We made it to Election Day 2025 and soon enough it will be the mid-terms, but that’s kind of getting ahead of us all. I still want to get to Michigan and Wisconsin before then along with many other things. But first, today looks like a stunningly beautiful day, though maybe a bit cool with the lake breeze. I’ll ride a bit once the sun rises before getting down on other adventures for the day.
I am not looking forward to that long slog back home, along the Adirondack Northway in the dark but I might pop one of those caffeine pills and finish up Bill McKibbean’s latest audio book I got out of the library – Here Comes the Sun. I don’t always agree with everything McKibbean says – he’s gone from being a degrowth advocate to an industrial solar advocate – it’s good to hear his perspective. I do agree solar in rural areas is better then building more houses and bringing more people in. Solar panels don’t complain about hog shit, gun fire or garbage burning barrels or try to change your community in local elections. Truth is we need more electricity, and how we generate it up to debate. Solar seems really sprawling and high impact, but compared to all the acres people farm, even a full build out of solar is not that enormous. Solar isn’t like residential development, there isn’t toilets to be flushed or electricity to be developed or chemical lawns.
But first a morning ride and seeing how bitterly cold that wind really is. I guess bundle up, the sun will help a lot. Figure it’s best to enjoy the fresh tangy cow-shit air before those days come and go, the memories of my college years, and the mountains and great vistas of the North Country. Tomorrow it’s back to work, the buses and city folk. Honestly, I don’t mind talking to the people up here, though it’s shocking how impoverished some of the people just outside the city really are. I tend to often romanticize their lives, thinking how much better it is compared to the high consumption suburbanite, still I don’t know. Hogs and venison and rabbits for meat, hog shit for growing veggies and cannabis, a burn barrel and going to scrap yard/dump once a year for unburnable trash, and solar for electricity. Really that’s the life, though only a few up here really are truly lucky to live that life. Got have some plain Greek yougurt with the nuts and other crap food they have that continental breakfast downstairs at 6 AM. All wrapped in plastic and paper. But the coffee is good. Yet before jumping on the day, today looks like a stunningly beautiful day, though maybe a bit cool with the lake breeze. I’ll ride a bit once the sun rises before getting down on other adventures for the day.
Yesterday, I spent some time riding along Lake Champlain at the Cumberland Head Bay State Park, and it was great with the water levels being so low in the lake and sand well packed. It was fun, watching the sun rise and waves crash along the lake shore. Plan to do that again this morning before things get too busy. When I got back to my truck, there was a tree rat violently crashing around in the back of the cap. The only thing I can think of is he climbed in when I was unloading my bike. Didn’t do any damage but I’ll have to clean up all the squirrel crap before I go camping next time. Now that’s some wild ass North Country shit, says the boy who hits the town with a cowboy hat on, sniffing the smells of silage and cow poop – and paper plant at least in Plattsburgh. Yes, you spell it with an “h” at the end, you non-locals, lol.
Watching the weather for next weekend, and maybe Madison County won’t be a thing with heavy rain expected on Sunday and a washout for most of the rest of week. I guess the next option for travel is after Thanksgiving – maybe the East Branch – as I don’t necessarily want to camp in the Southern Zone during Big Game Season. I kind of like the solitude of not having cell service and being disconnected from the news cycle for a few days. Maybe there will be snow or maybe not. Really hard to say. Or it’s possible the forecast could change. Only time will tell. Certainly this time of year camping the evenings are much longer. More time for drinking and smoking pot I guess, and watching shit burn.
along the Adirondack Northway in the dark but I might pop one of those caffeine pills and finish up Bill McKibbean’s latest audio book I got out of the library – Here Comes the Sun. 
I don’t always agree with everything McKibbean says – he’s gone from being a degrowth advocate to an industrial solar advocate – it’s good to hear his perspective. I do agree solar in rural areas is better then building more houses and bringing more people in. Solar panels don’t complain about hog shit, gun fire or garbage burning barrels or try to change your community in local elections. 
Truth is we need more electricity, and how we generate it up to debate. Solar seems really sprawling and high impact, but compared to all the acres people farm, even a full build out of solar is not that enormous. Solar isn’t like residential development, there isn’t toilets to be flushed or electricity to be developed or chemical lawns.
I guess bundle up, the sun will help a lot. Figure it’s best to enjoy the fresh tangy cow-shit air 
before those days come and go, the memories of my college years, and the mountains and great vistas of the North Country. Tomorrow it’s back to work, the buses and city folk. Honestly, I don’t mind talking to the people up here, though it’s shocking how impoverished some of the people just outside the city really are. 
I tend to often romanticize their lives, thinking how much better it is compared to the high consumption suburbanite, still I don’t know. Hogs and venison and rabbits for meat, hog shit for growing veggies and cannabis, a burn barrel and going to scrap yard/dump once a year for unburnable trash, and solar for electricity. Really that’s the life, though only a few up here really are truly lucky to live that life. Got have some plain Greek yougurt with the nuts and other crap food they have that continental breakfast downstairs at 6 AM. All wrapped in plastic and paper. But the coffee is good. Yet before jumping on the day, today looks like a stunningly beautiful day, though maybe a bit cool with the lake breeze. I’ll ride a bit once the sun rises before getting down on other adventures for the day.
and it was great with the water levels being so low in the lake and sand well packed. It was fun, watching the sun rise 
and waves crash along the lake shore. Plan to do that again this morning before things get too busy. When I got back to my truck, there was a tree rat 
violently crashing around in the back of the cap. The only thing I can think of is he climbed in when I was unloading my bike. Didn’t do any damage but I’ll have to clean up all the squirrel crap before I go camping next time. Now that’s some wild ass North Country shit, says the boy who hits the town with a cowboy hat on, 
sniffing the smells of silage and cow poop – and paper plant at least in Plattsburgh. Yes, you spell it with an “h” at the end, you non-locals, lol. 
and maybe Madison County won’t be a thing with heavy rain expected on Sunday and a washout for most of the rest of week. I guess the next option for travel is after Thanksgiving – maybe the East Branch – as I don’t necessarily want to camp in the Southern Zone during Big Game Season. 
I kind of like the solitude of not having cell service and being disconnected from the news cycle 
for a few days. Maybe there will be snow or maybe not. Really hard to say. Or it’s possible the forecast could change. 
Only time will tell. Certainly this time of year camping the evenings are much longer. More time for drinking and smoking pot I guess, and watching shit burn. 