Mile 420.0 RBD — Newtown Bend Sandbar

Long beautiful sandbar at low and medium water levels, possible picnic and campsites found along entire length.  Newtown sizzles in the summer sun like a slice of fatback in the griddle, and shimmers like an alaskan snowfield by the winter moonlight.  In any season it creates a balanced layer of sand in between the big river and the woods behind with thousands of acres of sand at low water.  As the river rises this expanse narrows to hundreds of acres big at medium high (30VG) and then at bank full high water (35VG) goes completely under.  Between 30 and 35VG a delightful narrow sliver of island remains RBD near mile 418, like a gar rising to the water’s surface, a willow topped gar with sugary sand dunes sprinkled throughout.  In a north wind you will be protected along Newtown Sandbar if you can get close enough to the treeline behind.  Eagles, Osprey and many different hawks frequent this area.  Terns nest here in their season, sometimes hundreds at a time.  As noted elsewhere the endangered least interior tern has made such a spectacular comeback along the island of the Lower Miss it is being de-listed as an endangered species.