Linda Zajac

Today, on this gorgeous day, I enjoyed the Connecticut River on the Quinnetukut II Riverboat at the Northfield Mountain Recreation and Environmental Center in MA. The speaker on the boat mentioned that Quinnetukut is another way of spelling Connecticut. I've posted some pictures of the landing area and the covered boat.

Around one bend in the river, the depth meter at the front of the boat soared from 25
to over 100 feet. In that one area of the river there is a deep hole that plunges into darkness where blood worms, sponges, and large fish live. The speaker passed around a dinosaur fossil that was found on the western bank of the river (my niece is holding the thing). I believe she said the first fossils found in this location were found around 1835 making them some of the earliest fossils ever found in the United States. These fossils were initially thought to be bird prints. Identification came years later. We also passed a solar device on a tiny island that was used to run the eagle cam. Since the eagle's nest was blown away by the wind and they relocated, it's no longer operational.

Across the street at the rec. and environmental center there are over 25 miles of hiking trails which will have to wait for another day. They also run moonlight snowshoe hikes which sounded like a lot of fun. Kayak and canoe rentals were nearby. The area is an outdoor playground.