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?
New York State has 31 active, signed Interstate Highways (9 mainlines, 22 auxiliary routes) — the most of any state.
Main Interstate Routes in New York:
I-78: Short, crosses from NJ into Manhattan. I-81: Connects PA border near Binghamton to the Canadian border via Syracuse. I-84: Crosses the state from PA to CT through Port Jervis and Brewster. I-86: Runs east-west across the Southern Tier (Southern Tier Expressway). I-87: Connects NYC (via Major Deegan) to the Canadian border (Adirondack Northway). I-88: Connects Binghamton and Schenectady. I-90: Longest route, stretches from PA line to MA line via Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Albany (NYS Thruway). I-95: Runs through NYC, known as the Cross Bronx and New England Thruway. I-99: Short connector near Corning.
Auxiliary and Other Routes:
I-190/290/990: Connects Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Amherst. I-278/478/678/695/878: NYC area routes including the BQE and Van Wyck Expressway. I-287/684: Major NYC bypass and connector in the Hudson Valley. I-390/490/590: Rochester area spurs and loops. I-481/690: Syracuse city loop and bypass. I-587/787/790: Capital District and Utica area connections. I-781: Short spur to Fort Drum.
I can’t wait until this summer when you need to put gas in your car, and the way you do it is as follows:
1) Install the app on your phone for your local gas station brand. You will likely want to install multiple apps as not all gas stations will have fuel.
2) Check the app to see if gas is available at the chosen station.
3) Order your gas. The cost will be $15 a gallon for a maximum of 10 gallons or $150 prepaid.
4) Schedule your time to pick up your gas at the gas station.
5) When you arrive at your scheduled time, scan your QR Code at the pump for your prepaid gas, you can get your maximum 10 gallons.
6) No unscheduled fueling sessions will be permitted.
With temperatures heading up to 50 degrees today, rain this evening and similar temperatures tomorrow – and heading up into the sixties this week – it should help with the melting on the bike trail.
A bit breezy today 🌬️ and without much sun, it’s actually feels outside colder then it is but regardless it should still help with the snow melt. I am hoping we are beyond the worse of winter now, and soon enough I can have my windows open, maybe come Monday just for fresh air. Maybe Tuesday it will be in the 70s. Definately want to ride in that day. Got a Pine Bush hearing on Wednesday to attend, but whatever they’re talking more rain that day, along with heading into next weekend. 🌲 Going to be kind of shit by the time next weekend rolls around weather wise.
Had meetings downtown yesterday, 🏢 and ended up deciding it was late enough in the day that I wasn’t going to head back to Menands so I just rode home from downtown, keeping an eye on my phone and getting any necessary business done. 🤝 I went downtown during lunch, I was actually in my office less then usual, but it was a pretty quiet day after being busy earlier in the week. 🚲 Bike makes for quick and easy parking when I have to run downtown.
Today I’m probably going to head over to Walmart for a few supplies, though my pantry isn’t in awful shape at this point. 🛒 I could wait until tomorrow morning before going out to see the family 👪 or whatever, just pick up groceries during the daily commute on my bike back and forth from work at Hannaford as I don’t have any big shopping needs. Maybe it’s better to wait and use up what I have leftover at this point. More carrot 🥕 and apple 🍏 pancakes 🥞 this morning, lots of coffee, ☕ and just looking out the window hoping for spring 🌸.
Might ride over to Five Rivers, 🐸 both to see Meads Cows 🐄 and bring my boots and go for a hike in the afternoon. They say we might see some sun by mid-afternoon. And just kind of hang out and read, 📖 maybe think more about my next truck. Do I really want that big expensive, but rather basic SuperDuty? Or would I be happier 😊 without a truck, or something smaller but with a nicer interior and more technology. 🖥️ That said, even the work truck SuperDuty is loaded with technocrap compared to my old truck. ⛽ Fuel prices keep going up with the war, which I know tips my leverage in my favor on those rotting trucks, 🛻 still I remember I’m one ultimately paying for said fuel for the truck. But it would be such a great vehicle for camping and back country adventures. Those Toyotas are toy trucks, so tiny, and the half tons are such junk especially without a lift kit, which adds all kinds of problems. ⚖️ I call some people up and ask them their opinion. 📞
