Seriously though, it sure seems like a crap a lot now that I eat healthy, and it seems like such a waste of materials not to be capturing that as compost but instead sending it all to landfill. Outhouses are great in sense they provide local disposal, but at same time, you're still not recovering the nutrients in the waste.
The opening of the Moose River Plains Camping Area is an annual ritual eagerly awaited by Adirondack backcountry enthusiasts, usually occurring in mid-to-late May. The timing is dictated by the “mud season” thaw, as the DEC and local highway departments must ensure the 28-mile seasonal recreatonal highway system can support vehicle traffic without being destroyed.
While the main gates at the Inlet and Cedar River Flow (Indian Lake) entrances typically open in unison just before Memorial Day weekend, there is often an early-season exception. The Town of Indian Lake frequently opens the eastern portion of Cedar River Road—the paved and gravel section leading up to the Flow—a few weeks prior to the interior gates. This allows early access to the Cedar River Flow day-use areas while the deep interior of the Plains remains protected.
The logistics of “opening the Plains” is a collaborative heavy-lift. The Inlet and Indian Lake highway departments, in close consultation with the DEC and local volunteers, spend weeks clearing winter blowdown, grading washboard sections, and cleaning out culverts. Their goal is to stabilize the roadbed against spring conditions, which often include deep ruts, soft shoulders, and lingering frost heaves.
Campers arriving for the early season should be prepared for more than just muddy roads. From the opening through mid-to-late June, the black fly population is notoriously intense. These biting insects thrive in the damp, warming woods, making head nets and bug jackets essential gear until the black fly season ends.
Access to specific side roads often lags behind the main thoroughfare. Rock Dam Road and the stretch of Otter Brook Road south of the Otter Brook bridge typically remain gated until they dry out, often not opening until Independence Day weekend. Furthermore, travelers should note a permanent change to the landscape: Otter Brook Road is now closed to motor vehicles southwest of the Falls Pond outlet. This section has been decommissioned for cars and is now reserved exclusively for hikers and mountain bikers trekking through from the smaller “Indian Lake” in West Canada Wilderness. Beyond there, the trail to Horn Lake is by foot only.
As Republicans, we were excited when the Catholic Church elected an American pope. America is the greatest country in the history of the world, and it was absurd that it took 250 years for one of our own to finally be put in charge of the Holy See. Unfortunately, it turns out that Pope Leo XIV is the wrong kind of American—a woke liberal who denounces things like “violence” and “wiping out entire civilizations.” There’s no better evidence of Pope Leo’s liberal failings than Vatican City. Like all Blue cities, it’s overrun with crime. Looking for the perfect Graduation gift? Perhaps you’d enjoy this gorgeous deluxe boxed set of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. Shockingly affordable!
The Vatican is in desperate need of criminal justice reform. As of today, any criminal can walk into the Vatican, confess to any crime, immediately be forgiven, and walk out with zero consequences. Any punitive measures are extremely lenient and amount to verbal commitments to pray a few “Hail Marys” or “Our Fathers,” or, at best, the Rosary. In what can only be described as leftist wish fulfillment, there appear to be no prisons in the Vatican, and the only law enforcement agency is the Swiss Guard, who look more like court jesters than a police force.
President Trump, on the other hand, understands that criminals should have to pay for their crimes. That is why he has established a process that forces criminals to pay upwards of $1 million to receive a presidential pardon.
It should come as no surprise that the Vatican’s soft-on-crime policies have resulted in a massive immigration problem. Thanks to its porous border with Italy, millions of migrants from around the world flock to the Vatican every year. In fact, even the year-round population of the Vatican seems to be entirely made up of immigrants, as its birth rate is virtually zero. With the entire city-state being run by immigrants, it’s no wonder the Vatican is a sanctuary city home to St. Peter’s Basilica—one of the largest sanctuaries on Earth.
