Search Results for: photo fish and wildlife sign

Weekend at Bear Springs Mountain, Delaware Wild Forest, Warren Highlands

Based on the forecast for the long weekend, I decided to head down to the Western Catskills rather then Moose River Plains. It certainly was a bit sunnier, drier, and less snowy then it looks like they got up at Moose Plains. I simply did not another Memorial Day Weekend at Moose Plains, sitting in rain and snow showers.

I ended up heading down to the Western Catskills. Didnโ€™t leave home until after 10 AM, because I was putzing around. So be it. I also had to stop at Walmart to buy another blaze orange hat, for hiking, because I lost mine. I knew it would be hunting season down there, and figured better safe then sorry. The previous night, they didnโ€™t have one at Glenmont Walmart, so had to visit the Decided to head out the Warren Anderson Expressway (I-88) down to NY 10, and take that all the way south to Walton.

Fire Tower

Driving down NY 10, as soon as I reached Summit, you could see a dusting of snow on the summits around. Stopped in Stamford, drove up to Mount Utsaythana. There was a dusting of snow there too, in parts it looked like a winter wonderland. Then it was down to Walton, following NY 10 and the East Branch of Delaware River. Drove through Delhi, a small rural college town. I had been through Delhi years ago, meandering around Stamford, but not in years. Then I went down to Walton, climbed an enormous hill in the truck, and was at the Bear Spring Mountain Wildlife Management Area (aka Public Hunting Grounds).

At Bear Spring Mountain WMA there is a state DEC campground known as Bear Spring Mountain Campground. It consists of two parts, a fully developed campground with hot showers that is open during the summer months near Launt Pond, and the Spring Brook area with stud pends and a pit privy, similar to Charles Baker State Forest. Both areas are a $18 a night in summer, but from October to the end of hunting season, the lower area is free, but the water is shut-off down there. The designated campsites there are crunched together, and there is no privacy, so I canโ€™t imagine itโ€™s much fun camping there, especially with the smell of horses on a hot summerโ€™s afternoon.

By the time I got down there, it was fairly early, so decided to explore a bit. Drove up to Corbett, explored the Corbett Suspension Bridge, and an old chimney from the โ€œacid factoryโ€, which made an acid from tree bark for smokelesss gunpowder. Decided to head back and explore Bear Spring Mountain WMA a bit more, and drove up West Trout Brook Road, past several hunters. There are some limited views from end of East Trout Brook Road, namely at the summit Bear Spring Mountain. There are better views from NY 206, climbing up from Walton, but with few view points. Also explored Beers Brook Road, which had some limited but nice views into the valley below, and Russ Gray Pond.

Bridge Tower

Bear Spring WMA, being a federally-funded public hunting grounds, does not allow camping. The only camping there is those tiny, smashed together developed campgrounds known as the Bear Spring State Campground, operated by the DEC. I decided it was getting late, and I would camp there tonight, especially because it looked like one of campers had packed up, and the only other person around, was a female bow hunter, on far end of the campground. I wasnโ€™t thrilled, as it meant I would have to keep the music down, but at least the campground was deep in the valley, protected from the wind.

It wasnโ€™t a bad night though. The pit privies were kind of gross, but probably not worst then most of the outhouses in the woods. There was surprisingly a lot of wood in woods near the campground. The truck worked well with keeping the lights on, since switching the truckโ€™s radio back to the starting battery and evenly discharging both batteries. The radio shuts off automatically when the starting battery is starting to get a bit low, and Big Redโ€™s DIC says โ€œBattery Low: Start Engine Lowโ€. Previously, with the starting battery at full charge, hooked up to the discharged auxiliary battery, the alternator wouldnโ€™t kick up to full charge, so the auxiliary battery would fail to get fully charged. Now, with the starting battery slightly discharged โ€“ but with enough charge to crank the engine, things kept working well all night long. There was a little bit of sleet in the evening, but nothing major.

Russ Grey Pond

The next morning, I got a slow start. It was drizzling, and I kind of slept in. I didnโ€™t have a tarp set up, which didnโ€™t help. I probably didnโ€™t break camp until 10:30 AM..I was thinking of hiking the NYC DEP trail that overlooks the Pepacton Reservoir, but I ended up turning off onto Holiday Brook Road, and deciding to check out Huggins Lake. Hugging Lake was a nice hike back, following an old woods road back there. There is a campsite down by the lake. Apparently on the ridge above Huggins Lake, there is an old growth forest, but I never got back there.

Then it was off to Mary Smith Road. On Campground Road, one of the cut-over roads, I got to a cover bridge, which had a clearance of 6โ€™6โ€, which is about an inch too low for my pickup truck with the cap and racks on. So I had to turn around, and back track for about 5 miles. That sucked. Stopped and grabed a few pictures. When I got on Mary Smith Road, and back in forest preserve, I was pleasantly surprised to find three roadside campsites on it. I ended up camping at the most used of the sites โ€“ as witnessed by vegetation โ€“ along the Finger Lakes Trail/Mary Smith Trail/Middle Mountain Trail. It was a pretty nice roadside campsite.

About as soon as I scoped out the campsite, I realized it would be a pretty night up there. Despite the mountains on both sides, the north wind was whipping along the col. But I liked the campsite, and there was plenty of trees to hang a tarp up. I starting setting up camp at 2:30 PM โ€“ which was kind of early โ€“ but I figured it was too late to hike Mary Smith Hill (which wasnโ€™t true), but it did start to rain/sleet a bit. Got the tarp up, then the lights strung up and flag up. A heavy sleet squall pounded the col, for a while bad enough I hid out in the cab of the truck. Then I went out, built a fire, and spent sometime listening to a podcast and reading a book about the 1964 World Fair in New York.

The new 60-watt equivalent LED bulb I bought worked real well in the cold, which got down below freezing that night.. But with the bulb focused on the book, it was easy reading and plenty bright. In the cold, the 60-watt equivalent LED bulb was actually brighter then the 100-watt florescent bulb I had at camp, even after fully warming up, because the cold wind made it impossible for the florescent tube to get warm enough to fully atomize the mercury in the fixture.

At times the wind picked up, and it was pretty darn cold, to say the least. I end up putting the fire out cold before bed, to reduce the risk of the fire spreading, and because the tarp partially covered the fire pit, I was afraid it could fall into the fire, and possibly set the truck on fire or cause dripping plastic to fall on it. The fire was out cold, and I went to bed around 10:30 PM. No nightmares.

Mary Smith Hill Roadside Campsite 1

After bedding down, the wind started to whip around. It literally was howling, and the tarp was snapping up and down, making quite a bit of noise. Morning came, and it was beautiful blue skies, but very cold. That was when I first saw car actually pass by on Mary Smith Hill Road โ€“ despite being a through-road, and not a super remote road at that. Had another slow breakfast, and built a small fire to burn up some camp garbage. Usually I donโ€™t start fires in the morning, but I was chilly, and knowing that it may be a while until I got out camping again, I wanted to have a fire.

Once I finally got going, I hiked up Mary Smith Hill to the overlook. It really was a lot less further then I expected, and ha+d some interesting views to the north. Nothing totally breathtaking, but still an interesting short hike of maybe 20 minutes each way. Then I drove over to Russell Brook Falls, making a wrong turn and ending up going through Livingston Manor and the world famous fly fishing town, Roscoe. My impression of Roscoe, was it was a very a long and pokey 30 MPH zone, but with more stores then one would expect in such a rural, small town. I probably should have stopped, but I was burning daylight.

Finally made it to Morton Hill Road, and passed a Game Warden in a unmarked green suburbanite-style Jeep. The only reason I know that, was I saw him outside of the car talking to somebody in full uniform. Morton Hill Road climbs a lot from Roscoe out to where it hits Russell Brook Road. There are three campsites along Russell Brook Road, although in all of them there is a boulder barrier between the campsite and fire pit. One might still be able to use them for a pickup with a camper on them, I guess.

Russell Brook Falls 2

I hiked back to Russell Brook Falls โ€“ a beautiful but relatively unknown set of falls โ€“ at least to non-regulars to that part of state. They are less then quarter mile from the Russell Brook Falls parking area. I stopped and grabbed some pictures. Then, itโ€™s easy hike back to back to Trout Pond, following a gated road 9/10th of a mile from the parking area. There is a slight incline on the road, but nothing to make one break a sweat, even a fat out of shape dude like me, who spends too much time sipping cold buds in the woods. The road is a designated route for people with disabilities โ€“ somebody very strong with a wheel chair could theoretically get back there, or maybe with a CP-4 disabled with an ATV permit.

Back at Trout Pond, there is a campsite on the easterly end, and the gated road continues to the west end of lake. On the west end of the lake, there are two other campsites, spaced a ยผ mile apart, along with two lean-tos. All are designed for those with disabilities. There is also a trout spawning shelter on one of the creeks leading into lake. One of the lean-tos was well equipped โ€“ somebody left behind some nice pots and pans, all cleaned up, and a selection of perfectly good adult beverages and soda along the back wall of the lean-to. Talk about paying it forward to the next person who will use that lean-to โ€“ most certainly a hunter this time of year.

Itโ€™s small game hunting season, heard several small game bullets ring out, while hiking back there. No hunters nearby, as far as I could see, but I did wear plenty of blaze orange. I am sure next week, there will be a lot more hunters back there. Wish them luck. Hiked back to my truck and explored Campbell Mountain Road and Campbell Brook Road, looking for additional roadside campsites, preferably the kind you can back a pickup all the way back to. No such luck. Oh, well.

Trout Pond

Then I drove down NY 30, through the hamlet of Harvard, then East Branch. Took Old Route 17 to Hancock, then poked around the Poconos and the Warren Highlands in Pennsyltucky, before eventually ending up in Susquehanna and Great Bend. The area around Hancock is very mountainous and beautiful. The Warren Highlands were rough, mostly hunting and rural landscape country, with a relatively small amount of farming going on. Lots of open burning going on too โ€“ I love Pennsylvania..

I love that wild country, and everything Pennsylvania. Fueled up, picked up certain Pennsylvania products not legal in New York and/or cheaper then New York, then hopped on I-88/Warren Anderson Expressway, and made a bee-line back to Delmar, stopping only momentarily at the rest stop on I-88. That place was creepy as all hell after dark, and not well lit either. I seriously thought of just taking a piss in some farm

I made it back to Delmar around 7 PM. It was a good adventure. Burned through more gasoline, then I had planned, although on the trip back along I-88, I average 19.9 mpg in my Big Red Silverado pickup, so not complaining.

A long-weekend trip in early November to explore the the Western Catskills.

Adirondack Park State Land Acquistion Policy

Today’s fodder is based on the text of as Adirondack Park Land Acqusition Policy, as described in the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan. I added the headings and pictures to make it more readable. — Andy

The Agency has an important interest inr future state land acquisitions since they can vitally affect both private and public land within the Adirondack Park. As a result the Agency recommends that the following guidelines should govern future acquisitions of state lands within the Park…

Heading Up the Quiet, And Sometimes Narrow Kunjamunk

State Should Only Acquire
Adirondack Park Land for Forest Preseve.

1. Future state acquisitions within the Adirondack Park should generally be restricted to the acquisition of forest preserve lands. Where special state purposes are such that non-forest preserve land might be acquired (if such acquisitions are constitutionally permissible) the amount acquired for other than forest preserve purposes should be kept to the minimum necessary. Thus, should the state acquire a 100-acre tract on which it wished to place a hospital, a prison, an office building or another facility only that part of the tract, say twenty-five acres, that is actually necessary for the facility should be classified as non-forest preserve.

Reasons Not To Acquire Land.

2. As a general guideline, the state should avoid acquiring lands for non-forest preserve purposes (if such acquisitions are constitutionally permissible) within the Park where:

— the tract is not contiguous to a public highway; or,

— the tract is of a native forest character, i.e., stocked with any size, native tree species with twenty-five percent crown cover (plantations are not considered to be native forest land); or,

— the tract involved consists of more than 150 acres; or,

— the tract is contiguous to existing forest preserve land; or,

— the tract is within one-half mile of a block of forest preserve land of over 1,000 acres; or,

— the tract lies at an elevation greater than 2,500 feet; or,

— the proposed use of the tract will materially alter the surrounding environment; or,

— the tract is of significant scenic, ecological or geologic value or interest.

After The Fire

New Intensive Uses Should Be Restricted
to Private Companies and Individuals.

3. Save for (i) the two existing alpine skiing centers at Whiteface and Gore mountains and the Mt. Van Hoevenberg area; (ii) rustic state campsites, a long accepted intensive use of the forest preserve; (iii) visitor information centers, memorial highways, beaches and boat launching sites; and (iv) historic areas (guidelines for which are provided elsewhere in this master plan), the state should rely on private enterprise to develop intensive recreational facilities on private lands within the Park, to the extent that the character of these lands permits this type of development, and should not acquire lands for these purposes.

Trees Along the West Branch

Lands Most Desirable to Add to Forest Preserve.

4. Highest priority should be given to acquiring fee title to, fee title subject to a term of life tenancy, or conservation easements providing public use or value or rights of first refusal over,

(i) key parcels of private land, the use or development of which could adversely affect the integrity of vital tracts of state land, particularly wilderness, primitive and canoe areas and

(ii) key parcels which would permit the upgrading of primitive areas to wilderness areas.

Preference for Consolidation of State Parcels of Land.

5. High priority should also be given to acquisitions of fee title which permit the consolidation of scattered tracts of state land.

Protection of Deer Wintering Habitats.

6. Fee title or appropriate conservation easements should also be acquired to protect critical wildlife areas such as deer wintering areas, wetlands, habitats of rare or endangered species or other areas of unique value, such as lands bordering or providing access to classified or proposed wild, scenic and recreational rivers.

Moose Plains Road in Plains

Protection of Scenic Vistas.

7. Efforts should be made, by conservation easement or fee acquisition, to protect the major scenic resources of the Park along travel corridors, with particular attention to the Adirondack Northway and those scenic vistas specifically identified on the Private Land Use and Development Plan Map and listed in Chapter III of this document.

Obtaining Right-of-Ways to Public Lands.

8. The acquisition of fee title to or rights-of-way across private lands that effectively prevent access to important blocks of state land should be pursued, except where such acquisition would exacerbate or cause problems of overuse or inappropriate use of state lands.

Obtaining Canoe water Right-of-Ways.

9. Canoe route easements should be purchased to reopen Adirondack canoe routes for non-motorized access in appropriate areas of the Park.

Vanderwhacker Firetower Trail Sign

Obtaining Fishing Right Easements.

10. The highly successful fishing rights easement purchase program of the Department of Environmental Conservation should be continued and expanded on appropriate streams.

Tug Hill Valley

Avoid Purchases of Highly Productive Timber Stands,
Consider Conservation Easements for Timber Stands.

11. Due to the importance of the forest products industry to the economy of the Adirondack region, bulk acreage purchases in fee should not normally be made where highly productive forest land is involved, unless such land is threatened with development that would curtail its use for forestry purposes or its value for the preservation of open space or of wildlife habitat. However, conservation easements permitting the continuation of sound forest management and other land uses compatible with the open space character of the Park should be acquired wherever possible to protect and buffer state lands.

Relaxed

Adirondack Park Agency Prohibited from Reviewing Land Purchases Prior to Purchase.

While the Agency has not been given authority to review proposed acquisitions before title has vested in the state, once new lands have been acquired the Act requires the master plan to be revised by classifying the lands and setting guidelines for their management and use pursuant to the statutory procedures (consultation with the Department of Environmental Conservation and submission to the Governor for approval). The following procedures for revisions of the master plan will be followed in connection with new acquisitions:

— land acquisitions should be classified as promptly as possible following acquisition and in any case classification of new acquisitions will be done annually; and,

— prior to classification by the Agency, lands acquired by the Department of Environmental Conservation or any other state agency will be administered on an interim basis in a manner consistent with the character of the land and its capacity to withstand use and which will not foreclose options for eventual classification.

One Lane Bridge

Past and Present Management Of Moose River Plains

Today’s fodder was is an excerpt from “Moose River Plains Wild Forest Revised Draft Unit Management Plan/Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement ‐ July 2010”, Appendix III, a NYS Department of Conservation Document that is in the public domain. As the DEC will probably eventually remove this from the internet, and because it is only in PDF I have decided to share it in the entirity in this blog post.

I have added some pictures I’ve taken over the years at Moose River Plains. I hope you find this interesting and helpful. – Andy

Past and Present Management Of Moose River Plains.
As Written By NYSDEC, Revised Draft Unit Management Plan

The State acquired an original tract of 9,000 acres in the heart of what is now the MRPWF before 1900. In 1948 the Conservation Department issued a permit allowing Gould Paper Company to use an existing wagon road known as the Kenwell Road to haul timber across State lands and to maintain a gate at the end of the road near Limekiln Lake to prevent public access. The Department acquired 15,710 acres surrounding Limekiln Lake from Gould in 1960, then another Gould parcel encompassing Lost Ponds and containing approximately 1,803 acres in 1962. An individual owner sold the State a parcel of 356 acres including Beaver Lake in 1963. The majority of what is now the MRPWF and the northern part of the West Canada Lake Wilderness was added to the Forest Preserve in 1963 when Gould Paper Company sold the State a tract of 50,970 acres stretching from Horn Lake on the west to Manbury Mountain on the east. Major subsequent additions included 602 acres surrounding Wakely Dam and the north end of Cedar River Flow from Finch, Pruyn and Company in 1964 and two large parcels acquired from International Paper Company: the 1,120‐acre Cellar Mountain parcel in 1986 and a tract of 9,925 acres south of Wakely Mountain in 1988. The larger parcel was acquired subject to a 1987 easement conveyed by IP to Hamilton County for the maintenance of the four miles of Cedar River Road which crossed the parcel. Appendix 25 contains an acquisition map.

A small parcel was acquired in 1981 along Route 28. This acquisition included access to the shore of Fourth Lake. However, there is no potential to develop any water access at this location. Appendix 15 contains a deed and sketch map for this parcel.

Moose River Plains Overview

After this major acquisition, the Department took an active approach to the management of the area then referred to as the Moose River Recreation Area, a name which reflected the intent behind the purchase. From the beginning, the Department pursued the development of an extensive road system to provide public access to the remote interior for hunting, trapping, fishing and camping. An early Department report indicated that there were about 178 miles of primary gravel roads and an equal extent of secondary and winter roads throughout the former Gould lands. However none of the roads was suitable for public motor vehicle use without significant improvement. Minutes to a meeting of Department staff on December 9, 1963 included an estimated cost of $25,000 for the annual maintenance of 50 miles of roads and bridges. Starting in 1964, Division of Fish and Wildlife staff used heavy equipment to improve roads initially identified for public use. When the area first was opened to the public on October 23, 1964, the road connecting the Limekiln and Cedar River entrances had just been cleared by bulldozer, but remained difficult to traverse. In addition to the LLCR Road, the Rock Dam Road, Otter Brook Road and Sly Pond Loop were open to public use by permit for a total of about 30 miles. Fifty‐six parking areas were established along the road system. At the entrance gates, cars were assigned parking areas and travel was allowed only to and from those areas. The public were four‐wheel drive vehicles or tire chains. Pickups with slip‐on campers were permitted from the start, but because the roads were not yet suitable, trailers were not permitted.

Speed Limit 15 MPH

In a road plan adopted in 1965, roads to be designated were divided into three categories. Twenty‐two miles would be first priority roads, open to all traffic; 30.5 miles would be second priority roads open only to fourwheel drive vehicles; and 7.5 miles would be administrative roads restricted to use by Department staff for crossing private property. In the first years after the area was opened to the public, access remained difficult because of the effects of weather on road conditions. In the summer of 1965, work needed to make the roads passable delayed opening until July 1. In order to minimize fire danger and facilitate the disposal of trash, the public was allowed to camp only in areas adjacent to the roads and for a maximum of 3 days. Trash receptacles eventually were provided at most campsites and Department staff collected trash twice a week through the 1970s. The trash was deposited at a dump site south of the LLCR Road east of Helldiver Pond.

Helldiver Pond in Evening

The road crew worked steadily year by year to improve the roads with the intention of ultimately allowing them to be traveled safely by cars. After the extensive logging by Gould, especially after the 1950 Blowdown, much of the area was occupied by thick low vegetation, the tops of harvested and wind‐thrown trees. Foot travel was difficult. To allow hunters to more easily travel through more remote areas in search of game, Fish and Wildlife staff used a bulldozer to clear and extend logging roads and skid trails to serve as foot trails, starting in the late 1960s. Trails cleared in this way include routes to Mitchell Ponds, Bear Pond, Lost Ponds, Cellar Pond, Beaver Lake, Sly Pond and Squaw Lake, as well as those along Benedict Creek and Butter Brook. A number of routes cleared at that time are now within the West Canada Lake Wilderness, including the trails to Horn Lake and Falls Pond. Many of the cleared routes extended beyond the trails currently marked and maintained. A map prepared by Jack Harnish, a member of the crew that did the trail clearing work, is on file with the Department.

Direction Sign at The Big T Junction

The minutes of the December 9, 1963 Department staff meeting mentioned above included in the list of recommendations for the operation of the area that the Department should establish several small camping areas to include table, fireplace and latrine throughout the area adjacent to the roads where parties can park and camp. By 1965 the Department began constructing campsites and installing fireplaces, picnic tables and privies, which were built in a field just west of the Cedar River entrance. At each suitable location along the road system, a bulldozer was used to make a short access driveway and level an area where a car or pickup truck could park and camp. A number of campsites were created at former log landings. Many of the areas originally intended as roadside parking areas later were converted to campsites. Campsite construction was completed by the late 1960s.

Campsite 55

Because of the importance of the Plains as a deer wintering area, the Departments game management staff began studying the area in 1931. Hunting and fishing advocates such as the Adirondack Conservation Council supported the acquisition of the Plains and the development of its roads, trails and campsites for hunting and fishing access. In 1965 and 1966 with federal Pittman‐Robertson Act funding, 30 log landings were graded for hunter parking access and 30,000 trees were planted in the Plains area as an experiment intended to provide winter deer shelter.

Tall Pines in the Plains

In 1965 housing was constructed for the Limekiln and Cedar River gatekeepers. The possibility of a use fee was discussed, but no fee was charged during the early years. During the 1976 season the Department charged a fee of $1.50 or $2.00 per car. A subsequent assessment determined that most of the revenue generated by the fee was offset by the costs of staffing and administration. The fee was discontinued the following year.

Entrance to Moose River Plains

Work to clear hunter access trails by bulldozer continued for a few years. However, after repeated incidents of public motor vehicle travel on these trails, 16 barriers were installed in 1970, and motor vehicles no longer were used to maintain the trails. Also in 1970, the original road plan was changed to close 22.5 miles of the original III. Management and Policy Moose River Plains Wild Forest Revised Draft Unit Management Plan/Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement ‐ July 2010 67 30.5 miles of secondary roads to the public and retain them as administrative roads. The other 8 miles, consisting of the beginning of the Otter Brook truck trail and the road to the Indian River, were upgraded to primary roads and the gate at the Otter Brook bridge was removed.

Otter Brook Bridge is Closed

As work progressed over the years and the condition of the road system improved, the Department relaxed restrictions on the types of vehicles the public could drive. In the late 1960s the Department decided to allow motorhomes up to 22 feet long to travel the roads through big game hunting season, as long as they had tire chains. It was thought that they were less likely to get stuck than vehicles towing camping trailers, which the Department continued to prohibit. However, pressure to allow trailers began early and continued to grow. After Department staff conducted an assessment of the roads and determined that they had been sufficiently improved, they decided to allow trailers beginning around 1980.

For several years after the Department first erected wood signs in the MRPWF, they were repeatedly damaged by black bears. To prevent further destruction, metal signs were installed in 1975.

6.5 Miles to Lost Pond

A detailed Department map prepared in 1977 shows 222 campsite and parking area locations along the road system. The map provides an inventory of the structures at each site, showing the prevalence of fireplaces, picnic tables and privies at the time. Twenty sites were closed in 1980 after the reclassification of the southwestern portion of the area to wilderness, when the road to the Indian River was gated at Indian Lake. The campsites were not given numbers on the ground until the 1980s. A number of original sites that had fallen into disuse were bypassed when the numbers were assigned, so that in 2008 there are 170 numbered sites. In 2006 sites 7, 34, 66, 73, 90, 119a, 130 , and site 1 at Cedar River Flow were modified and designated as accessible sites.

In recent years, maintenance activities have focused on keeping the road system in passable condition, replacing inadequate culverts and trail maintenance. In 2001, four gravel pits were reclaimed and replanted.

Warning! Road Washed Out

In 1996 an engineering evaluation was completed for the public motor vehicle roads in the unit. The report focused on 8 major and 12 minor culvert problem areas and made recommendations for replacing existing culverts with new structures of sufficient capacity to handle a design storm of 100‐year occurrence probability with a snowmelt allowance. Between 2000 and 2005, 11 of the 12 minor sites, with the exception of site 10B, were addressed and site 5A of the major sites is the only one complete. The report and an updated status can be found in Appendix 22.

Straight Thru the Plains

In 1974, jurisdiction over approximately one acre of State land was transferred from the Hudson River‐Black River Regulating District to the Department for use as a canoe access site on Sixth Lake. In 1986, the Department transferred jurisdiction of 6.41 acres of State land along Sagamore Road to DOT. This parcel encompasses an old sand pit and was transferred so that DOT could relocate their maintenance facility from an area immediately adjacent to State Route 28 to a more screened location. DEC reserved the right to use gravel from this site, as long as it did not interfere with the DOT facility. Currently DOT does not use the site, but may use it at some time in the future.

Moose River Plains Overview

When the Moose River Recreation Area was first opened to the public, use levels were relatively high. During big game hunting season in 1964, 2,021 vehicles with 5,764 passengers signed in. Though the area originally was purchased and developed for use by hunters, trappers and anglers, the first 10‐day report filed after the 1965 opening on July 1 indicated that 75 percent of visitors were campers and sight‐seers. In 1966, 7,809 people signed in as anglers and 23,408 camper‐days were recorded during big game hunting season, about 6,000 of which were recorded for campsites beyond the Otter Brook bridge. Big game hunters were very successful in the early years, harvesting 373 deer and 15 bear in 1966 and a high of 404 deer in 1968. Deer harvest levels declined sharply after 1969, with 77 harvested in 1970 and 11 in 1971. Since the 1970s the number of deer taken by hunters has increased and in recent years harvest numbers have nearly returned to the levels recorded in the 1960s. The MRPWF remains popular with hunters, trappers and anglers.

Thunderstorm Coming to the Plains

Early management included the adoption of a number of regulations in 1972. These regulations, which still apply to public use of the area, require visitors to register at the Cedar River and Limekiln entrances, require the use of tire chains after October 1 except on 4‐wheel drive vehicles, prohibit snowmobile operation during the big game hunting season and prohibit the use of motorcycles and motorized bicycles. Current conditions may warrant the elimination of the registration requirement and the prohibition against motorcycle use.

Site Map

๐ŸŒฒ๐ŸŒฒ Our Public Lands ๐ŸŒณ๐ŸŒฒ

Interactive maps with backcountry and roadside camping: New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia & Vermont.
List of NYS DEC Lean-Tos with map coordinates. List of NYS DEC Firetowers with map coordinates and more information.
Google Spreadsheet with Roadside, Primitive and Pay Campsites

Explore the Finger Lakes Trail, Long Path, Northville-Placid Trail and Long Trail/Appalachian in Vermont.
Catskill Park Mountain Peaks, Hudson Valley & Long Island Peaks, Peaks Over 3000 ft Elevation, Highest Peaks in Adirondacks, Interactive Map of All Named Summits in NYS, Blaze Colors in Catskill Park, Trailhead Parking Coordinates and Addresses in the Catskills.

Browse USGS Topo Quads as PDF ๐Ÿ†• by State Lands or County. You can Bulk Download New & Old USGS Topograpic Maps.

Links to various NY State Land Websites ๐Ÿ†•. Get latest GIS Data from state Web Services.

โ›บ๐ŸŒฒ Camp ๐ŸŒฒ๐Ÿ•

Moose River PlainsCampsite Listing, Maps and photos of state’s largest free camping area.
Piseco-Powley RoadCampsite Listing, Maps and photos of 15 mile dirt road with camping.
Catskill Park Primitive CampsitesAn overview of free camping locations in Catskill Park.
Burnt-Rossman Forest, Cattaraugus County, East Branch Sacandaga River, Finger Lakes National Forest, Madison County, Pennsylvania, Vermont and West Virigina.

Campsite Coordinates for Bog River Flow / Lows Lake, Hudson River SMA (Buttermilk Falls), Lake Lila, Oswegathie River, Nine-Corner Lake, Pharaoh Lake Wilderness, Saranac River Campsites, Stillwater Lake, Schoharie County, and Sugar Hill State Forest.

Overview of Camping Areas in the Catskills, Green Mountains, Southern Adirondacks, Central Adirondacks, Northern Adirondacks, Allegheny National Forest and Penna. DCNR Motorized Campsites and the Monongahela National Forest West Virginia.

Free Campsite Overview Maps: Adirondack – North Country, Catskills, Central NY, Finger Lakes, Western NY. Interactive Map.

Places I camped in 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020.

๐Ÿž ๐Ÿ›น Bicycle Trails and “Blackie” My Mountain Bike ๐Ÿšฒ ๐Ÿšถ

Finally bought a mountain bike, after chewing over a mountain vs commuter bike. Really enjoying riding my bike to work and when it rains there is always a bike rack to safely take it back home. One way to get to adventures at Thacher Park is the Nature Bus.

Empire Trail – KMZ and Interactive Map. Parking along it.

More Trailways with KMZ files including the Albany County Rail Trail, Black Diamond Trail, Catharine Valley Trail, Catskill Scenic Trail, Fonda, Johnstown & Gloversville Rail Trail, Genesee Valley Trail, Link Trail.

๐ŸฆŒ๐ŸŒฒ Hunt ๐Ÿฆƒ๐Ÿฟ

Wildlife Management Units (Deer)KMZ Map shows the WMU boundaries.

Summer 2019 Aerial Photographs of WMUs

KMZ Maps of Deer Harvest Density by Town: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016. By WMU 2017, 2016, 2015.

KMZ Maps of Buck Harvest Density by Town: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016. By WMU 2017, 2016

2016 -2019 Deer and Buck Harvest by TownKMZ Spreadsheet with FIPS codes for making your own calculations.

๐ŸŽฃ๐Ÿก Fish ๐ŸŸ๐Ÿ 

Parking and Access to Trout StreamsAn interactive, downloadable KMZ Map.
Lakes with DEC Contour MapsA KMZ Map links to Contour Maps for Fishing.

๐ŸŒจ๐Ÿ” Sled & Wheel ๐Ÿš™โ„

State Truck Trails Over A Half MileDirt roads to explore in the backcountry.
NYS Statewide Snowmobile Trail SystemState trails on public and private lands.

๐Ÿ“‰๐Ÿ“Š Learn ๐Ÿ’ต๐Ÿ“ˆ

Interactive Maps of NY CensusExplore and download KML files.
Charts and Interactive DiagramsFrom population to pollution control.
Andy Arthur GitHubGit my R and Python scripts used to make maps and diagrams.
Use ArcPullR to Get Geospatial DataSuper easy way to connect to get GIS data in R from government servers.
GDAL Opens E00 FilesMost open source programs nowadays can open common geospatial formats.
NY Building FootprintsWhere to find on the internet for making maps.
WMS and ArcMap ServicesDownloadable CSV file listing services used on the blog.
2022 US Census Population EstimatesRed states, south continue to gain population.
2020 Cartogram of State Population

๐Ÿ’ณ ๐Ÿ› Property Taxes ๐Ÿ ๐Ÿ’ธ

Properties in Albany Pine Bush Study Area, Excel Files: Various Tax Rolls, Find coordinates and political districts, Look Up State Tax Records and a Script for Processing RPTL 1520 PDFs. Match NY SWIS Codes to FIPS Codes and GEOID

๐Ÿš—๐Ÿš— Big Red ๐Ÿš—๐Ÿš—

Big RedPhotos and Videos of my lifted truck with its camper shell. Big Red’s Dual Battery Setup for Camp Power, Video Tour and Diagram. Big Red is getting old. What is next? I’ve thought about going carless for a while to save money and reduce pollution. Or maybe going bigger? Or smaller? Five dollar gas sucks.

๐Ÿ”ฅ๐ŸŒฒ Off-Grid Living ๐Ÿ ๐Ÿค 

I am seriously thinking about building an off-grid house. I have a first draft. I need to learn CAD! I have a road map towards buying land and building. I concede might have to live with long commute and give up traveling and camping. I need to be strong.

Why off grid? Well, I’m not into contemporary society. I want to own land, but not be called a landowner, and a cabin, not hooked to electrical grid, farm, raise pigs for food and burn my own trash. I’m saving for a better tomorrow, hoping to make the leap to another freer state. Having acreage is important. Cornfields aren’t bad neighbors. Maybe though my vision has grown smaller and more local. More on off-grid living.

I am 16 years into my career and have made some significant progress in my life. I love my job. But I do wonder on all the things I’m missing out but saving sure makes me high. Maybe it will be different when I own my own land — the end of goal of all this saving.

2020 into 2021 during the pandemic was a year of remote work. It was a struggle not having internet at home, worked a lot out of my truck. But I worked remotely from Horseshoe Lake which was super cool.

Generally I like the idea of owning land in a red state, particularly Idaho, Iowa, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Wisconsin — and Midwest more generally. But I may settle for New York – it’s all about the f-ing money!

๐Ÿ’ป๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ’ป Open Source ๐Ÿ—บ๏ธ๐Ÿ“

I use open source software and public sources of data for the blog. Quantum GIS (QGIS), GDAL/ogr2ogr, PyQGIS, GeoPANDAS, R Studio and Leaflet for map making, Arduino and ESP32 microprocessors, Ubuntu Linux and XFCE Window Manager. I’ve recently gotten interested in machine learning.

I avoid using commercial software like Microsoft Windows and do not have home internet or television. If you don’t use commercial software and use your brain, fears of computer viruses are overblown. I deleted most of my social media accounts.

Creating Digital Surface Models using LiDAR Point Clouds.

๐Ÿ“Š๐Ÿ—บ R Statistical Programming ๐Ÿ“œ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿซ

The R programming language and RStudio are powerful tools for statistical analysis, making maps and charts. Many of the blog posts and analysis I do are in R, ggplot not only makes great charts but also maps using tidycensus. Generally, R is better then Python for geospatial work.

Use IDW Interpolation to fill in missing Census data, Zonal Histograms for land cover, load WMS Aerial Photography in R, find mountain peaks, save Census shapefiles using tigris quickly, pull NY Election Night Results using Selenium. Fast reverse Geocoding in PostGIS. Working with PDFs in R. Fix a common error starting rselenium/wdman. Make data-filled calendars. R is wonderful and weird, learn it!

๐Ÿผ๐Ÿ”ข Python and Pandas ๐Ÿ’ป๐Ÿ

Querying state property database, political enrollments, PL 94-171 Census files, calculating population statistics, what address is a district in, converting old districts to new districts, Shapefiles missing Projection information in QGIS.

Learn to code for free modern HTML, Javascript, Python and SQL at freeCodeCamp and web development at the Odin Project.

๐Ÿด ๐Ÿ˜ Politics ๐Ÿฆ ๐Ÿ

Crunched Election Results with Turnout for Albany County: November 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 and Primaries June 2019, Pres/June 2020, June 2021, June 2022, Aug 2022, June 2023.

Albany County Races converted to the new 2023 EDs using Super EDs and Code: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 and Primaries June 2019, Pres/June 2020, June 2021, June 2022, Aug 2022.

Above Election Results as zipped Excel files.

Albany County Legislature Districts 2024 Maps

Maps Comparing 2017 and 2023 Albany County Election Districts and a Crosswalk Table Showing the Proposition of Voting Age Population in New and Old EDs

Maps of 2022 NYC Assembly Races, NYS Assembly Races, NY Senate Races, Governor’s Race in Erie County and Statewide. Partisan shift in governor race between 2010 and 2018.

A comparison of Democratic Performance 2022 Assembly Districts to those proposed in 2023 by the IRC. Here is latest 4/20/23 IRC Maps, showing ADP and how they change from existing Assembly districts. Most towns upstate, outside of cities, are quite red. Using LATFOR data with R to calculate Average Democratic Performance.

You can scrape employee salary data from SeeThroughNY using R. Other useful investigative resources.

I often think politics is for losers. I’m into the politics of statistical analysis and reading history books.

I believe strongly in the first amendment, second amendment, oppose gun restrictions and I support de-funding the police in favor of lower-cost technology and civilian employees. Maybe use red flag laws for voting to stop dangerous voters? And the media should stop promoting mass-shootings, even if it’s super profitable for all involved. They should tax the media when it promotes violence. I think some people are much too paranoid in politics. How elections are rigged under law to benefit incumbents. But vote, it’s the best option and inexpensive.

Yeah for the third parties! I voted for Larry Sharpe for Governor and Jo Jergenson for President but my views are complicated and often vote for Democrats, after voting Jill Stein Green Party in 2016.

Generally, I think Biden has been a good change over DJT and glad the Trump era is over and are glad prosecutors and grand jurors are holding him responsible by indicting him for many serious felonies. I don’t think Trump can win in 2024, as nothing has changed politically from 2020.

I think rural people should be left alone and not worship government workers or have parades for them. I am no fan of Donald Trump, his speeches are bad, I don’t like Trump’s embrace of radical environmentalists, but do admire the homemade roadside monuments to DJT.

I don’t toke. But whatever. There are too many transit authorities.

๐ŸŒฒ๐ŸŒณThe Earth ๐ŸŒŽ ๐Ÿธ

Why I oppose wilderness areas and parks. It’s trendy to be green these days, but is eco-marketing good for the planet? I visited the Mount Storm Coal Plant and Corridor H.

I worry about a lot about overly-aggressive Climate Change Action, and Undermining Environment Laws for Climate Action. I think we should all admit we are Addicted to Fossil Fuels. These days, urban recycling has become a joke, when it’s still an option at all. It’s better to just buy less shit and avoid the alure of Costcos. I really don’t like how aging radicals have become industrial solar salespeople.

Big bucks are coming to state-designated disadvantaged communities under the CLCP. Which counties and political districts are in line for the the most pork? Interactive map.

I’m a big of farmers who are essentially Living Off the Earth and think Rednecks are Noble Savages. Dairy Farming are key to our rural landscape. I’d trust a farmer or a hunter in a pile of guts he’s butchered over any ivory-tower scientist.

๐ŸŒŽ๐Ÿ”† Industrial Solar ๐ŸŒž ๐Ÿญ

Hundreds of multi-acre industrial solar farms are being built in our state. How bad is solar for the environment? We should ask tough questions. Interactive of recently built solar farms, proposed facilities. List of proposed industrial solar facilities. See how the Greenville Solar Farm changed the landscape.

๐Ÿ’ณ ๐Ÿ’ธSaving Money ๐Ÿ’ฐ ๐Ÿ’ท

I am not a fan of ESG Investing as it’s not well diversified. I prefer index-funds and other tax-advantaged ways of saving. Why I am concerned about saving enough for retirement, even though I’m in my late 30s. We as a nation should save more, consume less. I like the idea of carbon tax to replace capital gains taxes to discourage consumption.

๐Ÿฅฆ ๐ŸŽMission Fifty & Being Healthier ๐Ÿ ๐Ÿง 

I am now officially in my 40s! I am building to a better life in my 50s, which means getting up early, walking a lot, saying no to cake and yes to more fruit. In many ways, the forties are an awesome time to be alive.

And eating healthy for less without losing sleep over arsenic. And I don’t think we should subsidize unhealthy habits. How I got started in eating healther. Meals are too focused on meat and carbs due to how we describe them, maybe I eat too many bananas in the office, what to eat while camping, worry more about salt then GMOs, eat more beans. Do spend extra for farmers market peaches, especially doughnut peaches and plums. Consider ethnic supermarkets. Thinking about how to make a healthier macaroni and cheese, spinach-mackeral-pasta salad, quick-cook biscuits and whole-wheat bread. That said, too many recipes are junk food crap. Okay in moderation is not okay. The fact that I’m thinner is not a sign I’m dying.

A few years back I decided to explore my mental illness with therapy, thinking about why I have so much anxiety and how many of my values are rational or just thinking too much rednecks’ burn barrels and how much of a throwaway society we live in. Do I want to change?

I’ve learned to care less about the world, and focus more on myself. Maybe I am happier as I am now, saving and investing a lot towards owning my own land, where I don’t have to deal with all the bullshit of modern life.

Mission Fifty: Getting to the point where I own my own land. ๐Ÿšœ
Healthy Eating ๐ŸŽ / Growing My Wealth ๐Ÿ’ฐ
Healthy Thoughts ๐Ÿ’ญ / Enjoying Life ๐Ÿ˜ƒ

Questions, comments? Feel free to email me at andy@andyarthur.org.

You do your thing, I’ll do mine.

I use GNU open source software.
Plus I like buck goats,
because they’re real macho men
spraying their beards with goat urine.

March is upon us. Get out, enjoy it, be safe with fire and burning shit, and remember soon enough black flies are waiting.” – Andy Arthur

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August 15, 2020 Evening

Good evening! Cloudy and 70 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. โ˜๏ธ There is a south-southeast breeze at 9 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 64 degrees. The skies will clear tomorrow around 5 am.

Final night of summer vacation. ๐ŸŒƒ All things have to come to an end. It’s been a very unusual year with the pandemic smoldering all around the world ๐ŸŒŽ but in some ways it inspired me to find new places to visit and new forms of socially distant recreation. ๐Ÿ˜ท Without the pandemic I might not have explored the Keuka Outlet Trail or the Catherine Valley Rail Trail or the Catherine Swamp WMA ๐Ÿธ and missed some really beautiful and wild country.

I don’t know how I had never driven or walked ๐Ÿค” Rock Cabin Road in Watkins Glen but it sure is beautiful. I wish I hadn’t left my binoculars in the truck as the marsh was full of wildlife ๐Ÿฆ† I wish I could have seen up close. It looks like there are some good paddling possibilities from the marsh but I didn’t have time with the threat of thunderstorm โ›ˆ and the sky getting dark. When I started to hear rumbles and looked at the radar I was concerned but if the weather was bad enough I could have probably thumbed ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿป a ride back to the truck or found a relatively safe low lying place in the marsh or along the road. But it sure was dusty. ๐ŸŒซ๏ธ

I had tuna fish ๐Ÿ  salad ๐Ÿฅ— for dinner with several beers to wash it down. ๐Ÿป I’ve used up most of the last of the cold food so I didn’t buy ice today. I doubt the mayonese or sliced cheese ๐Ÿง€ will go bad if it gets a bit warm by evening but if it does its not a big loss. ๐Ÿ”ฅ Had a nice roaring fire for a while but I’ve let it burn down by bed time. I tried to straighten up camp โ›บ for easier take down after spending nine days at this site. Returned a bunch of cans at Walmart this evening so I have a lot less trash to bring home and I got my deposit back and a fresh case of beer ๐Ÿป. I know I won’t be littering and my campsite super clean when I leave.

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9pm. Mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒง, with a low of 65 degrees at 5am. Five degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 64 at 6pm. South wind 5 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was humid. It got down to 63 degrees. The record low of 41 occurred back in 1972.

Tonight will have a Waining Crescent ๐ŸŒ˜ Moon with 12% illuminated. The darkest hour is at 1:13 am, followed by dawn at 5:46 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:16 am in the east-northeast (70ยฐ) and last for 3 minutes and 3 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 3 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ The golden hour ends at 6:55 am with sun in the east-northeast (77ยฐ). Tonight will have 10 hours and 8 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 32 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of showers. Mostly sunny ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 80 degrees at 3pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around August 18th. Maximum dew point of 64 at 8am. Southeast wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became rain by afternoon. It became humid as the day progressed. The high last year was 81 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1936.

I am glad that I had coffee โ˜• for tomorrow morning. I have to think that I’m an caffeine addict but I’m sure was much happier this morning with my cups of joe. I have muffins for tomorrow which will be good. โ˜บ

I am in no rush to get going tomorrow and packed up and heading home. ๐Ÿก It all will depend if it’s raining โ˜” come morning but I’m quite content to lay back in the hammock and read a bit before taking down camp and then doing some of the Taughannock Rim Trail before heading home. Still thinking about going through Marathon and taking NY 23 at least part of the way home. Summer vacation has to come to an end but there are always future trips or so I hope. ๐Ÿ– COVID-19 is real and out there, but I tried to stay safe while enjoying the Finger Lakes.

Then it’s back to work Monday ๐Ÿ‘จ๐Ÿปโ€๐Ÿซ but with remote work ๐Ÿ–ฅ๏ธ it’s either a matter of going down to the library parking lot or using my new phone to get done what needs to be done. All the signs point ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿป to a busy week next week but after my week off camping without cell service at camp I’m ready to make it happen.

I was looking and it seems like I need to renew my blog contract ๐Ÿ“œ come October. I’ll probably do it sooner than that and do the 3 or more years – whatever is the cheapest rate. ๐Ÿ’ต I like doing my blog and while I don’t make any money from it, really isn’t that expensive and it gives me an opportunity to think ๐Ÿค” and express my thoughts ๐Ÿ’ญ and experiences ๐ŸŒฒ๐ŸŒณ๐ŸŒฒ.

I saw another one of my colleagues bought a house ๐Ÿก. Nice mid-century modern house, probably in the more suburban part of the city. โ˜บ๏ธ Yeah, I’m a bit jealous but it’s certainly not may way of living. But I’m only a few steps behind him and if I keep saving and investing I’ll be closer to that goal ๐Ÿฅ…. Of course, I think if rather live somewhere surrounded by corn fields ๐ŸŒฝ or forest ๐ŸŒฒ, some place small without grid power ๐Ÿ”Œ where I can have fires ๐Ÿ”ฅ, shoot guns ๐Ÿ”ซ and live the good life without any neighbors to give a damn. With cheap taxes ๐Ÿ’ฐ, no special government permission to carry guns ๐Ÿค  or improve your land or run my hobby farm ๐Ÿ. Land in rural areas is a lot cheaper and freer – especially in other states but it’s hard to make a living in the rural countryside, ๐ŸŒฒ๐Ÿบ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฆ‹๐ŸŒฑ although maybe the pandemic and increased remote work is changing that. โŒจ๏ธ๐Ÿ–ฑ๏ธ

As Malvina Reynolds once sung, “Little Boxes made out of ticky tacky”. If that was my only choice, I’d choose my moldy apartment. ๐Ÿ˜๏ธ

While my hammock stinks tonight after getting wet today in the rain and the Martin’s Permethrin I applied earlier in the week being somewhat unlocked, I continue to be very happy ๐Ÿ˜Š with the replacement hammock I bought more than two years ago to replace the shitty Eno / LL Bean branded hammock that had bad carabiners and then only months later ripped and wouldn’t be warranted. ๐Ÿ˜ฏ While I got the LL Bean with credit card reward points ๐Ÿ’ณ, it was expensive and within a year was placed in the camp trash ๐Ÿ—‘ and ultimately burnt to a crisp. ๐Ÿ”ฅ The cheap Chinese replacement I got on Ebay for $15 has lasted more than two years now and is still in good shape. That said, I do like the Eno straps, I still use them today with the China hammock. ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ God bless those factory ๐Ÿญ slave workers who make quality inexpensive products.

In four weeks on September 12 the sun will be setting in the west (276ยฐ) at 7:22 pm,๐ŸŒ„ which is 46 minutes and 14 seconds earlier then today. In 2019 on that day, we had partly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 68 and 51 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 74 and 53 degrees. The record high of 94 degrees was set back in 1947.

Looking ahead, Average High is 60 ๐Ÿ‚ is in 2 months, Northern Zone Regular Season ๐ŸฆŒ is in 9 weeks, Halloween ๐ŸŽƒ and the Blue Moon ๐ŸŒ• is in 11 weeks, Small Business Saturday ๐Ÿ›๏ธ is in 15 weeks, Repeal of Prohibition Day ๐Ÿบ is in 16 weeks, Bill of Rights Day ๐Ÿ“œ is in 4 months, Boxing Day ๐ŸฅŠ is in 19 weeks, Static Electric Shock Day ๐Ÿงผ is in 21 weeks, National Cheese Lovers Day ๐Ÿง€ is in 23 weeks, Save the Pine Bush Turns 43 ๐Ÿฆ‹ is in 25 weeks, 5:30 PM Sunset ๐ŸŒ† is in 27 weeks and Snow Moon ๐ŸŒ• is in 28 weeks.

Sailboats Along Grand Isle

Camping Areas in Southern Adirondacks

Camping Areas in Southern Adirondacks โ›บ

East Branch of Sacanadaga River, NY 8 – Roughly 10 campsites along NY 8. These are easily accessed throughout the year, as the road is plowed except when the snow banks are high during the winter. East Branch is not good for fishing due to wide variance in water levels, however there are some nice pools in sections of river for summer swimming. Lots of road noise. Some of the sites have cell service. Nearby locations include Cod Pond, East Branch Trail and Kibby Pond Trail.

Edick Road – There are a handful of very hidden campsites off of Edick Road. This road may be closed to vehicles due to wash outs autumn 2019, but worth a walk to explore this area.

Fawn Lake – A 1/2 mile hike back to a scenic lake ringed by primitive campsites outside of Lake Pleasant. Two miles beyond it is the scenic Willis Vly, which doesn’t have developed campsites but it’s remote wilderness where you might see a Moose or other wildlife.

Garnet LakeTent sites, some with drive-up access along the lake. No cell service, much of the upper road here is not maintained in the winter. Popular in the summer, no cell service.

Good Luck Lake – Scenic lake off of the West Branch Sacanadaga River that is ringed with tent sites that can be walked in from the Good Luck Lake parking area area or paddled in.

Hope Falls Road – Two or three campsites along the end of Hope Falls Road, some are drive-in only tent sites. Near the Tenant Creek Falls Trail. No cell service. Open June to autumn snowfall.

Harrisburg Road – There is a set of very rustic designated campsites along the rough Harrisburg Road past Harrisburg Lake. Somewhat near Crane Mountain, a couple mile hike to and Wilcox Lake. No cell service.

Lester Flow and Cheney Pond – Scenic lake that is popular for paddling. The 1/2 mile road down from Boreas Road as of June 2020 is closed due to washouts. Tent sites exist along the lake, along with one drive-to site on the road down there.

Mason Lake – Small lake located about 10 miles north of Speculator and 5 miles south of Lewey Lake that has several tent and drive-in campsites along it’s shore. Good to fair cell service here. Nice to hear loons, one of the best bass ponds in the area.

North Lake Reservoir – There are roughly 15 campsites on the east shore of North Lake Reservoir. Popular place in the summer, regularly staffed by conservation students. Noise from motorboats. No cell service. Nice if you want to camp right on water, hear loons at night..

Northwood Club Road – In Minerva, this road crosses the Boreas River and has several roadside campsites, and passes by Huntley Pond, the NL Tahawus Railroad (which can be hiked to the Boreas River at Hudson River), and the Blue Ledges on the Hudson tailhead.

Perkins Clearing – Conservation easement lands. Good to fair cell service here. Great place for hunting and wildlife observation as it’s mixed timber country. Near Mason Lake, Speculator, Pillsbury Mountain and Cedar Lakes.

Piseco-Powley Road – A dozen campsites along a 13 mile road with short hikes including Big Alderbed, House Pond, Sand Lake and the popular Potholers/Brayhouse Brook waterfall for swimming. As of June 2020, road is closed in Stratford/Fulton County portion, road is open north of Potholers/Brayhouse Brook (access via Piseco). Very limited cell service here.

Pumpkin Hollow Road – Three campsites above Willis Lake. Remote country except for the site on Willis Lake, no cell service. On the Willis – Wilcox Lake Trail. Very quiet area. Open June to autumn snowfall. No cell service here.

Rockwood State Forest – Three campsites along the end of Church Road which can be accessed by driving past the cemetery in the hamlet. Scenic lake, good fishing. Cell service available, but bring a trash bucket and gloves as litter can be a problem. Nice trails to stroll around in the old Rockwood Estate.

Stewart Landing – There are four campsites on a rough road that loops off of Stewart Landing Road. Popular area in the summer, Canada Lake is great for paddling and informal swimming. Also consider hiking back to Hilderbrandt Vly and Glassgow Lake from here. Moderate to poor cell service here.

Vanderwhacker Road -Five or six campsites exist along Vanderwhacker Road, which can be muddy in the spring and icy in late autumn. Additional designates campsites exist near where NY 28N crosses the Vanderwhacker River. Near the trail to the Vanderwhacker Firetower, No cell service.

White House, Wells – A grouping of 5 or 6 campsites at the end of White House in West River Road. Scenic area, old camp, with fields and a chimney. Campsites are kind of close together, not a wilderness experience. Near the North Country Placid Trail, lots of blueberries in mid-summer. No cell service. Open June to autumn snowfall.

Woodhull Lake Reservoir – Off of NY 28 in McKeevers, about 10 miles south of Old Forge. Not only is this beautiful reservoir to paddle, there are some campsites along the shore, with drive-to campsites along Wolf Lake Landing Road which leads to it. Part of Wolf Lake Landing Road is erroded, but other parts are fresh stone-dust. It’s remote wilderness but there good cell service in mcuh of the area.

October 7, 2019 Night

Good evening! Nice evening laying back in the hammock. A barn owl is hooting in the distance, and I hear from crickets. The moon is obscured by the clouds but it’s still not super dark in the woods. Rain has been gone since midday ๐Ÿ•› and now the woods is fairly dry with a dropping dew point. There is a group of bow hunters ๐Ÿ™‡ a quarter mile down the road – they’re the group with the big jacked up 3/4 ton truck with the pick up camper. Far enough way that the only way I know there down there is occasionally a I hear their coon dog ๐Ÿถ howling or an occasional hoot or holler from their camp – that an I drove past their camp earlier. Coyotes are loud tonight.

Mostly cloudy and 53 degrees at the Allegheny National Forest. โ˜ There is a west-northwest breeze at 6 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 47 degrees. The skies will clear around 11 pm.

Today as expected was kind of a damp and somewhat rainy day โ˜” although the rain ended much earlier than in Albany but the first sign of any real clearing was not until around sunset. I sat out and read outside for a while but started to feel cold and damp and decided to hot tent with the book. ๐Ÿ“– I got through my second book of vacation – as I noted earlier – Andrew Revkins book on Weather. Nice picture book, sometimes adults like books with lots of graphics. Second book I’ve read on vacation. ๐Ÿ“š Very warm at times in the tent – that heater kicks out a lot of heat and with temperatures in the mid 50s I kept having to turn it off.

I drove over to Jakes Rocks for a while this afternoon to top off the batteries but ended up disconnecting the accessory batteries from the alternator when I started smelling ozone. ๐Ÿ”‹ I don’t want to accidentally fry the alternator while I’m on vacation or even just burn up a wire or a fuse. It’s fine – after today the sun will be shining and I’ll rely entirely on the solar for the accessory loads as the sun will out. โ˜€

Walking around Jakes Rocks was nice although it was rather cloudy and dark โ˜. But other than that a fine afternoon. I’ll admit today was a quiet day but my expectations were pretty low.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒฅ, with a low of 42 degrees at 6am. Typical for tonight. Northwest wind 3 to 6 mph. In 2018, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became light drizzle by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 50 degrees. The record low of 21 occurred back in 1964.

Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous Moon ๐ŸŒ” with 80% illuminated. The moon will set at 1:38 am. The ๐ŸŒ• is on Saturday night with mostly clear skies. The sun will rise at 7:19 am with the first light at 6:51 am, which is one minute and 5 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ Tonight will have 12 hours and 32 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 46 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 62 degrees at 4pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around October 10th. Northeast wind 5 to 7 mph. A year ago, we had cloudy skies. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 63 degrees. The record high of 80 was set in 2017.

I’ve decided to stay at this campsite one more day. โ›บ I just don’t feel like taking down camp with a week’s worth of gear and a tent to put away that is still a bit damp. Going to be a nice day tomorrow, so I definitely want to go hiking and park the truck somewhere to fully charge the accessory batteries. I might go to Titusville as I didn’t visit the museum last time I was there in 2012 or might just go for a walk along the reservoir, parking down at the swimming beach and maybe hiking up Rim Rock. ๐Ÿšถ

Wednesday who knows. ๐Ÿ’ญ West Virginia is still a possibility. The US 219 isn’t that far away and if I get up well before dawn and leave by eight I can probably do both Mount Davis State Park and Hoye Crest in Maryland before setting up camping in Cannan Heights. It looks as of the last time I checked the burn ban is still on but I don’t have to have a campfire. I always have the lights and the heater. And good music to listen to. I would probably stay until Sunday there and then come back through Pennsylvania and stay at the County Bridge Campground on Sunday into Columbus Day. Going to be mild and sunny the rest of the week.

Alternatively, I could drive up through Allegany State Park and camp, hike and hunt squirrel in Cattaraugus County or fish and hike in the Zoar Valley. ๐Ÿ  I’ve always wanted to check out the Eternal Flame Falls in Orchard Park – I read about it a lot now that I work with several Buffalo clients thee days. โ›ฒ Maybe the leaves are better up north in New York? ๐Ÿ‚

I could also move to somewhere farther south in the National Forest, check out Nebraska Bridge and that wildlife refuge down that way. Saturday or Sunday visit the Elk center and do the Elk Scenic Drive๐Ÿฏ along with visiting Hyner View Park which might have good color by then. I would also overnight at the County Bridge campground. Or honestly, I could stay at the same site all week. At any rate, wherever I camp that final night, I don’t want to be more than four driving ๐Ÿš˜ hours away from Albany so I can get back relatively early and have time to stop for lunch, visit some parks, take back roads and get back early enough to unpack.๐Ÿ’ผ It was too long of a drive for my sanity all the way out to Allegheny National Forest on the way it here.๐ŸŒฒ๐ŸŒฒ

The damn camp lantern I bought mantles for remains real smokey with yellow flames and tons of soot ๐Ÿฎ. Not sure what the issue is. I was thinking that that the generator tube is clogged with dirt but the filter on it seems fine as does the gas pressure. I checked that I installed the proper mantles. Yeap. Everything seems fine but the inside of the lantern is filled with oily soot, the glass keeps on getting sooty and the top is dripping with soot. Fortunately I have plenty of electricity power off the truck, the lantern is just a backup in case of undervoltage and for extra light. Wouldn’t want to have it alone.

In four weeks on November 4 the sun will be setting at 5:07 pm (Standard Time),๐ŸŒ„ which is one hour, 41 minutes and 7 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2018 on that day, we had partly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 51 and 36 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 53 and 34 degrees. The record high of 76 degrees was set back in 1994.

I do really like that green Don’t Tread On Me – Live Free or Die shirt ๐Ÿ‘š I bought online. I would want to get caught dead wearing it in Albany but it’s fun here in the wilderness. I’m no fan of Donald Trump – he’s a racist moron with generally bad ideas ๐Ÿ‘บbut I do think government should be downsized and stay out of people’s business. That’s why I’m eventually thinking of moving to a state like Missouri when I own my off grid property with solar on the roof, composting for the toilet and a burn pit out back for the trash. An an AR-15 because they sound like a lot of fun to shoot.

Looking ahead, Average High is 55 ๐Ÿ‚ is in 3 weeks, Veterans Day ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ is in 5 weeks, Cyber Monday ๐Ÿ›๏ธ is in 8 weeks, First Sunday of Advent โœ๏ธ is in 8 weeks, Earliest Sunset of the Year โŒ›๏ธ is in 9 weeks and Festivus ๐Ÿ– is in 11 weeks.

At Peak Color