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August 15, 2020 Evening

Good evening! Cloudy and 70 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. ☁️ There is a south-southeast breeze at 9 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 64 degrees. The skies will clear tomorrow around 5 am.

Final night of summer vacation. 🌃 All things have to come to an end. It’s been a very unusual year with the pandemic smoldering all around the world 🌎 but in some ways it inspired me to find new places to visit and new forms of socially distant recreation. 😷 Without the pandemic I might not have explored the Keuka Outlet Trail or the Catherine Valley Rail Trail or the Catherine Swamp WMA 🐸 and missed some really beautiful and wild country.

I don’t know how I had never driven or walked 🤔 Rock Cabin Road in Watkins Glen but it sure is beautiful. I wish I hadn’t left my binoculars in the truck as the marsh was full of wildlife 🦆 I wish I could have seen up close. It looks like there are some good paddling possibilities from the marsh but I didn’t have time with the threat of thunderstorm ⛈ and the sky getting dark. When I started to hear rumbles and looked at the radar I was concerned but if the weather was bad enough I could have probably thumbed 👍🏻 a ride back to the truck or found a relatively safe low lying place in the marsh or along the road. But it sure was dusty. 🌫️

I had tuna fish 🐠 salad 🥗 for dinner with several beers to wash it down. 🍻 I’ve used up most of the last of the cold food so I didn’t buy ice today. I doubt the mayonese or sliced cheese 🧀 will go bad if it gets a bit warm by evening but if it does its not a big loss. 🔥 Had a nice roaring fire for a while but I’ve let it burn down by bed time. I tried to straighten up camp ⛺ for easier take down after spending nine days at this site. Returned a bunch of cans at Walmart this evening so I have a lot less trash to bring home and I got my deposit back and a fresh case of beer 🍻. I know I won’t be littering and my campsite super clean when I leave.

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 65 degrees at 5am. Five degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 64 at 6pm. South wind 5 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was humid. It got down to 63 degrees. The record low of 41 occurred back in 1972.

Tonight will have a Waining Crescent 🌘 Moon with 12% illuminated. The darkest hour is at 1:13 am, followed by dawn at 5:46 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:16 am in the east-northeast (70°) and last for 3 minutes and 3 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 3 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 6:55 am with sun in the east-northeast (77°). Tonight will have 10 hours and 8 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 32 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of showers. Mostly sunny 🌦, with a high of 80 degrees at 3pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around August 18th. Maximum dew point of 64 at 8am. Southeast wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became rain by afternoon. It became humid as the day progressed. The high last year was 81 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1936.

I am glad that I had coffee ☕ for tomorrow morning. I have to think that I’m an caffeine addict but I’m sure was much happier this morning with my cups of joe. I have muffins for tomorrow which will be good. ☺

I am in no rush to get going tomorrow and packed up and heading home. 🏡 It all will depend if it’s raining ☔ come morning but I’m quite content to lay back in the hammock and read a bit before taking down camp and then doing some of the Taughannock Rim Trail before heading home. Still thinking about going through Marathon and taking NY 23 at least part of the way home. Summer vacation has to come to an end but there are always future trips or so I hope. 🏖 COVID-19 is real and out there, but I tried to stay safe while enjoying the Finger Lakes.

Then it’s back to work Monday 👨🏻‍🏫 but with remote work 🖥️ it’s either a matter of going down to the library parking lot or using my new phone to get done what needs to be done. All the signs point 👉🏻 to a busy week next week but after my week off camping without cell service at camp I’m ready to make it happen.

I was looking and it seems like I need to renew my blog contract 📜 come October. I’ll probably do it sooner than that and do the 3 or more years – whatever is the cheapest rate. 💵 I like doing my blog and while I don’t make any money from it, really isn’t that expensive and it gives me an opportunity to think 🤔 and express my thoughts 💭 and experiences 🌲🌳🌲.

I saw another one of my colleagues bought a house 🏡. Nice mid-century modern house, probably in the more suburban part of the city. ☺️ Yeah, I’m a bit jealous but it’s certainly not may way of living. But I’m only a few steps behind him and if I keep saving and investing I’ll be closer to that goal 🥅. Of course, I think if rather live somewhere surrounded by corn fields 🌽 or forest 🌲, some place small without grid power 🔌 where I can have fires 🔥, shoot guns 🔫 and live the good life without any neighbors to give a damn. With cheap taxes 💰, no special government permission to carry guns 🤠 or improve your land or run my hobby farm 🐐. Land in rural areas is a lot cheaper and freer – especially in other states but it’s hard to make a living in the rural countryside, 🌲🐺🐮🦋🌱 although maybe the pandemic and increased remote work is changing that. ⌨️🖱️

As Malvina Reynolds once sung, “Little Boxes made out of ticky tacky”. If that was my only choice, I’d choose my moldy apartment. 🏘️

While my hammock stinks tonight after getting wet today in the rain and the Martin’s Permethrin I applied earlier in the week being somewhat unlocked, I continue to be very happy 😊 with the replacement hammock I bought more than two years ago to replace the shitty Eno / LL Bean branded hammock that had bad carabiners and then only months later ripped and wouldn’t be warranted. 😯 While I got the LL Bean with credit card reward points 💳, it was expensive and within a year was placed in the camp trash 🗑 and ultimately burnt to a crisp. 🔥 The cheap Chinese replacement I got on Ebay for $15 has lasted more than two years now and is still in good shape. That said, I do like the Eno straps, I still use them today with the China hammock. 🇨🇳 God bless those factory 🏭 slave workers who make quality inexpensive products.

In four weeks on September 12 the sun will be setting in the west (276°) at 7:22 pm,🌄 which is 46 minutes and 14 seconds earlier then today. In 2019 on that day, we had partly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 68 and 51 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 74 and 53 degrees. The record high of 94 degrees was set back in 1947.

Looking ahead, Average High is 60 🍂 is in 2 months, Northern Zone Regular Season 🦌 is in 9 weeks, Halloween 🎃 and the Blue Moon 🌕 is in 11 weeks, Small Business Saturday 🛍️ is in 15 weeks, Repeal of Prohibition Day 🍺 is in 16 weeks, Bill of Rights Day 📜 is in 4 months, Boxing Day 🥊 is in 19 weeks, Static Electric Shock Day 🧼 is in 21 weeks, National Cheese Lovers Day 🧀 is in 23 weeks, Save the Pine Bush Turns 43 🦋 is in 25 weeks, 5:30 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 27 weeks and Snow Moon 🌕 is in 28 weeks.

August 15, 2020 Afternoon

Good afternoon! Cloudy, ☁️ a few rain drops 💧 and 84 degrees at Rock Cut Road in Watkins Glen. There is a southeast breeze at 9 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 63 degrees. The skies will clear around 4 pm.

Final full day in the Finger Lakes. 😔 I know I shouldn’t be labor that point as it is only going to make the time go by faster. ⏳But truth be told this has been the most odd trip, trying to keep a lower profile and avoid crowded spots with the pandemic smoldering all around. I tried to maintain social distancing and wear a mask 😷 – well a hillbilly mask that is so popular in these small towns of a banada tied around the face. If it works for dusty hay barns and ATV riders it should work for ol Corona. 🤠

Started out the day laying in the hammock, finally enjoying my coffee ☕ and muffins. I have to say I’m very glad I had coffee this morning. ☕ And I bought more blueberry muffins from Wally World to go with it. I’ll go back to healthier eating when I get home, as calories don’t count on vacation.🥞🍎🍒🍓🥕🍆🌽

Truth be told 💤 the reason why the days go by so quickly is I’ve hardly been very motivated to get an early start. I stay up late and then sleep in and then spend a good portion of the morning laying back in hammock most day relaxing before I get out and doing things, returning only around dusk. 📖 But I like lazy mornings on vacation, I enjoy a good book. ☕

Started reading 📖 that book on hog farming 🐖 continuing to further my education on livestock raising for my future homestead. 🚜 It was totally Cam Edwards podcast that got me into pigs, than furthered by the North Country Off Grid YouTube channel. It poured after lunch so I ended up cutting back my ambitious plans for the day and reading 📖 from the truck cap.

Now I’m out exploring Catherine Marsh trails and Rock Cut Road I missed previously when I was in Watkins Glen. 🐦🦅🦆🐢🦎🐡🦗 The Marsh looks so inviting when your heading down to Watkins Glen on NY 79. I just wish they had better maps of the area. I could probably make my own 🗺️ and post them to the blog.

This afternoon will have isolated showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny , with a high of 85 degrees at 3pm. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 63 at 3pm. Southeast wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became rain by afternoon. It became humid as the day progressed. The high last year was 83 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1959.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:13 pm with sun having an altitude of 61.5° from the due south horizon (-9.4° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:31 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (283°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (290°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:10 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 3 seconds with dusk around 8:38 pm, which is one minute and 27 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:17 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 74 degrees. The dew point will be 62 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 52 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 31 seconds over yesterday.

I am thinking maybe a final swim 🏊🏻‍♂️ at the Watkins Glen pool this afternoon late after the crowds filter out. Always very quiet at the pool after 5 pm when most folks are eating dinner. 🍲 It all depends on how long my hike goes. I might instead try to do some paddling on the marsh 🛶 especially if thunderstorms close the pool ⛈ but aren’t nearby.

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 65 degrees at 6am. Five degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 64 at 10pm. South wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was humid. It got down to 63 degrees. The record low of 41 occurred back in 1972.

How safe has the trip been? 👾 Gawd, I don’t know. I did wash my hands the best I could 👐🏻. Certainly Watkins Glen brings people from throughout the world and you certainly did see license plates from Texas and Ohio but probably less than you would have seen on an ordinary year. But I needed a vacation 🏖, a chance to truly get away from it all for a week. Hopefully it won’t end up on a respirator or dead. ☠️ I still have a lot of life to live, a lot of guns to buy, a lot of land, livestock and toys to own – so yeah I don’t want to die for many more years. 👴🏻 So I’m doing everything I can to stay safe while enjoying life.

Maybe someday when I own my off-grid homestead 🐖 I’ll have much less desire to travel but with my moldy apartment in city 🏙 and all the problems of urban living it’s good to get away. Plus it’s going to be a busy next three 3⃣ months at work, 💼 even if it is remote work, I’m supervising and moving forward a lot of different campaigns.

In 1969, the Woodstock Music Festival Opens on Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, 🎸 much to the distaste of his neighbors and fellow community members. 🎶 Yasgur operated the largest dairy farm in Sullivan County 🐮, he was forced out of the business a few years later in part because of people refusing to buy his milk 🥛 but also because he suffered enormous crop losses 🌽 during 1969 and 1970 when the droughts of earlier years turned into enormous flooding and soggy farm fields. Plus he had the mess to clean up from Woodstock that was left over.

On this day in 1970, President Richard Nixon completes the break from the gold standard by ending convertibility of the United States dollar into gold 🥇 by foreign investors. People said that laid to inflation 💲💲💲and a growing gap between the rich and the poor but I think all the evidence suggests the Gold Bugs are wrong. The end of the pegging was a result of existing inflationary pressures and a rapidly growing economy.

There are 2 months until Average High is 60 🍂 when the sun will be setting at 6:24 pm with dusk at 6:53 pm. The average high temperature is 32 degrees, with a record high of 61 in 1895.

October 4, 2019 Night

Good evening! Mostly clear and 44 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a north-northwest breeze at 7 mph. 🍃. Cool but pleasant.

Got everything packed up that I can do tonight and retiring to bed early after taking a sleeping pill 💊. It’s a long drive out to the Allegheny National Forest from Albany and I plan to stop at some parks and scenic vistas on the way out so it’s going to be a long drive. 🌲 Going to buy bagged firewood as it might be close to dusk 🌆 by the time I start setting up camp. I kind of wish it was a slower pace tomorrow but I’ll have at least a lot of chance to enjoy the leaves driving through the hills and countryside on what promises to be a beautiful autumn day. 😎 Rain and clouds on Sunday and Monday but I can have a nice fire 🔥 and will pitch my tent ⛺ with the heater to stay toasty. I have lots of warm food to cook up 🍲 and my camp stove is working well.

A few things left to buy. 🏪 Need to get extra lantern 🏮 mantles and paper baking cups. Then just the firewood and gas up the truck before Pennsylvania ⛽ so I can avoid buying the expensive gas there.

Is West Virginia totally out of the question 🙋 now? Ninity precent yes but if they get a good soaking rain Sunday and Monday and the burn ban is lifted I could consider it, at least going own to Cannan Heights WV for the remainder of the week. Hope isn’t totally dashed on that. So much more I’d like to explore around there. But the New River Gorge is probably not going to happen until 2020 or later. But I’m thinking more likely then not I’ll head up through Allegany State Park and explore Cattaraugus County and the Western Finger Lakes and maybe do a little hunting and a lot of enjoying of the scenery. Disappointed 😥 yes but it still will be a good time with some nice nights in the wilderness with a full moon 🌕 by the end of the week.

As much as the fire ban 🚫 sucks on cold long October nights, just as bad would be the dust 🌀 on those dirt road campsites. Every time a car or truck passes by enormous clouds of dust fly everywhere including in your coffee ☕ cup and your dinner. 🍲 Those dusty days of yesteryear really were pretty awful during times of drought. 💨

At least I won’t have to drive those narrow steep West Virginia roads. 🚙 But there will be some nice scenery in Western New York with the leaves close to peak foliage. 🍂 Plus I can hunt and fish as much as I want.

Tonight will have areas of frost after 3am. Otherwise, mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 35 degrees at 5am. Eight degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around October 31st. North wind 3 to 7 mph. In 2018, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 46 degrees. The record low of 26 occurred back in 1965.

Tonight will have a First Quarter with 54% illuminated. The moon will rise at 2:27 pm. The First Quarter Moon will be tonight with mostly clear skies. The Hunter Moon 🌝 is on Saturday, October 12th. The sun will rise at 6:55 am with the first light at 6:27 am, which is one minute and 7 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 12 hours and 24 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 52 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have areas of frost before 9am. Otherwise, sunny 🌞, with a high of 60 degrees at 3pm. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around October 15th. Calm wind. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became mostly sunny by afternoon. It became humid as the day progressed. The high last year was 61 degrees. The record high of 91 was set in 1941.

Got a perfect little camp shovel ♠ at the hardware store. Not a folding shovel just a small wooden garden shovel. This should allow me to dig much deeper and wider holes for dumping the bucket shitter 💩 and properly burying the waste – which can be a lot over multiple days. Really should be a good improvement over the little trowel I use. Also perfect for ditches for draining camp and digging out fire pits or smothering fires.

In four weeks on November 1 the sun will be setting at 5:48 pm,🌄 which is 43 minutes and 34 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2018 on that day, we had rain showers, mostly cloudy and temperatures between 59 and 48 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 54 and 35 degrees. The record high of 78 degrees was set back in 1950.

Looking ahead, November 🥧 is in 4 weeks, Buy Nothing Day 🛍️ is in 8 weeks, Average High is 40 🌨 is in 2 months, Saint Nicholas Day 🎅 is in 9 weeks and Latest Sunrise of the Winter 🌄️ is in 13 weeks.

May 7, 2019 Morning

Good morning! Happy Tuesday. Mostly cloudy and 55 degrees. ☁ A few breaks of blue sky but not a lot. Rain to the west. There is a south breeze at 8 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 49 degrees. The skies will clear around 9 pm.

Yesterday at work I had a terrible headache 😩 and I thought about going home but instead I did what I had to do immediately and then kind of put my head down next to the phone. I wasn’t going to go to Finger Lakes wine night 🍷 but I did around 7 pm and was able to score a bottle. I’ll probably end up finishing it up next April before I bring my bottles and cans to the transfer station. Just like last year. I got home, had a quick dinner of ravioli and collapsed into bed. 💤 I did listen to the hilarious podcast of Roman Mars on the Mazada Virus, which I wholeheartedly encourage you to listen to. 🔊 I might have felt sick as a dog, but between the wine and the podcast I was laughing hard while trying to get to sleep.

Today will have a chance of showers before 1pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 1pm and 5pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5pm. Mostly cloudy 🌦, with a high of 66 degrees at 1pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 5th. Maximum dew point of 53 at 12pm. I didn’t bring an umbrella ☔ so I’m certain to get soaked coming home. South wind around 8 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 69 degrees. The record high of 92 was set in 1930. .2 inches of snow fell back in 1967.❄

The sun will set at 8:02 pm with dusk around 8:33 pm, which is one minute and 6 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and temperatures around 56 degrees. The dew point will be 46 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 21 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 19 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a chance of showers, mainly before 8pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 45 degrees at 6am. Typical for tonight. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2018, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 41 degrees. The record low of 26 occurred back in 1968.

The weekend seems to be slipping downhill somewhat with Friday evening looking increasingly rainy ☔ although Saturday still looks decent. I’m leaning towards Stewart Landing still but I could change my mind. I do worry the roads could be pretty soft up north with all the rain we’ve had. Maybe I could make alternative plans.

Yesterday I was watching video on the history of Times Beach, Missouri, the vacation town turned into low-income suburb in the flood plain of the Missouri River that was forcibly abandoned after a 1981 flooding of the city, and discovery that oil used to spray on the dusty roads was mixed with a chemical byproduct of production of the Agent Orange defoliant which contained high levels of then largely unknown hazardous compound dioxin. Interesting stuff, although some was probably based in alarmism, there was also some pretty high levels of that stuff sprayed and dumped in certain locations.

Looking ahead, there are 7 weeks until Primary Day 🗳️ when the sun will be setting at 8:37 pm with dusk at 9:12 pm. I wonder if there will be there will be any local primaries for my district? It will be easy being able to walk down to the library to vote. Come October, if I’m in town, I’ll be able to early vote. On that day in 2018, we had mostly sunny, rain showers and temperatures between 78 and 55 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 80 degrees. We hit a record high of 95 back in 1898.

The Second Day

I Honestly I Didn’t Have a lot of Hope for the Rest of the Week. The first day didn’t go real well. I thought I could replace the lawn chair and maybe the bad battery, although I really wanted to spend time researching deep-cycle batteries before I made the leap and just bought another cheap Wal-Mart Marine battery.

But then the Beauty of November in the Woods Hit Me. This month is not only reserved for the sportsmen in the woods. It is remarkably beautifully especially when the clouds break and its not super cold out.

Made Breakfast up and Got Started on the Day. There was a nice shooting lane in the woods from the campsite, so I set up a political lawn sign, put on my shooting glasses and ear plugs and started blasting away at. I couldn’t believe how fast the shot shells disappeared at 5 rounds at a time in my pump action Renmington 870.

Had My Traditional Camp Breakfast. I am a big fan of scrambled eggs with cheese and sausages for breakfast. I often load it up with veggies although this time I didn’t. Took down camp after having this delicious breakfast.

Decided to Head Down to Pennsylvania. I had originally planned to spend two nights in the Western Catskills small game hunting, hiking and plinking but I wanted to give the deep-cycle a good charge in hopes I could recover it so I would have a decent amount of light the next night without constantly having to crank the truck to keep the lights on.

Roscoe NY is Famous for Trout Fishing but it could also be noted for it’s true scenic beauty. Now I phone in love with the beauty of the Appalachian mountains, how they tower over the land, but I tell you the area around Roscoe really pretty.

These mountains may not be the size of the Adirondacks, but their rounded tops surround the hollows so beautifully.

Stopped at the famous Roscoe dinner for a bit, got some coffee and hopped on the Quickway for Hancock and ultimately Pennsylvania. Stopped at the Rest Stop/Text Stop where there was good 3G service and checked much email and social media.

Thought About Heading Down to Scranton to a sporting goods store to pick up a replacement camp chair and more ammo. Figured ammo would be cheaper in Pennsylvania and a sporting goods store eould have more choices in 20 gauge shot then a Wal-Mart.

Checked out the GPS but saw there was no big sporting goods stores nearby. Decided to f-it and head to Wellsboro PA figuring I could just stop at Mansfield Wal-Mart along the way, get a camp chair and hopefully some ammunition.

Typed into Google Maps to take me to Wellsboro avoiding highways. Took me through some real wild country — not a lot of big farms — a lot of cabins, camps and rundown houses.

Before crossing into Pennsylvania I took County Route Old 17 and enjoyed some scenic vistas, stopping for a while to Instagram. Crossed over to PA and ended up on some real backroads, some twister and slower then I would like.

People Burn Everything in Pennsyltucky. I would not hestitate to say at least 90% of households in rural PA have trash burning barrels and most folks burn their garbage, plastic and all.

Funny to think that when burning barrels have been illegal in New York for 5 years and relatively uncommon and disfavored for 10 years except in the most rural parts of the state.

People in Pennsyltucky also heat with wood and outdoor wood boilers have big piles of brush and generally smoky in the hollows this time of year. For a firebug like me, this seems so liberating compared to the up-tight open burning laws in New York.

Stopped at the Saint Marie Overlook. It was pretty as usual. Took some more Instagram photos.

The More Digits in a Pennsylvania Highway the narrower and twister the road is. The main line one digit roads are as good as any in New York. Most 2 digit roads aren’t bad but when you get on the three digits, the roads are little more then blacktopped cow paths.

The shoulders are non-existent with guard rails extending right up to shoulders. To make things worst, PA uses rumble strips extensively so as you hit them if you try to stay away from the guard rails when driving.

Four digit roads are supposed to be analogous to county roads but as far as I can tell their maintained like town roads in New York.

Fracking Towns seem to have slowed down a lot since the initial craziness when the fracking boom was well underway.

Montrose was still dusty and Main Street was under heavy construction when I drove by. Saw a convoy of trucks hauling water and sand to a fracking site, but certainly not bumper to bumper.

Tonawanda, the city where they send reporters to cover fracking still had the new motels and the oil and gas businesses but it was still quiet compared to 2010. Some signs of oil wealth in the form of big jacked-up diesel pickups but thats not shocking for rural America but for the most part you didn’t see tons of oil wealth.

Ended Up Going to the Mansfield Wal-Mart to get a new camp chair and ammunition. A fairly big Wal-Mart, it had something unknown to a New Yorkers — lots of guns. Wal-Mart in more rural parts of New York will have a small revolving case of long guns plus air guns on the shelf.

But at least in rural Mansfield, they not only have several large cabinets with rifles and shotguns, they prominently feature modern sporting rifles aka AR-15s or as anti-gun politicians like to call them, assault rifles. They have a $500, $750, and $1000 models with things like fancier scopes.

They also sell handguns at Wal-Mart after a PA resident passes the standard instant NICS check like any gun, which seems so strange to New York where you have to go through the whole Sullivan Act pistol permit system. Handguns aren’t super accurate or dangerous compared to long-guns but New York treats them special as they are concealable. Still its great Pennsylvania residents have this freedom to keep and bear arms.

Left with a lawn chair and a 100 round brick of 20 gauge #7 birdshot for $24.50. Still need nore #6 for rabbit and squirrel hunting but the birdshot is cheap for plinking with the shotgun.

Camped at Asaph Run Camping Area in Asaph. Driving through the hamlet, saw a place selling firewood, so I picked up some wood for $5. The Asaph Run primative campsite is $10 night but it gives you a fire ring, picnic table and a pit privy. I had the

Lights Seemed to Work Bettet but still problematic like the previous night. Due to the chilly wind and trouble keeping the lights and radio on, I retired to bed by 8 pm, listening to podcasts into the night.

Camping at Polliwog Pond, Aug 13

Fish Creek Ponds is a series of largely connected ponds in Northern Adirondacks, North of Tupper Lake. On Floodwood Road, there are series of 15 free drive in campsites one can camp at, with about half of them located on various lakes along Floodwood Road. On Friday night, August 13, I camped out at Poliwog Pond, and then paddled around it a bit in the evening, and then again in the morning. I also drove out around Floodwood Road, to look at the ponds and other campsites along it.

Camping Only At Designated Sites. This sign is found along the beginning of Floodwood Road, prior to the blacktop running out. There are 15 sites, that appear not to be fully used, on this lake.

Campsite on Polliwog Pond that I stayed at on August 13th. This site would be truly the most perfect in the world, except for being so close to another one and the fact that the beach area next to the site was kind of swampy and not nice.

Under the Tarp. While when I was up at Poliwog Pond I didn’t really need the tarp, I set up a tarp. It was a beautiful day out for sure down here, right on the pond. The tarp was easy to set up, with the plentiful trees to make it easy to tie up.

Laying Back in Truck Cap. Ah, mornings. Lazy times. But then again, I got to paddle around the lake, get some pictures, pack up and head north. So be it.

Private Bay for Swimming. Once I started to get ready, I put on my swimming trunks, paddled across the lake, around an peninsula, to a very private bay. I took a “bath” using the teapot, soap, and shampoo on the bank, washed the soap off, then went swimming in my own little private beach. Nobody else was around! It was wonderful.

Perfect Area for Swimming. The downed tree blocked the waves, it was sandy beach. I really liked this area a lot.

Across Poliwog Pond. It’s a remarkably hazy summer day. This is from the south bay of the pond, where I was swimming and getting cleaned up in the morning.

Loon. Throughout the night at Poliwog Pond, there was loon calling back and forth. This is located on the western bay of Poliwog Pond.

Western Bay of Poliwog Pond. There was somebody camping up on the banks, but other then that it was relatively quiet.

Long Pond Entrance. While I didn’t get a chance to haul my kayak into Long Pond, and do some paddling around there, this is the access point fo the Saint Regis Canoe area. It looked very popular.

Swamp Across from East Pond. This was located directly across East Pond on Floodwood Road.

East Pond. On Floodwood Road. Looked quite pretty. There is one drive-in campsite in here, along with an accessible boat dock.

Middle Pond. On Floodwood Pond road. There also is a large drive-in campsite on Middle Pond.

Floodwood Road. There are 15 drive in campsites on this very dusty dirt road, that is heavily traveled, mostly by people heading to the Boy Scout Camp and the Saint Regis Canoe Area. This along Middle Pond.

Floodwood Road at Franklin County. This is where you cross from being in very remote Town of Altamont to Santa Clara. Pretty area for sure.

Here is a map of Floodwood Road, Polliwog Pond, and surrounding ponds.

View Larger Map

Andy Arthur.org

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