In the Middletown Reach

The two bridges that cross the river are the most distinctive features of the small city as seen from the river.  The road bridge is almost beautiful, a pair of grand riveted steel arches with a suspended deck.  I say almost because the arches on both ends are truncated as if the project ran out of money.  Instead of gracefully ending or blending out to the surface, the arches are rudely chopped off and they meet an ordinary raised road bridge section. 

The railroad bridge is somewhat more special.  It's a swing bridge and until today I have never seen it move.  It's over a hundred years old and looks like it has never seen a drop of paint.  Normally left open, today it is slowly swinging into position.  The bridge master walks the length of the bridge and clearly inspects the the end of the swing section to see that the rails are aligned.  So, it lives...

I'm heading up river.  Previously I've circled the first island as it lies right at the mouth of the Mattebesset, which I regularly paddle.  Looking at maps I did not expect much of this section of the river.  But, after a half hour of upriver paddling it becomes quite nice.  The river is 200 yards wide with a slow current.  The trees on the banks telegraph a flood plain.  Low flood plain trees have a certain look to them.  They're tall enough and leafy enough, but they're always a bit gangly, never getting thick trunks.  And, there's always more dead standing trees.  I'm sure it has to do with roots that are water soaked for long periods of time and a resulting lack of nutrients. The land is too low in most places for houses and the roads are back far enough that there's no traffic noise. 

Once that I'm away from the little city, I start spotting birds - a few Great Blue Herons, a family of Mute Swans, some Ducks and Canada Geese.  Then, two mature Bald Eagles.  

An hour and a half out I come to a long island.  There's an occupied Bald Eagle nest on the west channel.  I round the island and head back looking for possible launch sites so that I can start higher and cut the first mile and half off.  This section of the river is well worth repeating.