Paddling Quascacunquen Waters in Newbury

After finishing up my work responsibilities this morning, I took refuge behind a 6-mile long plum of a barrier island and tried to make sense of the strange dream I awoke from earlier:  In the dream there was a big bus, like the ones that take folks down to the casinos in Connecticut.  The bus was carrying all of our esteemed Massachusetts legislators, and they appeared to be racing to a large "Legislative Year Finish Line" banner that was stretched across the roadway.  There were folks lining both sides of the road cheering them on.  It was exciting!  I saw one legislator trying to open one of the bus's windows but having difficulty.  Other legislators tried to help until finally, after forming a committee, they realized the window opened down rather than up.  We thought they were going to wave to us before crossing the finish line.  However, at that point the bus slowed a bit and out of the open window were tossed a bunch of empty plastic Gatorade, iced tea, and "spring" water bottles.  The bottles hit the pavement, then bounced into the shrubbery.  The window was closed, the bus downshifted (emitting a cloud of diesel fumes), and accelerated through the banner with all those aboard high-fiving each other.  Needless to say, we in the crowd were dumbfounded.  We looked at each other, shrugged, and then began picking up the mess they left alongside the roadway.
I thought about my strange dream for awhile before realizing that it just didn't make any sense, anyway, anyhow and that I better stop thinking about it lest a nightmare turn into a daymare.  Oh well.

Back in the real world, it was 2 hours before high tide and I was approaching 2 rivers I've yet to paddle.  Enroute along Rt. 1A there was this nice old cast-iron sign from the Massachusetts Bay Colony's tercentenary in 1930...

Apparently, Quascacunquen was the Native American word for the waterfall in the river presently known as the Parker River.  This area was previously part of Masconomo's realm as he was the sagamore of Agawam (Ipswich).

Arriving at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island, I launched from the canoe and kayak ramp there after paying a $ 5 dollar fee...

I paddled the Plum Island River in a southernly direction passing the inlets to 3 creeks: Little Pine Island Creek, Pine Island Creek, and Jericho Creek.

Floating in the water were numerous seemingly dead horseshoe crabs like this one...

Terns were plentiful in the same area...

Just before entering Plum Island Sound, I veered to the west and began ascending the Parker River with the last hour of the rising tide.  A little ways above the Rt. 1A, near Newbury Old Town was this nice spot to enjoy lunch...

From my vantage point I could see another bridge a little further upriver with no apparent traffic...

After lunch I relaunched and began my return trip.  Sea heather was plentiful in the Parker River...

..as were lay-about cormorants...

...and committees of great egrets...

Back at Plum Island my modest trash haul paused at the boat ramp...

As I wheeled my boat back to the parking area, I encountered this little guy who seemed to use only one leg...

These are busy times for the plovers as the closed off boardwalk to the ocean attests...