Notes — Andy Arthur.org

At least it’s not a beautiful day to be taking the city bus and shuttle to work 🚀 🚏 🚌

Andy | July 7, 2026

His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain
Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane
Without his lifelong friend, Puff could not be brave
So Puff, that mighty dragon, sadly slipped into his cave

I don’t think I completely ruined my brain 🧠 with all that weed over the weekend but I could use more caffeine ☕ because I didn’t do coffee as I didn’t bring the pretty tangy milk home from camp yesterday. It is certainly a wet day 💦 for taking the bus to work. I ended up just mixing some blueberries in oatmeal with fresh coffee grounds and called it breakfast. I need to go shopping, probably tomorrow.

It was nice that those days up north smoking all that weed and burning shit 🔥was pretty much rain free except for some drizzle during Independence Day though it cleared up for the evening and I had a nice swim 🏊‍♂️ in the Moose River and then lighting off fireworks. 🎇 I didn’t loose any fingers 🤟 though I have to dash away from something that went pop 🧨 in the fire and well some of the sparks because I’m an extreme wimp.

Camp Sagamore was kind of bummer, 😩 the historic grounds were only open as part of a tour and most of the trails were longer than I expected with less scenery. Lots of deer fly 🪰 too. Lake Durant was more interesting 🚣‍♂️, a nice paddle but buggy in parts and choppy on the north end 🌊 due to the way the wind was blowing. 💨 The SuperDuty 🛻 drives super nice on the hills – it holds the truck back with the cruise control or even just the brakes and it has so much power for merging into traffic even up hill. Lifted trucks suck dog 🦴 dick when it comes to accelation and braking at least with stock gears. ⚙️

Today, I have a lot of loose ends to tie up once I get in the ofifce. Too many emails came while I was in wilderness, many of them prefixed “while I know you on are on vacation, when you get back”, just piling up. And then I need to research the replacement rear derailleur for the bike, though initial research suggests it won’t break the bank. That said, I am more then a bit nervous on the prospect of ordering bike parts online, as I worry about getting scammed again with Chinese garbage. Need to figure out how to reset the XY-CD 60 module and use that properly. What calculator size resistor I need for an indicator light, so I know when the solar is charging the starting battery and the alternator is charging the accessory batteries and vise versa.

You should’ve got a half ton I’m told 🛻

Andy | July 5, 2026

People have a lot of opinions on many things. And we all have to make a decision, despite contrary opinions on what is the right options for me. I went with an HD truck – my F-350 SuperDuty – and that’s not a decision without criticism.

For one, I wanted something with higher ground clearance then a stock F-150 or Silverado. I wanted to be able to run 33″ or even 35″ tires without having a lift kit – my truck came standard with 33s. I also wanted the high ride like my previous lifted truck, good views of the road, but without all the trouble of lifted truck.

While I never had too many problems with ball joints or CV joints on my old rig, I also took it real easy on the rough dirt roads I often drive back to camp. The straight axles, heavy-duty rear leaf springs and coil springs over a straight axle seemed to suggest HD truck was the best option for years of reliable, rough roads.

Suspension parts are generally stronger and more substantial on HD trucks both for towing and because it is common they are driven on rough roads. True with a front straight axle you do have U-Joints, you have upper ball joints and you have a steering rod, and you can get death wobble if they get too worn, but in general it’s a much more reliable system for heavy abuse, even if the ride quality is worse on pavement.

I also though the engine choices for half tons lately are generally bad, as manufacturers try to eek out greater preformance on fuel economy standards to pass increasingly tough EPA standards. Turbo-charging, small displacement engines that use ultra-thin oils might be slightly more fuel efficent especially if you are gentle on the gas, but they have had a rash of costly failures. A simpler, naturally aspirated big ol’ V-8 just seemed like a good choice for me. Tons of power in the mountains, and the amount of city driving I do is very limited.

Not that I’ve ever had a pickup that gets good milage in the city. And I don’t care that much about fuel economy whne I drive recreationally. That said, I do wish my 6.8L V8 did get somewhat better gas milage.

And I wanted the bigger alternator and extra battery for reliable starts when winter camping – and to provide ample power when camping. The old truck was fine, but when the weather was cold, sometimes the starts would be weaker then I’d like in remote country, and alternator would sometimes run hot and you could smell it starting to burn out on heavy loads after the camp batteries were low, and I had things like the headlights or air conditioning going full blast. While the alternator did not fail on my old rig, it always was a concern in my mind.

Maybe I would have been fine with a half ton, but I wanted a big truck, with lots of capacity for when I took it out on trips. Something I can later use to tow a cattle trailer or put a plow on should the need arise like after I buy a house or that off-grid cabin. But in the mean time, I still have a pretty awesome rig for camping and traveling like I did for many years with Big Red.

No Happy Birthday to You, America! 🎇

Andy | July 5, 2026

One thing that surprised me about this year’s past celebration of America’s 250th birthday was how downscale the celebrations really were – both in the public and commercial parts of our country.

While I drove up to the Adirondacks on June 30th and then up to Old Forge on July 3rd, I did not see a single sign that said, “Happy Birthday America!” Some flags could be seen and maybe a mention of here or there of July 4th or Independence Day, but really no mention of how special this Independence Day really was – America’s 250th Birthday.

I went to a few different Walmarts, grocery stores, Tractor Supply and other places looking for inexpensive patriotic displays of flags and red-white-blue Christmas lights to hang up and display up at camp. Tractor Supply had $3 each mini flags, one of the three Walmart I visited had that ugly America 250 Flag with the swoopy 250 logo, along with some kitch like floppy Uncle Sam hats but no patriotic light strings, flags or banners. And certainly nothing cheap. Probably tarrifs!

Not being alive during the Bicentennial in 1976, I can only read about and see photos from the Bicentennial but it seems like that was a much more widely celebrated event. That was the year when many highways had permanent DOT signs that lasted for a year or longer with words like ‘Happy Birthday America”. Car dealerships really played up their Bicentennial models, an I’ m sure there was more kitsch and patrotic banners avaliable for that special holiday back during the Spirit of ’76.

Liberal states like New York probably weren’t feeling the spirt as much as conservative states, as President Trump turned the holiday into a partisan event, a narrow celebration mostly of our – somewhat neglected in modern history books – white founders. And primarily a celebration of himself, for being, well the elected President of the old U. S. of A. Still, America’s 250th birthday should have been a celebration for all.

I also understand that in the past 50 years there is a lot more public watchdogs thanks to easier access to information in databases over the internet, so the government at all levels may have been quite leery of throwing a big celebration for itself, the costs out there for all to inspect and criticize. The millions of dollars for permanent highway signs wishing America a Happy Birthday for it’s 250th would stick out like a sore thumb for the press, a contractor getting rich at taxpayer or motorist expense. Money spent on wishing America a special 250th could after all be spent on filling potholes or offering gas tax relief with gas prices still high. Don’t forget all that waste erecting permanent signs only expected to last a year. All that 3M reflective coating soon enough to be scrapped off and landfilled, and the distraction to passing motorists.

But I don’t know. I just wanted a bigger and better celebration of America’s 250th. Harkening back to an earlier era, but also celebrating America’s rich cultural diversity and how many different groups joined together to make our country the great nation that it is. Yet, that seemed impossible to do with Washington’s war on wokeness and DEI – concepts sometimes overused and abused – but also playing down the importance of a our diversity and the many stories that make up what truly makes America Great!

Thematic Map: Percantage of Population with a Disability

Terrain Map: North-South Lake Campground

Midnight fireworks 🧨

Andy | July 5, 2026

I was tired after smoking some weed and drinking on America’s 250th birthday, I headed to bed around 10;30 but of course somebody in a campsite a half mile down round decided around midnight to light off a bunch of fireworks and firecrackers, which got me flipping down the tailgate, pissing and looking up the stars.

This Independence Day 250 🇺🇸 was less crazy 🤪 then that holiday a few years back when I went skinny dipping in Moose River at 10 PM and then passed out the Moose River bridge, and then went for a midnight walk back to Ice House Pond, stumbling into a bear. 🧸 Instead, I just had a fire, relatively small one, lit off some sparklers and fireworks, had a beer or two, smoked some dope, looked at the stars, and went to bed. I did walk down to the Moose River and swam but did not skinny dip, but I did have some wild blueberries 🫐 I found roadside. None are out those in big blueberry fields west of Helldiver. Hiked up there yesterday hoping to find them, with no luck.

Truth is I am less crazy 🤪 as I get older, or so I tell myself. I was kind of disappointed with my broken bike, 🚲 but instead I ended up hiking down to Kenwells Camp on Moose River, and then wading up to Otter Creek. Then I hiked over to Ice House Pond, swatting bugs. Spent a few hours reading and blogging, ✍️ thinking about the days in wilderness, listening to the loons 🦆 singing in the distance. Realizing that the ice probably isn’t going to survive much past another day, so I should drink up the milk 🐮 , eat up the sausage 🌭 and bacon 🥓 before it goes rancid. Still with lots of veggies, because the whole purpose of cooking bacon is for the lard for frying veggies 🫛 in it or so I tell myself. I still try to eat healthy 😋 even if I am drinking 🍻 too much beer and smoking too much weed. But it’s been nearly half a year since I’ve been in wilderness. 🐺 And half a decade since I’ve been at Moose River Plains. Where the hell does the time go? ⏳

Trash bucket was getting full last night, 🗑️ but after last night it’s completely empty except for a tin can and some aluminum foil, along with a bag of deposit beer cans. Feels good to wake up to that. Didn’t take that shit to the transfer station like the ranger suggested. 👮 I love burning shit, 🔥 someday I’ll have that place out in the country with the burn barrels and goats and hogs. 🐷 🐐 Lit off several fireworks and sparklers 🎇, dimmed the lights and watched the Sars for a while. The swimming was good, but kind cool. Truth is most of yesterday was fairly cloudy and drizzly, it only really cleared out around dusk, and even then wasn’t perfectly clear night. Watching that plastic wrapper shrivel up and burn up just put a big grin 😂 on my face, while listening to the loons, 🦆 but I’m sure some of it was the weed.

Today looks beautiful and less hot, ☀️ and hopefully less buggy. I think this morning I will start out hiking out to Mitchell’s Ponds and maybe climb the ledge if I can figure out a good way to bushwhack up there. 🚶‍♂️ Then maybe later go for a paddle on Helldiver Pond, then gather wood up, do some floating or swimming on the Moose River and have one last fire 🔥 before taking down camp. Tomorrow I want to leave fairly early, as I need to back down to albany by around 4;30 pm as I have to get into the office to start up that robo call. I am not sure what I will do tomorrow – I thought about taking NY 28 back to NY 8 and driving over to Noblesboro to explore the campsites along Haskell Road which it’s hard to find much information on the internet about, as the Black River Wild Forest UMP was created before GPS so there is limited mapping data avaliable about. 🗺️ Other options include exploring Camp Sagamore and doing the Sagamore Lake Loop or driving over to Blue Mountain Lake and paddling 🚣‍♂️ some of Lake Durant from Old NY 28/30. Then taking NY 30 back home, as I’d really like to avoid the Northway if possible, though I’ll still need to get on the Thruway as I do need to get back to the office to start that robo. I got options. Looks like today is going to beautiful, despite the forecast for clouds and rain showers last week, the last time I was on the grid! 🌧️

Thematic Map: Census Tracts in America with Fewer then 100 People Per Square Mile

Thematic Map: US Median Household Income by Census Tract

Six days in the wilderness up in smoke and a genisis for the next adventure 🔥

Andy | July 5, 2026

I was looking at that milk jug, half empty and only half tangy, the Styrofoam egg carton and egg shells, the bacon wrapper and thinking that will be start of next fire, the next adventure. And the forest ranger said I could take my trash to Inlet transfer station to be hauled to Beekmantown and forever buried. I think not but I don’t think many good things about the law.

How fast time comes and go. ⌛ This is the first adventure with the SuperDuty drawing to a close, the first time I’ve been to Moose River Plains in six years, the first time camping in six months since I retired Big Red 🛻 at the end of 2025. So much crap I’ve sent up in smoke over the years. Figure enjoy these days while I can, some day I’ll own my own land, hopefully with burn barrels and livestock, but for now it’s still spent up in wilderness. 16 years since I first came up to Moose River Plains, I see both the wrinkles in my face and the colleagues, people I knew back then who were 66 sure look a lot older at 78.

I was glad the milk wasn’t too rancid this morning, 🦨 but last night was cool and this morning so cool – in the fifties – that I ended up putting on jeans and a long sleeve shirt. The ice didn’t really survive yesterday with the heat, 🧊 though it was actually quite a beautiful day. I knew the perishables wouldn’t make it three days with the store bought ice bags. Still the eggs 🥚 and remaining bacon 🥓 with chopped potatoes 🥔 made for a good breakfast.

Yesterday I spent the bulk of the day hiking, after a nice breakfast, and then some reading and blogging. 🚶‍♂️ Hiked up and over Mitchell’s Pond Mountain in search of the ledge views, and I did find a nice ledge overlooking the valley with views south, though nothing as good as I hoped of Moose River Plains or Mitchell’s Ponds. 🪾 Ended up following the ridge to the northside of the mountain, then heading out along Cedar River – Limekiln Lake Road to the Mitchell’s Pond Loop, then down to Mitchell’s Pond. 🌲 I was happy to see they’ve built snowmobile bridges over all of the creeks and ponds – 10 or maybe now 15 years ago – when I tried to do the hike from the upper entrance of the loop trail, I turned back when the trail dipped into a deep probably beaver pond, and wasn’t obvious how to bushwhack around. 🤷🏻‍♂️ But not an issue now.

The top of Mitchell’s Pond Mountain was very brushy, especially in some places with dense pine stands and some blow down. I did find one ledge with nice views of the valley, but I had hoped for more. I should have done more research before hiking or reached out Moose River Plains expert Matt Beal. 🔎 I am glad he now has a job with the DEC or town highway departments maintaining the roads at MRP, he really loves this place. It’s good, though I still think I prefer Piseco-Powley but that’s a lot closer to home for me. Spent like an hour putzing around Mitchell’s Ponds, checking out the campsites, and spending some time just looking at the lake. 🏕️

In the evening I went for a swim 🏊‍♂️ or at least wading and splashing around 💦 in the Moose River and then a paddle on Helldiver Lake. Finished up Elizabeth Grimwald’s Amity and Prosperity audiobook 🔉 and then had a short book, smoked some more weed 🚬, got caught up on the trash and lit off a few more sparklers and firecrackers 🧨. Quiet up here since the holiday campers came and went. 🎇 A few people are still up here, it is summer, still much more campsites are empty. I want to take things down before the rain comes for sure.

It’s been six nights in the wilderness, bar a brief period when I drove from Piseco-Powley up to Moose River Plains. 🛶 It was great to get away, have some fun with no cell service, have fires and enjoy the wilderness. I had forgotten how much I missed traveling after I retired Big Red, and it’s nice having a mostly worry-free rig, though I do need to get a voltage gauge on the starting battery and get the voltage relay control reset up once I get back home and can study the manual. 🪫 I am sure I just put it in some random mode.

Thinking today with the road closed to Cedar River Flow I’ll head up to Inlet, and then maybe over to Sagamore Lake to explore that Great Camp and some of the trails over there. 🚶‍♂️ If the rain holds off, I want to paddle and explore some of Lake Durant and maybe do some fishing 🚣‍♂️. Doesn’t look like rain but they did suggest more unstable weather this week. Probably not the worse week ever for the bike to be broke down, but I am hoping to order the derailuer from Amazon 2-day delivery this evening with Mom’s prime account.

This evening, it’s off to the office to launch that robo call. Also need to research the derailuer I need to order for my bike. Hopefully get the chain ⛓️‍💥 taken apart, the part delivered this week and swapped back on the bike so I can be back to riding to work by the second half of the week. The bus is fine, 🚌 but I’d much rather ride, though the weather does look a bit unstable and rainy ☔ all week. Or I could take the SuperDuty to work but I don’t want to pay for the gas. ⛽ I still have a fair bit of fuel left in the tank, but I hate to get it too low, and have like a $130 fill up or whatever it costs to do like 32 or 33 gallons of gas.