Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Day's End on the Concord

Finishing some water treatment work in Concord, MA yesterday left me with just enough time to have the waters of the Concord River treat me to a splendid late afternoon.

Temperatures were near 60 degrees and there's a definite sense that days like these are numbered.

I launched at Lowell Road and headed downriver under its bridge...

At the Old North Bridge a pair of empty beer and flavored juice bottles flagged me down...
...they'd been floating amidst some tree branches pinned against the bridge's piers.  I felt the urge to shout out the warning "the Polar Vortex is coming!..."the Polar Vortex is coming!" to the person peering down from atop the bridge.  We've all been hearing about this impending blast of winterlike temperatures for nearly a week.

What little fall foliage remains was seen while paddling through my favorite stretch near Saw Mill Brook (opening photo).

Near Davis Hill I encountered the only other boat I'd see on the water...
It was a Native Watercraft (Slayer 13 propel model) being pedaled by a fisherman.  The propel system allows him to pedal forward or backwards while leaving his hands free for casting.  He reported having caught a few so far.

My return trip upriver saw the sun sinking...
..and the turkeys roosting...

 ...as the magic of twilight time set in...

The song "The Wall" by Willie Nelson was heard via my shuffle and seemed to perfectly fit the moment.

Approaching the Old North Bridge the red color of my boat drew the attention of Concord's ever vigilant Minuteman...

Back at Lowell Road the day's trash haul basked in footlights provided by my car's headlights...
Perhaps in honor of Veteran's Day there were 11 recyclable containers (4 redeemable) and 11 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish.   YTD = 5471

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