On a day with some solid blue skies, as things start to green up, at least in the city. In the distance is the railroad tracks that go from Albany to Schenectady.
Taken on Saturday April 30, 2011 at Albany Pine Bush.This was a tough year for getting out of town. My truck was getting creaking and old, rusted and always in risk of breaking down, though the only failure I had on vacation and that was a stupid loose lug-nut. But with high gas prices, inflation, and my desire to invest more in the markets, kept me home more then most other recent years. I also focused on destinations where I could camp for multiple nights, after parking my truck and leaving the engine off to save fuel. Many of the prime weekends of the year were raining.
My first camping trip of the year started out in February during President’s Day Weekend, February 20-22 at Rensselaerville State Forest. Winter camping and skiing, took a walk down to the explore the new OSI Parcel that will eventually be added to the state forest.
Second trip of the year was up to the East Branch Sacandaga River, April 22-24, which is always my big April trip complete with a big bonfire, hiking along the East Branch and back to the Gorge Falls.
Third trip of the year was to Piseco-Powley Road’s House Pond Campsite, three nights, June 17-19, including exploring this previously unknown to me swimming hole. Had another big fire, spent a lot of time at the swimming hole across the way. Also visited the potholers a couple of times in the evening.
Then from June 19-21, I moved up the road to Powley Place Campsite 9 for two nights. Hiked back to Goldmine Stream Falls and then on Tuesday hiked back to Big Alderbed.
The forth trip of the year was July 16-19th which I camped up Campsite 5 on Piseco-Powley Road, about a mile north of the Potholers. I don’t love this campsite, as much as House Pond but it was still within walking distance from the Potholers, and is remote enough that I can listen to music as loud as I want, have big fires and shoot guns.
Fifth trip of the year was the Finger Lakes National Forest, camping off old Chicken Co-Op Road from July 30 to August 8, as my GPS likes to call it. Stayed at the same campsite all week, alternating between trips away from camp and staying in camp, mostly to save fuel and reduce costs. Brought my kayak, paddled Cayuta Lake. Spent a lot of time at Watkins Glen State Park. Had that loose lug nut on my truck.
Sixth trip of the year was to the Adirondacks, Labor Day Weekend and the Friday before, September 2-5th, namely that campsite in Perkins Clearing on Hardwood Hill up above Spectulator where I have excellent cell reception and can work remote. It was kind of a lazy trip with lots of clams, sweet corn and beer, though that Friday I worked remote and was busy with work, and then did day hikes from camp, specifically exploring Mud Lake Road, where I ran into a family of bears. It poured on Labor Day when I took down camp.
Seventh trip was a mid September remote-working trip up to Rensselearville State Forest, one of a series of three autumn trips up to the state forest only about 40 minutes from home. I chose to go there as I knew I could get home quickly if necessary with work being so busy, plus knowing I could get home if there was something I couldn’t do with my data plan on my cellphone. I think the dates were that Friday when I remote worked — September 16-19th.
My eight trip was Columbus Day Weekend, Friday October 7 to Monday the 10th. I had originally planned to head up to the Adirondacks, but on my way up north, around Glenville I noticed my truck was swaying more then I would like around the corners, despite just recently being checked out at the shop. Plus heading up to the Adirondacks meant I would have dead spots, which was bad when I was supposed to be remote working, supervising three major political campaigns across the state. So I turned around and headed up to the Heldebergs. Ended up going to Rensselaerville State Forest again, for a colorful trip, especially when I hiked along Cheese Hill Road to the new OSI Parcel overlooking the Catskill Mountains and rural lands of Schoharie County and Potter Hollow. I probably should have brought my gun and got my hunting license, but I was constantly on the phone dealing with one crisis or another for work. Also spent Columbus Day hiking around Huyck Preserve for the bulk of the day before heading home, showering and going out to visit the folks.
My ninth trip of the year was back to Rensselaerville State Forest. This trip was planned to be there, the last week of Friday to Sunday, October 28-30th, while working heavily remote as the political campaigns I was managing was in their last stretch. It was kind of a chilly weekend and busy with work. But I had my heater, and I did find time to get out and walk, as the colors faded away. It was a nice weekend but it reminded me that autumn was certainly on the way.
The tenth trip of the year was back to the East Branch Sacandaga River. Hike back along the Stewart Creek Trail and camped for two fairly cold nights from Thursday December 8 – Saturday December 10th. Came back a day early as I wanted to check to see if I had jury duty. It wasn’t a bad weekend but everything was first cold from the previous day rain, and then everything was icy once things froze up. But I stayed warm by the campsite.
The eleventh and final trip of the year was to Rensselaerville State Forest, right where I started the year close to home. The snow was deep this time, some 2 feet deep with an even deeper snow bank to dig through. But I hot tented there for two nights, from Tuesday December 20-Thursday December 22. This was the only trip of the year when I didn’t camp in my truck.
I wouldn’t rank this as my greatest year ever, with the most adventures. But I made the best of the situation with inflation increasing the price of camping supplies and fuel for my big jacked up truck, which became more unreliable. Work was super busy with all those campaigns. The weather was often bad for the prime weekends of the year. But I made the best of the year.
Looking West towards Schroon Lake, hidden by the unnamed ridge by Goose Pond.
Taken on Sunday April 11, 2010 at Pharaoh Lake Wilderness.Notes on the Re-Run for Thursday, December 22nd.
It was almost two years ago when they blew up the old Lake Champlain Bridge…
— Andy
Yesterday, I drove up to Chimney Point, in Vermont outside of Addison to witness the sad but historic passing of the Champlain Bridge. The massive 80-year old span was imploded into the frozen lake, after two piers where discovered badly damaged, and was determined to be likely to fail catastrophically without a controlled demolition.
It is sad to see such a historic landmark go. Nobody really wanted to see such a landmark go up into a pile of rubble. As I stood there on Chimney Point, I stood next to many farmers and other local residents who had been alongside of and over the Champlain Bridge thousands of times. It’s such a big landmark, that stands out over the landscape, with it’s arches reaching 130 feet above the flat landscape around. Pictures simply don’t do justice. Many had grown up seeing it’s majestic spans and beautiful archways, and just assumed it would always be there. Some of the oldest residents might even remember back 80-years ago to 1929, when the bridge was under construction.
It was truly a community event. I swear every person from the very rural Addison County, VT and surrounding areas had to have been there. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many pickup trucks with dairy-farming related bumper stickers, men and children with muck boots on, Carharts and seed-hats. It was such an amazing group of people, with such a complicated mix of emotions about the demolition of the bridge. People where sad to see it go, but also hopeful for the new bridge. Some where cynical that something ever as great could be built again.
The wintry weather made the span almost invisible from the site about 3,000 feet away from the bridge where I was looking at. Chimney Point had probably the best viewpoint of the Champlain Bridge on a sunny day, your back would be to the sun, and with a back drop of the Adirondack Mountains. You could see the bridge fade in and out like a ghost as the snow squalls blew out and blew in. What you could see was so massive, so beautiful. Yet eerie, because all that was left was the lightest silhouette of the old bridge. The silhouette was so light, that it was hidden from the camera.
Then there was the loud bang, right at ten in the morning — a thunderous roar lasting less then a second or two, that shook the ground and sent ice soaring a foot into the air on Lake Champlain, even as far away as we where. The energy wave forced upon the lake and the surrounding landscape shook the parked cars so hard that it set off car alarms. It was not like listening to a firecracker going off, but more like a wave of energy coming at you. In the wintry blizzard-like weather, you barely saw the bridge fall, but it was still the most remarkable feeling at you felt the thousands of tons of steel and concrete hit the waters of Lake Champlain.
Vermont 127 and Vermont 17 where one way during the day to allow for parking, so leaving everyone had to drive by the fallen bridge. The once majestic bridge was little more then just a pile of rubble sticking up from the frozen lake in a wintry fury of the snow. I looked like something out of a war photograph, although it was much bigger and much more realistic. It was a bit scary that we as a society could convert such a massive and beautiful structure to just a pile of rubble.
On the 400th Anniversary of Samuel de Champlain’s discovery of Lake Champlain and the fertile plains that surround it, it’s sad to see such a man-made landmark go. Yet, it’s also a reminder of how man made landmarks come and go, and only natural wonders like the mountains and the lake remain. While people since 1929 have looked out across the lake at Chimney Point at the engineering marvel of Champlain Bridge, much of the rest of the landscape remains unchanged since the day Samuel de Champlain first made his voyage in 1609.
A new bridge will replace the first Lake Champlain bridge, and service the automobile, truck, pedestrian, and bicycle needs of the 21st century, but it will be little more then an impermanent landmark that must someday fall and be destroyed like the first Lake Champlain Bridge. Nobody can foresee the demolition of the new bridge, in some future century, but it will ultimately be gone just like the first bridge is now gone.
(this picture taken just north of the bridge was taken in March 2006).
Blue – Bridge
Yellow – My View
Green – Where I Parked
A beautiful autumn day a few years back in Cazenovia. The leaves were gone, but the lake was still sparkling.
Taken on Monday November 3, 2014 at Cazenovia Lake.