SkyWatch Friday: The Pemigewasset River

Below the Eastman Falls Hydroelectric Station, outside of Franklin, New Hampshire

The Pemigewasset is 65 miles (105 km) long. It meets the Winnipesaukee River in Franklin and together the two create the Merrimack River that flows down to Boston. The Merrimack River is the river on which Thoreau paddled and about which he wrote in his book A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers. The Merrimack is also where John and I took Wingnut kayaking this past summer and where I carelessly fell in with my Canon Rebel XSi around my neck. After I hauled my sorry self out of the river, I saw a flock, yes, a flock of bald eagles. These were the very first bald eagles I had ever seen in my life. And my camera had died because I drowned it. (It cost a fortune, but the camera has been repaired. And I have learned my lesson.)

The section of the Pemigewasset seen here is just below the Eastman Falls Hydroelectric Station. It is a favorite site for anglers of Atlantic salmon. If you can avoid being drowned when the water behind the dam is released, it is good fishing.

ANGLERS Pemigewasset River Catch & Release Section From a point approximately 150 feet below the Eastman Falls Dam to the downstream side of the Rt 3 & 11 bridge the following regulations shall apply: There shall be no closed season for all species. All fish taken shall be immediately released unharmed to the water. Atlantic salmon shall only be taken by fly fishing as specified in the Atlantic salmon brood stock regulations. All other fish shall only be taken with flies or artificial lures with only one hook point.

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Wingnut in Pegmatite

You see that very small figure in the middle of the cliff of granite? That is my grandson Wingnut. I asked him to stand there in order to give a sense of how huge the walls of Ruggles Mine are. This wall of stone is pegmatite (pegmatite was formed under great pressure and intense heat forming a magma that pushed up into the surrounding granite).  here you see two colors of rock. The granite is dark and the pegmatite is light colored.

   Ruggles Mine Set

Technorati Tags: Ruggles Mine,pegmatite

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Orleans County Quests: Troy River Road Quest

As the Missisquoi River flows north to Canada it comes to an 80 foot gorge in North Troy. This is where Big Falls State Park is and was the site for our Friday quest. Wingnut took the trail down the gorge to the river to find the treasure box, which was not there. Above and below you see the rapids at the top of the gorge.

The state, despite designating this area a state park, has not installed any safety devices at all. There is nothing preventing anyone from slipping on wet rocks and falling off of the cliff into the gorge.

Above, I sam standing on a cliff over the 80 foot gorge (24.4 m) and holding my camera above and away from me to see the falls. Being afraid of heights, this was enough adventure for me.

I walked with Wingnut down the trail a bit until I looked down the side of the trail to the bottom of the gorge (above).

The forest at the top of the gorge in the park.
There were marvelous mushrooms here that I photographed.

Here, Wingnut is waiting for me to toss down the quest book so that he and Matt can study it to find the treasure box (below). However, there was no treasure box to be found.

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Big Falls State Park: Sixteen acres, Town of Troy. This site includes the largest undammed cascade and gorge remaining on a major Vermont river. The area includes big old hemlock and white pine trees. The plant life in this Natural Area is diverse and includes several uncommon species. The falls are a popular recreation attraction (swimming, fishing and viewing) as the site is readily accessible from Vermont Route 105. (Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, Lands Administration Division).

Down the road is the The River Road Bridge (also called the Schoolhouse Bridge), built in 1910, which carries Vielleux Road across the Missisquoi River. Lattice work truss.

Fall Guy, an article about waterfalls in Vermont.

Wingnut photos can be seen at meeyauw — Troy River Road Quest
Also, visit my Flickr Troy River Road Quest set and Mushroom Set

Technorati Tags: Missisquoi River, Orleans County Quests, Troy River Road Quest, Big Falls State Park, North Troy, Vermont
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City Daily Photo Theme Day: Orleans Village Metal Footbridge

As Grandson Wingnut and I walked the Orleans Village Quest this past Tuesday, we had to cross the Barton River on this metal footbridge high over the river. Wingnut, as you can see, had no fear of heights — unlike me! I held to the rail on both sides, focused my eyes on Wingnut across the river and cautiously made my way across while consciously breathing slowly. All photos will open in a new window when clicked.

To view the entire quest, please visit Orleans County Quests: Orleans Village Quest

Orleans Village Quest Set on Flickr

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Technorati Tags: City Daily Photo Theme Day, Orleans Village footbridge
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The End of the Aphid Farm

The once flourishing aphid farm on the rhubarb stalks has disappeared completely. I wish I knew why and how they dispersed. I assume that when the rhubarb stalks died, the ants, aphids and spiders found a place to go to live. But it is a mystery. Did they leave all at once? Or a few at a time?

But when we were looking for spittle bugs on Saturday, Wingnut did find another tiny ant farm out back in the field. We have to keep an eye on it to see how (or if) it grows. Tomorrow I will cut down the dead stalks. Observation is over. It was a great experience in viewing nature.

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Technorati Tags: aphid farm, ants, honeydew
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Wingnut Photos

Cranefly

Day Lillies

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Thunderstorm Damage

The photo above was taken on Friday, July 18 at the Barton Public Library after we had moved inside to make our bug shirts. If you click on the photo and view it full size you will see the horses in the field down below. You are looking from the library parking lot into the middle of Barton Village where there are many horses and barns. I went back out to the parking lot for more photos to see what the weather was going to do. It wasn't going to do good. The winds were so strong that the windows of the library bulged ever so slightly. And one of the trees in front of the library was blown down. On our way home after the storm, Wingnut and I saw several other huge trees toppled over in Barton. An earlier storm burned down the Sheffield Federated Church. The photo below was taken through the big library window just after the tree blew down. The beige house across the street is Community National Bank. The brick building is the historic Barton Academy and Graded School.

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Technorati Tags: Barton Public Library
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Brownington Prospect Hill Observatory Quest (or: Playing with HDR)

Brownington Congregational Church (hdr image)

Our goal: the observatory on Prospect Hill (hdr image)

Start of road that we walked up

Left to right: Sophie, Scout (the Crazed Beagles), daughter Amelia, grandson Wingnut (hdr image)

raspberries by the road (hdr image)

unidentified flower

Sophie, Amelia, Scout (Owl's Head is in the background)

The Observatory (hdr image)
for historic information, click here

Southeast view: Tall peak, left: Bald Mountain. Little hump on the right: Haystack Mountain
(hdr image)
Turning clockwise:

Southeast view: Willoughby Gap: Mount Pisgah on the left, Mount Hor on the right. (hdr image)

Lake Willoughby inbetween them but cannot be seen. Turn clockwise again:

Western view: Jay Peak (the pointy peak almost in the middle) (hdr image)

Northwest view: South Bay of Lake Memphremagog in the midground. Lake Memphremagog is behind that (it looks like a blue circle). Owl's Head Mountain in Québec is the highest peak on the side of the lake. (hdr image)

See the treasure box in the rafters of the observatory?

Contents of the treasure box.

Geodetic survey marker at the bottom of the observatory.
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Technorati Tags: Bald Mtn, Brownington, Vermont, Haystack Mtn, Jay Peak, Memphremagog, Mt. Hor, Mt. Pisgah, Owl's Head, Prospect Hill Observatory, Willoughby Gap
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Wild Edibles: Chicory by Wingnut

Cichorium intybus
Aster family
I enjoy the fringed petals.
Abundant everywhere.

Chicory roots are a coffee substitute and a food additive.

Photos taken on Kodak Z710 Zoom camera by Grandson Wingnut.

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Technorati Tags: Cichorium intybus, chicory
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Selected Photos from the School Garden

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To see the growth in the garden this week, click here.
To see what we learned in the garden this week, click here.

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