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.
3,762 responses to “A Sheltered Cove”
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you writing this write-up and the rest of the website is also very good.
You have made some decent points there. I looked on the net for additional information about the issue and found most individuals will go along with your views on this web site.
This blog was… how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I’ve found something which helped me. Kudos!
Good post. I will be dealing with some of these issues as well..
Köln’de Gerçek bir sonuç veren en iyi medyumu halu hoca ile sizlerde çal???n?z. ?leti?im: +49 157 59456087 A??k Etme Büyüsü, Ba?lama Büyüsü gibi çal??malar? sizlerde yapt?rabilirsiniz.
I was able to find good advice from your content.
I seriously love your website.. Pleasant colors & theme. Did you develop this site yourself? Please reply back as I’m looking to create my own website and would love to find out where you got this from or exactly what the theme is called. Thanks!
The very next time I read a blog, Hopefully it won’t disappoint me just as much as this one. After all, Yes, it was my choice to read, nonetheless I truly believed you would probably have something interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of moaning about something that you could fix if you were not too busy searching for attention.
Heya i?m for the first time here. I came across this board and I find It really useful & it helped me out much. I hope to give something back and aid others like you helped me.
I was able to find good advice from your content.
Köln’de Gerçek bir sonuç veren en iyi medyumu halu hoca ile sizlerde çal???n?z. ?leti?im: +49 157 59456087 A??k Etme Büyüsü, Ba?lama Büyüsü gibi çal??malar? sizlerde yapt?rabilirsiniz.
Spot on with this write-up, I honestly feel this website needs a great deal more attention. I’ll probably be back again to see more, thanks for the advice.
Oh my goodness! Amazing article dude! Thanks, However I am having difficulties with your RSS. I don’t know the reason why I am unable to subscribe to it. Is there anybody else getting similar RSS issues? Anybody who knows the answer will you kindly respond? Thanx!
After looking at a few of the blog articles on your site, I really appreciate your way of blogging. I saved it to my bookmark webpage list and will be checking back in the near future. Please visit my web site as well and let me know your opinion.
Hi there! I simply wish to give you a huge thumbs up for the excellent information you have right here on this post. I will be returning to your site for more soon.
An outstanding share! I have just forwarded this onto a colleague who has been conducting a little homework on this. And he actually bought me dinner because I discovered it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending the time to discuss this matter here on your blog.
Excellent blog you’ve got here.. It’s difficult to find excellent writing like yours nowadays. I really appreciate people like you! Take care!!
The very next time I read a blog, I hope that it doesn’t fail me just as much as this particular one. After all, Yes, it was my choice to read, but I genuinely believed you would have something helpful to talk about. All I hear is a bunch of crying about something you could fix if you were not too busy looking for attention.
Oh my goodness! Awesome article dude! Many thanks, However I am going through troubles with your RSS. I don’t know the reason why I am unable to join it. Is there anyone else getting similar RSS issues? Anyone that knows the answer can you kindly respond? Thanx.
Spot on with this write-up, I absolutely believe this web site needs far more attention. I’ll probably be returning to read more, thanks for the info.
Excellent post. I definitely appreciate this website. Stick with it!
Good information. Lucky me I discovered your site by accident (stumbleupon). I have saved it for later.
You have made some decent points there. I looked on the internet for more info about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this site.
Saved as a favorite, I like your site!
I?m impressed, I need to say. Really hardly ever do I encounter a blog that?s each educative and entertaining, and let me let you know, you’ve gotten hit the nail on the head. Your thought is excellent; the difficulty is one thing that not enough people are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy that I stumbled throughout this in my search for something referring to this.
Next time I read a blog, Hopefully it doesn’t disappoint me just as much as this particular one. After all, I know it was my choice to read, nonetheless I truly thought you’d have something useful to say. All I hear is a bunch of moaning about something that you can fix if you weren’t too busy looking for attention.
One thing I would really like to reply to is that fat reduction plan fast may be possible by the appropriate diet and exercise. An individual’s size not only affects the look, but also the actual quality of life. Self-esteem, major depression, health risks, plus physical abilities are damaged in putting on weight. It is possible to just make everything right and at the same time having a gain. If this happens, a condition may be the offender. While an excessive amount of food and never enough exercising are usually the culprit, common health conditions and popular prescriptions might greatly add to size. I am grateful for your post in this article.
you’ve gotten an incredible weblog right here! would you like to make some invite posts on my blog?
Good day! I just wish to give you a huge thumbs up for your excellent information you have here on this post. I will be coming back to your site for more soon.
I would like to thank you for the efforts you have put in writing this blog. I am hoping to view the same high-grade content from you later on as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has motivated me to get my own, personal site now 😉
Pretty! This was an incredibly wonderful post. Thank you for supplying this information.
Good article! We are linking to this great content on our site. Keep up the good writing.
I’m really enjoying the theme/design of your blog. Do you ever run into any browser compatibility problems? A couple of my blog audience have complained about my website not operating correctly in Explorer but looks great in Opera. Do you have any advice to help fix this problem?
Hi, I believe your site could possibly be having web browser compatibility issues. Whenever I take a look at your website in Safari, it looks fine however when opening in IE, it’s got some overlapping issues. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other than that, wonderful site!
Everything is very open with a very clear description of the issues. It was definitely informative. Your site is useful. Thank you for sharing!
I’m amazed, I have to admit. Rarely do I encounter a blog that’s both educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head. The problem is something which not enough people are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy I found this in my search for something regarding this.
Pretty! This has been a really wonderful post. Thanks for providing this information.
Pretty! This was a really wonderful article. Many thanks for providing this info.
Excellent article. I am dealing with some of these issues as well..
This is a great tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere. Brief but very accurate information… Thanks for sharing this one. A must read post.
May I simply say what a comfort to discover a person that genuinely knows what they are discussing on the web. You certainly realize how to bring a problem to light and make it important. A lot more people should read this and understand this side of your story. I was surprised you’re not more popular given that you certainly have the gift.
I have to thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this blog. I really hope to check out the same high-grade content by you later on as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my very own website now 😉
Good article. I’m dealing with many of these issues as well..
Next time I read a blog, Hopefully it doesn’t disappoint me just as much as this particular one. I mean, Yes, it was my choice to read, but I genuinely thought you’d have something helpful to say. All I hear is a bunch of moaning about something you could possibly fix if you weren’t too busy looking for attention.
Can I simply just say what a comfort to find somebody that really understands what they’re talking about over the internet. You definitely understand how to bring an issue to light and make it important. A lot more people need to look at this and understand this side of the story. I was surprised that you’re not more popular because you definitely possess the gift.
I was very pleased to find this site. I wanted to thank you for your time due to this fantastic read!! I definitely enjoyed every part of it and i also have you book-marked to see new stuff in your site.
This is a great tip especially to those new to the blogosphere. Simple but very precise info… Thanks for sharing this one. A must read article.
Your style is very unique in comparison to other folks I’ve read stuff from. Thank you for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I will just bookmark this site.
I quite like looking through a post that will make men and women think. Also, thank you for allowing me to comment.
I think this is one of the most vital info for me. And i’m glad reading your article. But wanna remark on few general things, The site style is ideal, the articles is really nice : D. Good job, cheers