I spent a night up at Beebe Hill, at the Chance of Thunder Lean-To about two weeks ago. It was a very humid night, and it clouded up much too early, however, it still was enjoyable experience.
My camera’s batteries where weak, as this was a last minute decision to spend the night up there, so some of these photos are from a previous spring pictures.
As you can see, it was very hazy at night.
The sun sets into the haze.
By night time the wind was whipping around, with the steel in the tower giving a bit, and it was hard to get a steady photo on the tower, even with the tripod. Yet, it was so beautiful — I went up there at 9:30 PM then once again at midnight. You could see the lights from Ravena to Hudson from the tower, including farms and houses, and while the moon was still out, the outline of hills and valleys, and very faintly the Catskill mountains. It was amazing.
The next morning it was very foggy out from the humidity, almost looking like rain, but it was not raining.
I descended the mountain, headed home around 9:30 AM, as I had to get cleaned up for the Bethlehem for Peace Picnic.
The primitive campsites at Burnt-Rossman are my favorite place to visit. They are in a remote part of Schoharie County, yet only a 10 minute drive from I-88 and a total of an hour and ten minutes from my place in Delmar. There is ample water, and the sites have nice little fireplaces, and places to camp where you can drive in.
It rained on Friday night, so I put up my tarp. I spent much of Saturday going between the creek up there with my feet in there, and sitting in this very comfortable chair, reading Noel Perin’s Third Person Rural. It was very quiet Saturday, seeing all but one pickup going past, plus a family in a minivan, and three people riding horseback with cowboy hats.
I had my Christmas lights up and stayed up really late several nights. It was great, and beat the horrible humid weather that people in Albany had to suffer through during this very warm weekend.
One of my favorite state forests for drive-in camping, I decided to stop by on my way back to Albany from hiking Mount Tremper. I arrived around 5 PM, after checking out some sites along Cole Brook Road. This area was pretty grown up, and while a designated camping area in the master plan, it wasn’t clear where property lines where. Driving along Cole Brook Road would be rough by anybody’s terms, impassable by passenger car, but rough in a pickup with worn-out shocks.
It was a pleasant night, I stayed up until 1 AM listening to music and reading by the camp fire. The fire was big and great, although I have to admit the smoke kind of blew my way so I had to move the truck. My new truck battery was strong, although I did let the truck idle for 20 minutes around 11:30 PM just to make sure I would be good to go.
I ended up camping one site lower then my preferred site as another family was camping up there. Hopefully I didn’t keep them up with my Merle Haggard. It was a good night for sure.
I got up around 12 noon the next day, after a good nights sleep, then decided to check out the State Truck Trail north-east spur off of Tamarack Road. It proceeded about two miles back, along logged sections and white pine forests, back to an area with a sign pointing to a lake. I got out of my truck to start hiking back that way, but seeing Turkey Hunters, I decided to give them distance, and hopped in my truck and drove over to Vromans Nose.
I left work about 3:30 on Friday to go camping out at Burnt Rossman State Forest. It was a nice evening out the first night, warm and comfortable. I sat up under the moonlight until 1 AM, listening to the radio, reading, and watching the flames flicker in the campfire. I had my florescent lamp hooked up to my pickup, and the music going loud. But there was nobody around, so it didn’t really matter.
The weather was not as clear on Saturday. I went for drive out west, ending up outside of Cooperstown in a very rural, but mountainous area called the Burlington Flats off Route 51. Interesting little area, that reminded much of the other portions of the Central Leatherstocking regions, particularly a similiar area along US 20 in the area of Winsfield. Beautiful country for sure, but without much economic activity.
When I returned back to Burnt-Rossman State Forest I went for a little hike wandering through the woods. I ended up visiting a campsite I had previously stayed at. Apparently I passed by some turkey hunters, and didn’t realize it, until I started back and heard them shooting. I decided to take the road mostly back for my own safety.
It started to rain about 7 PM, and it eventually put out the campfire. I sat under the cap of my pickup, with a book and read until 11 PM at night, when I decided it was time for lights out. It was a noisy night, sleeping under the fiberglass cap with the rain pounding down on it. The next morning I was damp and tired, so I left around 6 AM, got on I-88 and was home by 7 AM. It was a nice experience.
I sit tonight under the stars on the tailgate of my pickup, deep in the woods in Southern Schoharie County. Tall pine trees tower over me as I look at a sky that has finally cleared out and the stars are shining brightly down on me. A nice big campfire provides light, as does my overhead florescent lamp powered by my truck when I turn it on to write.
I yehaw at the moon with my cowboy hat on, drinking yet another Corona. I listen to yet another top-40 country music song, inter-spaced with some obnoxious religious right talk on another station that seems so powerful out here. I cook myself a meal on the old gas stove made of eggs, hash, potato chips, and lots of Corona. I’m in heaven it seems.
I just love being alone, playing cowboy out in the woods around the fire. I’m increasingly drunk, but at the same time I am so much at ease, so peaceful in a kind of redneck-y kind of way. I love my pickup truck and I love the woods. I’m just not sure how I could ever live without such a free life.
