Hopefully won’t get too wet at Thacher Park 🌧️
I was looking at the solar panel and relay box I got delivered yesterday, and both seem like they’ll do the job well. Looking forward to having 200-watts of solar on the new rig, a simpler cleaner wiring system, ease of being able to use the remote start when the battery gets low.
In a little bit heading out to the Nature Bus 🚏 up to Thacher Park. Going to ride a little bit up there, but mostly just hang out in the hammock, I don’t know if it’s going to rain but I brought my rain coat. Worse comes to worse, I’ll catch the 12:30 PM bus home. ☔ I won’t melt. It’s pretty warm day out.
Just waiting for the truck cap to come, 🚛 Ruth’s secretary said they’d be calling nex week to set up an installation day. I am hoping next week to get the solar installed, at least some of the wires and relays run, so I can start camping for Juneteenth Weekend. 🏕️ Doesn’t have to perfect but I’d rather not be cutting lots of zip ties and fixing things after the fact, and I need some lights in the back for camping, and inverter and charging ports hooked up.
The solar panel was delivered with no issues, ☀️ I just need to get some aluminum bar to mount it on, some bolts, 🔩 wire conduit and ties. I was pleasantly surprised about the relay box I bought, it literally is the same relay box the SuperDuty comes with for controlling the accessory power. Going to use an old phone cord I think for running signals from the Upfitter switch relays back to the relay box in the cap, so I can use the Upfitter switches to control things like the CB radio, lights in the truck cap and maybe the inverter though I think I might want to direct wire that due to the amperage requirements.
It should be a nice day. ☺️ I wish I could get working on my truck build today, 🧑🔧 but whatever, it is what is. Hopefully Ruth will come through next week with the cap. 🚛 I concede next weekend might be ungodly hot 🫠 but hopefully I can work on the truck earl in the morning or late in the afternoon, and once I have power and solar run, use the fan. I might stay overnight at my parents night in the new truck if things are mostly set up. And maybe start working on cleaning up the old rig, so I can get put on sale by end of the month, assuming I have all my gear moved over.
CDTA Nature Bus to Thacher Park Starts Today 🚍
The Nature Bus is a free seasonal service provided by the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) that connects residents of Albany to various natural destinations, including Thacher State Park. This initiative, a partnership between CDTA and the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy (MHLC), operates on Saturdays during the late spring, summer, and early fall.
2026 Schedule for Thacher Park
For the 2026 season, the service runs from May 30 through October 10. Thacher Park is served by the Warbler Line, which alternates weekends with the Beaver Line.
Upcoming dates specifically for the Warbler Line to Thacher Park in 2026 include:
- June: 6, 20
- July: 4, 18
- August: 1, 15, 29
- September: 12, 26
- October: 10
Trip Details and Logistics
- Cost: The service is free.
- Pick-up Locations: The bus departs from nearly 50 stops in and around the City of Albany.
- Frequency: The bus typically operates four times per day, allowing for both short and long outings.
- Accessibility: Buses are equipped with bike racks and are wheelchair accessible.
- Drop-off at Thacher: The bus takes riders to the Thacher Park Visitor Center, offering access to the spectacular views from the Helderberg Escarpment.
Made it to a Hot Ol’ Summer Friday
Made it to Friday. Another hot one and then more rain for the weekend. But then so was last summer, when the first half of summer it seemed like most of weekends were rainy. But I’m waiting for the truck cap at least one more weekend, so be it.
Today is Friday. ☺️ It would be more fun if I was getting out of town, but it’s going to rain tomorrow and I’m not getting the truck cap until next week. Andy Ruth’s secretary said she would be calling me to set up the installation next week when it arrives at the shop. 💵 Hand over the big check, get it installed and then swing by Wally World to get a battery box and more plastic conduit and Pet cloth tape. I’ll reuse what I can from the old truck but the UV really attacked the conduit especially running from the solar panel on down. Think I have all the wire and connectors I need either from the old truck or in storage. The second solar panel arrives tomorrow.
It will be fun to get out of town, 🏕️ still hoping for Juneteenth Weekend, I just got to get everything moved over and wired by then. Should be able to do it but it’s cutting things tight with only one weekend after this remaining. And who knows about the future of gas prices, they’re expected to go up to around $5 a gallon by mid-summer, but who knows how high they’ll remain. ⛽ That said, with the extra solar, I should be able set up camp and leave the engine off for multiple days without worry. I feel like the SuperDuty should be very reliable, at least for a few years, and I think 🤔 I’ve figured out to manage batteries and electrical load 🪫 fairly well after all these years.
I ended up deciding to go to the forum last night about AI Data Centers. 🤖 Learned a bit, though not that much, as I’ve been fairly informed about the debate over Hyperscalers and even the “Edge” style data center proposed for old covenant site at Kenwood. Even if it’s not the 180 MW they are asking for in power allocation but instead just 10 MW as listed on the website, it’s still a lot of power. They really need to improve the efficiency of some of this AI stuff, though so much of it is hype, chasing potential demand, sought out on speculation, but facing incredible demand.
If your local 5-MW solar is waiting months if not years for an interconnection agreement, 🔌 it seems unlikely an already stressed grid is going to be getting a lot of data centers approved. Honestly, I can’t wait until the silly season is over, the market crash, and all this AI crap goes away. The free AI news article summaries and writing services for my blog is kind of fun, and I’ll be a bit sad 💵 when my paper worth drops some some 20% or 30%, but it never was real in the first place. Gives the activists something to fight. I mean if it was in the Albany Pine Bush, I’d certainly be there too speaking out.
It was such a nice night, maybe I should have spent it at Five Rivers 🐸 but other nice nights are certainly ahead for reading and enjoying the wildflowers, 🪻 though era of earlier sunsets will be here before you know it. I expect some real some swelters come later in the summer, yesterday got up into the nineties but with the dew point in the 50s, it certainly didn’t feel real warme especially by the time I got out of work with the breeze.
I was watching YouTube and reading about some of the different type of plastics. ♻️ Interesting to learn about the different histories, the chemicals, the various shit I’ve burned over the years 🔥 as in many years the bulk of my trash has gone up into smoke. I’ve been avoid Greek Yogurt and Cottage Cheese all winter as I’m very skeptical about Polypropylene recycling, though once I get my new rig up and working, and I’m traveling, I might enjoy some up at camp. And then I’ve been trying to learn as much about A. I. and energy use – what really is A. I. – not that hype put out by the commercial backers or the fear mongers. 🧑🏭 A useful somewhat technology for some purposes, but also over hyped – it won’t change world or come for your job, uses a fair amount of electricity, though in context, maybe not quite as bad as the activists in claim. 🔌 That’s kind of why I went to the forum put on by the retired RPI Facilities Manager who knows more then a little bit about electricity and engineering. He also was the town water engineer for a while, though kind of controversial at least in the minds of town GOP during his lecture. ⚙️
I got to head in fairly early, 🧁 as I need to swing by Hannaford to get cupcakes or some kind of sweets 🩷 for one of my employees birthdays, and kind of an end of session type party. Raspberry pancakes 🥞 for breakfast, making up some rice and lentils on the stove now for lunch. 🍴 Get through work today, and tomorrow depending on when the solar panel is delivered and how wet it is, I want to catch the Nature Bus 🚏 up to Thacher Park.
