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.
4,165 responses to “A Sheltered Cove”
Porn
Scam
Thank you for any other wonderful article. The place else may anyone get that type of info in such an ideal manner of writing? I’ve a presentation subsequent week, and I am at the look for such info.
Porn site
Thanks for the helpful article. It is also my belief that mesothelioma has an really long latency phase, which means that signs of the disease would possibly not emerge till 30 to 50 years after the primary exposure to asbestos. Pleural mesothelioma, which is the most common variety and impacts the area across the lungs, might cause shortness of breath, chest muscles pains, as well as a persistent coughing, which may bring about coughing up blood.
Hi there are using WordPress for your site platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and create my own. Do you need any html coding knowledge to make your own blog? Any help would be really appreciated!
Unquestionably believe that which you stated. Your favorite reason seemed to be on the net the simplest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I definitely get irked while people consider worries that they plainly do not know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and defined out the whole thing without having side-effects , people can take a signal. Will likely be back to get more. Thanks
Porn
Viagra
Once I initially commented I clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now every time a comment is added I get four emails with the same comment. Is there any method you possibly can remove me from that service? Thanks!
Hello! I could have sworn I’ve visited this site before but after browsing through many of the articles I realized it’s new to me. Regardless, I’m certainly happy I came across it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back often!
Thanks for the ideas shared on your blog. Something else I would like to convey is that weight loss is not information about going on a fad diet and trying to get rid of as much weight that you can in a set period of time. The most effective way in losing weight is by consuming it bit by bit and using some basic points which can allow you to make the most from your attempt to lose weight. You may realize and already be following some of these tips, although reinforcing understanding never damages.
Thanks for the tips about credit repair on this site. The things i would tell people would be to give up the actual mentality that they buy now and shell out later. As being a society we all tend to do that for many things. This includes vacation trips, furniture, and also items we would like. However, you must separate your own wants from all the needs. As long as you’re working to improve your credit score you really have to make some sacrifices. For example you are able to shop online to save cash or you can look at second hand stores instead of costly department stores with regard to clothing.
Hey there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this site before but after browsing through some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Anyhow, I’m definitely glad I found it and I’ll be book-marking and checking back often!
Porn
This is a topic which is close to my heart… Many thanks! Exactly where can I find the contact details for questions?
Viagra
Buy Drugs
Sex
Porn site
Porn site
Buy Drugs
Porn
I have to express my appreciation to the writer just for rescuing me from this issue. Because of looking out through the world-wide-web and meeting tips which are not helpful, I thought my entire life was done. Living without the strategies to the difficulties you’ve solved as a result of your posting is a serious case, and the ones which could have in a wrong way affected my entire career if I hadn’t discovered your web site. Your competence and kindness in playing with all the pieces was excellent. I am not sure what I would have done if I had not come upon such a subject like this. I’m able to now look forward to my future. Thanks a lot so much for your skilled and amazing guide. I won’t think twice to recommend the website to anyone who should have direction on this subject.
Great web site. Lots of useful info here. I am sending it to a few friends ans additionally sharing in delicious. And certainly, thanks on your effort!
It’s hard to come by experienced people about this subject, but you seem like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
After which there was the overseas competition, notably the coupe versions of the favored Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.
Bharat Petroleum (December 29, 2021).
Alternate charges for the Stelo outdoors the Netherlands have been based on 1946 exchange rates for different currencies quoted by the most important Dutch commercial bank.
Bergwick, Angus (13 October 2023).
After looking over a few of the blog posts on your blog, I seriously appreciate your technique of blogging. I book-marked it to my bookmark website list and will be checking back soon. Take a look at my website too and tell me what you think.
It’s perfect time to make some plans for the future and it’s time to be happy. I have read this post and if I could I desire to suggest you few interesting things or suggestions. Maybe you can write next articles referring to this article. I wish to read more things about it!
Porn
Porn site
Having read this I thought it was really informative. I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this information together. I once again find myself spending a lot of time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worth it!
There’s definately a lot to learn about this subject. I really like all the points you made.
Fascinating blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere? A theme like yours with a few simple tweeks would really make my blog jump out. Please let me know where you got your theme. Bless you
Wow that was odd. I just wrote an very long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Regardless, just wanted to say superb blog!
F*ckin? remarkable things here. I am very glad to see your post. Thanks a lot and i am looking forward to contact you. Will you please drop me a mail?
I truly love your blog.. Excellent colors & theme. Did you create this site yourself? Please reply back as I’m trying to create my very own site and would love to learn where you got this from or exactly what the theme is called. Kudos.
There’s certainly a lot to learn about this topic. I like all of the points you have made.
Hello! I’ve been reading your blog for a long time now and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from Kingwood Tx! Just wanted to mention keep up the great work!
Scam
Buy Drugs
Porn site
Nevertheless, the revocation of George City’s free port standing and the fall of Wong’s administration in 1969 marked a turning point in Penang’s economic fortunes.
you’ve got a great blog here! would you prefer to make some invite posts on my blog?
Porn site
Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video to make your point. You clearly know what youre talking about, why waste your intelligence on just posting videos to your weblog when you could be giving us something enlightening to read?
Hello there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this web site before but after looking at many of the articles I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m definitely happy I came across it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back often!