possibly a hurricane?) and wrecked on the rocky ledges.  Lost were Thacher's 4 children and 17 other people.  Thacher and his wife washed up on the island where they found and buried the body of his cousin's daughter Elizabeth Avery.  The General Court of Massachusetts granted Thacher title to the island to help ease his loss.

Before disembarking from the island I checked out the rebuilt turntable for the island's small railway system...
The network of rails was used to convey coal, wood, and other supplies from the landing to different parts of the island using small railcars such as these 2 replicas...

The Thacher Island Association runs a boat shuttle for folks wishing to visit the island without having to row or paddle out.  Details can be found here.

From Thacher Island I paddled on over to Loblolly Cove where some of the aforementioned displaced terns were hanging around...

Aside from the terns, some gulls, and cormorants, I had Loblolly to myself...

Returning to the Granite Pier, I encountered this armada of kayaks emanating out from Rockport Harbor...

In regards to trash, I found the waters of Rockport clean as a fog whistle today finding only 1 coffee cup and an empty cigar package.
Crossing between Rowe Point and Sandy Bay Ledge on my way to the boat ramp, my music listening device randomly selected Tom Rush's very nice instrumental Rockport Sunday, and my weekend was off to a great start!


Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Cleared for Takeoff on the Concord River

As I headed to my last worksite this morning, a post-work paddle didn't look to be in the cards.  After driving through thunderstorms, I arrived at the last stop and upon wrapping things up, the sun began to peek out.  Between the time I left work and launched into the Concord River on Rt. 225 in Bedford, the sky was mostly blue (at left).  Hardly believing my good fortune, I headed upriver into a pleasant breeze.  This stretch of the Concord is nearly straight and has a bigger feel...
Trash was encountered on the upstream side of the Rt. 225 bridge and was mostly from shore fishermen who frequent the area.  Some of them have begun placing their trash into plastic bags hung from trees.  These bags provide a scenic quality.  The white bag hanging from a tree on the Bedford side looks sort of like a trash "pinata"!

During the trip upriver numerous aircraft were observed taking off from nearby Hanscom Field.  When I turned around and began my trip downriver, I felt that if I was to paddle fast enough, I too might become airborne...
Since that didn't happen, I stayed in contact with the river and thought about a recent question from my grandson.  He asked "what is the most numerous lifeform in the universe?".  The word that pops into my mind now, two weeks after he asked the question, is "copepod".  Once home, I googled the word and found Wikepedia stating that either copepods or possibly Antartic krill comprise the "largest animal biomass on Earth".  Well, glad that's settled.

A little detour was taken into a short channel connecting to a small and shallow pond.  The channel provided a shady respite before returning to the river proper...
Today's trash haul included another plastic milk crate which became my boat's fo'c'sle.  The crew enjoyed the open-air feeling it provided as opposed to being below deck.  Officers, of course, remained amidships.
Passengers and crew from both above and below deck assembled hullside before going their separate ways...
There were 33 recyclable containers (10 redeemable) and 22 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as bait tubs, fishing bobber, plastic bags, and some well corroded beer cans.  YTD = 4696