BVO JOURNAL

Blackstone River

Cumberland, Lincoln & Central Falls, Rhode Island

We started running our trips along the Blackstone this month from the Village of Albion, RI down to the store and our regular trip leaving the store to Valley Falls Marsh and back. On July 7th (Yes 07/07/07) we had our best day of paddling since we opened. We had great weather, two full guided trips, several rentals out on the river and more wildlife than you could image. During our two outings we can report the following were seen.

Bird Life:

• 6 Great Blue Heron, a small raft of Mallards, several Canada Geese, 12 to 15 Kingfishers, several small birds like Goldfinches, Red Winged Black Birds, Bugcatchers, Blue Birds, Morning Doves, and Robins
• One of our renters stated they saw a Loon. I've hear of one been seen a couple of times but have yet to see it.
• 6 Mute Swans
• One of the best sightings of the day was a perfect view of a Bald Eagle. The eagle flow about 15' over our first group out yesterday.

Reptilians: Several Painted Turtles, several Snapping Turtles

Mammals: One River Otter, Two baby Deer

Although wildlife has been light on our Wednesday evening trips, we have been greeted with the sight of our local Chinese Dragon Boat teams practicing their paddling skills along the river. It's kind of eerie when you're paddling quietly in a wetland cove and you start to hear drum beats moving up the river. The crews are made up of twenty two people working together to the beat of the drum. For a large craft they get that boat moving. In September they will be racing other dragon boat crews on the lower section of the Blackstone.

One of our favorite trips this month was with a group of single friends. This ladies ranged in age from their mid fifties to seventy-six years young. Not only did they paddle with good form, they were able to tell me stories about the area that I hadn't heard before. They were fascinated with the river and the wildlife that we saw. Many of them commenting about their industrial era view of the Blackstone River and how they see it now. On their return trip up the river, it was fun listening to them talk about their small adventure and picking restaurant for their next stop. After some heavy debating Davenports won out.

Since Mark and I opened BVO we found out that it doesn't matter about race, age, or beliefs, everyone that has paddled with us has enjoyed each others company and the river. I've seen a father and 5 year old son paddle a tandem kayak for the first time come running into the store after their trip with a smile from ear to ear or a grandmother sitting in her boat talking to a guy decked out in gothic attire. They talked about the river and their beliefs and at the end of their trip I caught granny give the young man a hug as they went their separate ways. Yes there is magic on the Blackstone.

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