The year Lower Piseco-Powley Road washed away

It’s a bit remarkable to think it’s been three years since the pandemic summer when Piseco-Powley Road was closed all summer until October. It was a mixture of supply chain issues and the shut down as COVID spread across the state but it was still horrific to see the destruction brought upon it from the Halloween 2019 storm.

 Damaged Wing Wall On Lower Piseco-Powley Road Bridge

Three years have passed and much of the evidence of repairs has been hidden as the brush regrows and the natural wear and tear and erosion make it look like it did before the storm – generally maintained to a high standard for a dirt road but still subject to the same wear and tear of all dirt roads.

 Road Up To New Powley Bridge

The truth is the closure probably kept a lot of yahoo’s and families away seeking wilderness solitude and a place to party while most other places were closed during the pandemic. Still walking the road prior to the rebuild was jarring with all the damage visible.

Brayhouse Brook Crossing Just Needs Top Gravel

The road was fully reopened during October 2020, I camped at the House Pond Campsite for two nights after Thanksgiving to celebrate and witness it’s reopening. It was cold and gray at times but it was wonderful to see it back open again.

NPR

3M reaches $10.3 billion settlement over contamination of water systems : NPR

— Chemical manufacturer 3M Co. will pay at least $10.3 billion to settle lawsuits over contamination of many U.S. public drinking water systems with potentially harmful compounds used in firefighting foam and a host of consumer products, the company said Thursday.

The deal would compensate water providers for pollution with per- and polyfluorinated substances, known collectively as PFAS — a broad class of chemicals used in nonstick, water- and grease-resistant products such as clothing and cookware.

NPR

Climb aboard the Nuclear Ship Savannah in Baltimore : NPR

Deep inside the Port of Baltimore, past stacks of shipping containers and a plant that makes wallboard, sits the world's first, and only, nuclear-powered cruise ship – the NS Savannah.

The Savannah is the only nuclear-powered merchant ship the U.S. ever built, and the only nuclear vessel in the world designed with passengers in mind. As NPR's chief correspondent for all things atomic, I've wanted to see her for years.

Democrats Voting for HR 461

Democrats Voting for HR 461
Condemning Sheltering Aliens in Schools
State District Name Party
AK AK Mary Sattler Peltola D
ME 2 Jared F. Golden D
NC 1 Donald G. Davis D
NC 13 Wiley Nickel D
NV 3 Susie Lee D
NY 18 Patrick Ryan D
WA 3 Marie Gluesenkamp Perez D
Andy Arthur, 6/14/23

After the wildfire

Back in 2016, there was a grass fire at Powley Place along the East Canada Creek. I don't know if it occurred before or after the road had opened for the year, but by end of summer there wasn't much evidence of the grass fire as burnt over ground reseeded and grew strong as was before the fire. I just remember being surprised how burnt the area was when I was up there.

Taken on Sunday June 26, 2016 at Piseco-Powley Road.