river_reports past i hadn't been down to the river since the snow turned to sheets of ice, not fit for any kind of travel. the warm spell and rain have helped wash the last of the snow from the paths, even in sheltered areas, although patches remain where the water pools. it was nice to run along the paths, mostly through the informal woods south of the parkway, before crossing north and looping back around along the banks of the river. the water here is held in by the big ring dam that provides much of the city's electricity. as a result the bays and bends on this stretch are fairly shallow. rocky and sandy in turn, depending on the condition of what was there before the floods that followed the first dams well over a century ago (first for mills, then for power). so while the paved pathways and dirt trails and shaken off the seasons snow, the river is covered in a dangerously thin ice close to shore, slowly receding to both sides while leaving the main channel clear. less than a month ago, when i last visited in skis instead of in running shoes, you could see the brave ice surfers ride the wind with their billowing kites. how quickly the seasons turn. 220404 ... past the water rages over the rapids to the west, where the lac on the river narrows. natural formations and the ruins of an old hydro dam cooperating to increase the river's fury. but on this side of the narrows, where a gentle unnamed bay curves towards the first bridge east, the water is immediately placid. the bay itself is marked by remaining ice floats: an almost complete ring from the point along the southern shore to the conservation area, and down the open river leaving a small opening near he rocky shoreline at the parking lot. only a small handful of geese have returned, though soon they will aggressively make their presence known. 220406 ... past the many channels funnel together beyond the long desecrated sacred islands rejoining as a great flow east. snow and ice hug the shorelines and bays as the main channel churns forward in the sun. the frozen shoulders are deceptive, dangerous. stay safe on shore, but revel in the churn as the waters escape the powerful (and power making) dams upstream to rush to freedom beyond. 230227 what's it to you? who go blather from