Seasons

A Potential Autumn Trip Idea 🍂

|

I am thinking about taking off the the third week of October — the weekend after Columbus Day to that following week. While it’s possible I will be past peak color, especially in the high country, I’d rather avoid the crowds around Columbus Day and enjoy more solitude in the woods.

This isn’t the only option, but it’s an idea that I currently have, though I don’t necessarily love how long the drives are. But if I stay in the same location for multiple days, and don’t spend a lot of time ramming as much as I can into a vacation, I can enjoy more of it before heading home.

  • Saturday 10/14 – Drive down to Asaph Run Campground in Wellsboro PA, ride part of Pine Creek Rail Trail
  • Sunday 10/15 – Spend all day riding along the Pine Creek Rail Trail, do a second night at Asaph Run.
  • Monday 10/16 – Break camp early, head down to Cumberland MD, explore some of the C&O Trail in Cumberland then head down to Canaan Heights WV
  • Through Saturday 10/17 – Camp up at Canaan Heights – Table Rock outside of Davis WV, then do a lot of the bike trails and hiking up around Canaan Heights and Canaan Wildlife Refuge and Blackwater State Park – maybe Dolly Sods or the Otter Creek Wilderness but I don’t want to spend my whole vacation driving. I like setting up and having a home base, and not rushing from place to place, but instead kicking back at camp.
  • Saturday 10/18 – Head back up through Pennsylvania, overnight-ing at County Bridge Campground. I almost wish I could make the trip back home in one day but that’s not a practical option. Probably stop at a few Pennsylvania State Parks along Interstate 99 or maybe visit Penn State on the way back.
  • Sunday 10/19 – Head back home, maybe stopping at Chenango Forks State Park or Robert Riddel, though at this point I’ll probably be ready to head home and unpack.

I really don’t enjoy vacations anymore where I try to ram as much as possible into the trip. I’d rather set up camp, stay local, hike or ride from camp, or if I do head into town or to trail heads not make it an every day thing where I drive as many miles as possible each day. Gas is more expensive but also I find excessive driving can wear me out too.

Evening In The Pine Creek Gorge

The Mon website says that the forest contains,

Halfway through August 🍂

|

This summer seems to have faded away so quickly. Some of it has been the many rainy weekends, some of it was the ease of catching the free nature bus to Thacher Park, some of it was the anxiety over everything, and just the odd times we all live in – working downtown more days a week.

It’s not to say that there weren’t any memorable moments. Camping and remote work in the spring time in Spectulator. Hiking Watch Hill. Juneteenth Weekend at Piseco-Powley. Hiking along the Stoney Creek to Wilcox Lake. Summer vacation and the Finger Lakes Trail. Many weekends at Thacher Park. The heat wave eating clams and swimming at the Potholers.

The days go by so quickly it seems. I try to explore new places and create new memories but sometimes there isn’t a lot left to explore nearby. Plus with the solar panel on my truck, I prefer to just set up camp, sit back and just stay in one location once camp is set up.

Labor Day will come and then it will be back to working downtown five days a week. I was hoping the mask mandate would be done at the library but I guess that is back for now, so I’ll probably avoid going down there but I assume at some point Delta will burn its way through and things will return to normal.

Autumn can be pretty. It’s a quiet year for me and I’m hoping to get to West Virginia come mid October. Enjoy the leaves, do some small game hunting. And those nice the long autumn nights with yummy meals with the chill of the night.

The Before 8 O’Clock Sunset Arrives

|

As the sun sets at 8 PM,
August’s halfway mark, a gentle gem.
Earlier sunsets on the horizon we spy,
Altamont Fair’s lights will soon light up the sky.

Summer’s ending, autumn’s near,
Harvest season whispers, so clear.
Earlier evenings, a curtain’s embrace,
More time for slumber, a slower pace.

Let’s seize the moment while it’s here,
Cherish the daylight, hold it near.
Stock up at the market, fill your cart,
Pumpkin pies and crisp days, a work of art.

Autumn leaves will soon paint the town,
A symphony of colors, all around.
With the harvest’s bounty, we’ll be fed,
Nature’s tapestry, a canvas well spread.

Earlier sunsets, a shift in the game,
Less time for play, but life’s not the same.
Embrace the change, let it fill your sight,
As we dance in the golden, fading light.

Let’s seize the moment while it’s here,
Cherish the daylight, hold it near.
Stock up at the market, fill your cart,
Pumpkin pies and crisp days, a work of art.

The nights grow cooler, stars shining bright,
A touch of nostalgia in the fading light.
The Altamont Fair’s a gentle reminder,
Of endings and beginnings, a season’s binder.

Earlier sunsets, a trade-off we find,
More time to reflect, to unwind.
Embrace the shift, let your spirit fly,
In the hush of dusk, under the twilight sky.

Let’s seize the moment while it’s here,
Cherish the daylight, hold it near.
Stock up at the market, fill your cart,
Pumpkin pies and crisp days, a work of art.

So as autumn draws nigh, let’s not forget,
The magic in endings, as sunsets beget.
A season of change, of beauty and grace,
Tonight is the 8 PM sunset’s embrace.

Hillcross Pond - Catskill Mountains