A Shallow and Glassy Sudbury

 

Got out on the Sudbury River twice this past week.   On Monday, July 4th, I paddled upriver passing under the above pictured Route 2.  The inscription at Egg Rock, where I'd started from, was high and dry attesting to how low the water level is these days...

 Yesterday I paddled the stretch upriver from Route 20 in Wayland...

...where the river water level was even lower.  

Wildlife seen on the river this past week included this regal heron owning the high ground...

...and this doe...

...a Muscovy duck...

...and this gang of young ducks, perhaps siblings just "chillin'"...

One good-sized snapping turtle...

...and this perhaps yet to fledge eaglet...

Low water levels exposed these old-timey bottles...

The first one I came upon was a GOLDEN DOME, BOSTON bottle holding "1 pint and 12 flu oz".  GOLDEN DOME BOTTLING CO. was embossed at the bottle's heel.  Coming upon it caused me to wonder what our legislature is doing under the Golden Dome of the Statehouse in regards to updating our "Bottle Bill".  This bottle may date to the 1930's?

A 1-pint milk bottle was next having its identifying info on the bottle's base... 

According to the article "The Dating Game: Thatcher Glass Mfg. Co." by Bill Lockhart, Pete Schulz, Carol Serr, and Bill Lindsey this style of bottle was once known as the "Common-Sense" milk bottle for the way it was sealed at the top.  Believe it dates to 1919.

Last but not least was a blob-top soda/beer bottle embossed with "J.M. McMANUS, HOPKINTON, MASS" with a big number 3 embossed on the base.  It probably dates to either the late 1800's or the early 1900's. 

Trash for the week...

...

Small River/Big River

Paddled a small river, the Assabet, on Tuesday and noted its entire width reflected adjacent greenery...

Yesterday I paddled on the much bigger Merrimack River where it was the half blue/half milky sky that did most of the reflecting...

  Other differences...the Merrimack has a public beach and beach house...

...while the Assabet lacks both.  

The Assabet however did have a still-busy eagle nest where two eaglets are in the process of fledging.  Last Tuesday both eaglets were out of the nest and on opposite sides with one looking eastward...

...and the other looking to the west...

Later that morning when the parent eagle made a food delivery only one eaglet was seen in the nest...

My guess is that its sibling has already fledged and was elsewhere.

Also of note on the Assabet was the continuing work on the Route 62 bridge in Gleasondale...

...and seeing an origami-style folding Oru kayak being paddled by a fisherman...

...which looks to be an interesting concept.

On my way down the Merrimack to Pawtucket Falls dam I detoured into Stony Brook and observed the 'hanging gardens' of North Chelmsford near Middlesex Street...

...

Whereas on the Assabet a tributary I sometimes paddle (Fort Meadow Brook) was found to be non-navigable on Tuesday...

 

Back to the Merrimack I saw quite a few encampments along the river's west side.  This one's seen better days...

Eventually reached the dam at Pawtucket Falls where the James E. O'Donnell bridge carries Mammoth Rd. across the river...

The small brick building at the right side of the bridge is the Pawtucket Gatehouse which along with the Lowell Water Power System was designated a National Historic Landmark by the American Societies of Civil and Mechanical Engineers on July 1, 1985.  According to a brochure jointly published by the two societies at that time, the Pawtucket Gatehouse played a role in turbine research and it was there that the "Francis" turbines were developed.  I also learned that Lowell's Water Power System was owned by the Proprietors of Locks and Canals Corporation which was incorporated in 1797...one of the oldest corporations in the United States.  It still exists today.

Trash gathered-up along the way...

...

You can probably guess which river produced the larger trash haul.

A Causeway and Two Local Rivers

Over the past week or so I got out on the water twice in my boat and once on my bicycle.  That's right, out on the water by bicycle, or so it seemed as Mrs. Trashpaddler and I pedaled from terra firma in Colchester, VT out onto Lake Champlain via a 10' wide causeway which, after about 3 miles, brought us to a gap in the causeway called "The Cut" where a seasonal bike ferry operates.  Taking the bike ferry allows one to continue along the causeway to South Hero Island.  The causeway was built in 1901 by the Rutland Railroad and carried trains until 1961.  Tracks were torn-up in 1964 according to Wikepedia.  The ferry wasn't operating when we were there so we turned about and pedaled the arcing causeway back to Colchester... 

American elm trees appear along the sides of the causeway, and trail literature mentions how these elms escaped the ravages of Dutch elm disease. The trail known today as "The Island Line Rail Trail" was certainly one of the more unique rail trails we've had the pleasure to bicycle on.   

Last Saturday I paddled down the Concord River in Concord, MA from Egg Rock...

  ...passing under the Old North Bridge...

...and shortly thereafter Monument Street where I came across another 2 USPS mail crates enveloped in plastic trash bags...

Like the 3 mail crates found in the same section of river in late May, both of these crates were full...one with advertisements and the other with first-class mail.  Very strange.  The USPS has been notified, and is looking into the matter.

Further down the Concord a pileated woodpecker was encountered...

...and also a killdeer...

Trash gathered up along the way including the aforementioned mail crates...

On Tuesday I celebrated the Summer Solstice with a paddle on the Nashua River upstream from Petapawag in Groton, MA...

Unfortunately someone had recently dumped what looked to be recycled cardboard and trash at the boat ramp...

A more positive development was seeing that all the tree limbs (acting as a strainer) on the upstream side of the Route/119/111 bridge had been removed...

Trash found out on the river...

Bring on summer!

Assabet Eaglets Uptake

Paddled to the Assabet River eagle nest yesterday to check on the status of the two eaglets.  Both were present and accounted for in the nest.  One eaglet was intent on spreading its wings a bit and learning what they're for...

 

...finally achieving lift-off and a brief hover above the nest...

My guess is that this year's eaglets will fledge earlier than last year's pair which fledged in early July.

Came across this old and still corked half-pint bottle floating in the river...

...and couldn't help but think that when the cork was last pressed into the bottle, however many years ago, any thoughts of eagles in the area would have seemed far fetched. 

Concord River Down to the Dam

Closed out the first week of June with a paddle down the Concord River starting from the Bedford Boat Ramp (above photo).  It was a perfect day for paying a visit to the Faulkner Dam in North Billerica.  One of the more scenic spots along the way is the Fordway Bar just below the Pollard Street bridge... 

With the river at its present level and the current being slow, the rocks in the bar are easily avoided.

Beyond the bar is a millpond and Talbot Mills...

The mill tower's bell appears to be unmounted and resting on its floor...

Before leaving the dam area it appeared the river was looking back at me...

While paddling upriver back through the Fordway Bar I encountered this strange creature...

...believed to be a young Star-nosed Mole.  It was in almost constant motion and took to swimming at one point.  One of the stranger creatures I've ever encountered.

  

Later ran across this cormorant perched on a wire...

...which I would've thought difficult on account of their presumably webbed feet.

Very little in the way of trash...

On the previous Friday I paddled the Sudbury River from River Road in Wayland where repair work is still underway on the Route 27 bridge...

Near the bridge this killdeer or possibly a Wilson's Plover stood still for a photo...

Just before reaching the Route 20 bridge came across this cormorant cluster...

I'd imagine a gang this big would clean out the local fish population in short order.

Passed under a serene-looking Pelham Island Bridge...

Trash was also on the light side with what looked like bits insulating foam...

Happy to report the U.S. Postal Service took possession of the three mail crates recovered from the upper Concord River in late May.