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

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