I really needed to get out in nature. This riding season is not going as expected. Seriously, I'm not sure if someone is trying to tell me something or what's up, but it has been a weird sequence of events.
Let's start with the weather. While most of the country is suffering a major heatwave, Western New York state has seen moderate temperatures comparatively. I actually feel blessed to be in one of the few areas in the country not suffering high heat and extreme weather conditions. Still, though, every week has been rainy. Not only rain but some pretty severe storms in parts too. Not really ideal travel weather. I'm not afraid to ride and camp in the rain, but severe thunderstorms and high winds I try to avoid as much as possible. Look at this screenshot for August.
3 suns for the entire month of August. All clouds and rain!
Looks like another NY State rainy summer.
Even now as I write this, I'm actually a bit chilly. I think the temperature right now is somewhere in the mid-70s. Considering this was just a day trip to get out, I came a little underdressed. I was planning on staying until sunset but have now decided to leave a little after dinner time to avoid a further drop in temperature. If it gets any cooler, my jean jacket just isn't going to cut it on the way home. Here's a shot of me taking a Slurpee break in front of 711.
As usual I'm under-dressed for the weather.
So I'm just hanging out by the creek next to a tiny waterfall. More like a trickle cascading over shale rocks. Sounds like a Zen garden with the rustling of leaves in the air. Seriously it almost feels autumnish. The sun is out with a few light fluffy clouds and the shade of the dense forest is also keeping me comfortably cool! If I hang out past sunset it's going to be a downright cold ride home!
DR650 parked at camp site.
As soon as I got here, I realized I forgot my lighter. Luckily I brought my cooking kit with me and some alcohol fuel. I have flint in the kit and spark up some alcohol when I need to light a doob. I was pretty upset with myself when I first got here though, all I wanted to do was sit by the creek and smoke one!
Here's an interesting story about this place. I used to camp here all the time. One night back in the mid-90s my girlfriend and I were camping here in a camper. More like hanging out late on a Friday evening. We were in the camper getting hot and heavy when I start hearing this weird industrial-sounding whirling noise. We're in the middle of nowhere and there is nothing that should be making this noise in the wee hours of the morning. This is hillbilly country and in the middle of nowhere. We both stop what we're doing and get out of the camper to see what's going on. We both get an uneasy feeling and decide to leave immediately as the noise sounds like it's getting louder and closer. As we begin driving away the forest fills with a bright light. Next thing I know the sun is coming up and we're sitting in front of a country store getting coffees. I have no idea what happened that night, but I think aliens were involved! 🤣 I haven't camped there since, but still visit from time to time. Even my ex is convinced something really strange happened that night. Here's some interesting history about this location taken from an internet search.
I think I know what happened to them.
A native American friend confirmed this story and said that there are all kinds of native legends surrounding this area. She refuses to go there ever.
So, I really just needed to get out. Honestly, at this point in our history, alien abduction might be a blessing in disguise. Kidding/not kidding! The weather has me really down too. If it's not raining, it's like 90 degrees with 80% humidity. Anywhere else I feel like going to is out west and hotter than hell right now! I've still got some local destinations to venture to though and they're coming soon. Regardless, August is halfway done already and I've gone nowhere! They're predicting a really cold autumn also. Might be a short riding season this year :(
I thought it would be fun to just work in the forest. So I brought my cameras to take some videos. I did a quick vlog, then the 5K mile review on the DR. I can't believe I already put 5K on the odometer. I got the thing with 1400 miles last September. Honestly, I should have a lot more miles on the odometer already. This weather is really goofing me up. On top of that, I'm a bit superstitious and when things don't go smoothly, I start to question whether I'm supposed be doing this or if the universe is trying to tell me something. IDK, but it has been one obstacle after another since I started this project. I may just leave it to fate, stop trying so hard and just let whatever happens, happen. It sinks or swims at this point.
Strange Events
Let's talk about these strange events. I was thinking about a trip to Kentucky over the next couple of weeks. I figured maybe I'd find better weather heading south. Of course, Kentucky gets hit with extreme storms and sees record flooding. Kentucky may still be on the riding schedule for this season, but I'm going to give it some time to recover with washed-out roads and such. Might not be the ideal time to visit :( I was hoping for some Kentucky bourbon and maybe a mason jar or two of good ole Kentucky moonshine!
Another odd destination mishap was riding Appalachia. I may still do parts, but I'll be cutting the trip much shorter than the original destination. I actually wanted to ride through Appalachia all the way to the state of Georgia and then surprise everyone with a visit to the Georgia Guide Stones. Can you believe it? Someone blew them up! This is the world we are living in right now. I'm still thinking about this trip, just with a much shorter itinerary and definitely not riding all the way to Georgia.
At this point, I may end up doing most of my adventuring around autumn. All I know is things just don't seem to be going according to plan.
That's pretty much what today's trip is all about. I just needed to get out in nature and get grounded. All this crappy weather is getting me down. Surprisingly I've gotten a ton of work done on my laptop. I can focus on each task with no interruptions. I may start taking work trips like this more often. Just ride to a nice relaxing location then pull out the laptop and crank out some content, make plans, and get organized!
Today really was a great day, I'm really happy I decided to do this. I actually can't believe how much work I'm getting done.
They say all is well that ends well. This all happened on Friday or Freya's Day. Besides being superstitious I'm also a practicing Pagan. As I was getting ready to leave I found this clump of Amber on a burnt tree. I brought it home and placed it on my shrine to the goddess. Maybe she'll bless me with some decent weather. Almost a perfect teardrop shape too. I felt really blessed to discover this as I was getting ready to leave. (I know, it's dried tree sap, still if you are pagan, you probably understand the significance of it.)
Found this beautiful piece of Amber as I was getting ready to leave.
From here on out, traveling plans are going to be made by chance. When I feel like getting out to ride and the weather permits I'm just going to hop on the bike and go. Hopefully, there will be some pleasant surprises on the travel front soon.
Posted from my blog with Exxp : http://thedudetravels.com/2022/08/15/a-day-trip-to-lost-nation-state-forest/