{"id":75681,"date":"2019-10-20T07:15:30","date_gmt":"2019-10-20T11:15:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/?p=75681"},"modified":"2019-10-21T06:22:10","modified_gmt":"2019-10-21T10:22:10","slug":"a-perfect-day-on-the-susquehanna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2019\/10\/20\/a-perfect-day-on-the-susquehanna\/","title":{"rendered":"A Perfect Day on the Susquehanna"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I recently heard somewhere that people who live long and healthy lives often take time to play.\u00a0I had spent the last several weeks working daily on a variety of home repairs, to include some major tree removal and earth moving projects. Understanding that these can at times be fun, I had moved well beyond that notion and needed a break.\u00a0I checked our local forecast and picked Friday, Sept. 20, as the perfect day to play.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As forecasted, the day arrived.\u00a0I waited for the cold morning temperatures and heavy fog of late September to lift before I lit out.\u00a0The plan; believing that the Susquehanna River in the Owego, N.Y. area was at its lowest point in three years or more, I decided to do some exploring in my kayak. I wanted to scope out some deep fishing holes, search for Native American artifacts on newly exposed gravel banks, go fishing, and search for the piles of the old Hiawatha Island steamboat dock that I read can only be found when the Susquehanna water level is very low.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
An Eastern White Cedar in front of where the Hiawatha House once stood. (Photo by Stephen Beukema)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I prepared my trusty sit on top-paddle and pedal kayak, gathered some water and some fishing tackle, I’m off.\u00a0I depart via my homemade boat launch and headed down stream about 1.5 miles to the eastern tip of Hiawatha Island.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although I have made this round trip to Hiawatha some 20 times in the last couple of years, this day looked perfect. By 11 a.m., the temperature was already approaching 70 degrees F, beautiful clear sky, and the Susquehanna River is as calm as bathtub water with what appears to be absolutely no current. I am glad about the lack of current, knowing all to well about the strain of the return trip with a typical swift current. Let the basking begin.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Where Hiawatha steamboat dock once stood. (Photo by Stephen Beukema)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The trip down river is a cavalcade of this Pangaea era river’s natural offerings.\u00a0The show begins, I observe, I think, is that a mink or a fisher on the shore?\u00a0May be too small to be a fisher.\u00a0There is a juvenile American bald eagle circling above me.\u00a0Am I hearing other eagles in that tree? Maybe there is a new nest there in that tree since the eagle’s nest on Hiawatha Island seems to be gone now.\u00a0Turtles on nearly every log sticking out of the water today, humph, I wonder if they like the water level this low?\u00a0Large flocks of ducks fly off long before I reach them.\u00a0In turn, several blue herons let me quietly glide quite close to them as they stand like sentries waiting for their prey. Schools of minnows are jumping out of the water; I wonder if a bass is chasing them, or are they just playing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I approach the island I see six deer standing on the edge of Hiawatha Grove, or the eastern bank where all the old growth trees are; they are just staring at me. They appear dark as their winter coats are developing.\u00a0Soon they frolic into the woods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
An old pile from the Hiawatha dock. (Photo by Stephen Beukema)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this summer I found my first Native American artifacts in the Susquehanna, a cool net weight and a flint shard from someone’s flint knapping work. I am hopeful to find more, so I stop at several gravel banks. At a gravel bank I also grab my fishing pole out of the kayak, no relics, but I reel in an undersized smallmouth bass. That watermelon colored rooster tail spinner could be a winner today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I recalled reading in Emma Sedore’s book, “Hiawatha Island: Jewel of the Susquehanna,” that when the Susquehanna is very low you can see the piles from the steamboat dock.\u00a0That dock was used between the 1870’s and 1890’s to drop off thousands of people onto the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A 19-inch smallie, caught in the Susquehanna River. (Photo by Stephen Beukema)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I am on the island now, and I orient myself. I locate the distinct ornamental cedar that used to adorn the front right of the long ago demolished four-story Hiawatha House hotel. I then locate the still, visible but vegetation covered stone front steps that once led from the dock to the hotel.\u00a0I walk down the riverbank to where the dock should have been.\u00a0Within a half hour I locate the first pile; it’s on the edge of the current waterline and about 40 feet from the bank cut – then another and another.\u00a0This is exciting; I locate nine altogether, indicating that the front edge of the dock was at least 54 feet in length.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I walk back up the riverbank and imagine thousands of people playing there on the 112-acre island.\u00a0They are eating, drinking, laughing, falling in love, singing and dancing to live music, playing\u00a0quoits, just enjoying this\u00a0jewel.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back in the kayak on the north side heading west, I commence the circumnavigation of the Big Island – as it was once called before the 1870’s.\u00a0This was before Owego’s own Old Joe Shaw DeWitt, a fire chief, community leader and entrepreneur extraordinaire, told tales of the great Hiawatha (the man) having prophetic visions on the island.\u00a0Tall tales or otherwise, I can’t help but hope to see some trace of that great leader or his apparition beckoning me to come and talk with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
An old postcard of the Hiawatha House that was once located on the Susquehanna River. Photo credit: Worthpoint.com.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I round the western tip of the island and head back upstream. Behind a thick wall of riverbank trees Interstate 86 makes its presence known, but its unnatural sounds are not quite enough to take my mind away from Hiawatha Island\u2019s deep and mesmerizing southern side.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oftentimes, and unexplainable by me, the southern channel defies the laws of nature by demonstrating a reverse current. I pass my fifth boating fisherman of the day; he seems to have just given up on fishing and looks to be sunbathing. I call to him and he indicates that all is well.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four hours into the trip I am now once again passing the eastern tip of the island as I head home. Two unaffected fawns startle me with their mere proximity as they browse on a bank off of Marshland Road. I continue to throw that watermelon rooster tail lure at various places. What? Wow, fish on, and that’s a big one. What a fighter; it’s got to be a smallmouth. Four jumps clear out of the water – yes, indeed a smallie. I land it; it measures 19 inches, released. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am almost home now, and what a day, what a perfect day.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I recently heard somewhere that people who live long and healthy lives often take time to play.\u00a0I had spent the last several weeks working daily…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":75682,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-living"],"yoast_head":"\nA Perfect Day on the Susquehanna - Owego Pennysaver Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2019\/10\/20\/a-perfect-day-on-the-susquehanna\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Perfect Day on the Susquehanna - Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I recently heard somewhere that people who live long and healthy lives often take time to play.\u00a0I had spent the last several weeks working daily...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2019\/10\/20\/a-perfect-day-on-the-susquehanna\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/The-Owego-Pennysaver-49179420591\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-10-20T11:15:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-10-21T10:22:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2019\/10\/Susquehanna1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2016\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1512\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"psadvert\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"psadvert\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2019\/10\/20\/a-perfect-day-on-the-susquehanna\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2019\/10\/20\/a-perfect-day-on-the-susquehanna\/\",\"name\":\"A Perfect Day on the Susquehanna - Owego Pennysaver Press\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2019\/10\/20\/a-perfect-day-on-the-susquehanna\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2019\/10\/20\/a-perfect-day-on-the-susquehanna\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2019\/10\/Susquehanna1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-10-20T11:15:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-10-21T10:22:10+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/e03684194434956dfb61f5ffcbc19492\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2019\/10\/20\/a-perfect-day-on-the-susquehanna\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2019\/10\/20\/a-perfect-day-on-the-susquehanna\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2019\/10\/20\/a-perfect-day-on-the-susquehanna\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2019\/10\/Susquehanna1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2019\/10\/Susquehanna1.jpg\",\"width\":2016,\"height\":1512,\"caption\":\"Looking north from the old Hiawatha boat dock. 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