April at Last

Believe it or not this (photo at left) was the least snowy of the two boat launches near the Route 119 bridge over the Nashua River in Groton/Pepperell.  I'd first checked the Petapawag launch in Groton, but found the access road had snow too deep for my car to handle.

So I launched on the Pepperell side of the bridge.  Getting my boat to the water was made all the easier by just sliding it on the snow...

 

April is in front of my boat's bow and March is to its stern (I hope).  I was very happy to turn the page on my calendar this morning as the past three months were way too long, cold, and snowy for my taste.

Because April arrived in a fairly breezy fashion I paddled upriver on the Nashua letting the tree-lined banks blunt the wind...

Where Robinson Brook enters the river...

 I stopped to admire this well engineered beaver deceiver...

...located on the other side of an old railroad grade which once led to Pepperell and Brookline, NH...

One hundred years ago freight trains came down this grade carrying ice cut from Brookline's Potanipo Lake bound for Boston.  The line ran 14 miles to Squannacook Junction where it connected with the Peterborough and Shirley Branch in order to reach Ayer and points to the east.  The ice trains stopped in the 1930's, though some freight service to Pepperell continued until 1942.

In a letter to the Groton Herald, Paul Funch explained the history of this long gone railroad and its proximity to the historic Fitch's Bridge site...

 
My upriver journey ended a little above the Route 225 bridge and, after turning about, the current brought me downriver swiftly and before I knew it Route 119 loomed ahead...

I got off the river just before it started to get crowded...(seriously) with multi-crewed shells and coach containing power boats from the Groton School boathouse.  Amazing to see how fast those shells cut through the water. 

Trash found on the upstream side of snags along the way...

Oh yeah, fittingly with this being April Fool's Day, one of my brand-new Mukluk boots leaked on its maiden voyage.

Nashoba's New Look

Ascended the Assabet River today from its mouth at Egg Rock to West Concord where one of its larger tributaries, Nashoba Brook, enters from the west.  The brook's south bank has a new look (photo at left) and the building under construction dwarfs the buildings that previously occupied the area.


A little further upstream and past the construction area is the familiar Nashoba Bakery and its brook-side eating area...

The day had started with a feel of winter, but later developed into a fine spring afternoon.

Thanks to all the snowmelt and recent rains the Assabet is flowing high and wide.  Only the top two lines of Egg Rock's inscription are visible...

Wood ducks were the theme of today's paddle...

...and were everywhere.

In addition to the building under construction along Nashoba Brook, West Concord's Fitchburg Commuter Rail crossing of the Assabet is sporting a newly constructed span for its inbound track...

If I understand correctly, this project is replacing the Fitchburg line's bridges over both the Assabet and Sudbury rivers as well as replacing the very low bridge over Route 62 to the east.  The latter should finally provide trailer-truck drivers the head room they expect.

Saw three fishermen today, one fishing from shore and two from a small power boat.

Trash had sprung forth...

...and consisted of the usual: plastic bottles, Styrofoam, and a Mylar balloon (from Valentines Day).

The Ice Retreats

This afternoon the Assabet River was wide open from Magazu's Landing up to Gleasondale in Stow.  What ice there is has retreated to the sloughs. 

After another very cold morning (14 F.), afternoon temperatures climbed to near 40 degrees F. 

In addition to wood ducks, hooded mergansers, red-winged blackbirds, musquash, mute swans, and Canada geese were recently arrived tree swallows, an osprey, and a great blue heron.

Fort Meadow Brook was ascended up to the old railroad trestle for the first time this season...

...as the water level was ideal for passing through the box culvert...

The melting ice is creating some nice designs along the brook's bank...

Other formations were noted along the river...

Thankfully the ice is doing its "swan song"...

This blue heron seemed to be enjoying the afternoon sunshine...

The trash theme of the day was Scope and Listerine...

...along with a plastic duck found "dead in the water" with hole in top of his head.  The usual plastic bottles, plastic bags, and Styrofoam were also present.

Paddlin' Like a Minuteman

Driving snow-covered roads to a job this morning, the last thing I envisioned was getting in an afternoon paddle on the Concord River.  But then around noontime the sun began to emerge and I heard the alarm that an early spring afternoon might be in the making.  I raced home, grabbed my musket...I mean kayak, and headed out the door.
Made it to the Old North Bridge (at left) in a jiffy and found sections of blue sky overhead.

The first redcoat was encountered about a half mile below the bridge...

Actually I heard his distinctive call before laying eyes upon him.  I can't tell you how good it feels to hear that sound for the first time each spring.

He and his kind were keeping good company with hooded mergansers...

...Canada geese and wood ducks...

The paddling portion of my march had begun near Egg Rock and its icy inscription...

...and brought me about 3 miles down river to the end of open water near Davis Hill...

The view is looking to the north where Old Man Winter disappeared last night after flipping us all the bird so to speak.  Hopefully he'll get some therapy during the off-season.

On my way back upriver the sun gained even more sky, and temperatures may have touched a balmy 40 degrees F.  The first full day of spring, after getting off to a rough start, had battled back to seize the afternoon.

Before passing under Flint's Bridge (Monument Street), I paused and marveled at my good fortune...

Along the way a better home was found for these castaways...

Felt Like Opening Day

Finally, conditions close to normal allowed me to be out on the river rather than worrying about ice dams, snow, cold, and wind...and it felt great! Awesome!  Fantastic!  The way life should be!
Instead of the smell of hot dogs and peanuts and the sound of bat hitting ball, I had my paddle sweeping through the water and a hot cocoa seventh-inning break near the "Grey Monster" (photo left) in Saxonville.  No home runs were launched over the wall. 


Of course many boat launches were checked before one was found that had both open water and reasonable access to it.  Surmounting this snow bank...

 ...gave me entry to a wide-open Sudbury River in Framingham...

Surprisingly there were no ice shelves and the river was open to both banks.

Water level was ideal and my boat and I passed through the Stone Bridge's left portal for the first time (if memory serves correctly)...

...usually it's blocked by debris and I paddle around the end.

I wondered if there'd be any trash and found some that had wintered over...

The usual culprits (plastic bottles, plastic bags, and Styrofoam) were joined by a fire extinguisher and snowboogie board by WHAM-O.

A Streak Saver

It wasn't the most pleasant paddling experience, but yesterday's brief exploration of Narragansett Bay's West Passage did keep my streak alive.  The last time a month elapsed without my having paddled New England waters was back in February of 2007.

So with only 3 hours of daylight left in February I launched from the beach (photo at left) at the end of South Ferry Road by the University of Rhode Island's Bay Campus in Narragansett, RI.  Of the 5 boat launches scouted in Rhode Island's South County it was by far the most hospitable.

Air temps were in the mid to upper 20's and the expected northwest breeze was now coming from the south.  Good-sized floating chunks of ice were encountered... 

 

 

Taking refuge behind a jetty I could see the Newport Bridge to the east behind Conanicut Island...

 

 

A distant Beavertail Point Lighthouse could be seen at Conanicut's southernmost tip...

 

Other than wretched ice, no trash was encountered.

 

With the streak preserved, Mrs. Trashpaddler and I watched the last sunset of February 2015 from the warm environs of George's of Galilee seafood restaurant in Point Judith.  The toughest February I've ever experienced and glad to have survived it!  



Plotting My Escape

As I sit here writing this post the temperature outside is 16 degrees Farenheit, it's snowing again, and my lower back is killin' me.  Old Man Winter has me pinned to the mat and, though I've already tapped-out several times, I'm about to lose consciousness.  With my few remaining seconds I plot my escape.

At the right moment I see myself breaking out, dragging the boat from hibernation, using its painter to pull it over the snow, and struggling to get it atop my car's roof.  Then I'm driving due south in search of open water and temperatures above 32 degrees.  I'll be saying "so long" to Massachusetts and entering the neighboring Ocean State where snow banks will hopefully shrink by the mile.  When I get to where driving south is no longer possible, there'll be refuge in the form of open water.  I'll rejoice!