My friend Buddy took this picture of me on the Sabine River in 2009. I hadn’t seen it in years, but I found it yesterday when going through files on my old computer. Here’s the story behind the photo—one of the weirder episodes from my first book, Running the River: Secrets of the Sabine.
About a mile from the boat ramp, we came upon a waterfall gurgling over a rocky ledge, into a sheltered green pool beside the river. The cavelike walls of the cove were painted green with moss. Sunlight reflected off the water and danced like currents of electricity through the shadows. I had never seen anything so pretty on the Sabine.
“We might have to go swimming later,” Buddy said, and I agreed.
Not far beyond the cove we came to a strange scene: an unmanned boat floating in the middle of the water. It sounded like the engine was running. When we came closer, we saw a long, white hose extending from the boat into the river. At one spot a few feet away, we noticed air steadily bubbling to the surface. Just then a man’s head bobbed up from the brown water, wearing a scuba mask, goggles, and a breathing apparatus.
“Looking for mussels?” I asked.
The man affirmed my question by lifting his bag of shells out of the water. But my camera and questions aroused his suspicion. “Are y’all from the FBI?”
We said no, and when we boated past, the diver sank beneath the water. We eased a little farther downriver, through frequent rapids where the flow quickened and the boat scraped over rocks and gravel, and we passed the many abandoned concrete and wooden oilfield structures that I had marveled at during my earlier trip with Jacob. I watched the shoreline for signs of hogs, but my attention soon began to wander, and I started to imagine the view of the riverbanks from two hundred years ago, when the first settlers arrived.
Today, East Texas is scrub country. What land has not been paved or plowed is choked with thorn vines and brush. But at one time, the forest canopy was so thick it blocked the sunlight from the undergrowth, and the smaller plants that did manage to survive in the dark forests were cleared by occasional fires, leaving trees so large and well established that early travelers called this place the Pine Barrens.
“They say the pine trees used to be so tall in East Texas, you could ride a horse for miles, fall asleep in the saddle, and never hit a tree limb,” I said to Buddy as we drifted downriver. “There used to be huge trees here on the river, too. Just think how much prettier all this would be if we hadn’t cut everything down.”
Buddy glanced up from the trolling motor and studied the brush on the bank. “You can’t think about it that way,” he said. “It’s still pretty. East Texas is still pretty. Just be thankful you get to see it the way it is, because someday all of this will be gone, too.” He had a point, but I hoped he was wrong. Growing up, I had never given a second thought to this wild river running through my hometown. Now that I had spent some time on the Sabine, I didn’t want to lose what remained.
Buddy and I never saw the hogs, so we turned back. The flow that had seemed so calm when we floated downstream was now a force we hadn’t reckoned with, and we spent most of the journey trudging through the water and fighting the current as we dragged the boat upstream. At times the water came only to my hips, sometimes up to my chest, but then I would step off a precipice and fall into a deeper channel. I learned to use my foot to feel for the firmness of the riverbed before committing my weight to a step forward. Before long, I forgot about my fear of being swept away by the river. As long as I stayed alert and moved slowly, I didn’t have to worry so much about drowning after all.
When we returned to the waterfall and the pretty little cove, we parked on some boulders at the entrance and jumped in. The water was cold and deep here and stunningly clear: I could see the bottom some eight feet below. Above us, the clearwater creek had worn the ground away to the eroded rock, cascading through a series of precipices, before tumbling into the cove. Buddy swam over to the waterfall and let it pound his back and shoulders. “It feels just like a back massage,” he said with glee. “You gotta try this.”
I did. It felt great. “Man, I could even bring a woman here,” I said.
This was the discovery of a lifetime, the kind of place that Buddy could enjoy with his wife and kids for years to come. We swam for a long while, then waded out of the cove and into the river. The water was much warmer here, around waist deep, brown, and muddy. Our toes sank into the silt.
When we returned to the cove a few minutes later, something had changed. “Wasn’t the waterfall a lot bigger when we first got here?” I asked. Instead of gushing over the ledge, the water had narrowed to a trickle. Then, as we watched with increasing horror, it began to grow again. Within minutes, the waterfall was surging at full strength. It was like someone had flushed an enormous toilet. Oh no, that was it! We were swimming in sewage—the discharge from the wastewater plant in Gladewater. No wonder the cove was so cool and clear. No wonder we kept smelling that faint odor of chlorine. I spit what I could out of my mouth.
We climbed out of the cove and then ascended a steep, grassy bank to see where the creek led. We came to an even bigger waterfall and then a series of smaller ones. We walked as far as we could through a leafy forest to a barbed-wire fence, then returned to the river and stood for a moment on the big gray rocks beside the beautiful cove.
“I don’t even care,” Buddy said. “It might be sewage, but they treated it first.”
We jumped back in. At one point, Buddy even swam under the waterfall, where he indulged in another back massage.
Excerpted from Running the River: Secrets of the Sabine by Wes Ferguson and Jacob Botter and published by Texas A&M University Press.
10,295 responses to “A Sheltered Cove”
I switched from another service because of the responsive team and trustworthy service.
I personally find that i was skeptical, but after since launch of using the bridge, the wide token selection convinced me. The dashboard gives a complete view of my holdings.
Good article! We will be linking to this particularly great post on our website. Keep up the good writing.
Having read this I believed it was rather enlightening. I appreciate you spending some time and energy to put this informative article together. I once again find myself personally spending way too much time both reading and commenting. But so what, it was still worthwhile.
Web mang l?i tr?i nghi?m thân thi?n và d? ch?u.
Great platform with responsive team — it made my crypto journey easier. My withdrawals were always smooth.
I personally find that the cross-chain transfers process is simple and the reliable uptime makes it even better. Perfect for both new and experienced traders.
The interface is easy onboarding, and I enjoy swapping tokens here. Definitely recommend to anyone in crypto.
I personally find that wow! This is a cool platform. They really do have the reliable uptime.
I personally find that i’ve been active for a week, mostly for testing new tokens, and it’s always wide token selection.
I’m impressed by the useful analytics. I’ll definitely continue using it. Definitely recommend to anyone in crypto.
The swapping tokens tools are clear transparency and easy onboarding.
Web h? tr? thao tác nhanh và d? dàng.
I’ve been using it for half a year for trading, and the robust security stands out.
Mình bi?t ??n F8BET qua m?t bài chia s? trên blog và khá ?n t??ng v?i cách trang này xây d?ng n?i dung rõ ràng, d? hi?u. Giao di?n nhìn g?n gàng, b? c?c h?p lý nên thao tác c?ng nhanh h?n. V?i ng??i m?i tìm hi?u thì ?ây là m?t website khá thân thi?n và d? ti?p c?n.
Play exciting games in your own preferred language
I could not refrain from commenting. Perfectly written.
Thanks for a marvelous posting! I genuinely enjoyed reading it, you may be a great author.I will remember to bookmark your blog and will often come back down the road. I want to encourage one to continue your great job, have a nice weekend!
Great post, it gave me exactly the knowledge I was looking for. I’ll be sharing this with others who need it.
QQ88 là n?n t?ng cá c??c tr?c tuy?n uy tín, cung c?p casino live, n? h?, b?n cá và th? thao v?i h? th?ng b?o m?t cao, v?n hành ?n ??nh.
Attractive section of content. I just stumbled upon your blog and in accession capital to assert that I acquire actually enjoyed account your blog posts. Any way I will be subscribing to your augment and even I achievement you access consistently quickly.
I personally find that charlie here — I’ve tried fiat on-ramp and the robust security impressed me.
The exploring governance tools are stable performance and intuitive UI. I moved funds across chains without a problem.
This website was… how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something that helped me. Thanks a lot.
I personally find that the using the bridge tools are great support and easy onboarding.
It’s nearly impossible to find educated people on this subject, however, you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
Oh my goodness! Awesome article dude! Many thanks, However I am going through issues with your RSS. I don’t know why I can’t subscribe to it. Is there anybody having identical RSS issues? Anyone that knows the answer can you kindly respond? Thanks.
I feel this is one of the such a lot significant information for me. And i’m glad reading your article. But wanna observation on some general things, The website style is ideal, the articles is truly great : D. Good task, cheers
QQ88 là n?n t?ng cá c??c tr?c tuy?n uy tín, tích h?p casino live, n? h?, b?n cá và th? thao v?i tr?i nghi?m ?n ??nh.
Nhà cái QQ88 mang ??n môi tr??ng cá c??c tr?c tuy?n an toàn, phù h?p cho ng??i ch?i m?i và ng??i ch?i lâu n?m.
Oh my goodness! Incredible article dude! Many thanks, However I am having troubles with your RSS. I don’t know the reason why I am unable to join it. Is there anyone else getting similar RSS problems? Anyone who knows the solution will you kindly respond? Thanx.
Great insights shared here, I really liked the balance of details. This content is very practical and useful.
Wonderful site you have here but I was wondering if you knew of any discussion boards that cover the same topics talked about here? I’d really love to be a part of community where I can get feed-back from other experienced individuals that share the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Many thanks!|
I don’t know whether it’s just me or if perhaps everybody else encountering issues with your blog. It appears like some of the written text within your content are running off the screen. Can someone else please provide feedback and let me know if this is happening to them too? This could be a issue with my web browser because I’ve had this happen previously. Thank you|
Thanks for these tips. One thing I should also believe is always that credit cards giving a 0 apr often lure consumers in zero interest rate, instant endorsement and easy internet balance transfers, however beware of the real factor that is going to void your 0 easy streets annual percentage rate as well as throw anybody out into the bad house rapid.
Greetings! Very useful advice within this article! It is the little changes that will make the most important changes. Thanks for sharing!
I blog often and I genuinely appreciate your content. This article has truly peaked my interest. I’m going to bookmark your blog and keep checking for new information about once a week. I subscribed to your RSS feed too.
This article is very well-written and easy to understand. I appreciate the way you explained the topic step by step.
This article was very well detailed and easy to follow. I liked how you broke down the information step by step.
Excellent post, I enjoyed reading through every section carefully. The way you presented the details makes it easy to follow.
I liked the way you explained everything step by step. It was easy to follow along and apply in real life.
Everyone loves it when individuals get together and share ideas. Great blog, keep it up!
This site was… how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something that helped me. Thanks a lot.
Nhà cái QQ88 n?i b?t v?i h? sinh thái game phong phú, b?o m?t cao và d?ch v? h? tr? nhanh chóng.
Such helpful content, I truly appreciate the clarity of your writing. This post is going to help a lot of people.
Excellent breakdown of the subject, I could easily follow along. Your writing style makes learning much more enjoyable.
Good web site you have got here.. It’s hard to find good quality writing like yours nowadays. I really appreciate individuals like you! Take care!!
QQ88 là n?n t?ng cá c??c tr?c tuy?n chuyên nghi?p, tích h?p casino live, slot ??i th??ng, b?n cá và th? thao ?n ??nh.
Good information. Lucky me I recently found your site by accident (stumbleupon). I’ve book-marked it for later.
You’re so interesting! I do not believe I have read through anything like this before. So great to discover somebody with some original thoughts on this subject matter. Really.. thank you for starting this up. This site is something that is required on the internet, someone with a bit of originality.