On an exceedingly hot summer day (one of many this summer) a friend and I went down to the river. What started out as a quick dip in the river evolved when we had the shared idea that it would really be a lot of fun to take a tube over the nearby beaver dam. We went on a quest to find tubes (and not just any ol’ tubes. Fun tubes.) Four stores later we emerged victorious with two vividly pink flamingos. Navigating our way over the beaver dam (over and over) and drifting lazily downstream was a blast. So much so that the flamingos were brought out for another river outing.
This time the plan was to meet after work on a Friday to float from Winthrop Street down to Riverbend. Turns out, it takes about 3 hours to do that, if you’re swimming while floating as we were. Our departure time? 7 PM.
Yes, it got dark. Neither of us really minded, the water was wonderfully warm (which, though ecologically problematic, we were grateful for) as was the air. The stars came out and with them the fireflies, more than either of us had seen for a long while. They flashed and danced along the banks of the river as we rode past in our flamingos. There were a few blow downs to navigate, which is much trickier when things are only visible at a distance of no more than a couple feet. Lucky for us I’m the person everyone calls to notify about river conditions so we made our way just fine. It’s much easier to get around downed trees, even one blocking the whole width of the river, when all that is required is standing up and stepping over it.
At last, we made it back to the Riverbend dock, which was gloriously bug free. I can’t say we’re encouraging others to go on a starlit float down the river (and not only because Riverbend is only open from dawn to dusk!) but if you’ve ever wondered whether the Ipswich River is a good place to swim or float we can answer with confidence, “yes!”
Which is just what I said when inviting another friend to join me on the river. Having learned my lesson from the first outing, this time we departed from Riverbend to traverse the much shorter stretch from the dock down to Peatfield Street landing. On our way we stopped at the rope swing, something neither of the friends accompanying me had ever done before, to my shock. Rope thoroughly swung on, we continued downstream, passing by several members enjoying outings with our kayaks.
Once again, the water was warm and wonderful, but as we climbed out at Peatfield street, I couldn’t help thinking about how much more fun we could have if our float could take us down through the rapids and below the stone arched bridges of the downtown stretch of the river. Someday, I hope to be able to float from Riverbend right out onto the estuary. Perhaps with a stop in downtown Ipswich for some ice cream on the way.
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