North
No Happy Birthday to You, America! ๐
One thing that surprised me about this year’s past celebration of America’s 250th birthday was how downscale the celebrations really were – both in the public and commercial parts of our country.
While I drove up to the Adirondacks on June 30th and then up to Old Forge on July 3rd, I did not see a single sign that said, “Happy Birthday America!” Some flags could be seen and maybe a mention of here or there of July 4th or Independence Day, but really no mention of how special this Independence Day really was – America’s 250th Birthday.
I went to a few different Walmarts, grocery stores, Tractor Supply and other places looking for inexpensive patriotic displays of flags and red-white-blue Christmas lights to hang up and display up at camp. Tractor Supply had $3 each mini flags, one of the three Walmart I visited had that ugly America 250 Flag with the swoopy 250 logo, along with some kitch like floppy Uncle Sam hats but no patriotic light strings, flags or banners. And certainly nothing cheap. Probably tarrifs!
Not being alive during the Bicentennial in 1976, I can only read about and see photos from the Bicentennial but it seems like that was a much more widely celebrated event. That was the year when many highways had permanent DOT signs that lasted for a year or longer with words like ‘Happy Birthday America”. Car dealerships really played up their Bicentennial models, an I’ m sure there was more kitsch and patrotic banners avaliable for that special holiday back during the Spirit of ’76.
Liberal states like New York probably weren’t feeling the spirt as much as conservative states, as President Trump turned the holiday into a partisan event, a narrow celebration mostly of our – somewhat neglected in modern history books – white founders. And primarily a celebration of himself, for being, well the elected President of the old U. S. of A. Still, America’s 250th birthday should have been a celebration for all.
I also understand that in the past 50 years there is a lot more public watchdogs thanks to easier access to information in databases over the internet, so the government at all levels may have been quite leery of throwing a big celebration for itself, the costs out there for all to inspect and criticize. The millions of dollars for permanent highway signs wishing America a Happy Birthday for it’s 250th would stick out like a sore thumb for the press, a contractor getting rich at taxpayer or motorist expense. Money spent on wishing America a special 250th could after all be spent on filling potholes or offering gas tax relief with gas prices still high. Don’t forget all that waste erecting permanent signs only expected to last a year. All that 3M reflective coating soon enough to be scrapped off and landfilled, and the distraction to passing motorists.
But I don’t know. I just wanted a bigger and better celebration of America’s 250th. Harkening back to an earlier era, but also celebrating America’s rich cultural diversity and how many different groups joined together to make our country the great nation that it is. Yet, that seemed impossible to do with Washington’s war on wokeness and DEI – concepts sometimes overused and abused – but also playing down the importance of a our diversity and the many stories that make up what truly makes America Great!
Midnight fireworks ๐งจ
I was tired after smoking some weed and drinking on America’s 250th birthday, I headed to bed around 10;30 but of course somebody in a campsite a half mile down round decided around midnight to light off a bunch of fireworks and firecrackers, which got me flipping down the tailgate, pissing and looking up the stars.
This Independence Day 250 ๐บ๐ธ was less crazy ๐คช then that holiday a few years back when I went skinny dipping in Moose River at 10 PM and then passed out the Moose River bridge, and then went for a midnight walk back to Ice House Pond, stumbling into a bear. ๐งธ Instead, I just had a fire, relatively small one, lit off some sparklers and fireworks, had a beer or two, smoked some dope, looked at the stars, and went to bed. I did walk down to the Moose River and swam but did not skinny dip, but I did have some wild blueberries ๐ซ I found roadside. None are out those in big blueberry fields west of Helldiver. Hiked up there yesterday hoping to find them, with no luck.
Truth is I am less crazy ๐คช as I get older, or so I tell myself. I was kind of disappointed with my broken bike, ๐ฒ but instead I ended up hiking down to Kenwells Camp on Moose River, and then wading up to Otter Creek. Then I hiked over to Ice House Pond, swatting bugs. Spent a few hours reading and blogging, โ๏ธ thinking about the days in wilderness, listening to the loons ๐ฆ singing in the distance. Realizing that the ice probably isn’t going to survive much past another day, so I should drink up the milk ๐ฎ , eat up the sausage ๐ญ and bacon ๐ฅ before it goes rancid. Still with lots of veggies, because the whole purpose of cooking bacon is for the lard for frying veggies ๐ซ in it or so I tell myself. I still try to eat healthy ๐ even if I am drinking ๐ป too much beer and smoking too much weed. But it’s been nearly half a year since I’ve been in wilderness. ๐บ And half a decade since I’ve been at Moose River Plains. Where the hell does the time go? โณ
Trash bucket was getting full last night, ๐๏ธ but after last night it’s completely empty except for a tin can and some aluminum foil, along with a bag of deposit beer cans. Feels good to wake up to that. Didn’t take that shit to the transfer station like the ranger suggested. ๐ฎ I love burning shit, ๐ฅ somedayย I’ll have that place out in the country with the burn barrels and goats and hogs. ๐ท ๐ Lit off several fireworks and sparklers ๐, dimmed the lights and watched the Sars for a while. The swimming was good, but kind cool. Truth is most of yesterday was fairly cloudy and drizzly, it only really cleared out around dusk, and even then wasn’t perfectly clear night. Watching that plastic wrapper shrivel up and burn up just put a big grin ๐ on my face, while listening to the loons, ๐ฆ but I’m sure some of it was the weed.
Today looks beautiful and less hot, โ๏ธ and hopefully less buggy. I think this morning I will start out hiking out to Mitchell’s Ponds and maybe climb the ledge if I can figure out a good way to bushwhack up there. ๐ถโโ๏ธ Then maybe later go for a paddle on Helldiver Pond, then gather wood up, do some floating or swimming on the Moose River and have one last fire ๐ฅ before taking down camp. Tomorrow I want to leave fairly early, as I need to back down to albany by around 4;30 pm as I have to get into the office to start up that robo call. I am not sure what I will do tomorrow – I thought about taking NY 28 back to NY 8 and driving over to Noblesboro to explore the campsites along Haskell Road which it’s hard to find much information on the internet about, as the Black River Wild Forest UMP was created before GPS so there is limited mapping data avaliable about. ๐บ๏ธ Other options include exploring Camp Sagamore and doing the Sagamore Lake Loop or driving over to Blue Mountain Lake and paddling ๐ฃโโ๏ธ some of Lake Durant from Old NY 28/30. Then taking NY 30 back home, as I’d really like to avoid the Northway if possible, though I’ll still need to get on the Thruway as I do need to get back to the office to start that robo. I got options. Looks like today is going to beautiful, despite the forecast for clouds and rain showers last week, the last time I was on the grid! ๐ง๏ธ
Moss Island from the Wind Bridge
Millennial Farmer – Buffalo Ranch
This video of Millennial Farmer touring a Buffalo Ranch in South Dakota is pretty fascinating.
