Good afternoon from White Rocks Cliff. Cold morning here in Vermont. Currently 48 degrees, which is the high for the day. Sunny. Brisk with a stiff breeze. Earlier this morning it was 26 degrees. It sure was nice being able to get up this morning, flip a switch and have 18,000 btu from my Big Buddy blowing in my face. Had to turn it down after a few minutes. I like my new toy.

One year from now will be Election Day and people will be voting for President and all the down ballot races. Will voters want that new car smell? Or stay away from the new for their old rusty trusty? Then I will probably be on the way to West Virginia to explore the wild lands I only got to briefly explore in October.

Those my nights sure are long these days. I ended up retiring to my truck bed around 9 PM because the nights are so long and it started to rain. At first some sprinkles than heavier rain. Rain showers were predicted but I didn’t pack a rain coat. The Big Buddy on low below my seat kept it toasty for several hours before I went to bed. The camp fire keeps your front warm but not so much on the back. It was around 41 degrees but with the breeze felt much colder. The stars were nice for a while and I saw a shooting star.

This afternoon I’m at White Rocks Cliffs and the Ice Fields. Some nice views but not what I was expecting from the pictures I saw. A nice day but chilly with the winds whipping around. I’m a bit out of shape for hiking, I averaged one mile per hour on the steep part of the climb. My ankle doesn’t hurt but it’s a little weak as is my knees. I keep walking as much as possible around town but it’s still building up from the injury.

I really like working with propane. It’s not as messy or smelly as gasoline or liquid fuel. No need to pump it and as a gas doesn’t gum up things. I think with the 20 lb rank that is refillable, it is much cheaper. A gallon of Coleman fuel is like $12. In contrast, 20 lb of propane is $16. Propane doesn’t spill. It is a lot heavier and bulky, so not appropriate for backpacking or canoeing. But I can keep the liquid fuel appliances for those purposes. I may think of getting a propane lantern and stove eventually.