The Humber River in Steady Brook is looking different these days. Where there’s usually a steady rush of water, now wide stretches of riverbed are exposed—stones and mudbanks baking under the September sun. The docks sit almost stranded, waiting on water that isn’t there.

The reason? The dam at Gander Lake has been closed, cutting back the flow. It’s a stark reminder of how connected everything is in Newfoundland. A decision made miles away ripples all the way down the system, leaving one of our most familiar rivers looking unrecognizable.

For locals, the Humber isn’t just a river—it’s a lifeline. It’s where people fish, paddle, and take in the views that make Steady Brook such a special place. To see it drawn back like this, low and quiet, feels almost unsettling. At the same time, it exposes a raw side of the landscape we don’t usually get to see—the bones of the river, the hidden patterns of stone and silt that are normally underwater.

There’s something eerie yet beautiful about it. The mountains still rise green on either side, the sky is still bright and blue, but the river tells a different story: one of control, change, and just how delicate the balance of nature and human influence can be.