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September 5, 2020 Night

Good evening! Clear and 56 degrees at the Green Mountain National Forest. 🌃 There is a west breeze at 8 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 48 degrees. The skies will clear around 10 pm.

It was a nice day but pretty quiet. 😴 This morning was pretty darn cold for sure. Having the heater was nice to warm the hands 👐🏻 up. Did some number crunching 🔢 this morning for work and then laid back in the hammock listening to music. 🔊 Somebody moved into the campsite across the street so I have to be careful how loud the music is especially as I think they have a toddler. 👶🏻 Not sure if they could hear the podcast about butchering and processing livestock 🐮 but its Vermont and an educational experience. Kid will probably be quartering a deer 🦌 in a year or two. 🔪

Those campsites on Forest Road 83 are nice but somewhat poorly spaced in my opinion so on a busy summer weekend you might have neighbors. ⛺ Pretty areas down there but no cell service for remote work. But I enjoyed my walk and sitting down by the Deerfield River.

Not a lot of sun this morning 🌥️ when this campsite is best for solar ⬛ and because the starting battery voltage had sagged, I started my truck and moved it to where the sun is better, idling it for a while to charge ⚡ but honestly my battery bank is a bit low. I should be fine until Monday but I could start the truck up tomorrow or go for a drive to top things off tomorrow if it’s really cloudy. It’s been less sunny than I expected this weekend from the forecast.

This evening has a brief rain shower 💧but it really didn’t add up to much but it made things dark early. But then again sunset is quite early in the autumn months. 🍂 Lantern 🏮 is burning quite bright tonight but I still think it could benefit from a good cleaning. But thats going to require carburetor cleaner and probably new mantles. I’ve still not figured out how to get things good and working well in the lantern, I should research more on the internet.

Finished off the sausage paddies 🍔 I bought with provolone cheese 🧀 and ketchup. They’re always so good washed down with a bunch of beer 🍻 and cookies. 🍪 I don’t do much day drinking but it was fun this afternoon getting a little drunk in the hammock after my walk. Been so busy in recent weeks, I feel like I deserve a quiet afternoon off 📴.

Tonight will have a slight chance of showers before 11pm, then a slight chance of showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 50 degrees at 4am. Five degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 19th. West wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2019, we had partly cloudy skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 52 degrees. The record low of 38 occurred back in 1938.

Tonight will have a Waining Gibbous 🌖 Moon with 86% illuminated. The Harvest 🌽 Moon is on Sunday, September 20. The darkest hour is at 12:52 am, followed by dawn at 5:53 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:22 am in the east (80°) and last for 2 minutes and 58 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 6 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 7:00 am with sun in the east (87°). Tonight will have 11 hours and 3 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 50 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 64 degrees at 3pm. 12 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around October 5th. Maximum dew point of 49 at 6am. West wind around 8 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 72 degrees. The record high of 91 was set in 2018.

That will be my last full day 🀼/strong>󐰠as I’m going to drive home in the afternoon Labor Day. While it will be sunny next week with the shorter days maintaining enough solar power for the laptop is a challenge, ☀ and I’m sure there will be multiple hours of Zoom Meetings on Tuesday that I best do from the library Wi-Fi to save bandwidth. 📶 With it starting to get dark in the woods at 7 pm, by the time you work until 5, there ain’t a lot of time to enjoy things after work. Plus I’ll need ice by then and I’m a long drive from town on dirt roads so I don’t want to make that big long trip and then have to head back. ❄ But four nights camping ain’t bad. I plan to do at least a few more trips before winter including at least one more weekend plus trip before the end of September. Maybe the Spectulator area so I can go to the library there for the obnoxiously long Zoom Meetings.

In four weeks on October 3 the sun will be setting in the west (265°) at 6:29 pm,🌄 which is 50 minutes and 10 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2019 on that day, we had rain showers, mostly cloudy and temperatures between 52 and 46 degrees. Chilly day. Typically, you have temperatures between 65 and 44 degrees. The record high of 83 degrees was set back in 1967.

Did some digging around in the truck cap and looking around under the truck 🔦 and I didn’t see any evidence of a mouse nest or eceb mice droppings. 🐁 My guess was it just a random field mouse that crawled in smelling the granola bar. Mice have been bad all summer in the woods – they’re always being found in the camp garbage rustling around after dark, under the camp stove and running around in the woods. This summer my truck has been driven nearly every day or two as I’ve been remote working either from the woods or going down to the library or park. 🚘 With the rough roads I drive I can’t imagine a nest would stay intact for long. The truck cap can’t be too air tight as I have a lead acid battery 🔋 in the bed which vents out explosive hydrogen has – I have large rubber grommets around the battery pulled for extra air flow.

It looked like a wrecker was towing away a Chevy Silverado like mine 🚙 that rolled on one of dirt roads up here when the tie rod broke – one of the wheels was pointed the wrong way on the wreck. I’m glad I replaced the tie rods on my truck – they were causing alignment issues causing uneven tire wear ⚫ and are notorious on snapping and sometimes causing the vehicle to roll as that truck did. I’m sure that’s off to the scrap yard at this point – although I guess it is drivable of they replaced the mirror and tie rod a bit totally smashed up on the driver side. Also passed somebody with a flat tire that they were changing after what appeared to be a rock or root they put through it going to a rough campsite. ⛺ I try to stay away from those sites and always check for glass 🍸 or nails 🔩before backing into the site. I also find myself driving a lot slower and being cautious and easy on my trucks suspension on the dirt roads.

Looking ahead, Northern Zone Regular Season 🦌 is in 6 weeks, Halloween 🦇 and the Blue Moon 🌕 is in 8 weeks, Small Business Saturday 🛍️ is in 12 weeks, Repeal of Prohibition Day 🍺 is in 3 months, Boxing Day 🥊 is in 16 weeks, National Bird Day 🐧 is in 4 months, Static Electric Shock Day 🧼 is in 18 weeks, National Cheese Lovers Day 🧀 is in 20 weeks, Save the Pine Bush Turns 43 🦋 is in 22 weeks, 5:30 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 24 weeks, and Snow Moon 🌕 is in 25 weeks.

November 24, 2019 Afternoon

Good afternoon! Rain and 37 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☔ There is a north-northwest breeze at 11 mph. 🍃. There is a dusting of snow on the ground. ☃ Temperatures will drop below freezing at tomorrow around 4 am. ☃️

It was nice camping ⛺ up north in the Adirondacks, and I was surprised that it wasn’t as loud as it sometimes is camping along the East Branch of the Sacanadaga River. Traffic just seemed lighter than normal but I don’t think Gore is open yet nor is snowmobile season and big game hunting season is winding down in the Northern Zone, a lot of people have already tagged out. That said almost all of hunting cabins up north that I passed looked fully occupied with smoke coming out the chimney and lots of pickup trucks parked out front.

Lot more snow than I expected ❄, although not really based on the snow fall estimates which are usually pretty good. Maybe four inches of snow at camp – not real deep but enough that I was glad the site was plowed out by the hunter who had the campsite for the season before they tagged out – probably yesterday – and packed up and left. They also left a ton of firewood 🔥 which was nice, although some of it was particle and chip board although both after I took my axe to it burned well and didn’t stink that much much.

Because I had so much wood I ended up hanging out in camp and starting the fire early 🔥, shoveling around as needed. I didn’t set up a hot tent because I didn’t want to have to dry out my tent in the morning. It did get a bit cold by the fire late around ten as I forgot to pack Long Johns and Wool Socks but once I was under the covers in my truck I was plenty warm. If I go back out on Black Friday to camp – possibly back to the same place – I’ll probably pitch a tent as it’s always nice to have a warm tent to curl up before bed in.

I sat back and had a nice breakfast. 🍳 There was light snow during the overnight, maybe an inch, but by 8 am the roads were just wet. Then relaxing next to the heater ♨, working on some blog posts in the winter wonderland until quarter to ten, while slowly taking down camp, it started to sleet then turn to big globs of snow. ❄ By the time I broke camp, the roads had started to ice up a bit with the fallen snow. South of Wells the snow was about an inch deep on NY 30 but after a slow slog down to Northville, the roads were just wet. I drive super slow and carefully on the icy roads because I do so little winter driving these days 🚘 – and I know if it takes a little longer than necessary to get home safely – it’s still a shit ton better than getting in a crash. Really foggy 🌁 in Amsterdam.

It’s nice being in the wilderness and having a big fire. 🐺 The woods is my happy place where I can make as much noise as I want with my music 🎶 and guns 🔫 and have a nice fire. 🔥 Tossing a wrapper in the fire and watching it burn down to nothing and unzipping my jeans and peeing where ever I want is the best! Few things are quite as warming as a wood fire although that 18,000 BTU heater feels great at camp. Listening 👂 to the birds 🐦 this morning and the coyotes late last night. I can’t wait until I can live a life like this permanently. Not next year but eventually. Living in the city is convenient but I ducking love 😍 the wilderness and the countryside.

This afternoon will rain before 3pm, then rain and snow likely. 🌧 High of 37 degrees at 1pm. Seven degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around December 11th. Northwest wind 11 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 40 degrees. The record high of 70 was set in 2014. That said, a few weeks later I remember snow camping in the Adirondacks. 8.8 inches of snow fell back in 1898.❄

Heading out to the folks house for Sunday dinner around four. 🍲 Warm enough and will stay warm so I expect the roads won’t be bad like they were up north for a while. That said things can change but it’s not that far for a slow pace or staying overnight if necessary.

The sun will set at 4:26 pm with dusk around 4:57 pm, which is 37 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and snow 🌨 and temperatures around 36 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 13 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 28 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 48 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a chance of rain and snow showers before 7pm, then a slight chance of snow showers between 7pm and 9pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 32 degrees at 5am. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around November 16th. Northwest wind 8 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. In 2018, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 39 degrees. The record low of 2 occurred back in 1938.

Tuesday morning I’m going to the Urgent Care to get my arm checked out 🙋. Five bucks more per copay then my regular doctor who is currently closed. I’m sure they’ll say it’s Lyme and they’ll put me on antibiotics and the aches and occasional severe headaches will fairly quickly go away. It’s become more noticeable since the bulls eye appeared, especially in the arm but I’m sure I’ve had Lyme Disease since I got the tick bite mid October. 🎯It’s not that bad now but I know it will get worse untreated and they’re so much better at addressing Lyme disease than even a few weeks ago. I was hesitant to go and get tested before I had the bulls eye because the test sometimes comes back false negative if you get tested too quickly and I didn’t want the doctor to thank me for the co-payment and send me on my way untreated. 😷

Also need to get a hair cut.💈 My hair has so quickly gotten shaggy. I did shave my goatee back 🐐 as that was getting kind of long and nasty. But the hair I can’t do myself. 💇

My buck fifty cellphone holder 📱I got from AliExpress broke so I couldn’t have Waze open to display my speed yesterday and I blew past a cop 👮 accidentally pm Interstate 890 🚔but fortunately I did not get pulled over. My speedometer is not accurate on Big Red with the lift kit so I always use Waze to know my speed. That said, for me to blow past a cop means doing 60 mph in a 55 zone which is probably what half the motorists are doing all the time. I should get another one. AliExpress is mad cheap but the quality is a crap shoot and it will take a month or two to arrive on the boat from China. 🚤

Definitely thinking about heading back north on Friday depending on the weather. ⛺ Maybe the same site but two nights, plus some hiking and time in the woods with my shotgun. This time I will pitch a tent and hot tent. I really should hook up the low voltage disconnect reset as in the cold and long nights it seems like occasionally the battery voltage dips but probably could be used longer without turning the truck on if I reconnected the reset button.

Propane camp lantern 🏮 isn’t working at all now. Not sure the issue although I suspect the generator tube that pressurizes the gas is fully plugged with mud and soot. During my October camping trip I was having problems with it producing a ton of black soot and burning dimly. I would like to fix it although I’m considering getting an LED lantern like my parents use and putting rechargable batteries in it it or maybe getting a lantern that can be charged by plugging into the USB ports on my truck. LED lanterns are a lot less fragile but probably not as bright as the propane and they need to recharged. Gotta think about it more. 💭

Speaking of broken shit my portable radio 📻 needs a new battery. The rechargable lithium ion BL – 5C battery it came with has failed, it barely holds a charge and it’s gotten all bloated from overcharging or another failure internally of the lithium ion cell. So bloated the battery cover won’t even fit on the radio.🔋 I’m hesitant to charge it now without watching it lest it go thermal and burn up. Years ago I was burning some camp trash and a little CR 2025 button cell got tossed in the fire and man did that go bang. 💥Moral of the story, don’t mess with lithium ion cells.

As previously noted, next Sunday is December 🎄 when the sun will be setting at 4:23 pm with dusk at 4:54 pm. On that day in 2018, we had partly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 45 and 31 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 41 degrees. We hit a record high of 67 back in 1934.

November 19, 2019 Evening

Good evening! Well folks, things don’t always work out perfectly. Got over to DeNooyer and they now close at six. Had to take two buses to get home. Frustrating as duck. Mostly cloudy and 33 degrees in Delmar. ☁ Calm wind. ☃ ️Temperatures will drop below freezing at tomorrow around 1 am. Watch for black ice.

Big Red passed his inspection and his oil changed and tires rotated. 🚙 GM has the best price around but I’m not happy that their hours changed to six (they used to be open until 8 pm) despite the fact they have it printed on big letters on their door and it looks like their website says that too. So I’ll have to go back there tomorrow to pay and get back my keys 🔑. Just wasted two hours walking 🚶 and transferring buses for my stupidity. Sigh. At least I passed the inspection and won’t need an oil change or tire rotation until summer with the minimal winter miles I drive.

Tonight will have patchy fog between 8pm and 9pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 32 degrees at 1am. One degree above normal, which is similar to a typical night around November 16th. Calm wind. In 2018, we had light drizzle in the evening, which became light snow by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 33 degrees. The record low of 6 occurred back in 1986.

Tonight will have a Waning Crescent Moon 🌘 with 35% illuminated with the moon rising at 11:24 pm. The moon will rise at 12:00 am. The New Moon is on Monday night with mostly cloudy skies. The Cold Moon 🌝 is on Wednesday, December 11th. The sun will rise at 6:51 am with the first light at 6:20 am, which is one minute and 14 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 14 hours and 23 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and one second over last night.

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of rain showers, snow showers, and freezing drizzle before 11am, then a slight chance of rain showers between 11am and 3pm. Cloudy 🌦, with a high of 39 degrees at 2pm. Seven degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around December 6th. Light northwest wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had mist in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 39 degrees. The record high of 72 was set in 1991. 3.4 inches of snow fell back in 1961.❄

GM’s multipoint inspection they do every time you drop it off to drum up business 🔎says that the oil cooler line is leaking. Maybe that’s were its leaking oil – I thought it was the head gasket or valve seal that was starting to go. I still from time to time hear that engine tick that’s now been there for years, especially when it idles for long periods of time. They wanted $500 to fix it which is above above the going rate for an independent shop for the same repair and the leak isn’t that bad based on the quart of oil ⭕ I end up adding between 8,000 mile synthetic changes every 8-10 mile. A leaky line won’t foul up sparkplugs or oxygen sensors but I have to keep a on the oil.

My thought is may be the last inspection that I get for Big Red as may give up driving 🚘 in November 2020 as after then I won’t need a car for work and renting a car for vacation and road trips. I think before the next inspection I’ll need new tires, an alignment and probably some replacement suspension parts like ball joints. That’s easily a $2,000 hole in the budget. I just don’t have that kind of money to spend even though I still like my Big jacked up truck.

The truth is that to motoring I really prefer walking 🚶 and if I could get a bike that I wouldn’t keep breaking spokes on I could be a lot healthier. I could probably save over $100,000 over a decade by giving up motoring and it’s so much better both for my health and the environment. 🌎 I watch a lot of farm videos on YouTube and I’m very interested in off grid living but the more I save now the better tomorrow I can have. It really is fascinating to see what actually happens on dairy farms and rural homesteads across the country. 🚜 There is a lot that goes into farming for sure.

I have to say I often look at the nice things folks have – the big farm tractors and implements, the livestock, 🐽 the four wheelers, the guns, 🔫 the land and the freedom and I’m jealous. It must be nice to live off grid, not have to wash out the plastic jars and milk bottles you toss in the burn barrel out in the country. 🔥Best form of recycling ♻. 😂 I work hard and make good money but after the bills are paid, they’re just not much leftover. 💵 It goes out faster than it comes in. Maybe because I’m saving for a better tomorrow and most aren’t or maybe because many people are just finding ways to stretch bills further. I wish I could be better at wrenching 🔧 my own shit, knew how to weld, was a better hunter. I could do my own oil changes but I hate bothering with getting off the hard to remove filter. I studied white collared shit in school. 💼 Useless stuff that pays a middle class wage that still leaves me struggling. I do get tired of my falling apart moldy apartment, tromping through the snow to the bus, my cold apartment where I can see my breath at times or having pasta and mixed vegetables again as that’s the most affordable option and it’s all I have in my pantry. That said, I always have lots of milk because I love cows 🐮 and drinking milk. I’ll give up virtually any other food for life before milk.

Shower is acting up again. 🚿 Dripping a bit again. I got it to stop dripping eventually ⛔ but it’s getting annoying. I’m going to have to text the landlord to have it fixed. I just hate having him over and seeing all the shit I’ve broken in his building over the past twelve years. 💔 Although not all of it is my negligence, the building is falling apart a bit as rentals always do and it’s a old building. I sometimes forget I’m paying for the his services and use of his property, he’s certainly not giving it to me for free.

Life can be frustrating at times for sure. 😈 But most of my problems are stupid like not knowing about the new hours at the dealership shop or a an acting up plumbing. I doubt I’ll go back to the dealer again for ordinary service. The late close made it easy in the past and they’re cheaper for the oil change than local places. Tomorrow I’ll catch the early bus in and pick it up. 🚍But I made it home, rode the exercise bike 🚲 for a while and now I got to get some sleep.

In four weeks on December 17 the sun will be setting at 4:22 pm,🌄 which is 6 minutes and 37 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2018 on that day, we had cold, partly sunny and temperatures between 27 and 8 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 35 and 21 degrees. The record high of 59 degrees was set back in 1984.

Looking ahead, 7:15 AM Sunrise ⌛️ is in 3 weeks, Christmas Eve 🎅 is in 5 weeks, New Years Eve 🎆 is in 6 weeks, Coldest Week of the Year 🌬 is in 8 weeks, Martin Luther King Day 🖤 is in 9 weeks and National Pie Day 🍰 is in 2 months.

October 14, 2019 Morning

Good morning! Happy Columbus Day 🛥️! For me it means the second half of the trip back home 🏡 from West Virginia and getting unpacked. Two weeks to Average High is 55 🍂. Mostly sunny and 46 degrees at the Mount Pisgah County Park. There is a southwest breeze at 7 mph. 🍃.

I was up at 6:15 am this morning, 🌄as I had chilli last night and too much beer 🍻 and had to visit the outhouse early on. 💩 Being I was in a campground it was a short walk but at least I got things taken down early and I’m stopping at the Mount Pisgah County Park for a bit.

Columbus Day will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 56 degrees at 1pm. Five degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around October 25th. West wind 7 to 13 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 59 degrees. The record high of 81 was set in 1920.

So the October Road Trip is almost over. Just have to make it home safely and unpack. Then out to the folks house. It was a good trip although not the one I had originally planned. 🚙 The burn ban made me alter my plans and for a while I wasn’t planning on going to West Virginia. 📛 Time marches on, that’s all I can say.

But I did and spent three nights there before overnighting in County Bridge Campground outside of Troy, Penna last night. Only night in a developed campground. We other sites were taken but none nearby and it was very quiet there. Nice thing about the developed area is no bucket shitter 💩 to empty and bury the poop, and I don’t have to take down my table so a faster take down this morning.

Dash cam 🎥 didn’t record for part of the trip back but I didn’t have all that much great to save. I did get some nice clips to post on the blog later this week. Stay tuned!

The sun will set at 6:27 pm with dusk around 6:55 pm, which is one minute and 36 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 50 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 11 hours and 9 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 44 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have patchy frost after 5am. Otherwise, partly cloudy 🌤, with a low of 35 degrees at 5am. Five degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around October 31st. West wind 5 to 7 mph. In 2018, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 39 degrees. The record low of 27 occurred back in 1978.

I could have done the New River Gorge and spent the balance of my trip in West Virginia 😔 but it seemed like the burn ban was going to be in place for most of the week. Sure I have the propane heater and electric lights 🚥 💡 but there is something about having a fire each night, if only a small fire is o provide some entertainment and company and take care of the burn trash. 🔥 So many wet wipes to get rid of when you are using them as your primary way to clean up your body. Maybe I should have stuck to the original plan but the Allegheny National Forest was neat as was visiting Pennsylvania High Point, Cook Forest and Hoye-Crest in Maryland.

It wasn’t a bad night, and it’s a convient place to stay at between Albany and West Virginia, ⛺ about half way between the two places at least if your like me and want to stay some place relatively quiet and cheap, while limiting driving to 4 hours a day, leaving the remaining time to visit parks or hop on back roads. That said, I’d prefer to camp somewhere I can gather up my own wood, listen to music 🎶 as loud as I want, not have to worry about bothering anyone with the smoke. At least I could have a decent fire 🔥 because I had some leftover wood from Stewart’s that I bought for the trip down and I used the Big Buddy Hester to keep my chair comfortable. Cold enough I wish I could have hot tented but I wasn’t going to pitch a tent for one night. It was fine under the covers.

I thought the Cannan Refuge was a disappointment but maybe the second seven miles down the rough dirt road would have been better. 🐦 The part I explored was the standard mixed forest, nothing much better than the Five Rivers Environmental Education Center I walk 🚶 to from home. At any rate, I was expecting something more marshy and full of birds like Montezuma. But it’s just not that kind of area. Moreover, the weather wasn’t all that great compared to the original forecast for yesterday.

Stopped at the Blue Knob State Park. 🗻 Kind of dead this time of year with the ski resort closed. And it was a rather gray day which sort of blocked the view and made it harder to see from the summit. I wonder if Blue Knob is the second highest peak in Pennsylvania. Nice country driving through Imler and surrounding lands. Good farmland, big dairies 🐄 around there.

Most of the drive up through Pennsylvania was fairly overcast and not real nice. ☁ The colors weren’t very good either. Passed some nice farm country in Pennsylvania. Mostly dairy 🐮 but some hogs 🐽, chickens 🐔, sheep 🐑 etc. Grains like corn 🌽 and soybeans too 🌾. Lots of Amish and Menonites along PA 26 and the Nittany Valley farming. I get not owning a car or living off grid but having no solar seems a bit extreme. But I guess if you can’t make it yourself, you shouldn’t own it. 🚜 I do have a lot of respect for the Amish even if their environmental record is a bit mixed. They do use some technology like silage wrap on their farms – which being Pennsylvania I’m sure is burned when discarded.

Driving 🚘 up through Pennsylvania I can assure still plenty of rural households and farms in Pennsylvania that burn virtually everything – you could see the black smoke, the piles of burnt cans and glass and ash in folks backyards and bags of trash next to the burn barrel waiting to be torched. 🔥 I didn’t have to go far in Pennsylvania to see the first pile of junk people were burning in their driveway. Wood with other goodies in that fire. Also saw some one burning trash in Maryland too and a few rural houses in West Virginia with burn barrels out back. Beats the landfill in my view, despite the sometimes stench 👃, although I think I would seperate out the cans and glass for recycling ♻ when I own my own land – and maybe build some kind of better incinerator than the common burn barrel most folks use. 👍 I can tell you as a fact there isn’t much burn trash I’m taking home from camp. Seems like a waste especially of the tin cans to throw the metal away – and it’s not like they burn or help the fire at all.

I decided to get off Interstate 99 at PA 414 through Liberty, Penna🗽 . Talk about a windy, narrow state highway in country that at worse was rolling. 🚙 I don’t understand why it’s such a bad road. Scenic yes, but hardly a good route to travel. At least not as bumpy and rough as River Road. But obnoxiously slow. I was having problems my phone not charging the whole time 📱, fortunately though I had enough power for Waze to direct me to destination.

I could go to West Virginia possibly next November but who knows. 😕 I might have to do a recount for work, and snow ⛄ is always a possibility like last year. I know I don’t want anything to do with West Virginia if snow and ice conditions are even a remote possibility. No thanks for sure. 2021 if I decide to go back, it might be a a very different experience if I decide to go car-less that year and have to rent a car. 🚙 It might be fun to see West Virginia in a rented car especially a hybrid electric car on those hills. Wouldn’t have to be as gentle on the rough roads either. Always worry about breaking Big Red down there. Another possibility would be a trip – probably by plane ✈ and rental car to see Missouri and the Midwest that year.

The past two nights have been bright 🔆 with the moonlight 🌕. Woke up Saturday night hot tent camping to take a piss in West Virginia and the inside of the tent was bright from the moonlight. Bitterly cold Sunday morning – I woke up and it was 26 degrees out. But after turning the Big Buddy heater on things he warned up quickly.

It was a good trip and generally came below budget 💸as I spent less time in West Virginia then originally expected. The bad weather ☔ a few days meant I drank more beer 🍻 then originally planned but I drove fewer miles ⛽ even when you consider I started my week in the Allegheny National Forest. 🌲Only spent one night in a campground, keeping those expenses lower and my food expenses were only slightly higher than normal – and I have left overs for future weeks to eat. Wet wipes, paper plates and towels, plastic forks, 🍴 etc too – seems like a waste to use once and burn 🔥 but when camping water 💦 is a precious commodity and its nice to stay clean as possible.

Tomorrow is a pay day 👍and it’s a three paycheck month so by the time the November credit card 💳 bill is due with the brake job on my truck and vacation expenses I’ll hopefully have my fund balance rebuilt. I can return some of the unspent cash to the bank.💰 I really needed to get away from Albany for a bit, go to some places much culturally and socially different from Albany. Despite the tight finances, I’m still sticking to my savings and investing plan. Travel and camping expenses will decline come winter but eventually I’ll be paying for heat 🔥 again but so it goes. I want to do some winter camping but the conditions have to be right and it won’t be an every day thing.

Definitely looking for a good shower when I get home. 🚿 It’s been ten days – Saturday October 5th since I’ve washed my full body. I’ve tried to keep as clean as possible but it’s hard when you are in the backcountry in October and you can’t really go for a swim 🏊 to clean your body. Did lots of hiking too ehic produces a lot of sweat. 😰

Generated and consumed a kilowatt of power through the solar panel over the past week. ☀ I wonder how much total power I consumed as I frequently used the alternator to top off accessory batteries. 🔋 Generally the system worked well. Once or twice the low voltage disconnect kicked in but that was one time due to a heavier load and one time in a dark morning in the cold pulling a decent load the voltage ⚡ dropped under the threshold. The sun rose, voltage increased and the load was automatically reconnected when safe. Driving 🚘 home I’m charging the laptop and running all accessory loads exclusively on the solar.

A picture perfect weekend on tap. 😎 Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 56. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 61. Maximum dew point of 49 at 7pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 59 degrees. Should be great weather for the Save the Pine Bush hike! 🌲🌲🌲We are doing a walk down Rapp Road, it should be a nice one. Maybe fall foliage hike 🚶 on Sunday?

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Average High is 55 🍂 when the sun will be setting at 6:07 pm with dusk at 6:35 pm. On that day in 2018, we had mostly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 51 and 41 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 55 degrees. We hit a record high of 78 back in 1971.

October 15, 2017 Morning

Good morning! Average High is 60. Three weeks to Daylight Savings Time Ends. Cloudy with fog and 65 degrees in Williamsport. There is a east-southeast breeze at 8 mph. The dew point is 57 degrees. The skies will clear tomorrow around noontime.

Today will be cloudy, with a high of 74 degrees at 4pm. 15 degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 60 at 2pm. Southeast wind 8 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies with more clouds in the afternoon. The high last year was 63 degrees. The record high of 86 was set in 1897. There was a dusting of snow in 1939.

The sun will set at 6:26 pm with dusk around 6:53 pm, which is one minute and 32 seconds earlier than yesterday. At sunset, look for mostly cloudy conditions and 71 degrees. The dew point will be 60 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 14 mph with gusts up to 20mph. Today will have 11 hours and 5 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 39 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have showers likely, mainly before 11pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low of 52 degrees at 5am. 10 degrees above normal. Southwest wind around 10 mph becoming west after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. In 2016, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 45 degrees. The record low of 25 occurred back in 1978.

As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until Daylight Savings Time Ends when the sun will be setting at 4:57 pm with dusk at 5:26 pm (Standard Time). On that day in 2016, we had mostly cloudy skies and temperatures between 57 and 32 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 52 degrees. We hit a record high of 75 back in 1994.

Day one of the Great Autumn Trip wasn’t particularly sunny but it was mild and in many parts the colors were pretty good. I know today we are supposed to get showers by evening, but I’m hoping that the skies will be clear for the bulk of the day. We did have a few sprinkles in the evening when I was camping at County Bridge but it wasn’t a big deal.

I didn’t get a real early start on my trip because I wanted to make sure everything was packed that I needed. I think I succeeded at that goal, as I used a check list and I left my apartment pretty darn clear.

US Route 6 hasn’t changed much. I have driven that route too many times, but it’s still a hell of a lot more scenic and interesting to drive then the Southern Tier Expressway. It’s interesting to see the industrial small towns, the paper mills, slaughterhouses, and all the industry that supports the natural gas industry. Unlike New York, rural Pennsylvania has a lot more heavy industry it seems. I think they have different tax laws and are generally friendlier to smoke stack industries. Whether or not that is a good thing is a debate point, but once can saw at least the land is being put to work. I like the gritty nature of Pennsylvania backcountry. Just like I like West Virginia and Virigina. I kind of like the landscape, it reminds me of what America had to have been like during the 1950s. Backwards maybe, but charming at the same time.

I often find myself needing to take a piss while driving. I stopped twice at rest areas and then ended up stopping at the McDonald’s and getting a milk shake so I could use their bathroom and take a piss. I think the milkshake was like $3.50 — for that price, I think I would have been better off to go to ice cream parlor or if I was in New York State, Stewarts.

I was going to stop at Stewarts and buy some firewood but I passed the last Stewarts on my way down to Pennsylvania. So I ended up skipping that and was able to find some firewood around the campground, but the wood I found was pretty damp and punky, but after a good smoke show, some paper and plastic from he campground trash cans, I had a decent fire going by around 7:30 PM. Once the whole mess got started it, wasn’t that bad. I didn’t need the fire for the warmth — it was well in the mid-60s until after in later in the evening, when I put my beloved orange hoodie. I expect I will be wearing that for most of the rest of the week, especially after the front comes through.

First time camping at County Bridge Campground, which is four miles from Morris Run, which like many Northern Pennsylvania villages is little more then a grouping of old houses and hunting camps from some historical era. Blossburg is the next village of any size, but it’s just an exit on US 15 aka future Interstate 99. It’s a fifteen campsite campground, well spread out. There was somebody camping on the other side of the campground in an RV, but they were a good ways away. It was pretty under the maple trees when the sun was open. Lots of nice color. The Morris Run made a nice background for sleeping at night even if it made me kept thinking about taking a piss.

So far the trip has been going well bar the firewood issue I’m ready for the rain showers, especially if I camp at Ohiopyle State Park, where they have hot showers. I was surprised that the none of the Park Service Campgrounds on the Blue Ridge Parkway have showers, even though they charge $20 a night. Well then I probably just overnight at North Creek Campground which is half the price, usually empty on weekdays and doesn’t have showers. Maybe on my trip back home, I should find out if there is a “Modern” campground in Pennsylvania that I can stay at for $20 that includes showers. Maybe I could come farther east and camp on the way back. I’ll figure out at the week progresses. Heck, it tempts me to do Shenandoah National Park, as they have coin showers at one of the campground. But I don’t know I’ve done that before, and I’m not that interested in revisiting much of my 2015 trip. I want to see new things on this trip, and the problem with Skyline Drive is it kind of locks you away from seeing things down in the valley. But on the other hand, it had so many nice views and the road was well maintained.

Discovered last night that I left my card reader home with the second microSD card. Not a big deal but I want to get another microSD card so I can save my trip and pull stuff off it each night. Sometimes the adapter that comes with the SD card can ean be tempermental, but hopefully it will work or I will have to buy another SD card reader. Not expensive but I am annoyed because I thought about this before leaving but did not act. Walmart should save my ass though with this. I plan to stop this morning.

Today I plan to drive down through Mid-State Pennsylvania along I-99 and US 15/US 220 to Ohiopyle State Park, stopping at the Flight 92 Memorial, which is located off the old Lincoln Highway. Ohiopyle looks quite scenic, at least for the overlook. I know we are getting some rain this evening, but I’m hoping it won’t be too bad.

The Appalachian Throughway is absolutely beautiful between Blossburg. I will be posting more photos and videos later on from that part of the trip.

Weekend at Bear Springs Mountain, Delaware Wild Forest, Warren Highlands

Based on the forecast for the long weekend, I decided to head down to the Western Catskills rather then Moose River Plains. It certainly was a bit sunnier, drier, and less snowy then it looks like they got up at Moose Plains. I simply did not another Memorial Day Weekend at Moose Plains, sitting in rain and snow showers.

I ended up heading down to the Western Catskills. Didn’t leave home until after 10 AM, because I was putzing around. So be it. I also had to stop at Walmart to buy another blaze orange hat, for hiking, because I lost mine. I knew it would be hunting season down there, and figured better safe then sorry. The previous night, they didn’t have one at Glenmont Walmart, so had to visit the Decided to head out the Warren Anderson Expressway (I-88) down to NY 10, and take that all the way south to Walton.

Driving down NY 10, as soon as I reached Summit, you could see a dusting of snow on the summits around. Stopped in Stamford, drove up to Mount Utsaythana. There was a dusting of snow there too, in parts it looked like a winter wonderland. Then it was down to Walton, following NY 10 and the East Branch of Delaware River. Drove through Delhi, a small rural college town. I had been through Delhi years ago, meandering around Stamford, but not in years. Then I went down to Walton, climbed an enormous hill in the truck, and was at the Bear Spring Mountain Wildlife Management Area (aka Public Hunting Grounds).

At Bear Spring Mountain WMA there is a state DEC campground known as Bear Spring Mountain Campground. It consists of two parts, a fully developed campground with hot showers that is open during the summer months near Launt Pond, and the Spring Brook area with stud pends and a pit privy, similar to Charles Baker State Forest. Both areas are a $18 a night in summer, but from October to the end of hunting season, the lower area is free, but the water is shut-off down there. The designated campsites there are crunched together, and there is no privacy, so I can’t imagine it’s much fun camping there, especially with the smell of horses on a hot summer’s afternoon.

By the time I got down there, it was fairly early, so decided to explore a bit. Drove up to Corbett, explored the Corbett Suspension Bridge, and an old chimney from the “acid factory”, which made an acid from tree bark for smokelesss gunpowder. Decided to head back and explore Bear Spring Mountain WMA a bit more, and drove up West Trout Brook Road, past several hunters. There are some limited views from end of East Trout Brook Road, namely at the summit Bear Spring Mountain. There are better views from NY 206, climbing up from Walton, but with few view points. Also explored Beers Brook Road, which had some limited but nice views into the valley below, and Russ Gray Pond.

Bear Spring WMA, being a federally-funded public hunting grounds, does not allow camping. The only camping there is those tiny, smashed together developed campgrounds known as the Bear Spring State Campground, operated by the DEC. I decided it was getting late, and I would camp there tonight, especially because it looked like one of campers had packed up, and the only other person around, was a female bow hunter, on far end of the campground. I wasn’t thrilled, as it meant I would have to keep the music down, but at least the campground was deep in the valley, protected from the wind.

It wasn’t a bad night though. The pit privies were kind of gross, but probably not worst then most of the outhouses in the woods. There was surprisingly a lot of wood in woods near the campground. The truck worked well with keeping the lights on, since switching the truck’s radio back to the starting battery and evenly discharging both batteries. The radio shuts off automatically when the starting battery is starting to get a bit low, and Big Red’s DIC says “Battery Low: Start Engine Low”. Previously, with the starting battery at full charge, hooked up to the discharged auxiliary battery, the alternator wouldn’t kick up to full charge, so the auxiliary battery would fail to get fully charged. Now, with the starting battery slightly discharged – but with enough charge to crank the engine, things kept working well all night long. There was a little bit of sleet in the evening, but nothing major.

The next morning, I got a slow start. It was drizzling, and I kind of slept in. I didn’t have a tarp set up, which didn’t help. I probably didn’t break camp until 10:30 AM..I was thinking of hiking the NYC DEP trail that overlooks the Pepacton Reservoir, but I ended up turning off onto Holiday Brook Road, and deciding to check out Huggins Lake. Hugging Lake was a nice hike back, following an old woods road back there. There is a campsite down by the lake. Apparently on the ridge above Huggins Lake, there is an old growth forest, but I never got back there.

Then it was off to Mary Smith Road. On Campground Road, one of the cut-over roads, I got to a cover bridge, which had a clearance of 6’6”, which is about an inch too low for my pickup truck with the cap and racks on. So I had to turn around, and back track for about 5 miles. That sucked. Stopped and grabed a few pictures. When I got on Mary Smith Road, and back in forest preserve, I was pleasantly surprised to find three roadside campsites on it. I ended up camping at the most used of the sites – as witnessed by vegetation – along the Finger Lakes Trail/Mary Smith Trail/Middle Mountain Trail. It was a pretty nice roadside campsite.

About as soon as I scoped out the campsite, I realized it would be a pretty night up there. Despite the mountains on both sides, the north wind was whipping along the col. But I liked the campsite, and there was plenty of trees to hang a tarp up. I starting setting up camp at 2:30 PM – which was kind of early – but I figured it was too late to hike Mary Smith Hill (which wasn’t true), but it did start to rain/sleet a bit. Got the tarp up, then the lights strung up and flag up. A heavy sleet squall pounded the col, for a while bad enough I hid out in the cab of the truck. Then I went out, built a fire, and spent sometime listening to a podcast and reading a book about the 1964 World Fair in New York.

The new 60-watt equivalent LED bulb I bought worked real well in the cold, which got down below freezing that night.. But with the bulb focused on the book, it was easy reading and plenty bright. In the cold, the 60-watt equivalent LED bulb was actually brighter then the 100-watt florescent bulb I had at camp, even after fully warming up, because the cold wind made it impossible for the florescent tube to get warm enough to fully atomize the mercury in the fixture.

At times the wind picked up, and it was pretty darn cold, to say the least. I end up putting the fire out cold before bed, to reduce the risk of the fire spreading, and because the tarp partially covered the fire pit, I was afraid it could fall into the fire, and possibly set the truck on fire or cause dripping plastic to fall on it. The fire was out cold, and I went to bed around 10:30 PM. No nightmares.

After bedding down, the wind started to whip around. It literally was howling, and the tarp was snapping up and down, making quite a bit of noise. Morning came, and it was beautiful blue skies, but very cold. That was when I first saw car actually pass by on Mary Smith Hill Road – despite being a through-road, and not a super remote road at that. Had another slow breakfast, and built a small fire to burn up some camp garbage. Usually I don’t start fires in the morning, but I was chilly, and knowing that it may be a while until I got out camping again, I wanted to have a fire.

Once I finally got going, I hiked up Mary Smith Hill to the overlook. It really was a lot less further then I expected, and ha+d some interesting views to the north. Nothing totally breathtaking, but still an interesting short hike of maybe 20 minutes each way. Then I drove over to Russell Brook Falls, making a wrong turn and ending up going through Livingston Manor and the world famous fly fishing town, Roscoe. My impression of Roscoe, was it was a very a long and pokey 30 MPH zone, but with more stores then one would expect in such a rural, small town. I probably should have stopped, but I was burning daylight.

Finally made it to Morton Hill Road, and passed a Game Warden in a unmarked green suburbanite-style Jeep. The only reason I know that, was I saw him outside of the car talking to somebody in full uniform. Morton Hill Road climbs a lot from Roscoe out to where it hits Russell Brook Road. There are three campsites along Russell Brook Road, although in all of them there is a boulder barrier between the campsite and fire pit. One might still be able to use them for a pickup with a camper on them, I guess.

I hiked back to Russell Brook Falls – a beautiful but relatively unknown set of falls – at least to non-regulars to that part of state. They are less then quarter mile from the Russell Brook Falls parking area. I stopped and grabbed some pictures. Then, it’s easy hike back to back to Trout Pond, following a gated road 9/10th of a mile from the parking area. There is a slight incline on the road, but nothing to make one break a sweat, even a fat out of shape dude like me, who spends too much time sipping cold buds in the woods. The road is a designated route for people with disabilities – somebody very strong with a wheel chair could theoretically get back there, or maybe with a CP-4 disabled with an ATV permit.

Back at Trout Pond, there is a campsite on the easterly end, and the gated road continues to the west end of lake. On the west end of the lake, there are two other campsites, spaced a ¼ mile apart, along with two lean-tos. All are designed for those with disabilities. There is also a trout spawning shelter on one of the creeks leading into lake. One of the lean-tos was well equipped – somebody left behind some nice pots and pans, all cleaned up, and a selection of perfectly good adult beverages and soda along the back wall of the lean-to. Talk about paying it forward to the next person who will use that lean-to – most certainly a hunter this time of year.

It’s small game hunting season, heard several small game bullets ring out, while hiking back there. No hunters nearby, as far as I could see, but I did wear plenty of blaze orange. I am sure next week, there will be a lot more hunters back there. Wish them luck. Hiked back to my truck and explored Campbell Mountain Road and Campbell Brook Road, looking for additional roadside campsites, preferably the kind you can back a pickup all the way back to. No such luck. Oh, well.

Then I drove down NY 30, through the hamlet of Harvard, then East Branch. Took Old Route 17 to Hancock, then poked around the Poconos and the Warren Highlands in Pennsyltucky, before eventually ending up in Susquehanna and Great Bend. The area around Hancock is very mountainous and beautiful. The Warren Highlands were rough, mostly hunting and rural landscape country, with a relatively small amount of farming going on. Lots of open burning going on too – I love Pennsylvania..

I love that wild country, and everything Pennsylvania. Fueled up, picked up certain Pennsylvania products not legal in New York and/or cheaper then New York, then hopped on I-88/Warren Anderson Expressway, and made a bee-line back to Delmar, stopping only momentarily at the rest stop on I-88. That place was creepy as all hell after dark, and not well lit either. I seriously thought of just taking a piss in some farm

I made it back to Delmar around 7 PM. It was a good adventure. Burned through more gasoline, then I had planned, although on the trip back along I-88, I average 19.9 mpg in my Big Red Silverado pickup, so not complaining.

A long-weekend trip in early November to explore the the Western Catskills.

Gorging on Gorges, An Adventure, Day 2

I awoke for Day 2 of Gorging on Gorges, and it was a fairly warm morning, at least for the day before Columbus Day, in the back country of the Finger Lakes National Forest. I decided I wanted a full breakfast this morning, so I got some sausage frying up, the coffee peculator doing its thing, then scrambled some eggs with mushrooms and sweet peppers. It was a good breakfast. Packed up my gear, folded the flag, headed out on Potamac Road, and stopped grab a few pictures of the pastures along the road.

Driving along all these back-country roads, I was amazed during most of my trip in New York State, on how many anti-SAFE Act signs there were in front of houses and farms along the way. If there ever was an issue that galvinized the backwoods of Upstate NY, it has to be that stupid gun law. I would reminded of the opposition to the SAFE Act all week, until I finally crossed into Pennsylvania state-line – the last SAFE Act sign ended a ¼ mile before I left the state. I bet you that poor dairy farmer, was awful pissed to live on the wrong side of an imaginary line, so they had to be subjected to stupid laws, high taxes, and anti-farm regulations.

Drove down to Trumansburg and then to Taughannock Falls State Park’s Gorge Overlook. The main overlook, next to the parking lot was a complete tourist trap, with dozens of tourists, many obviously traveling a long ways to get there, crowded around the overlook deck, as everyone – myself included – scrambled to get that one trademark photo of the falls. I was glad to get away from that overlook.

Started along the North Rim trail along the gorge. I was looking for secret places to find isolated, beautiful views of fall, and the hike did not disappoint. I found one perfectly shrouded in colorful fall leaves, but with a view of falls. I snapped a picture. I continued along, and found some good views in the gorge, showing the depth and width it below the falls. Then I ran into Robin Smith and his wife – Twitter and Facebook friend. Chatted for five minutes, then I proceeded on.

In part, I was in a bit of a rush, trying to find a place to take a piss. All that coffee plus maybe an eye-opener drink wasn’t great for the bladder. There also were a few to many people around to do it right on trail, especially being so close to the road most of way. But eventually I did it, and was on my way.

The North Rim trail runs into the Black Diamond Trail, which crosses an old railroad bridge, converted to a hiking trail via some concrete slaps and fence placed on it. The high, old railroad trestle provides views of a smaller, upper waterfalls and the little known, but quite impressive upper gorge. The upper gorge, above the falls, is a deep, narrow, but beautiful gorge where the Taughannock Creek runs, cutting deep into the valley. For the best views, you have to take the South Rim trail, which is what I took next.

The South Rim trail is impressive. There is the big parking lot from the Gorge Overlook on Taughannock Road, or you can alternatively take Gorge Road, and halfway down it, park in the smallish pull-off. Don’t miss it though. If you follow the South Rim Trail, there are some views of the gorge below the falls, and one view of the gorge, extending out to Seneca Lake.

I hiked back to my pickup truck, and then drove down to the main part of Taughannock Falls State Park. I parked in main portion of the park, rather then the always crowded and tight to park in lot next to the trail to Gorge Trail, which runs inside the gorge to below the falls. Not wanting my truck damaged by an overly excited tourist, I figured it’s always safer to park in an empty lot. Walked down to Seneca Lake, and noticed how green the trees were still on the lake shore. This contrasts to sections of US 20, the previous day, where the colors were burnt out to say the least. I was also surprised to see the AES Cayuga in Lansing, across the lake, burning coal today. They must keep in standby for when the line frequency drops to low locally. Stopped in the bathrooms at Taughannock Falls State Park, which were just very gross – clean, but rusty and in old shape – like so many state facilities.

Then I hiked along the gorge trail to the fall, taking several moments to stop and take photos, and explore the river bed. I had previously been here, in mid-July, but it certainly was different now that fall was in full swing. The trail was popular, and in some places, downright crowded, but the riverbed, at least as far as one could hike, wasn’t nearly as crowded. The gorge walls were pretty with the fall leaves, although by the time I got the falls, the sun was right over the top of the waterfalls, so most of the pictures of the falls came out pretty poorly.

Headed back to the truck, then drove down to Ithaca. The traffic was as awful as always in that city. I had stop at the pharmacy, then it was off to Buttermilk Falls State Park. I was surprised they were still charging – the last day must be Columbus Day. By now, it was too late to keep Robert Treman State Park on my list; that will have to wait until tomorrow. This time, I intentionally hiked up the North Rim trail, up to West King Road, then down into the gorge. Last November, I hiked up the gorge, so I figured it would be interesting to go the other way this time.

Hiking down Buttermilk Falls was scenic, but not as a scenic as I remember it. Maybe after all this time hiking in gorges and exploring the gorges, they also start to look a bit alike – and we are only day two. It’s more scenic then most of other glens, besides Enfield Glen and Watkins Glen, but it’s still a step below them. The gorge swimming pool at the bottom of the gorge it was nice.

It was a good hike, until descending the slippery stairs, I slipped, and dropped my camera, and it fell like 20 feet, hitting a dozen of the stone stairs before coming to a rest. The fall did some serious damage to the camera, as one might expect. The protective UV filter was shattered, the case was cracked up the lens. I was not pleased, to say the least. There may have been a few cuss words. But so be it. The camera was under a drop warranty that I bought when I got it, but I was more worried that the fall would damage the camera, so I would be out of luck for taking more pictures for the rest of the trip.

I might have been pissed at myself for my careless handling and missteps, for a little while, cussed myself out. I was less pissed when I discovered the lens wasn’t destroyed, only the $5 UV filter. The camera seemed to continue to work well, although the flash doesn’t always pop up – a feature I almost never use at any rate. The camera seemed to work okay, and I picked up a second UV filter at Walmart later in the evening. Later in the week, I noticed the automatic focus was sticking – fortunately I have a drop warranty on the lens too. One of these days, I will get around to sending the camera back to the factory for warranty repairs or replacement.

Once I got over the shock, anger, and amusement of smashing up my camera, and got the shattered UV filter off the camera – it took a little fiddling, as the impact of the fall bent the ring – I enjoyed the remaining hike and vistas of falls. Snapped several other quite nice pictures. Went to Walmart to pick up a few supplies, then back to Finger Lakes National Forest, for another evening at camp.

When I drove up to the campsites on Chicken Coop Road, I was pleasantly surprised to find out the campsite I like was vacant. Whoever was the night before packed up, and there was no mess left over. Hung the flag up, set up the table, hung lights up, and gathered wood. Started a campfire, cracked open a beer, had soup and sandwitches for dinner. The colors in the woods were about peak here. Around 6:15 PM, walked across the road, to take a closer look at the cows grazing in the pasture.

I stayed up until 8:15 PM, when it started to sprinkle, and quickly turned to a heavier rain, and decided it was time to seek shelter under the truck cap. Again a bit annoyed about the rain, and my stupidity about not setting up a tarp earlier in the evening. I listened to the radio for a bit, played on my cellphone, and retired for the night. The good news was that by morning, the rain would have passed, although the skies would be cloudy, damp, and the temperature only around 47 degrees.

Andy Arthur.org

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