Remember Becky Thatcher from Tom Sawyer? Well our riverboat was the Becky Thatcher and it was quite roomy. After the safety orientation to show us the life jackets we cast off and headed upstream. The river was beautiful.
We had a young man acting as a commentator to point out the sights like eagles nests, a ferry, the Goodspeed Opera house. It was his first time so he was nervously reading the script. If they let him do it again I’m sure he will get better.
The views of the Gillette Castle were extraordinary from the boat. The mansion is an amazing sight anyway any time of the year but with the green foliage and bright blue sky it was truly magnificent.
Even with a full complement of guests the ride was relaxing. I find being on the water like that is very soothing.
When we reached the opera house and the East Haddam swing bridge we did a big , slow, sweeping turn that gave us plenty of time to take in the views of East Haddam.
We passed marinas and private docks and even a monestary! What a beautiful day for a riverboat ride!
Traveling back down the river we spotted the train on its last run of the day.
So that was how we would get back to the station.
The train stopped at Deep River Landing just as we pulled in. While I waited for my turn to leave the boat I watched two large birds swoop over the island across from the boat. Osprey! I was thrilled to actually see them fish, swooping down to brush the surface of the river and then climb back up with their fish. At first I thought they were eagles but closer scrutiny proved them to be osprey. They were too far away for photos but I did try..just a couple of spots came out.
Back at the station the office recommended Bill’s Seafood if I wanted to have a nice moderately priced dinner before I returned home. They gave me the address and directions and it wasn’t long before I spotted it. The weather was still wonderful so I took a seat at a picnic style table on the outdoor deck. I was glad for the umbrella, not for the sun but as protection from the birds. Sea Gulls were flying everywhere. Marshland spread out from the deck and I spotted white ibis, great blue herons and more Osprey. There were 2 osprey nests and they were both occupied. I watched the adults hunting and returning to the nest with their catch to feed the babies while I enjoyed a lovely meal of fish and chips.
Children were feeding the ducks and gulls bits of their lunches and the birds were clearly enjoying the attention. This would be a wonderful place to come back to with a big telephoto lens. But even without the camera, it was a wonderful way to end the day.