Assabet Above the Mall

With my workday ending near the middle/upper section of the Assabet River yesterday I looked for a boat launch either side of
Route 495. 

The launch I ended up using was off of Chapin Road in Hudson and it's a good one with off-road parking and a short trail to the river.

Signage for the boat launch was minimal...

A better sign is in from the road and along the route to the river...

The Assabet was found to be at an ideal level due in part to Tuesday's thunderstorms, and thoughts of making it beyond the Solomon Pond Mall entered my mind.  On previous attempts I've been stopped by blowdowns etc. before reaching Donald Lynch Blvd.

Passage through the remnants of an earthen dam below 495 was easy and soon I was pondering someone's artwork while under the busy highway...

 
Ultimately Donald Lynch Blvd came into view and was passed under leaving me in unexplored waters.

Beyond was Route 290...

...and one of the longest tunnels I've paddled through...

After passing under Robin Hill Street this concrete structure loomed just beyond...

It's the Tyler Flood Control Dam and allows the river passage through only this one opening...

The cement work also provides multiple access ramps for sunbathing turtles...

The dam became my turnaround point and the trip back to Chapin Road was an easy late-afternoon glide.

Wildlife seen along the way included this busy musquash...

...and this not so busy heron...

Some yellow flag...

And some trash recovered along the way...

...which included another empty can of Narragansett/Del's Lemonade Shandy.  Second one of these in a week.  Might have to give one a try.