Elm Ave Park and Ride

The Mid-West

This book I am reading makes a good point about the Midwest – the land is cheap, people are friendly and laid back, zoning and codes regulations tend to be much less with less enforcement. Conservative cultural norms are more laid back, preferring that government stay off people’s land and out of private businesses.

Building and living in an off-grid ‘tiny’ house or cabin is much easier when you don’t have to deal with nearly as aggressive of code inspectors. Buying a handgun or other firearm for hunting and personal protection is just as easy – fill out the federal paperwork, have them do a quick background check, and pay the cashier, and walk out with your new gun. Outhouses and composting toilets are easier to get approved, if there is any review at all. As long as there isn’t a high fire risk, you’re free to burn your trash and debris, typically with no permit. Off-road shops, ATVs, snowmobiles, and alike abound, often with a good trail system to ride not too far from home. Good-sized white tails, geese, ducks for hunting and other wildlife abound in the rural landscape.

The flip side, as the book notes, is the Midwest is mostly flat or with rolling hills. There aren’t the big mountains to hike, the state forests and national forests are much smaller part of the landscape – and often far away. The distances are spread out, they mean a lot of driving to get to work, shopping, or healthcare. Much of the Midwest is gritty and industrial, with lots of big farms and industry in cities and surrounding areas. Farmers for the most part don’t care what you do on your land, but recognize they have a business to do and that includes spreading manure and applying pesticides their fields, sometimes late at night with big loud tractors. Cows can be noisy, even if they are fun to watch graze. Hunters hunt, they have loud guns. People love shooting. I get it, I grew up in the country. I like doing many of those things too.

I am not one for conservative politics per se. If anything, I have become less political in recent years, focused on my own life concerns, making and saving money. I actually kind of like the idea of living in a culture that is less politically liberal, one more focused on natural resources and using them efficiently. Is there a thread in conservative politics that is entirely irresponsible and not based in reality? Sure, but it’s hard for a farmer, a hunter, and outdoors-man not to love and respect the resources that produce for them.

First Prize Slaughterhouse in 1952

Lately there has been talk of demolishing and redeveloping the First Prize Slaughterhouse in Guilderland. A look at that building in 1952 when it was still bringing hogs in from local farms and Midwest and turning them into delicious hot dogs.

Goulds Corners State Forest

 Goulds Corners State Forest

The Gould Corners State Forest includes two reforestation areas covering a total of 2,045 acres. It is named for the nearby intersection of Spring Street, Middle Road, Jerusalem Road and Washington Park Road (Co. Rt. 97). Over thousands of years the waters of South Sandy Creek have carved the canyon-like Lorraine Gulf into the shale bedrock. Today, this gulf offers spectacular scenic vistas along the southern boundary of this state forest.

https://andyarthur.org/goulds-corner-state-forest
https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/8048.html

Condon Hollow Trail – Halcott Mountain Lean To

 Condon Hollow Trail - Halcott Mountain Lean To

The Condon Hollow Trail follows an old mountain pass that runs between South Vly Mountain and Sleeping Lion in the Hallcott Mountain Wild Forest. The lean-to is located 2.0 miles west of of the Condon Hollow Parking Area, or 1/2 mile east of the Turk Hollow Road. The col between the mountains is 2,860 elevation, an ascent of 800 feet from Condon Hollow Parking Area. The lean-to is at 2,380 feet, which roughly 300 ascent from the end of Turk Hollow Road or 400 feet below the col. Tailhead parking at: 42.21852779311055,-74.42673587591332

More information on this forest can be found on DEC website: https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/28314.html

Daylight Savings Haters

Attention Daylight Savings Time Haters! So do you prefer:

1) Very dark mornings in November and December, waking up and driving to work in the dark
2) Very dark and early evenings when you get out of work in July and August, so you barely have time enjoy a steak in the evening before it’s pitch black?

If you repeal daylight savings time: Sunset on August 15th in Albany – 6:56 PM

If you keep daylight savings time year round: Sunrise on December 10th in Albany – 8:19 AM

North Chatham 1952

Area between North Chatham and Nassau. Not all rural areas have seen a lot of changes over the past 70 years.