Finding a Lower Gear

Yesterday, out on the lower Assabet River, I discovered my paddling transmission had an even lower gear than I'd previously been aware of.   Better yet, I didn't even have to double-clutch when downshifting into it.  Perhaps this musk turtle played a role in helping me to find it...

...or maybe it was this stoic fellow...

Regardless, the day was a beauty.

Thanks to the week's very welcome rainstorm the river is, once again, on the rise...

There's still some glow from fall foliage in places...

...and this small cove provided an idyllic spot for taking a lunch break...

After paddling upriver I arrived at the MBTA bridge in West Concord where the Assabet chugged under the bridge while an outbound train chugged across it...

The trash encountered along the way...

Patience, Prudence, and Potowomut

Heading out into Narragansett Bay yesterday morning I was just about as happy as the cormorants pictured above.  An absolutely beautiful day was in the making and lucky was I to be in my boat and out on the water.

After launching from Oakland Beach Boat Launch in Warwick, RI, I headed south towards Warwick Light.  Along the way I paddled past several working boats, each with a crew member raking the bottom...

 ...for quahogs, I think?  I'd later find an informative article "Bullrakes to Clambakes" by Michael Bell on Quahog.org which gave me a new appreciation for the skilled work required of a Bullraker.

Soon I reached Warwick Light...

...where I left Greenwich Bay and headed towards Patience Island about a mile out in Narragansett Bay.  Once there I landed at the island's north end where trash was encountered at the high water mark...

A quick walk of this stretch of shoreline...

...produced this haul of mostly plastic flotsam...

That's a fair amount for only 60 yards or so of shoreline.  Several of the plastic containers were deteriorated to the point where they crumbled into pieces upon being picked up.  That's the most concerning thing about plastic trash...after enough time in the sun it breaks down into micro-bits which may enter the food chain and therefore eventually us.  One plastic gallon-jug still contained about half a quart of motor oil.  Fortunately, the jug's cap was on tight keeping the oil safe inside.

Back on the water I paddled east from Patience over to the nearby and much larger Prudence Island where a brief landing was made...

According to the Dictionary of American-Indian place and proper names in New England by R.A. Douglas-Lithgow the Narragansett people called Patience Island "Chibacoweda" and Prudence Island "Chibachuweset".  The islands are situated near the center of Narragansett Bay.

Reaching the south end of Patience my boat's bow pointed southward towards Conanicut Island and the Jamestown and Newport bridges...

  ...before I turned to the west and headed for Pojac Point and the Potowomut River.  After making the 2 mile crossing I entered the Potowomut River which seemed at first to be just another tidal inlet...

Once in about a mile, the inlet began to change in appearance and began to look more like a river...

Ospreys and cormorants were plentiful, as well as this egret...

At the Old Forge Road bridge I reached the end of navigation (without portaging)...

At this point the non-tidal Hunt River drops into the tidal Potowomut.  A fish ladder can be seen to the left.

Heading back down the Potowomut...

Where the river enters the bay at Marsh Point, I stopped for lunch at Marsh Point not realizing that across the inlet at Pojac Point there was formerly a 8' by 5' etched stone known as the Narragansett Runestone.

I paddled past Sandy Point and then crossed a very busy Greenwich Bay...was this October 22nd or July 4th?

Anyway, this morning I was still savoring my time on the bay when I read in the Boston Globe that three scientists from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were not allowed by EPA to speak at a conference discussing the effects global warming are having on Narragansett Bay, the largest estuary in New England. 

Real Fall Feel

Though the calendar told me fall arrived more than three weeks ago, it wasn't until yesterday that I really felt its presence.   No sooner had I launched into the Nashua River at the Oxbow in Still River than a cool breeze out of the north had me reaching for a warmer jacket and hat.

This now abandoned osprey nest will hopefully endure the coming winter and be ready to provide a safe haven for next spring's hatchlings...

One thing about paddling this stretch of the Nashua I particularly enjoy is how you can stop on the way home and look out upon Wachusett Mountain and the valley you just paddled through...

Trash encountered was the typical mix with 4 of the Nashua's signature quart-sized glass beer bottles..

A Bottom Scrapin' Sudbury

Launched into the Sudbury River from River Road in Wayland yesterday afternoon and headed upriver.  The weather looked like it was either about to clear or about to rain and shortly a brief shower ensued.

Some new signs...

...serve to remind that the 2017-2018 duck-hunting season is underway.  However, the river on this day was busy with folks fishing from the shore, atop the old RR trestle, and from several boats.  Most reported having success. 

Once past the Greenways shallow conditions were encountered with the river bottom exposed in many places.  In one such spot it took a second glance to realize I wasn't seeing the profile of a dugout canoe...

...just an old tree trunk.

Nearby these sandpipers were making the most of the shallows...

Eventually and only by using the two halves of my paddle-like ski poles to slide my boat over the muck, I reached the "Great Wall"...

...near Heard Pond which was withholding a fair amount of the river.  The beaver-built barrier made a good spot to turnaround and begin the trip back.

Along the way I'd picked up 2 floating poster boards each with a single letter.  One had an "R" and the other a "W".  On my return trip I may have solved the puzzle...

...when the missing letter was seen still attached to the Route 20 bridge.  Was someone being inspired to row?

Further downriver at my takeout a rower was encountered...

It was Tom who, like me, uses wheels to help transport his boat.  His boat dates from the 1970s and Tom shared photos of the many times his boat's been loaded to the gills with water chestnuts he and others pulled from the river.  He also had a photo of the 38" long northern pike he once caught on the Sudbury.

By the time my little journey came to an end the day was ending with blue skies to the north...

A small haul of trash was gathered up along the way...

Weather Suits the Day

Monday was a working holiday for many, including myself.  The holiday traditionally named for Christopher Columbus has long celebrated the explorer's 1492 landing in the New World. However, as the historical picture of Columbus becomes clearer many folks have come to the conclusion that Columbus was not an admirable character, even considering the time period in which he lived.  Thus the holiday is now being referred to by many as "Indigenous Peoples Day".  I agree with this being a better choice.

At any rate, when my abbreviated workday concluded, I found myself near the Assabet River and the Chapin Road boat launch in Hudson, MA.  The small slough that I've launched into on previous visits was lacking the key ingredient...

...water.  After dragging my boat a bit (glad I had my mud boots), I was soon paddling upriver.

The weather was showery and tropical for these parts in October.  Heavier rain was predicted for later in the afternoon.

As I approached where the Assabet passes under Route 495 I noticed a virtual parade of vehicles towing campers in a southbound direction.  This served as a reminder that most of the campgrounds up north have now closed for the season.

After passing under the highway I came upon this musk or stinkpot turtle...

...he was in about 6 inches of water and steadfastly facing into the current almost as if waiting for something.  His carapace was covered with algae.  I learned online that these turtles can live as long as 50 years so I suspect this guy could probably tell me a thing or two about his days in the Assabet.

A little less than 2 miles upriver from Chapin Street beavers had modified the river to their liking...

...and the dam became my turnaround point.

The return trip provided a few glimpses of fall foliage...

Once back at Chapin Street I couldn't resist paddling a little further to the foot bridge...

The mood of the day was mellow...

...and the rain was "soft"...

Some trash gathered up along the way...

   

NH AMC's Wrap-up Patrol

The New Hampshire Appalachian Mountain Club Paddlers wrapped up their fifth season of monthly trash patrols yesterday in Nashua, NH.

Beginning in May the NH AMC Paddlers conducted trash patrols on the Shawsheen River in Burlington, MA, Nashua River in Nashua, NH (from the Millyard), Merrimack River in Tyngsboro, MA, and the Merrimack River in Nashua, NH (from Greeley Park).

Yesterday's group consisting of 6 kayaks and 1 canoe headed out from the Mine Falls Park boat launch and patrolled the Nashua River's shoreline approximately 2 miles upriver from the dam.

The day was summer-like and there were only a few splashes of fall foliage to remind us it was actually October...

For the most part, trash was noted to be lighter than past years and the capacity of our trash crates wasn't put to the test.

Sue's boat cutting through the duckweed...

Paul and Lynda heading in...

Ron and Maureen...

The sorted haul looked about evenly split between recyclables (clear bag) and plain old rubbish...

The trash haul (pictured above) may have increased in size as one participant, Gary, planned to further patrol the Mill Pond and Power Canal below the dam. 

Assabet's Cozy Confines

After having spent several days last week paddling and admiring the majestic scale of the Hudson River in the Catskills Region of New York it nonetheless felt good returning to the friendly confines of my local waters.  This past Monday afternoon I got out on one of my favorite stretches of the Assabet River in Stow and Hudson (MA) and found first-rate conditions for early October...

Nursing a troublesome hamstring I was taking things very slowly and didn't mind at all when I found the portal to Fort Meadow Brook blocked by debris. 

I just continued further upriver and, closer to Gleasondale, stopped my ascent at this fallen tree spanning the river bank to bank...

On the return trip downriver I came upon this blue heron seemingly floating through the weeds...

Very little in the way of trash...