Late Out of the Gate

 

With my boat and its power plant finally out of dry-dock I got my 2023 paddling season underway yesterday on the Assabet River in Stow, MA.  Thanks to our fairly mild winter (to this point) I found things quite peaceful out on the ice-free river. Water levels are up from when I last paddled in December. The wildlife seen were mute swans, kingfishers, Canada geese, mergansers, and this red-tailed hawk...

The eagle nest looks ready to serve its purpose which should happen in the next month or so...

A riverside council fire ring also stands at the ready...

The only ice I could find was in the far end of this shallow slough...

 First trash haul of this new year...

While stuck on land I did make a terrestrial visit to the long ago busy railroad junction of Oakdale (West Boylston, MA) where prior to the building of the Wachusett Reservoir the tracks of the Central Massachusetts Railroad and the Worcester, Nashua and Portland Division crossed at grade.  Where there was once a depot, water tank, turntable and engine house today this old signal base appears to be all that remains...

The tracks heading towards Worcester still see daily use and just recently had continuously welded rail installed...

A short distance to the right of the above pictured rails, the Quinapoxet River drops down into Wachusett Reservoir...

Across from the power generating station and along the old Central Mass railbed was this interesting structure incorporating 2 old railroad boxcars and a shipping container...

...which provided this unusual "bottoms up" view...

The odd structure seems related to a Massachusetts Water Resources Authority facility.

Can't overstate how happy I am to be back on the water!