The Sixth Bridge
A couple of my friends are in the Quetico, a couple others are in the Boundary Waters. I'm drifting downstream on a tailwind and an ebb tide in the East River when I stop to write. spartina in seed The tall spartina grass has gone to seed and some of it is turning red, while the short spartina is starting to turn blonde and the cattails went tan at least two weeks back. The cattail pods are just beginning to go downy. I use the Bailey Creek sneak, taking advantage of the high tide. The sneak is a more intimate route to the first bridge. Bailey Creek Sneak There are not too many osprey visible today and as I paddled the river, I was amazed by the large number of schools of menhaden in the water, their tail fins above the surface looking all tiny shark like. It's a fish that is similar to herring - the name menhaden is derived from a native american name that meant fertilizer. They form tight schools five to fifteen feet in diameter and scatter only whe...
