Rivers 'Round Here

 

Back home from some camping/paddling on Maine's Penobscot River I got in some paddling on my local waterways.  Seems each time I return from far-away (and bigger) waters I find myself wondering if the rivers 'round here will somehow seem diminished...until I get out on them again and I find just the opposite. The Sudbury River in Wayland, MA couldn't have looked better this past Friday with classic summer weather...blue skies, real summer heat, and a gentle southwest breeze.  Water levels were plentiful, especially for July, and allowed access to the old cut-off loop of the river passing under the Town Bridge (opening photo).

Heading upriver from the River Rd. boat launch...

Figured with this much water a trip through the grass and shrubbery to Heard Pond might be in the cards.  I followed the winding path where it appeared other boats had recently passed and pushed my way through some tall grass where they hadn't until until finally finding only pickerelweed between me and the pond...

...and then a little further the pond itself...

...where some fishing occurred but no catching.  The fish showed no interest in my lure gliding along the surface...

Heading back and approaching the Pelham Island Road bridge...

Sunday's cloudy and cool conditions were a welcome change from the heat and humidity.  Egg Rock's inscription indicated ample water for the Concord River...

The Old North Bridge...

The riverine pathway between the trees...

Went downriver to the tiny cove near William Brewster's old stone canoe house (part of October Farm)...

Back at Egg Rock a passing stand-up paddleboarder alerted me to this bald eagle around the bend on the lower Sudbury River...

A nearby fisherman reported the eagle as having been perched there for more than an hour.

Alongside the lower Assabet River this white-tailed deer was devouring leafy foliage...

...

The white tail stayed down as the deer showed little to no concern as to my presence.

Trash from Friday...

 Trash from Sunday...

Anyone else use CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) for sleep apnea when car-camping?  I usually prefer the more isolated tent sites in a campground, but these sites most often don't have electricity meaning no power for my CPAP machine.  Therefore upon retiring I bought a marine/RV deep-cycle battery and a DC converter for powering my CPAP when camping.  Problem was the battery would die halfway into a third night leaving me waking to a loss of air.  Before my recent camping/paddling trip to Maine I consulted my CPAP manual and found the following advice for users traveling: "If you are using an external battery, you should turn off the humidifier in order to maximize the life of your battery."  This I did along with also turning off  the air-tube heater and happily found the battery lasted a full five nights.  Who knew?  Now I do!