Moo at Ballard Pond Evening, July 30 2026
Listening to the frogs and cows as it got dark out.
Pennsylvania Day 🛢️ 🐮 🚶♂️
I was up by 5 am a half hour before my alarm went off but I was ready to hit the road for Pennsylvania a little after six. Put in $75 in the SuperDuty, at a shady Elmira gas station moved the needle a half tank up and headed down to Lambs Lookout.
Found a good farm stand 🍆 on the way down, passed my share of stinky 💩 hog and cattle 🐄 farms on the way, at least one burning barrel putting out lots of black smoke and plenty of other rural homesteads that obviously burn their garbage. 🐐 PA really is a different country. But I got zucchini and onions 🧅 so I’m as happy as a pig in shit. 🐷 Absolutely a beautiful weather ☀️ day for driving 🚗 around Penna enjoying the country air, you dirty hick. Amazing how different the country is when you leave the Finger Lakes behind.
Just hiked the first one of the Blackwell Triple Crown – Gillipse Peak. 🗻 Chimney Rock is next. Go for a bike ride on the Pine Creek Gorge Trail 🚲 north of Slate Run. 🩶 Then driving West Rim Road 🌲, Barbor Rock and if there is a time a beer 🍺 and burger 🍔 at the Burning Barrel Bar, because it’s Pennsylvania. And we like our dioxins and furans and stinky plastic fires, lol 😂. Maybe visit that nature preserve outside of Ansonia and be on Interstate 99 by eight 🕣 and to the Glen Dairy Bar 🍦 by nine or so. Glipsie Peak is definitely a good leg 🦵🏻 stretcher, Chimney Rock is said to be a lot harder.
Camping at the Finger Lakes National Forest, July 31, 2026
First full day camping out in the Finger Lakes National Forest. Beautiful day!
Camping at Piseco-Powley Road on July 30, 2026
First camping trip with the new SuperDuty!
Damp and cloudy start to the day ☁️
It was raining when I first got up but quickly stopped before I got up and ran to the bucket shitter. Reheated coffee, sitting by the propane heater as pancakes cook down.
Cows are by this morning, licking 👅 the salt lick block. It was werid, a salt block was actually in my campsite when I arrived, I tossed it back in the field. 🐮 Rain has cleared up but there is only times of sun. ☀️ Supposed to be more sun by afternoon.
Heading over to East Ithaca today 🚲 🚶♂️ to do some biking, hiking along some of the nature preserves 🐸 out that way. Trying to visit some new, interesting places. Then I need to get some supplies before heading back to camp. 🏕️ I thought about bringing the kayak but it’s a very windy day and Cayuga Lake would be choppy. And it’s too cool to swim. I should try to get some water at a state park along the way. ⛽ Maybe top of the gas tank on the truck as tomorrow is Pennsylvania day. Looking forward to doing the Blackwell Triple Crown. Want to get back to camp fairly early tonight as tomorrow will be a long day.