A Preview of Spring

 

The latter part of this past week provided a welcome preview of springtime.  Thursday offered temperatures around 45 degrees F. with light winds.  The Nashua River in Harvard, MA had both the look and feel of spring (photo above).

  

A small tributary was briskly moving past a beaver-built structure to reach the river...

Evidence of just how high the river had been is this purple orb...

...seemingly suspended in mid-air.

Re-visited the very efficient natural trash trap downstream of the Oxbow NWR boat launch...

Later came upon a freight train parked on the bridge and alongside the river...

The train's head end was stopped where the Still River Depot once stood...

...perhaps awaiting a new crew for the rest of the trip to northern Maine.  Brings to mind the old Roger Miller's hobo song "King of the Road".  In particular, the lyrics "Third boxcar, midnight train, destination Bangor, Maine....I'm a man of means by no means King of the Road."

Mount Wachusett silently watched over all of this activity...

Trash from the Nashua included 70 miniature bottles (aka "nips")...

Two days later, on Saturday, when the thermometer would flirt with 60 degrees F., I paddled to Egg Rock and vicinity in Concord, MA...

...where water levels continue to gradually fall and now expose a good portion of the inscription.

Unlike the Nashua, trees along the lower Assabet are mostly deciduous...

Saw what I believe to be my first red-winged blackbird of the year...

Two other kayakers were seen on the Concord River...

The high water levels of late look to have led a few boats astray:

This one on the lower Sudbury River...

...and this one on the Concord River just downstream of Monument Street...

Trash from the area's waters (Assabet/Concord) included 19 miniature bottles (aka "nips")...

Unfortunately, cold temperatures, wind, and snow are predicted to return tomorrow.  Glad to have had the brief peek.