Surfing at the Martin Street Bridge - February 25, 2024

My original plan was to paddle the canal/river loop from Lonsdale to Ashton. I got down to the put-in and had a surprise – the canal was frozen. Well, it is still winter after all. Instead, I ended up surfing at the broken dam below the Martin Street Bridge. The level was great, and it is always fun to surf in my Yellowstone Sole.  Here is about an hour of paddling in about two and a half minutes.

Martin Street Bridge from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

Plummers Landing - February 11, 2024

At the put-in at Plummers Landing

I needed to stay local again this weekend. When I saw a post from José on the RICKA Flatwater message board, I decided to join her for a run on the Blackstone River from Plummers Landing. While I was scouting the take-out at the Stanley Woolen Mill, I saw Bob and Ozzie who would be poling upstream.

I met José at the Plummers Landing put-in on Church Street, and we decided to do the run down to the Tri-River Medical Center at River Bend Farm. The river was at a nice level – 4.2-feet on the Northbridge gage.

Running the twists and turns

This section of the Blackstone is in a considerable state of flux with the river constantly eroding its banks and creating new channels. About a mile downstream, the river has breached the old Blackstone Canal on the right, and much of the water now flows down the old canal trench - stay left to remain in the river. From there the river twists and turns, and it is a challenge to maneuver around the s-turns and through the strainers.There was one strainer that we needed to portage.

Eventually, we entered the calm water of Rice City Pond and paddled over to check out the Goat Hill Lock from the old Blackstone Canal. We meandered our way through Rice City Pond and over to the take-out at the Hartford Avenue Bridge. José wants to paddle River Bend Farm next – sounds good to me. I never did see Bob and Ozzie again.

In the Goat Hill Lock on the Blackstone Canal

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My Pictures

Northbridge Gage

Trip Description for BRVNHC

Plummers Landing from Rhode Island Blueways

Hunt River - February 4, 2024

At the put-in

I had things to do yesterday, and I needed to stay local today, so I joined Chuck, Frank, Steve and Earl for an up-and-back trip on the Hunt River in North Kingstown.

The Hunt River arises in East Greenwich at Scrabbletown Brook and flows generally northeast for 11-miles into Potowomut Pond. After Potowomut Pond, the river emerges as the Potowomut River and flows east for 2.5-miles forming the southern shore of Potowomut Neck in Warwick before emptying into Narragansett Bay just south of Greenwich Bay.

Heading upstream

We put-in off Davisville Road in North Kingstown near parking for the Davis Memorial Wildlife Refuge, and just above a stone dam that once powered an old textile mill. There was plenty of water in the river with the gage at 1.5 feet, 100 cfs. The river twists and turns through acres of wetlands that make up this 94-acre Audubon property - surprisingly, no ice.

We paddle upstream until the river was clogged and full of brush before turning around. On the way back we stopped for a break at the Hunt River Preserve of the East Greenwich Land Trust. The group shot had TW asking "Midst the burly, squirrely, grizzly ole men, how dost thee, Erik, keep such a clean chin?"  I'm still going for the baby-faced look.

The crew - Chuck, Erik, Steve, Frank and Earl

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My Pictures

Davis Memorial Wildlife Refuge

Hunt River Gage