Hannacroix Ravine Preserve spans 415 acres and is managed by The Nature Conservancy, welcoming visitors to explore its natural beauty. Situated on the western outskirts of New Scotland, it serves as the origin of Hannacrois Creek. The highlight of the preserve is Sliding Rock Falls, a 30-foot waterfall visible from the main trail that loops around the area, totaling about 3 miles. While the hike is moderate and generally uneventful, hikers may catch a glimpse of the falls from certain vantage points along the trail.
I was hoping this morning to ride the bike trail in but once I got on it was still very pock marked and hard ice riding from all the walkers. Needs to melt down and soften up a bit before I can ride it. I ended up taking Delaware to McAlpin which becomes Southern Boulevard to Frisbee. That left turn from Southern Boulevard to Frisbee is kind of a bitch though, so I won’t do that again.
In the evening, I took the bike trail to Fourth Avenue to Elizabeth Street, which is steep and like usual I pushed my bike up it. Second Avenue was busy but it was neat seeing the SuperDuty trucks parked along it. Soon enough, I was browsing dealer websites again today at work. I should have gone to DePaula today to look at SuperDuty up close, but I still want to think it about it some more. I know a test drive is not a commitment to buy a car, but I want to know in my mind it’s right decision before I do more then just Internet research and call a dealership. I keep thinking about the different pieces I’ll need to put together for the rig, moving over the CB Radio, getting a cap, wiring up and possibly replacing or upgrading accessory batteries, maybe getting a second or even third solar panel with the long bed, so I can have 200 or 300 watts of solar. Get a cellphone booster for use before the trip to Michigan and diesel heater before it gets cold for camping in October and November. I think the diesel heater will make winter camping so much more pleasant.
I took Second Avenue to to South Bertha which has a ton of stop signs, but other then that is very quiet. A lot of cars are parked on upper Southern Boulevard – McAlpin, but further up on McAlpin it’s quiet wide and makes for easy riding despite the traffic. Next time, I’ll probably do South Bertha then up Lees Dale to Leighton to McAlpin to do more quiet residential riding and less Southern Boulevard. For the mornings, there is probably just Delaware Bypass to Corning Hill, I don’t mind that ride though the merge between NY 32 and US 9W can be a bit tricky a times. I’ll feel so much better once the snow is gone and I have the serenity of the bike path back. Plus with the time change in a little over two weeks, evening rides home will not be at all pressed against darkness, if I get stuck at work later or the evenings are gray, it won’t be nearly as dark out as it was on the last part of the ride home tonight. But really, I just want the bike path without the traffic to fight. I took the somewhat longer route back through the suburbs, because it was such a nice evening ride, not so cold – before the snow comes once again tomorrow – that is.
At times, I do think I should be more long term thinking then just the bike commute to and from work, or my camping and traveling rig. I know my dumpy apartment isn’t sustainable forever, but I do like living in the city and traveling. I still have time for the homestead, though I do yern at the times for the earthy smells of the countryside and wood smoke. But that’s what I can travel to in my rig, spend weekends and vacations in the wilderness. Nothing in buying the big truck is going to set me back far from the homestead, if anything I can probably put it to use there eventually after my traveling days are done and I have to settle down. And it will serve me well hopefully through retirement. But as I note in my travels around here, all the good places are too far from work.
Donald Trump has signed an executive order protecting production of glyphosate-based herbicides, such as Roundup, which some bodies and studies have linked to cancer and which are the subject of widespread US litigation.
The president’s move, which also seeks to provide “immunity” for makers of the herbicides, was strongly criticized by health and environmental advocates including some figures in the Make America Healthy Again (Maha) coalition.
The new order directs the Agriculture Secretary to consult with the Secretary of War to determine the materials, services, and facilities needed nationwide “to ensure a continued and adequate supply of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides.”
It also waives the liability of companies complying with the order and says that the Secretary of Agriculture will ensure “that any order, rule, or regulation issued under this section does not place the corporate viability of any domestic producer of elemental phosphorus or glyphosate-based herbicides at risk.”
