A Quest for Open Water

 

Weather forecasters predicted a beauty of day yesterday with wall-to-wall sunshine and temperatures rising into the upper 40's F.  A great day to paddle but would I be able to find open water in which to do so?

My quest started once the temperature rose above freezing and took me first to a tidal section of the Merrimack River in Haverhill, MA. There I found the boat launch iced-in and most of the river iced-over.  Next I drove to Rocks Village in West Newbury, MA where the launch was also iced-in but the river was open in the middle.  Finally I placed all my cards on the table, and drove further to Plum Island in Newbury, MA.  There at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge I found what I sought, and it was more than worth the price ($5) of admission...first and foremost...

...and secondly, an ice-free place to launch into the Plum Island River...

The tide, while still at a high level, was about to start receding.  Paddled under the Sgt. Donald A. Wilkinson drawbridge which connects Plum Island to the mainland...

 Briefly drank-in the view of the Merrimack River...

...before returning to the Plum Island River and following one of its water trails...

Came across this odd structure...

...with a seemingly appropriate name...

Come to think of it a "dog" would've hit the spot.

A little further on the spell was broken when, even here, ice blocked my passage...

This was the same spot where the opening photo was taken and attests to just how unusually frigid this first half of December has been around these parts.  

So, it was mission accomplished (within limitations imposed by Old Man Winter).  Before leaving the refuge I walked over to the island's ocean side and looked at some totally open-water...the Atlantic Ocean...

According to Wikipedia the first European to show the 8-mile long barrier island on a map was Captain John Smith who described it in 1614 as  "...an ile two or three leagues in length...". 

 

A kiosk near where I launched describes the refuge as having 4,600 acres of pristine coastal habitat and  is one of the top birding sites in the country, showcasing some of the most beautiful beaches in Massachusetts.  A view towards some island dunes...

 

Trash was light with only a Sierra Nevada beer can and the head portion of a despicable "minion"...

More Than Just a Toehold

Old Man Winter has arrived 'round these parts and he's established more than just a toehold.  He gave us a frigid Monday and Tuesday which saw my thermometer register zero degrees for the first time this season. Meteorologists are saying it's the coldest start to winter since 2007.

On Sunday morning, before the frigid blast, I enjoyed temps near 40 degrees F. and open water on the Concord River in Concord, MA.  Photos from Sunday: 

Egg Rock as seen from the point where the Sudbury and Assabet rivers meet to form the Concord...

Before heading down the Concord River I took a look at where the long-abandoned Reformatory Branch approached its crossing of the Sudbury River ...

The light snow-cover accentuates the old railroad grade some hundred years after it last saw a train.  

The landing at the Calf Pasture...

The Old North Bridge...

The Landing at Great Meadows...

...which sports a new sign...

Brewster's Canoe House...

The view northward from where I turned about at Davis Hill...

 

On Wednesday, after Old Man Winter's two-day blast of frigid weather, forecasters predicted a very brief window where temps might rise into the 40's.  Thus, in hopes of finding some relatively ice-free water, I headed south to the Charles River where it runs between Sherborn and Dover, MA.  Photos from Wednesday below:

Launched at the bridge connecting the two towns...

Heading upstream didn't look too promising...

...as ice covered the river's full width.  However, the downstream view offered hope...

Some mallards provided a bit of color...

Canada geese were holding a meeting of some sort...

Temperatures reached 45 degrees F.

Beyond the geese was more shore-to-shore ice leaving me hemmed-in by ice at both ends with only a half mile of open water in which to paddle.  Left me wondering if this might be my last paddle of 2025...unless, of course, we get an early January thaw in late December. 

Trash was scarce on both Sunday and Wednesday:

Sunday's...

Wednesday's...

Apparently, trash is no fan of winter either.

Impromptu "WHOA" Paddle

The weather forecast Thursday morning was rather bleak with meteorologists predicting afternoon snow squalls ushering in bone chilling temperatures.  However, there would be a brief window of tolerable conditions in the late morning.  Thus an impromptu "Winter Haters of America" (WHOA) paddle was set into motion and I drove southward to Kellogg Street in Framingham and launched into the Sudbury River.  Spun a "nip" bottle and it pointed downstream so I headed that way...

Skies were cloudy but the winds were on the light side.  Soon I reached the bend where the river was relocated upon the building of the Mass Pike in the 1950s.  Instead of continuing northward the river was diverted to run alongside the pike's eastbound lanes...

Reached the Fiddlers Green Dam at Simpson Park and noted a warning sign I'd not seen on previous visits...

Usually I portage to the dam's right side, but on this day I wasn't planning to do so and instead landed on the river's left side...

...where I found a very short and too easy to pass up portage route.  Just to my landed boat's right is a structure allowing river water to be diverted into a millrace?...

...which passes under a short bridge...

The bridge formerly carried vehicular traffic on Fenwick Street over the millrace before the Mass Pike cut the road in two.  The abandoned road today...

In doing the portage and short paddle down the millrace I saw no signs or ruins of a mill.  Later research online would provide few answers as to who built the dam and for what purpose.  As frustrated as I was, AI was having an even worse time of it.  Apparently, AI is incapable of saying it just doesn't know! Ultimately, I came across a Framingham 1895 Atlas by Barnes and Jenks which showed a dam and saw mill at this location.  I also came across this mention of the Fiddlers Green Dam in the City of Framingham, MA Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2023..."Fiddlers Green Dam, Landham Pond Dam, and Packard Dam do not have federal or state requirements because they do not meet the official definition of a dam because of height or impounded capacity."  The plan shows the Fiddlers Green structure as being privately owned.  Is it a dam?  If not, what is it?

This photo shows the low-drop dam as it appears from downstream...

 Leaving the Simpson Park area I crossed under the aforementioned Mass Pike...

...as patches of blue sky began to appear.

After another mile or so I reached the Saxonville Mills and Central Street Dam...

My return trip just past noontime saw enough sunshine to require shades...

...however the wind was beginning to gather strength.

While out on the river I found myself thinking of the tragic accident which occurred in Newburyport on Wednesday morning. According to news reports, a man working on a bridge repair project lost hold of his skiff near the shoreline and, in trying to regain possession of the skiff, was swept from shore by the tidal current.  He was last seen clinging to the side of the boat.

The sun still prevailed as I approached the Central Street Bridge near where I'd launched from...

  

    

Trash on Thursday was of a plastic nature and included 35 "nip" bottles...

A Nest Restored

 

Paddled two stretches of the Assabet River in Stow and Hudson, MA this past week. On Wednesday I enjoyed a 1-day reprieve from what seems to be a fast-approaching winter.  The day provided ample portions of blue sky accompanied by temperatures on the plus side of 60 degrees F. giving the Assabet River between Crow Island and Gleasondale the feel of early fall.

Turtles sensed the warmth and began to reappear...

One of my objectives, besides just enjoying the warmth, was to check on the status of a long-standing eagle nest.  When I last visited the area in early October the nest was completely gone...

...whereas on Wednesday the nest is in the process of being rebuilt...

...in the same tree.  The same teardown and rebuild process happened in 2022.  Hopefully, the nest will be ready to cradle some eggs in a month or two.

This morning I paddled the 2-mile stretch of the Assabet River between Cox Street in Hudson, MA and the dam at Gleasondale.  Conditions were cloudy and cool with rain predicted for the afternoon...

Paddled around Orchard Hill...

...where there was another fallen tree to deal with...

Trash gathered up on Wednesday included 7 "nip" bottles, a Mylar balloon, and a storage tote's cover...

Trash from today included 48 "nip" bottles...