Search Results for: South Valley State Forest

August 18, 2017 Afternoon

Good afternoon! Happy Very Wet Friday, as our summer starts summer winds down. At least it’s going to be a nice weekend. Two weeks to September 1st. It’s pouring out there and 77 degrees in Albany, NY. There is a south breeze at 5 mph. The dew point is 70 degrees. Even by the of low standards of my week long vacation three weeks ago, today is a wet one. Fortunately, the next five days I have off look to be relatively rain free.

This afternoon will have showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. High of 77 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees below normal. Maximum dew point of 70 at 3pm. South wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had mostly cloudy skies. It was humid. The high last year was 86 degrees. The record high of 95 was set in 1913.

The sun will set at 7:51 pm with dusk around 8:21 pm, which is one minute and 32 seconds earlier than yesterday. At sunset, look for light rain and conditions and 76 degrees. The dew point will be 69 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 45 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 36 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 8pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 8pm and 2am. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low of 68 degrees at 3am. Seven degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 70 at 6pm. South wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2016, we had partly cloudy skies with more clouds in the early hours of the next day. It was humid. It got down to 65 degrees. The record low of 43 occurred back in 1977.

In 1929, the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing women’s suffrage.  And nine years later in 1938, the Thousand Islands Bridge, connecting New York, United States with Ontario, Canada over the Saint Lawrence River via Wellesley Island, is dedicated by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It remains the primary crossing of St. Lawerence River, where Interstate 81 drops down to two undivided lanes. It’s narrow but continues to serve it’s purpose. I’m sure at some point in the future it will be replaced with a modern interstate bridge.

Still haven’t gotten my solar eclipse glasses. I am majorly bummed out by that. After the Save the Pine Bush Hike I went to two different drug stores, a Home Depot and Walmart in search of them. Maybe I should have hit Target and Toy R Us up, but it was getting late. The online eBay seller promises to reimburse my money if I don’t get the glasses by Saturday, but honestly if they aren’t in my mailbox by this evening, I’m kind of screwed. They should have arrived last week. At the time I ordered them, they seemed like a decent price with good reviews on the seller, and honestly I kind of wanted the post-marked eclipse stamp they were supposed to come in. I should have picked them up for free at the library, but I figured leave them for the kids. I’m going to try a few more places tonight and maybe early Saturday.

If I get the solar eclipse glasses, I most certainly will go out South and West. That’s the best place about seeing the eclipse. I am thinking about going out to Allegheny National Forest to camp, visiting Erie, PA on Monday, and viewing the eclipse from the beach out there. I would also go up to Red House beach one of those days in the State Park. Or I might not decide to get that far west, for such a short period of time. I might instead got to just the Finger Lakes, and spend more time at that Watkins Glen Pool.

Otherwise, I may make this into an Adirondack Park trip. I would probably leave a little later on Saturday morning, and get a kayak paddle at the Adirondack Kayak Warehouse. From there, I would go up to Mason Lake and camp at one of those campsites one night, then from there head north to Horseshoe Lake, and then to Jones Pond or Mountain Pond, just outside of the St. Regis Canoe Area. I would probably spend the balance of the week at Deer River Wild Forest, which I got up to in November 2015, but ended up camping at Walter Pratt Camping Area. Or maybe visit some of the St. Lawrence State Forests. There are many interesting lakes and ledges to explore of St. Lawrence.

Or I could up to through the Black River Valley, or areas nearby. I haven’t been up that way in a while. I did like those new campsites up at Otter Creek State Forest. I could then go up to Frank Jadwin State Forest, Greenwood Creek, and so forth. But I haven’t really given much thought to that route. Or many other possibilities. Despite late hour, I haven’t really decided where I am going to go for the long weekend, but I should make up my mind, especially before I leave tomorrow.

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until September 1st when the sun will be setting at 7:28 pm with dusk at 7:57 pm. It will be the start of the Labor Day Weekend. I’m planning on going to Moose River Plains for that. On that day in 2016, we had mostly cloudy skies and temperatures between 79 and 62 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 77 degrees. We hit a record high of 96 back in 1953.

June 3, 2017 Night

Good evening! Partly clear and 61 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a west-northwest breeze at 10 mph. The dew point is 43 degrees. Not a terrible evening, cleared out a bit after those persistent northern clouds pushed south for a while a few hours ago. 

Today was a fairly successful. Got my oil changed and had breakfast at my parent’s house and spent some time with my niece. She is growing fast, now that she’s at something like 15 months old. Already knows a ton of words. I’ve always changed my own oil but it’s sometimes a pain to find oil to the Dexos2 specifications, and I always have trouble getting off the filter. Because my truck uses six quarts of oil, it always is expensive to buy that sixth quart, so it ends up costing basically the same for the professionals to do it as myself. And I don’t have to get coated with oil or return it to the store. I sometimes i used to burn the oil to perk up campfires in the wilderness but six quarts is a quick lot of oil, and gosh it can stink at times and certainly anything that doesn’t burn up could pollute the water accidentally. So it’s not a great idea. Synthetic oil does burn good though I must say. At some point I might go back to changing my oil myself but with modern oils and engines, I don’t change my oil but every 7-8 months although maybe six in the summer when I drive a lot more. Those engine oil life systems make it easy to keep track when you need to change the oil. 

Wired up a new light for under the rear seat of my truck, so I can find stuff easier under the seat while camping after dark. I often lose stuff under the seat. I still need to get a light bulb for one of the sockets (I used the old sockets from the license plate lights after the rear end crash a few years back) and a switch but I should have that ready for tomorrow. 

Later on I went hiking at Harvey Mountain to the Blueberry Patch and later to the lean to at Harvey Mountain State Forest and Beebe Hill. I thought about camping at that lean to – little known but quite nice in part because it’s very underused. I thought about camping there tonight but I didn’t feel like all the packing for one night. Harvey Mountain was beautiful, covered with pink flowers, some lady slippers and mountain laurel. Birds were chirping and very spring like. Beebe Hill Fire Tower was okay but the time I had climbed it, clouds had creeped in and things were rather glary. I need to carefully clean the oil off the lens or my camera before I use it again. I have gotten finger prints on it I think. 

I decided not to take the Thruway but instead the remnants of old Albany Post Road and Pleasant Valley Road. Some pretty interesting old homes and historical towns as you go through East Chatham and Old Chatham. Some of the road is rerouted by the Thruway but a lot is much more scenic than the toll expressway. You might describe me as a Shunpiker. Even when free expressways exists, I prefer country roads except when they have exceptionally slow speed limits or go through the big cities. 

Sat out back for a while, had burgers for dinner. It was nice evening, wouldn’t have been half bad for camping. I can smell smoke from one of my neighbors campfires. 

Tonight will be partly cloudy, with a low of 50 degrees at 4am. Five degrees below normal. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light west after midnight. In 2016, it got down to 61 degrees with heavy fog and fog and shallow fog and patches of fog and mist and cloudy skies. The record low of 36 occurred back in 1947.

Waxing Gibbous Moon tonight with 67% illuminated. The moon will set around 3:26 am. The Full “Strawberry” Moon is next Friday night with mostly cloudy skies expected. Still Saturday might be good for observing the nearly full moon. The sun will rise at 5:18 am with the first light at 4:44 am, which is 23 seconds earlier than yesterday. Tonight will have 8 hours and 49 minutes of darkness, a decrease of one minute and 4 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have showers likely, mainly after 2pm. Increasing clouds, with a high of 66 degrees at 6pm. Eight degrees below normal. Maximum dew point of 55 at 6pm. South wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. A year ago, we had heavy fog, fog, shallow fog, patches of fog, mist, cloudy skies and a high of 84 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1919.

In four weeks on July 1 the sun will be setting at 8:36 pm, which is 8 minutes and 18 seconds later then tonight. God willing, that will be the second night of my Independence Day Weekend Moose River Plains and trip. In 2016 on that day, we had thunderstorm, thunderstorm rain, hail, rain, heavy fog, fog, mist, cloudy skies and temperatures between 85 and 58 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 81 and 60 degrees. The record high of 99 degrees was set back in 1913.

Looking ahead, 50th Gas Up in Gallupville is Next Saturday, Eat Your Vegatables Day is in 2 weeks, Latest Sunset of Year (8:37 PM) is in 3 weeks, July 1st is in 4 weeks, Cow Apprechiation Day (Moo?) is in 6 weeks, Hottest Time of Year Ends (83 Average) is in 7 weeks SAD!, National Lasagna Day is in 8 weeks, Last Sunset After 8 PM is in 10 weeks, National Dog Day is in 12 weeks, Lowville Cream Cheese Festival is in 15 weeks, Friday the 13th (October) is in 4 months, Beaver Moon is in 22 weeks, Cold Moon is in 6 months and Election Day 2020 is in 40 months. Hopefully goodbye Trump! 

I’m tired. Good night! 

May 29, 2017 Morning

Good morning, well almost afternoon! Happy Memorial Day. Rainy day around 55 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a south-southeast breeze at 10 mph. The dew point is 49 degrees. I hope you enjoy the rain, it will be occurring at least through Wednesday and maybe more on Friday. It looks like we will be stuck on this pattern for a while.

Today, Memorial Day will have periods of rain. High of 61 degrees at 4pm. 12 degrees below normal. Maximum dew point of 54 at 3pm. South wind 7 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A year ago, we had thunderstorm, rain, mostly sunny skies and a high of 89 degrees. The record high of 93 was set in 1931.

The sun will set at 8:24 pm with dusk around 8:58 pm, which is 50 seconds later than yesterday. At sunset, look for rain showers and temperatures around 59 degrees. The dew point will be 53 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 8 mph. Not very good for Memorial Day Barbecues. Today will have 15 hours and 3 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 24 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have scattered showers, mainly before 7pm, then patchy drizzle with isolated showers after 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low of 54 degrees at 4am. Two degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 54 at 6pm. Southeast wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2016, it got down to 65 degrees with a thunderstorm and rain. The record low of 33 occurred back in 1967.

There are 2 months until National Lasagna Day when the sun will be setting at 8:18 pm with dusk at 8:50 pm. I’m not sure who bakes lasagna in the middle of the summer but I guess it’s a change from all those burgers and hot dogs.

I am glad that I packed up yesterday, so I’m not dealing with wet gear this morning. Wet gear sucks, especially tarps to dry out. The mud has dried up on my gear and could easily be knocked off it.

I feel a little congested from the rain, maybe it’s due to the fact that I’m laying in bed and should be sitting up. I got to make breakfast and finish up by putting the camping gear in the attic.

I’m going to call about getting an oil change this week in Glenmont. I always used to do it myself but it’s so messy and wastes a Saturday I could be out doing things. And I always worry about somehow messing up the process. I should be able to have a garage do it in 15 minutes rather than two plus hours when you figure the time of buying oil and a filter, screwing around to get the filter off, spilling oil everywhere and taking the oil back to the store for recycling.

I might go camping next weekend but I doubt it. I don’t think that the forecast looks that great and it will be pretty cool with rain showers but maybe some sun on Saturday. The continued rain for next week makes me think the woods will be quite saturated and the black flies intense. Maybe do a day hike or go fishing instead.

The following weekend is the first week of the Gas Up Festival in Gallupville. I’ll have to see if dad wants to go this year but one weekend I want to go myself so I can poke around some more and get some of that homemade ice cream made with the antique engine and ice cream machine. I am thinking I might bring a tent in camp in the back country in Schoharie County, like at Dutch Hollow or Cole Hill State Forest. Then also hike back to the Cliffs of Middleburgh. I could do Burnt Rossman and truck cap camp but that’s a bit of a trip from Gallupville.

Mine Kill pool opens on June 24th, the first Saturday of summer. It will be open until Labor Day from 10-6 pm. I like that pool because it’s free and close enough to Burnt Rossman State Forest for camping and that part of the Catskills is always quite pretty in the summer. Plus all those great vegetables at the Schoharie Valley farm stands.

I think before I go to my parent’s house for Memorial Day dinner, I’m going to the car wash to clean off the mud. I also need to take the kayak racks off before then but it’s not a big deal.

I think I’m going to keep that big 4.8 watt LED string I bought the other day for hanging at camp. It was kind of an impulse purchase after I saw how low wattage they were. $20 ain’t going to break my budget. I haven’t used yet because I have other strings and with the laser lights to work well, the woods has to relatively dark.

April 13, 2017 Night

Good evening! I was sitting out back for a while looking at the stars but it started to get cold. Now I’m back inside, in my bedroom next to my American flag lit by camp lamp. That flag is enormous in my apartment. It looks nice but will be even nicer in the woods next week. I’m a Proud American. Partly clear and 49 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a west-northwest breeze at 8 mph.

Tonight will be mostly clear, with a low of 35 degrees at 5am. Two degrees below normal. Northwest wind 3 to 8 mph. In 2016, it got down to 31 degrees under clear skies. The record low of 19 occurred back in 1973.

Waning Gibbous Moon tonight with 82% illuminated. The Last Quarter Moon is on Wednesday night with chance of showers expected. The Full “Flower” Moon is in 4 weeks. The sun will rise at 6:15 am with the first light at 5:46 am, which is one minute and 38 seconds earlier than yesterday. Tonight will have 10 hours and 37 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 46 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow, Good Friday, will be sunny, with a high of 64 degrees at 4pm. Six degrees above normal. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph in the afternoon. Sounds like it’s going to be a pretty nice day. A year ago, we had sunny skies and a high of 58 degrees. The record high of 83 was set in 1968. 1.4 inches of snow fell back in 1950.

For Saturday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 2pm and 5pm, then a chance of showers after 5pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 63. Light south wind increasing to 11 to 16 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 44 at 9pm. 

On Easter, a slight chance of showers, then scattered showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 81. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 55 at 8pm.

Typical average high for the weekend is 58 degrees.

It wasn’t a terrible day but it was rather chaotic at times. I think I made it through the day okay but there was a few brushes against disaster but I think I’ll be fine. I need to push back politely with people when they become too demanding on things. I don’t always have to take calls too or answer emails right away. 

I have Good Friday off which is good because I’m tired after this week. I want to work on wiring up the truck cap and the rest of the things set up and tested for camping this week. I will probably go grocery shopping on Monday and maybe leave Tuesday after work or maybe hold off for Wednesday. I’m undecided. 

I was noticing how green the grass has gotten in both Delmar and in the city. Some trees are starting to blossom, but no leaves except on some of that awful, invasive honeysuckle that tends to take over in all scrubby places in the woods along the roadsides. Spring will come to the Albany-area eventually. We had some sun for a while, then it clouded up and cleared for dusk. 

While models of the Southern Adirondack snow pack show significant snow in parts of the Southern Adirondacks, with the weekends rains and warmer temperatures, it’s expected to be almost entirely gone. That said, already the North Country is free of snow, and most of the Adirondacks should be melted by the time I get up there. But I don’t want to get far off blacktop this time of year, especially with the rain, as everything is probably mud and muck. April camping kind of sucks this time of year, with all of the mud. Plus I expect it to be fairly cold and wet at least from Thursday into Friday. Well, I know to proceed slowly, and get out and walk the road before I drive it if there is any question. I’m not getting stuck in the mud. Buck no!

I’m thinking on Wednesday or Thursday, hitting up Horseshoe Lake for a night, and maybe hiking back to Lows Ledge. The rough but asphalt NY 421 is plowed all the way back to Horseshoe Lake, although the road to Hitchens Pond is closed for the spring mud season. The snow is gone up there from the map but you never know with drifts. It’s been a number of years since I’ve been up that way, and it would be fun to explore. Off-season I probably have my choice of sites on Hitchens Pond, and if I paddle from Horseshoe Outlet to Hitchens Pond, it could be quite nice. But it might also have things blocking the way, so I might avoid it due to water that is still pretty cold.

Later in the week into the weekend I’m thinking about the Deer River area in Malone if the road is passable. I don’t remember it being soft but if it looks risky I’m not going to try it. There are other places to explore and fish. Fishing the Deer River though kind of excites me. Such a beautiful part of the state, mostly unknown around here.  As I noted yesterday, might camp at the Walter Pratt area. I think I would prefer that as I have better cell reception there and those campsites have outhouses and picnic tables. There are some state forests like Wolf Lake State Forest, I’d love to see in St. Lawrence County. The power project and paddling part of the St. Lawrence River might be fun too. Then maybe come back through the Black River Valley and camp in the Otter Creek area, assuming the road is open this time of year.  I should call the DEC in Lowville on Monday to find out. I’m thinking that Eatonville Road is probably still very soft this time of year if it’s open at all. Maybe I should plan to come back through the Adirondacks and camp somewhere there like Jones Pond. 

In four weeks on May 11 the sun will be setting at 8:07 pm, which is 31 minutes and 26 seconds later then tonight. In 2016 on that day, we had mostly sunny skies and temperatures between 75 and 40 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 68 and 46 degrees. The record high of 90 degrees was set back in 1911.

Looking ahead, the Start of June is in 7 weeks. Lots of weeks of Black Fly Season ahead. 

November 14, 2016 12 PM Update

Good afternoon! Sunny and 57 degrees at Letchworth State Park in Castile. There is a southwest breeze at 7 mph. Very pleasant weather for mid November. 

Driving to Letchworth this morning I was reminded how vast Western NY really is. Some pretty big hills too and a lot of farms too. Lots of big alluvial valleys for growing corn and feeding cows. Livingston and Wyoming Counties smell like you would expect them to in mid November. Fermented silage and cow shit. I probably should have spent more time at Rattlesnake WMA but I didn’t want to back track to Ossian State Forest or camp at such a blustery high elevation. 

Every time I drive through a small town and open countryside, I have to think those people are so blessed. Somehow they have the skills and connections to make life work in the hard, difficult country of Rural America. So much beauty and open country. I hope I captured some of it on the dash cam and can upload it later, if only for the sake of my memories. 

Albany sucks but it’s what I do to pay the bills so I can travel and explore. Sometime I want to get out of the big city, but for now that’s reserved for the road trip.

I saw the sign coming into Letchworth for camping open, but it ain’t open this time of year. Unfortunately there aren’t a lot of nearby state forests for camping, so I need to leave by 2 pm so I have an hour to head southwest to my next camping location. That’s fine, I think I want to spend tomorrow at Zoar Valley and on Wednesday head to Chautauqua County. Campground camping with a hot shower and electric wouldn’t be a bad thing though mid week. 

I had to visit the Upper Falls so I could see the Portageville bridge one last time before it’s demolished. A modern arch bridge will replace it. The models of the new bridge suggest it will be much more scenic then the existing bridge. I also visited the other falls and some of the other vistas. 

November 23, 2015 night

Good evening. Currently 29 degrees this evening. Tonight will be partly cloudy, with a low around 23. Light and variable wind. Tomorrow look for partly sunny, with a high near 42. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the afternoon. Three minutes before seven for the sunrise.

It was a nice trip up to the North Country but with my phone dying after a freak accident with a dirty USB cable that got mud on the connector, I was out of touch for a while. It happened on my way out the door, so all weekend I had no access to my phone, which left me without a GPS, music, podcasts, and other apps in the woods. It was particularly annoying as I would have otherwise had excellent cell service while I was up there. It’s flat in the St. Lawrence Valley so ample service. Somehow the short wasn’t fatal, and now my phone is working again. I already ordered a second one that I’ll keep for the next disaster. Honest, I didn’t intentionally kill my phone just to become disconnected from social media.

Camped at Brasher State Forest and did some sight seeing, hiking, hunting, and exploring. It was cold outside and the days were short. I didn’t do as much of anything on that list as I wanted, because with the wind chill, I just wanted to spend time in the tent, curled up next to my propane heater. So be it. I survived and had some nice days in the woods, in a part of the state I hadn’t been in years.

Lots of stories and adventures to tell. But it’s getting late so I must head to bed. Good night and sleep well.

October 18, 2015 morning

Good morning. It’s sunny and around 28 degrees in Wellsboro. Last night certainly was chilly, with the first hard frost to hit the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania with temperatures dropping into the low 20s.

Today, as I post this note, my eight day road trip comes to an end. Or as they say, all good things must come to an end. I still have a four hours or so road trip home but my camping gear has been packed one last time. The memories will last forever, but it is done. Things will get unpacked once I get home, at least for a few weeks. I am already thinking of a November trip to the North Country of New York around Massena. Small game hunting and enjoying the November weather.

Friday night I went back to West Virginia and camped at the Camp Run Campground off of the beautiful Sweedin Valley in the George Washington National Forest. Camp Run is free but rustic along an old dirt road. No cellphone service or much radio reception as this part of West Virginia is in a National Dark Zone where commercial radio broadcasting is restricted due to the very sensitive outer space telescope that exists in this area.

Prior to setting up camp on Friday night I came up from the Blue Ridge Parkway via US Route 220 through Virginia then West Virginia. Parts of US Route 220 were nice cruising in the valleys. The section from Covington to Hot Springs was less fun with steep hills and lots of sharp curves. At least this road was wide a bit without shoulders. The waterfalls outside of Hot Springs was pretty neat. Hot Springs and Warm Springs was home to many great mansions and old estate. North of Warm Springs was a narrow but beautiful agricultural valley, mostly chicken raisers and beef producers. I don’t think I saw a dairy farm the whole time I was in Virginia or West Virginia.The long chicken barns, corn fields and the alike dotted the landscape. A lot of beef operations in parts. Although, now that I think of it I remember seeing and smelling some dairies in the Shenandoah Valley near Harrison.

Spent some time in Buchanan, VA mostly to get gasoline and mail post cards from the Blue Ridge Parkway to home. Seems silly but I wanted to have a few postcards that were postmarked from the southern most leg of my trip in Virginia, so I could keep as a memory from the trip. Buchanan was a cute mountain town for sure. The Buchanan swinging bridge – an old suspension pedestrian bridge over the James River was pretty neat.

At Camp Run I spent the evening with several locals and others who have been camping up there for decades – literally since the late 1970s. It was interesting to hear from their experiences and local knowledge of West Virginia. They knew basically every campsite up there. It was great getting to know some true blue West Virginians.

Yesterday I continued up US Route 220 into Pennsylvania and eventually north to Lockhaven and eventually onto PA 287 to Wellsboro. Decided to overnight at Asaph Run, which is near the Pine Creek Gorge. There is one other group of campers down the way. I thought about going down and introducing myself but  I’m tired and by the time I cooked dinner and got a roaring fire going I was almost ready for bed. Saw these great looking meatballs at a grocery store in West Virginia and decided I would cook up spaghetti and meatballs on this frigid mid-fall evening. Now this isn’t the coldest weather I have camped at during the year but somehow after a long hot summer things seemed to cool off so quickly.

The drive back through Maryland was no more pleasant then my first trip on down through it. US Route 220 is flatter and somewhat straighter then 219, but it’s still pokey through Keyser and Cumberland Maryland. Cumberland sucks as US Route 220 goes concurrently with I-68 through what has to be the worst part of that expressway – a steep and tight turn as the expressway rams right through Cumberland in a section where the expressway drops to 40 MPH before resuming to 70. US Route 220 becomes I-99 in Pennsylvania just past the Pennsylvania Turnpike, although it’s obvious that Maryland has already done the grading for the future extension of I-99 to I-68. It will be great when both US Route 219 and 220 will be fully upgraded to expressways in Pennsylvania.

I found I-99 to be boring after a while and decided I had to get off it to explore the surrounding farm country. I see signs for Blue Knob State Park and decided I had to explore it. Turns out it was farther away from the expressway than expected and moreover was mostly just a ski resort with minimal views. You could see snow falling from the sky but it was not sticking to the ground.

My phone GPS promptly took me back to I-99 but I chose to stay on Business US Route 220, which promptly took me through congested Holidaysburg. I was not happy. Got back on I-99 and stayed on it until it runs into I-80. No direction from there were to go, finally got on I-80 east and wanted to get off it as soon as possible as there was a ton of truck traffic and the 70 mph speed limit. Took PA 287 to Wellsboro were I spent the night camping. It was cold but quiet and nice. Went to bed early and slept in for that last leg of the trip home.

This morning I’m at Colton Point State Park, the West Rim of the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. I’ve been here many times before but I figured with my stop over here, I had to visit.

Have a great day!