Champlain Valley Land Use

Champlain Valley Land Use

Outside of Plattsburgh in the flat lands of the Champlain Valley, corn and soy feed the big dairies. While the city continues to sprawl outwards, there is still a lot of farming going on around it. Further out as you get into the hills and uplands of the Northern Adirondacks forest lands prevail. 

Harding Road Trail

 Harding Road Trail

Theย Harding Road Trail is an old carriagewayย built to the former Kaaterskill Mountain House,ย long abandoned but still largely remaining 25-foot wide road cut into the side of South Mountain, running 2 miles from Palenville to the old carriageway looping around South Mountain.ย  Additional parking is available along Whites Road.

Like a wino I loaded up with mountain bike with beer cans and rode to Hannaford to get my $2.50 back โ™ป

After all, it’s not like with aluminum cans you can toss them into the white garbage bag and they magically become bright yellow flames and black smoke as I’m sipping on a cold beer and smoking a joint up in the wilderness.

It seems like something that a wino would do ๐Ÿท and not a director, but every buck counts these days. I was going to drive to Walmart this morning and go shopping there but they didn’t have the earbuds I wanted in stock ๐ŸŽง so I was like I’ll ride my bike to Hannaford and get what I need to cover through the next few days. ๐ŸŒ I figure now with that app installed on my phone ๐Ÿ“ฑ with my car insurance monitoring my every move ๐Ÿ›ป๐Ÿ” and wanting to save my gas and truck โ›ฝ for the next adventure best to keep it off the road.

But first I’m enjoying this pleasant morning down at the Norman’s Kill West Preserve for a while before shopping. ๐Ÿฆ Listening to some Grateful Dead on my broken ear buds just enjoying the morning. โ˜บ I should get to the store in a bit before the crowds arrive ๐Ÿ›’ but first I need some serenity ๐Ÿง˜โ€โ™‚๏ธ. This is not a weekend for smoking especially as I’m driving this afternoon out to the folks house but just thinking ๐Ÿ’ญ about puts a lot of relaxation into my mind. I already returned the deposit cans to Hannaford โ™ป, had to wait for the lady to empty the machine. ๐Ÿ‘ง๐Ÿผ I also have steel cans accumulated since spring to drop off the folks house for their ever so proud to be paying for trash service. Can’t burn everything as they say. ๐Ÿ”ฅ I’ve been eating more canned foods especially while camping ๐Ÿ• knowing that I can just drop them off there rather than going to the transfer station.

This afternoon heading out apple picking with dad. ๐Ÿ I think it’s silly but mom is convinced it’s a good deal ๐Ÿค and she can get a variety of apples and I’ll get a bag for free from them to take home. At a certain point you just have to go along with the nagging and go along and be happy knowing they aren’t long for this world and I’ll miss them when that day comes. โณ Time lasts forever in life before it’s gone. I’ve told many people see you next week when the next time I see them is at the funeral. โšฐ That’s just the truth about life. I’m not my parents, I don’t share all their values. They’re died in the wool liberals except when it comes to crime – they own a television ๐Ÿ“บ, they’re elderly ๐Ÿง“ and fearful of getting mugged.

I am also thinking about a quick hike up at the Kehler Preserve midday ๐Ÿ•› before heading out to the folks house. ๐Ÿ‘ช I think dad also needs a hand to fix the lawn mower. I hate grass, at least the kind you can’t smoke or feed to cattle. ๐Ÿฎ Then back home this evening and to work early on Monday. I’ll most likely work remote Friday, I’m leaning from the Green Mountains National Forest ๐Ÿ• but I could do Rennselaerville State Forest too. If I do the prior I’ll probably stay up there through the following Monday. Tuesday I have to be back for in person meetings unfortunately. Plus I have to be careful how much cell bandwidth I use with my laptop. ๐Ÿ–ฅ And how much power depending on how shady the campsite is.

Fresh apple ๐Ÿ bread this morning ๐Ÿž which was good with spaghetti squash. ๐Ÿ† Nice way to start the morning with coffee โ˜•, I awoke at 4:45 am and started baking then ๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿณ but didn’t get out of bed until closer to 5:30. Landlord yesterday was digging a big hole ๐Ÿ•ณ to fix a broken waterline and working on the unit next door until the rain started. I’m realizing how much work it is to fix a rundown building and how much my crap apartment ain’t my fault. Looking forward to doing a lot more baking in the coming weeks. Went to Thacher Park for a while on the Nature Bus, ๐Ÿšฒ rode to Hang Gliders cliff and read ๐Ÿ“– most of the afternoon.

I was back looking at Zillow again for land and houses. ๐Ÿ˜ The auto suggestions were pretty bad, I was missing a lot. Some interesting parcels recently showing up on the market available for building my off grid homestead cabin ๐Ÿšœ but most still a very long commute. And so much work to figure out the permitting, contracts and the alike. ๐Ÿ“œ Often there are loopholes and ways to get sign off from rural code enforcement and the county health department but it’s a shit ton of work and I’m so busy with my job. โณ Time is ticking though. I like how grass is legal ๐ŸŒพ in New York but I hate the burn ban ๐Ÿ”ฅ and gun laws. ๐Ÿ”ซ