Salmon River

The Connecticut River Valley is home to many marsh species such as snapping turtles, cormorants, mute swans and bass. I have seen all of these species numerous times, from the banks of the river or from a dark green old town canoe.

Picture: Last set of steps down to the river

The Salmon River which flows into the Connecticut River is one the most serene waterways I have ever had the pleasure to paddle, especially in the good company of "the boys" and my father. Sometimes my mother would come out with us, but it was rare. Crossing the large section of channel to get to the mouth of the Salmon River, daring the motor boats and tugs to hit us, was not her thing. On windy days there were easily one foot waves attempting to flip us. Sitting in the bow I always raised my paddle high and pretended I was riding a roller coaster (since I am scared of the real ones at carnivals).

I remember the land marks well, there were several large houses that housed the wealthy views of the river, one always had several yellow labs on the deck that would bark as we flowed by. The peaceful bends and turns always reminded me of the song Pocahontas sings in the Disney movie, and the fishing and swimming were great! Of course, we often got lost and would not make back to camp in time for bible study on some days. Luckily there were never any real consequences, unless dinner was cold. The four of us explored miles of that river, sometimes going to the same place twice, racing each other in the rain and sun.

Other times we would paddle in opposite direction, down the Connecticut River. We would go under the swing bridge (left) careful not to get too close to the pillars, otherwise we would get sucked into large whirlpools. It was always harrowing. The fun part was that you could look up through the grating and see the undercarriages of the cars passing over head, as long as you didn't get a pebble in your eye. I remember watching many barges, both loaded and unloaded come through the bridge at certain times of days from the oil plant upriver in Middletown. Often there were sailboats hanging out waiting for the bridge to open at the allotted times. The binoculars in my grandparent's cottage were well used.

This was my second introduction to the water, my first having been many years earlier about twenty miles down the road in the next town. This introduction taught me about the nature in the water and the different moods water can have. I'm glad it happened because it prepared me for some of the outdoor activities at Unity College.