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.
That probably seems like a lot to the city or village dweller, but it’s really not compared to many other parts of country. It means having neighbors nearby and having restrictions on your freedom as your neighbors are close enough to hear you shooting your guns, smell your livestock and burn barrel. Or smelling their hogs or poop-filled diapers in their trash fire. Or the pow-pow of their AR-15 or the roar of the pickup truck without a muffler.
When I own my own land, I want have more acreage, less house and material stuff and more freedom to do what I want on my land. Less of a chance to be a nuisance to them, or have to put up with their nuisances that come along with rural life and freedom to live one’s life as you should. Land is expensive, but the farther you are out in the country, the cheaper it is. And if you give up a nice house for a shed-to-cabin or a trailer, you can afford much more land that can provide a buffer from between you and the neighbors. Live and let live.
Things often these days are quite foggy. But boy did it feel mild without a breeze this morning when I stepped out a few minutes ago before the rain showers pushed through.
Once the rain stops, I should ride over to Walmart 🚲 and get some groceries and supplies though if it looks like it will hang around for a while, maybe that will be best done after I get back from visiting Mom and Dad. Honestly, now we have that extra hour in the evening which will be nice. Still a fair bit of snow around, including on the Rail Trail but with the warm weather today, and especially tomorrow ☀️ it should be tough on th remaining snow and by Tuesday I would imagine much of snow will be gone from the Rail Trail. I have a Pine Bush meeting on Wednesday. 🌲
I never did go out to Five Rivers yesterday, 🌬️ as it was pretty breeze, cool and gray most of yesterday, and I just wanted a day off to hang out, think and not do a lot. Also obviously did not go shopping. 🏪 I think I am starting to make piece in my mind about buying the truck, I want to talk to a few more people to get their opinion, but I think I want to put in no-nonsense bids on a few trucks I was looking at. I think I have a good gage on what a fair price, not too low that dealers will ignore my proposition but not too high that I am getting totally scammed. ⚖️ Its’ though though as configurations very a lot, though actually there are fairly standardized configurations if you dig through the pile of crap on Window Stickers. 💩 Truth is trying to decide really is tearing at me, as is watching the Middle East blow up. 💣 Am I buying myself the ultimate adventure rig? Or is the Godzilla Holstein a White Elephant? 🐘 It is a work truck. At some point, the check will cut, money gone, I’ll have the truck. It’s just a number on bank account, I need a truck if I want to get to wilderness, and even if I end up selling or scrapping it in a few years, there will be some residual value.
I don’ t know, it’s just so crazy these days. 🤪 It could be an amazing rig, many good adventures ahead, and ultimately what gas costs week to week doesn’t matter, as much as what it does over the next 15 years. ⛽ You’re going to have times when prices go up, other times when it’s cheap. A Taco 🌮 might be more fuel efficent but it’s not right option for me. I have started to move on a bit more, looked at truck caps, solar panels, and even battery boxes, chewing what I can and should move over form the old rig. Cellphone booster for work and streaming from camp. Diesel heater too but that can wait until next autumn, though I want one before mid-October if it’s going to be chilly at times and I’m doing a lot of remote work from either the National Forest or the Adirondacks. 🏕️ I definately want more then 100 watt in solar, but I haven’t decided if I will get a second 100 watt panel or look at a larger commercial panel to mount on the roof. Need to spec out the cost and what would work with my existing equipment. Probably get a flat roof cap over the long bed. While I liked the extra height of the MX cap on old truck, the one tons have deeper beds, and higher roof lines, so I think I’m good with the flat roof, and that will help with the gas economy and easier getting the kayak on and off the roof. 🛶
Other then that, I don’t know. 🫘 Finished off the last of the chickpeas I cooked up earlier in the week and now I have pinto beans cooking down on the stove. Listening to Steven Stills and his gang sing Helplessly Hoping, noting some day I’ll have a house with a porch like the one on the album cover. Maybe I should put more of time into finding a house, building a homestead, but I still want to travel and have some fun while I am still young. In 15 years, when I retire, I can buy land and a cabin, and move forward from there.
Helplessly hoping her harlequin hovers nearby Awaiting a word Gasping at glimpses of gentle true spirit he runs Wishing he could fly Only to trip at the sound of goodbye
Wordlessly watching he waits by the window and wonders At the empty place inside Heartlessly helping himself to her bad dreams he worries Did he hear a good-bye? Or even hello?
This winter I’ve developed a problem I often have by the second half of the winter – trouble sleeping. I can get to bed at a reasonable hour but I still have problems getting to sleep and and then waking up early in morning and then not being able to get back to sleep.
Spending time out in the wilderness is the best treatment I know of for sleeping troubles. I need to plan at least a night or two hot tenting before the month is done. March it might be mild enough to truck cap camp or maybe some time in a lean to. Real darkness, the light next to the fire helps enormously.
I’ve tried keeping the lights dimmed in my bedroom in the evening, using more red light to counteract the impact of blue and UV light from screwing with sleep. That helps as does having the lights dim automatically as the night progresses and it’s the time I should be getting to sleep. That feature is still being rebuilt on the new microcontroller.
But it’s still not as good as good natural air that you get with windows open or camping in the wilderness. I’m sure though it won’t be that long until those days return.
I often hear from liberals that climate change is an immediately solvable problem, that with modest changes to our live-styles and much higher taxes on the rich, we can address the problem and have a better society for all. It’s a very hopeful message, but also a very unscientific and frankly quite naive message to boot.
If addressing climate change in the serious fashion needed to address the worse impacts on it was an easy, inexpensive to thing to do, it would have been done a long time ago. If we could just immediately switch over to cheaper, more reliable battery electric cars, and meet all our needs by a few solar panels, we’d do it now.
But the truth is switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy is much more technically challenging, and will require changes to our own lifestyles, and maybe a reduction to the human population through an expanded death penalty. It’s going to be amazingly expensive, and difficult on economy. But ignoring the problem is likely to be more expensive.
Most of that technology is getting better, thanks in a big part about government research and incentives that are pushing the market that way. But solutions aren’t cheap, nor easy, or without requiring often significant lifestyle changes. There needs to be an adult conversation, not memes and blaming the other political party for all our woes.
This is why I’ve really had little interest in Green New Deal, because I don’t think it’s serious or workable deal. Maybe it’s a message bill that will eventually get more flush on it’s bones and enacted, but as it is it won’t do much for serious problems we face today.
Most of the winter, I keep the main gas heat in my apartment set at 50 degrees, only turning it up to 55 or 60 degrees during periods of exceptional cold to ensure pipes don’t freeze. I don’t like wasting heat, because it’s expensive and a waste of fossil fuels that are non-renewable.
I am glad that the winter heating season is almost over. Sometimes I’m cold, but I’ve never seriously thought about leaving the heat much hotter. I could have it warmer if I turned on the electric heat upstairs, but I avoid doing that as it’s the most expensive form of heating, and I don’t need it. I’ve also considered a small space heater for my desk, but I’ve never gotten one, in fear that it will increase my electric bill.
I enjoy the fresh air, even if it means more noise, followed hot and humid nights. But the breeze is nice, as is getting out and spending nights down at the park or breathing in the fresh air. I don’t do the air conditioning thing, preferring to save money by using less energy, and spending more time outdoors, enjoying cold beverages.
