A Causeway and Two Local Rivers

Over the past week or so I got out on the water twice in my boat and once on my bicycle.  That's right, out on the water by bicycle, or so it seemed as Mrs. Trashpaddler and I pedaled from terra firma in Colchester, VT out onto Lake Champlain via a 10' wide causeway which, after about 3 miles, brought us to a gap in the causeway called "The Cut" where a seasonal bike ferry operates.  Taking the bike ferry allows one to continue along the causeway to South Hero Island.  The causeway was built in 1901 by the Rutland Railroad and carried trains until 1961.  Tracks were torn-up in 1964 according to Wikepedia.  The ferry wasn't operating when we were there so we turned about and pedaled the arcing causeway back to Colchester... 

American elm trees appear along the sides of the causeway, and trail literature mentions how these elms escaped the ravages of Dutch elm disease. The trail known today as "The Island Line Rail Trail" was certainly one of the more unique rail trails we've had the pleasure to bicycle on.   

Last Saturday I paddled down the Concord River in Concord, MA from Egg Rock...

  ...passing under the Old North Bridge...

...and shortly thereafter Monument Street where I came across another 2 USPS mail crates enveloped in plastic trash bags...

Like the 3 mail crates found in the same section of river in late May, both of these crates were full...one with advertisements and the other with first-class mail.  Very strange.  The USPS has been notified, and is looking into the matter.

Further down the Concord a pileated woodpecker was encountered...

...and also a killdeer...

Trash gathered up along the way including the aforementioned mail crates...

On Tuesday I celebrated the Summer Solstice with a paddle on the Nashua River upstream from Petapawag in Groton, MA...

Unfortunately someone had recently dumped what looked to be recycled cardboard and trash at the boat ramp...

A more positive development was seeing that all the tree limbs (acting as a strainer) on the upstream side of the Route/119/111 bridge had been removed...

Trash found out on the river...

Bring on summer!