Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Quiet Afternoon on the Quinebaug

Captain V. Dangerous (at left) of the Adirondack Pirate Paddlers was in the neighborhood for a few days and looking to get in a paddle.  This provided an opportunity for me to introduce him to the Quinebaug River Trail which he'd never heard of before.  I'd only stumbled upon this nice stretch of river last year and was eager to visit it once more.  The river trail is considered to be within the upper part of "The Last Green Valley"   (which stretches from south central Massachusetts down into northeastern Connecticut).

The creation of the East Brimfield Lake Flood Control Project in 1958 allowed for the approximately 5-mile long Quinebaug River Trail to remain relatively undeveloped.  In fact, what development there was prior to 1958 was torn down or relocated.  At the heart of the project is this structure situated where the Quinebaug River passes between 2 hills...
The dam created East Brimfield Lake, and enlarged Long Pond located on the other side of Route 20.
In the event of excessive flows, floodgates can be closed to hold back the Quinebaug River and fill the valley with water thus protecting downriver communities from devastating floods.
The project was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers and is maintained by them.

So yesterday the Capt'n and I left one vehicle at the Route 20 boat launch at East Brimfield Lake and then drove to Holland Pond where our boats were launched into the Quinebaug River at the point where it exits the pond.  About 1 mile downriver is the first designated canoe rest area and it is located on Curtis Island.  In July of 1675 this island was the site of a Nipmuc Federation Council where various Nipmuc sachems grappled with how they should deal with the insurgency known as King Philip's War.  Ephraim Curtis, a 33 year old trapper/hunter, had been sent on an intelligence gathering mission by the Massachusetts Bay Colony and soon found himself in the midst of a very volatile situation.  Fortunately for him, he kept his wits about him and lived to see another day.  Unfortunately for the Nipmuc Federation, their decision to join with King Philip's forces would ultimately result in their defeat.  In my opinion, there wasn't really any "good" decision the Nipmucs could have reached.  Curtis' first-hand account of his mission can be found here.  He is believed to have crossed the Quinebaug where the present-day bridge is located going from river right to river left.

Continuing downriver we saw this Cardinal flower, a bittersweet reminder that Summer is getting long in the tooth...

Before reaching East Brimfield Lake, the river passes where the Springfield Trolley line and the partially built but never operated Southern New England Railroad crossed the river.  After passing by these locations, the spot where the June 2011 tornado roared across the river is reached, and its effects are still evident...

Upon reaching East Brimfield Lake we crossed under Route 20 and paddled another 2 miles up Long Pond to near the Mass Pike before heading back to the takeout.  It was a scenic paddle on a beautiful summer's day.  A fisherman encountered at Holland Pond reported excellent fishing for large-mouthed bass.

Very little trash was encountered with this meager haul being collected from near the various launch sites...
There were 10 recyclable containers (3 redeemable) and 8 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish. 
YTD = 3624

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Assabet After the Fish Kill

The Assabet River was in the news this week after hundreds of dead fish were found in the Stow section of the river last Saturday (7/20).  Apparently they were victims of our recent heat wave and the unusually high water temperatures that resulted.
This morning I visited that section of the Assabet to see what, if any, effects of the fish kill remained.  After launching at Magazu's Landing in Stow, I headed upriver passing between where the old Marlboro Branch RR trestle pilings remain submerged (at left).  Each patch of weeds marks a row of 4 pilings, and was like a train having left footprints in the river.

The first and only dead fish was seen about one mile upstream of Sudbury Road...
The question as to whether any live fish would be seen was soon answered in the affirmative as many fish of various sizes were observed swimming about. The multiple deluge rain events of the past week seem to have moved the dead fish downstream and lowered the water temperatures to more normal levels.  In one shallow backwater, my thermometer measured a water temperature of 70 degrees.

Following a beaver into Fort Meadow Brook led to an encounter with this (elderly?) painted turtle...
This fella wasn't moving for anything or anybody!

Just before reaching the Rt. 62 bridge in Gleasondale I came upon this life jacket...

and believe it's the one reported missing following a boat upset back on 6/16 in Hudson.  A dry bag from the same boat was found very close to this spot on 6/29.

The trip back downriver was made all the more pleasant thanks to the free air show, of sorts, provided by two vintage aircraft.  One was this brightly colored bi-plane...

...and the other was a more conventional looking plane seen taking off from the riverside runway...

 
 
A sign seen along the nearby road better explains the day's events...
 
 
This blue heron displayed its own grace in taking flight...
 
 
Back at Magazu's Landing my day's catch gathered hullside...
 
 
There were 10 recyclable containers (2 redeemable) and 25 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, a mylar balloon, and the usual nip bottles.  YTD = 3606




Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Rocky Patrol on the Charles




Work left me just a stone's throw from the Charles River in Sherborn this afternoon. Happily my boat was on the roof of my car, and shortly I was launched at Farm Road and heading upriver through the Rocky Narrows section of the river to Route 27 (at left).  Along the way I encountered this possible casualty of the "Whitey Bulger" trial...

Near the rocky base of King Philip's Lookout empty cans of Rolling Rock beer were found that may have rolled down from the rocky precipice some 100' above...
At least they're green.

After turning around at Route 27, I returned downriver through Rocky Narrows...

...and finished my short jaunt back at Farm Road...

My day's catch possibly reflects an uptick in beer consumption during all this hot weather...
There were 54 recyclable containers (40 redeemable) and 21 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish.  
YTD = 3571

Sunday, July 21, 2013

A Sizzling Blackburn Challenge 2013

The sun had just climbed above the horizon (at left) as I paddled down the Annisquam River to Gloucester High School where rowers and paddlers would register for this year's Blackburn Challenge.  The event is named for Gloucester fisherman, Howard Blackburn, and it commemorates his desperate mid-winter rowing of a banks dory 60 miles to refuge back in 1883.  Howard Blackburn's principal adversary was bitter cold temperatures that took a costly toll on his fingers and toes.  Nonetheless, he toughed it out and prevailed.  Participants in yesterday's event faced the opposite extreme....HEAT!...and plenty of it!!!  The questions going through my pre-event mind were "is it prudent to wear a Personal Floatation Device (PFD) while exerting in this kind of heat?" and "do I have enough drinking water onboard?"  My answers: PFD would be strapped to my deck and 100 ounces of water proved adequate.

As participating boats congregated near the starting line, a bit of a traffic jam occurred when human powered boats of all types were passing under a raised drawbridge (most probably a "don't do")...
The patience of the working boat's skipper was put to the test.
 
The bridge tender left his air-conditioned station to take-in the scene from his balcony...
 
And then we were off in our attempt to paddle or row the approximately 20 miles around Cape Ann.
The first 3 miles going up the Annisquam were hot.  From Annisquam Light to Andrews Point was hot.  Going across Sandy Bay was hot, though the first thing resembling a breeze was felt.  Emerging from Straitsmouth Gap the warm breeze strengthened and was a definite help to this paddler.  Then came the longest stretch of the event from Thacher Island to Eastern Point.  This is where many participants hit the wall, so to speak.  It was during this stretch that I became a bit delusional and thought I saw two guys calmly paddling a Gruman canoe.  I stopped paddling, reached for my camera, and snapped this photo as proof...
These guys made it look easy.  Something tells me it wasn't.  Nice work on their part!

After rounding the Dog Bar Breakwater and entering Gloucester Harbor, the sight of Gloucester's recently built wind turbines was inspiring.  However, crossing the mouth of the Western Harbor provided the hairiest moment of the event, for me, when 4 powerboats were rapidly approaching from starboard and a whale-watch boat was bearing down on my portside.  I really believe it was only the nearby presence of a Gloucester Police boat that persuaded the bigger boats to slow down just enough to let me live another day.

No sooner had I crossed the finish line and hit the beach then several claps of thunder rang out and a lighting bolt reached down from the clouds.  This must have been the final insult for those participants still out on the course.
Shortly I was enjoying some pulled pork, Ipswich Ale on tap, and great live music.  Only later did I find out that I hadn't died and gone to heaven.

These lucky bits of trash (rounded up near the start line) got a free ride around Cape Ann yesterday...

Late that same night some cooler air finally entered our tent at Cape Ann Camp Site, and Sunday morning Mrs. Trashpaddler and I enjoyed a glorious breakfast at the "Morning Glory" coffee shop which looks out on Gloucester Harbor.  The 7-day heat wave was over!

Sunday, July 14, 2013

High Summer Sunday on the Assabet

My Sunday started with an early morning launch into the Assabet River at Ice House Landing.  Shortly, I was heading upriver and approaching the serene setting at Russell's Bridge (opening photo) where the first trash was found on the rocks under the bridge.
I didn't have any specific destination in mind and thought of the song lyrics that go "I've got nowhere to go and all day to get there."  
Crow Island was fairly busy with two small planes taking off as I passed by.  While looking skyward I noticed this treehouse for the very first time...
...looks like it's been there for awhile and is located about 35' above the ground near the top of a Crow Island white pine. 

At Fort Meadow Brook I left the river and passed through the box culvert upstream to the Mass Central RR trestle...
The brook is running low and grasses are filling in the channel.

Back on the Assabet I continued heading upriver pausing to note these remnants of the Marlborough Branch RR bridge near Gleasondale's Railroad Ave...
Those timbers and the cut-off pilings below the river's surface are the only hint that trains once crossed the river here.

Before I knew it Rockbottom had been reached and a mill building's wall stood hard against the river...
This made a nice spot to turnabout and begin the trip back to Ice House.  On the downriver run I encountered this traditional-looking scene...

Back where blocks of ice were long ago stored my trash haul enjoyed some rapid drying...
Today there were 17 recyclable containers (6 redeemable) and 15 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, bait tubs, and Styrofoam.  YTD = 3484

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Assabet Close to Home

With unsettled weather (perhaps including thunderstorms) in the afternoon forecast, I decided to paddle the stretch of the Assabet River closest to my home where I could get off the water quickly, if necessary.  I launched at the Acton Canoe Launch which is below the Powder Mill Dam and headed downriver to Damonmill Dam.  The recently high water levels were a thing of the past and finding water deep enough to accommodate my boat's modest draft was challenging in spots.  Fortunately, I was in a smooth-flowing section when I quietly glided upon this foraging fellow...
He checked me out before lifting his tail and heading into the brush...
If I gave him any fright, he returned the favor by bounding up from behind on my return trip.  I believe he got the better of our exchanges.

Other wildlife encountered were a blue heron, a belted kingfisher, and several good-sized carp patrolling the shallows.

Reaching my turnaround point at Damonmill Dam the first raindrops were felt.  By the time I reached my takeout I was drenched, and it actually felt good on such an oppressively humid afternoon.

My trash haul from this 1.25 mile stretch of river enjoyed the rain shower as much as I did...
There were 35 recyclable containers (4 redeemable) and 35 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as nip bottles, plastic bags and Styrofoam.  YTD = 3452

Being a life-long railfan, I've been following the tragic developments in the Quebec village of Lac- Megantic where a runaway and unmanned freight train crashed into the downtown area last Friday night.  The ensuing explosion and fire claimed many lives.  As in many accidents, a chain of events was set in motion that seems, in hindsight, almost impossible to have occurred.  One contributing factor may have been the issue of a one man crew. It appears that only one man was assigned to operate a freight train hauling 72 tank cars (each car holding 30,000 gallons of crude oil) and 5 diesel locomotives.  When he reached the end of his allowable time limit, he was expected to park the train and insure that enough brakes were set to prevent the possibility of it moving.  He left the scene with things seemingly OK.  Later, a fire broke out on one of the locomotives and local firefighters put out the blaze and shut down the locomotive unaware that doing so resulted in a loss of adequate air pressure for the braking system.  Apparently, not enough hand brakes had been set to hold the train in place without air pressure.  This tragedy will most likely result in many changes to existing railroad operating procedures.  Hopefully, expecting one man to operate a freight train of this size and cargo type will be a thing of the past.

Monday, July 8, 2013

An Annisquam Sea Breeze

When I reached the lucky number 7 rockpile near Annisquam Harbor Light (at left) the occasional wafts of fresh air I'd been feeling had now become a full fledged sea breeze! There is no better form of air-conditioning in my opinion.
I had launched down the Annisquam River near Gloucester High School and was covering the first 3 miles or so of the upcoming Blackburn Challenge.

This being salt water meant marine species of litter/flotsam would be encountered such as this walrus-sized piece of litter...
...that would obviously require a much bigger boat.

Being on the Annisquam at the top of the tide allowed for many possible destinations but seeking out the source of the sea breeze meant heading upriver and under the A. Piatt Andrew Bridge...


Most of the trash encountered today was within sight of where I'd launched and for the most part looked similar to the fresh-water stuff...
There were 25 recyclable containers (4 redeemable) and 30 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags and Styrofoam.  There were also 2 Hooksett Disks to go with the 3 found in the Merrimack River last Saturday.  I've decided the theme song for these pesky little disks should be the Beach Boys song "I Get Around".     Disks to date = 1379   Assorted trash YTD = 3382

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Keepin' Cool on the Concord

Upon approaching the spot where the Concord River begins, early this morning, I was struck by how much lower the river level was from 2 weeks ago.  On my last visit on 6/22 the entire inscription at Egg Rock was submerged whereas today the whole thing was high and dry.  Amazing what several 90+ degree days can do!
The river on this very warm Sunday morning was found true to its name and it seemed everything and everyone was at peace...even this coconut and beer can were enjoying each other's company...


Traveling down to Davis Hill I encountered canoeists, kayakers, and fishermen all trying to stay cool.  However, this young fellow was, hands down, the coolest guy seen on the river today...


Things seemed to cool just a bit when clouds briefly obscured the hot sun...


Once off the river my day's catch spread forth...
There were 21 recyclable containers (13 redeemable) and 29 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, a bent arrow, and yet another tackle box.  YTD = 3327


Saturday, July 6, 2013

Merrimack Patrol with NHAMC Paddlers

This morning Mrs. Trashpaddler and I participated in a New Hampshire Appalachian Mountain Club (NHAMC) Paddlers trash patrol on the Merrimack River in Tyngsborough, MA.  This was the third in a series of trash patrols organized by NHAMC member Denise Hurt.  Members of the Merrimack River Watershed Association were also participating.

We launched from a very nice park located at a bend in the river, and patrolled upstream on the east side for less than a mile before crossing over to the river's west side. 

Mrs. Trashpaddler seemed happy to be participating and back in her favorite boat...

We encountered several pockets in the shoreline where good amounts of flotsam had accumulated. 

Ron's canoe was carrying the bulk of the load as we prepared to go ashore...
The gang posed for the camera before the sorting process commenced...
Pictured are from left to right Denise, Sand, Paul, Herb, Sue, Ron, Betsy, and Sally.

The day's haul broke down as follows: 199 recyclable containers and 342 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as a plastic drum, pvc pipe, and old doll, and numerous pieces of Styrofoam.

A barbecue followed the patrol and we were amazed at how comfortable the park stayed with a nice breeze off the river.

Next month's targeted river is the Squannacook.

Friday, July 5, 2013

Twin Otter Needs Home

My Old Town 140 Twin Otter purchased new in 2010 is in need of a new home.  This tandem kayak is in excellent condition and would be ideal for someone having a waterfront home on a lake, pond, or river.  It's been out on the water less than 10 times. Asking $600. 
If interested contact me at trashpaddler at gmail dot com