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That November 2012 Trip

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I have been toying around in mind what I want to do in mid-November as I take a week off from work to travel. While there is two big ifs in my mind — the exact amount of time I will have off and the cost of gasoline — the later being a big expensive question, I have already been thinking what I want to do.

Coon Hollow

Traveling in November can be tricky. You get up before sunrise, or near it. You have to rush around all day, knowing you have to locate a campsite by 3 PM or so, and be well on your way of setting up camp by 4 PM, because it will be dark out at 5 PM, and you will want to have firewood and a fire started by dusk. The long evenings are not much of a problem, as I have lighting powered by the deep cycle battery in my pickup, but still daylight limits day time activities. The potential for snow and hunting season are other constaining factors. Cold can be bad, but at least with my current set up with the truck, having a dead battery is not a real risk.

I have three different trip options in mind:

  • Tug Hill/Northern Tier/Adirondack Trip
  • Southern Tier/Western NY/Northern Tier of PA Trip
  • Wayne National Forest and Monongahela National Forest Trip

The Tug Hill/Northern Tier/Adirondack Trip would take me up through the Tug Hill checking out Whetstone State Park, maybe Moose Plains or Independence River Wild Forest, Brasher-Bombay State Forest near Massena, and then maybe somewheres around St Regis Canoe-area. Would have to worry more about snow, and it would be big game season, but its the shortest and most economic trip especially if gas prices are high.

Tower Hill Road

The Southern Tier/Western NY/Northern Tier of PA Trip would have me going out US 20, probably camping at Stony Pond Campground, then out to East Otto State Forest or maybe Sugar Hill in between. I would check out Zoar Valley, and then probably drive down to Chautauqua County and ultimately to Allegheny National Forest. Probably stay there a couple of days, then head back east on US 6, through the Endless Mountains, and return through Binghamton. That said, this is somewhat repeative of the mid-summer trip, so I don’t know if I want to do it again.

First Day of Snow at the Albany Airport, Past 30 Years

Then there is the trip I really want to take, which is to Coal Country Ohio and West Virigina, and the Wayne National Forest and Monongahela National Forest. It would be a delightful trip, even if it was kind of a lng trip. But that is dependent on gas prices, and if I can get a week plus off to make it all happen. But I have truck and gear, so it could be really awesome trip if I could make it happen. I want to travel to new frontiers, and I am ready to make that happen.

How Much Do I Have Invested in NY State?

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Last night I was pondering how much I had invested in NY State, not in form of capital as much as knowledge and connections. You know, over 29 years of living in this state, I’ve learned much, and moving away from it, would seem I would loose a lot.

Things like (in no particular order):

  • Familiarity of the roads and places
  • How state government works (sorta)
  • The general topography of the land
  • General folkways of doing things
  • Community organizations
  • Personal connections

South West

Maybe this is why a lot of people never leave the community they grew up in, and even fewer ever leave the state they were born in. It just seems like moving on is such a daunting task, especially when you’ve come so familiar with the status quo.

I’ve lived in other parts of Upstate New York, from time to time, but somehow any part of New York State your in is kind of structured the same way. Other states, not so much. But maybe I’m over playing the differences.

Then again, the world is always changing. The place I knew a few years back rarely stays the same due to forces of man and nature alike. Time changes everything.