Balsam Swamp is a sprawling state forest that stretches almost 5.5 miles east-west across 4 towns. The area is very rural, and the landscape surrounding the State Forest is predominantly forested. Balsam Swamp State Forest is comprised of a mix of native hardwood forests, hemlock swamps, and conifer plantations. There are no designated recreational trails on the forest, but there is ample opportunity for self-guided day hikes to explore the diversity of habitats represented on this State Forest. Additionally, the western section of Balsam Swamp State Forest is adjacent to Five Streams State Forest to the south.
The main attraction of this forest is Balsam Pond. The impoundment is approximately 152 acres and is a popular destination for fishing and paddle boat sports. Balsam Pond is a warm water fishery that contains a mix of largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, yellow perch, brown bullhead and sunfish. Tiger muskellunge have been stocked in the past with the last stocking occurring in 1995. However, there have been very few reports of anglers catching any of the adult tiger muskies. A shallow gravel boat launch is suitable for launching small fishing boats.
A small rustic camp ground is also located at Balsam Pond. Camping spaces are available at no cost on a first-come, first-serve basis and there is no running water or electricity. A fire ring, outhouse, and picnic table are provided for each camping space. A sign on Balsam-Tyler Road in Pharsalia designates the entrance to the boat launch and camping facility. This is a carry-in carry-out facility. Please do not litter.
It brings me immense joy and satisfaction to witness the increasing number of roadside parking areas that are now equipped with convenient porta-potties. In the past, such amenities were often scarce, leaving travelers like myself yearning for a suitable spot to answer nature’s call. However, as I have embraced a healthier eating regimen, I have noticed that the need to stop and use the restroom has become more frequent. That’s where the presence of these portable toilet facilities becomes absolutely essential.
Public toilets serve a fundamental human need by providing a clean and accessible space for individuals to relieve themselves comfortably. Although gas stations and fast food establishments have traditionally offered such facilities, expanding these conveniences to include more roadside parking areas truly enhances the travel experience. No longer do we have to hastily search for secluded spots or rely on the mercy of trees along the way for impromptu pit stops. Instead, we can now embark on our journeys with the peace of mind that adequate restroom facilities will be conveniently available.
The significance of these porta-potties cannot be overstated. They not only alleviate the discomfort and inconvenience associated with holding it in but also contribute to the overall delightfulness of traveling. By offering more opportunities for travelers to take a break and attend to nature’s call, these facilities promote safe driving practices and ensure that our physical well-being is upheld during our adventures.
So, next time you hit the road, keep an eye out for these indispensable rest stops. Embrace the gratefulness that washes over you as you no longer have to resort to searching for remote sections of road or rely on the sporadic availability of gas stations and fast food places. The inclusion of porta-potties in roadside parking areas not only facilitates your healthier eating habits but also enhances your overall journey, making it a more pleasant and memorable experience. Happy travels!
As a private citizen, I am not particularly wed to one political party or another 🐴 🐘
I think pragmatism makes a lot of sense when it comes to politics these days, but it sure seems like most people are clearly in one camp or another, certain how they are going to vote long before Election Day. But I like to learn the facts, learn about the individual candidates and issues, and make my decision myself. I don’t need a political party or ideological group to tell me how to think.
Few things annoy me more than the tacky poly vinyl chloride covered plywood McMansions located on Orchard Avenue as you drive out to Five Rivers Environmental Education Center on the outskirts of Delmar and Albany which are eating away at the farm land and woodlands on the outskirts of town.
Some of those houses are for the rich but many are just upper middle class. Many have 1kW of solar panels on their roof (even if they use 20 times their output in a day), pantries stocked with organic food and frying pans made out of certified recycled steel. Many of those people would be horrified to shop at Walmart, although their bit trash can is always full despite ever so carefully washing out their milk bottles and tin cans.
I am quite fine with these people paying more in taxes. They complain about the high cost of tuition at private schools, maintaining their SUVs, the cost of groceries and utilities. But they have a lot more than a lot of us, I think they should pay their fair share. I’m fine with them taking away their fancy house’s mortgage deductions and SALT deduction. If you can afford to live so high on the hog then you should pay more.
If there was an animal that I would consider as a pet, it wouldn’t be a dog or a cat. It would be a goat.
Why a goat? It’s not like you can bring a goat inside your house and sit it down by the woodstove and not expect to be shoveling manure, as like many farm animals they have no control over their rectumns. They manure everywhere, the pasture, the barnyard or your living room floor.
But goats are fantastic animals. For one, they produce milk and meat. But they’re also excellent pack animals for carrying gear while hiking, and are quite loyal but with an independent streak. They can go for miles without drinking, their forage consumption is moderate and less expensive then most other pets.
And best of all unlike dogs and cats that are carnivorous, goats are good eating when the time comes. No expensive burial or waste of a goat.
I am opposed to the notion of “rescue” pets and “shelters” that animal rights extremists have put forward lately. While I believe there should be a market for “used” and “salvage” pets like dogs and cats, I think the reason we should be “saving” unwanted or “stray” pets is not because they are cute or lovable, but because a “bred” pet involves a significant amount of labor and food to raise to become something that can be sold as a pet by the breeder.
So called “rescue” pets are usually a lot more affordable then “bred” pets. Not everybody can afford an expensive “bred” pet from a pet breeder. The “used” or “rescue” pet should be an affordable alternative, one that often comes house-broken or trained with skills not available on the “bred” market. Salvaging a used or stray dog and cat, should not be seen as a noble act, but one done to recover all the value and investment in that dog or cat. Shelters should not be seen as a shelters, but as salvage yards, there to recover useful value in the stock, rather then an entity to “save” a pet, for which there is an inexhaustible supply.
Dogs and cats are inherently reproducible. Dogs and cats not neutered have puppies and kittens. They can have lots of them. After all, they are livestock, they can be indefinitely bred to produce to future stock. There is skill in raising them, there are materials consumed to produce future generations of pets, but for all practical purposes, the supply of dogs and cats will never be used up. If anything, there is an over-supply of pets in parts of the country, with undesirable and unwanted pets in need of disposal.
Disposal of unwanted pets can be done in an environmentally sustainable fashion. In a landfill, they are organic material which is unlikely to release hazardous materials, except the normal organics like methane and organic leachate into the environment. The same is true with incineration of unwanted pets – they are made up almost entirely of water and carbon-based organics like fat, muscle, and hair – and incinerated a proper temperatures are unlikely to produce much besides carbon dioxide and water vapor. Most pets are carnivores, which poses more problems with composting, but most industrial composting facilities reach temperatures to kill off pathogens. Obviously, with our carbon constrained future, industrial composting of waste pets is the best solution for disposal.
Salvaging “waste” pets like dogs and cats, through so-called rescues makes sense, in so far as the pet has value. It saves resources to put a well-behaved, house broken but “unadopted” dog or a cat in a loving home, saving resources compared to raising a new dog or cat. It makes pet ownership more affordable for the working man. Salvage efforts through rescues, save energy, save human labor, save food, medicine, and other resources. But the disposal of unwanted pets with behavioral problems or injuries, that offer little value in resale, often makes sense as unwanted pets pose little ecological hazard in their disposal.
“So the people of the valley
Sent a message up the hill,
Asking for the buried treasure
Tons of gold for which they’d kill.
Came the answer from the kingdom,
With our brothers we will share,
All the riches of the mountain,
All the treasure buried there.
Now the valley cried with anger,
Mount your horses, draw your swords
And they killed the mountain people,
So they won their just rewards
Now they stood before the treasure
On the mountain dark and red
Turned the stone and looked beneath it
Peace on earth, was all it said.
Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat and friend,
Do it in the name of heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won’t be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgment day,
On the bloody morning after
One tin soldier rides away.”
