Ellis is the local name for this stretch of the upper Grand River that goes through Wellington. Today, the official name for the whole river is Grand River. At one time, it was called the Ellis River – especially for the upper reaches. Ellis is likely from William Ellis, an early shipbuilder in the Port Hill area. So, if that's confusing, the Mi'kmaq name for the Grand River is Amasisipukwek (meaning, "the river where it stretches out and follows far into the distance").
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| Track, 5.5 KM, 16Jun2023 |
So, on June 16, I went to the Western Road bridge at Days
Corner and launched my WD12 kayak on the Grand/Ellis/ Amasisipukwek River. The launch site is on the bridge's
north side (downriver). It is suitable for a kayak/canoe put-in/out (just be
careful of the highway traffic).
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| Launch site - the Days Corner hwy 2 bridge |
As you go under the bridge, you'll first notice the
graffiti on the bridge's walls. There's graffiti on the Route 2 Highway and
Wellington bridges – but it's hard to determine what it means!
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The distance from the Highway 2 bridge to Wellington is about a 2.5 km paddle. It's a good paddle without much development until you get close to Wellington. I came across only one side creek that was navigable to explore. Sightings of birds were not overly high, but it could have been the time of day or season. I got to observe a pair of beautiful Green-winged Teal ducks. In one area, I came across a mat of Creeping Juniper, a rare plant in PEI (S2). Other nature sightings posted to iNaturalist can be found HERE.
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Along the way to Wellington (especially below the lagoon),
I did come across large patches of green algae in the river. From a PEI
government web page, "Mats or
green scum are generally caused by a large growth (or bloom) of water plants or
algae. Duckweed and filamentous algae are the most common causes in freshwater
ponds. Sea lettuce forms mats in many Island estuaries."
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| Algae mats (species tbd) |
Next time I paddle
this stretch of the Ellis/Grand River, I should try to jump the dam in
Wellington and see how far upstream I can paddle.
