The overlays and campgrounds are done for the American Discovery Trail - West Virginia. There's one questionable place that I'm unable to get a location for and that is Van Myra Campground in Mineral County. I'm not sure that I understand what this reservation is, but it seems like it's a picnicking area only now? A historical document of a farmer in "Dry Run Hollow" depicts that he moved from a property next to it and mentions this area.
I found Dry Run Road in Mineral County, but the structures on the properties didn't match the county's description. If it is a picnicking area, it might still have a potable water well? And that still might be of use, pending that the reservation is in range.
"Range" is a term that I use to determine the hiker's patience, or how far they're willing to go off trail to reach an amenity?
I posted on the ADT's Facebook group asking any previous multi-day+ hikers if they've ever had an overnight at an RV park in Kansas or Nebraska? In Kansas, these types of establishments are the are fairly common, where conventional "campgrounds" are in short supply.
One thing that this project could use are the location of post offices, particularly in the desert areas. Shipping resupply might be expensive, but those might as well be resupply points and from what I know of Ohio, they can still be in the smallest of towns (even unincorporated ones). On the Appalachian Trail, a hiker can receive a bounce package, or mail drop on General Delivery/ first class shipping. But that's because there are thousands, if not millions of them coming through every year. Those towns have an economy built on them.
Under ordinary circumstances, if somebody doesn't live in that zip code, or have a PO Box, then they can't ship on General Delivery. It has to be either "Priority Mail Hold for Pickup," or "Express Mail Hold for Pick-up." On a trail with low numbers, even if somebody from a state committee showed up in every post office and got them to accept general delivery, there's probably not enough hikers annually for them to get use to it. And I think General Delivery could cause a problem when a package was sent there first class and the post master didn't recognize who it was for that day and shipped it back.
However, there could be a solution to this. Post Offices have community cork boards. And if an ADT flier were to posted to one where general delivery was arranged, in some places it might not do much for trail promotion, but it might remind the postmaster even if the trail has low numbers? And there might be something that we generally don't know about the AT's mail drops and that is what if, with all of their support, could somebody have been donating the annual fees for PO Boxes at all those post offices??? There's could be at least $1200 a year in those?
A couple days ago, I was looking for more BLM property polygons. I have Utah and Nevada so far and I think California is about all I'm going to get out of it. That's because I'm not seeing anything for surface parcels east of there. Seems that everything else pertains to the federal government's subsurface mineral rights.
Showing posts with label campground. Show all posts
Showing posts with label campground. Show all posts
2017/01/14
Log 2017011401
I now have enough navigational aids to route across that entire trail. The campgrounds and lodging are plotted in placemarks in Google Earth for Illinois on the South Mid-West Route. And I could have swore that I purchased Colorado's turn by turn guide and data before, but I can't find it. I know that I once had it because the western part of the state
I can't get the standalone application "shp2kml" to work. When I rolled my computer's clock back to 1/1/2011, it shut down my Internet access. And it kept giving me a bogus error every time I tried to convert to KML. I've been trying all night to covert the shapefiles of 9 more national forests along the American Discovery Trail. So, I purchased a license for "Shape2Earth" for $39.99. It could take them a couple hours to process my purchase, so I'll catch up with my email for a serial number this afternoon sometime.
When I get all those forests converted, I'll upload the entire pack so that prospective adventurists online can download and open them in Google Earth at home. I'll also link them in a post on the American Discovery Trail's Facebook Group. If the forest allows dispersed camping, it must take place on lands that the federal government actually owns.
I can't get the standalone application "shp2kml" to work. When I rolled my computer's clock back to 1/1/2011, it shut down my Internet access. And it kept giving me a bogus error every time I tried to convert to KML. I've been trying all night to covert the shapefiles of 9 more national forests along the American Discovery Trail. So, I purchased a license for "Shape2Earth" for $39.99. It could take them a couple hours to process my purchase, so I'll catch up with my email for a serial number this afternoon sometime.
When I get all those forests converted, I'll upload the entire pack so that prospective adventurists online can download and open them in Google Earth at home. I'll also link them in a post on the American Discovery Trail's Facebook Group. If the forest allows dispersed camping, it must take place on lands that the federal government actually owns.
2014/08/09
Log 2014080901
I finally made it into Basecamp C at Burr Oak State Park and got to sleep in the front seat of my car at about 0530hrs this morning. Burr Oak doesn't have any sites where campers can arrive after hours, set up and camp for as long as they need. Instead, they publish a list of vacant campsites and the user has to fill out their camper registration and, well... pray that nobody else is scheduled through that time.
I did that. And 0830hrs this morning, I got a knock on my window from one of the park staff, telling me that I had to move. She's so lucky that I awoke then as I was 5hrs from my required 8hrs of sleep. I was in somewhat of a daze when I had to get up and couple the trailer. I'd say it was barely in the relm of being a safe thing to do.
She told me to move about 4 sites over and I did. But when I left, I remembered that she did not tag my new site. So, I tried to contact the campground, but the only phone number that i have is for a collective of 3 state parks. It was automated and I left a message. So far, it's been about a few hours since I did that and nobody there has returned my call. Burr Oak's west campground is popular and I know that there is a staff member there.
Today, I got some much needed shopping done. I purchased some knobby tires because the I don't trust the chubby's on some of the backcountry dirt roads that I believe I'm going to put them on. I want more traction to deal with thick, loose, pasty dirt with flood channels chiseled through them and small boulders embedded in the surface.
Days ago, I found that in the electric camps, I'll want to use the USB powered hub, which is located on the stem of the laptop mount in the front passenger's side of the car. So far, I have a conventional 7ft indoor extention cord and an DC to AC converter. But I forgot to get a universal AC adaptor for it.
- pouch for the external bike/ smartphone battery was procured. When I use the USB generator, it only makes power when I pedal. And the smartphone is so power intensive, that the best thing that I can do these days is slowly drain it, instead of keeping the power level the same, or charging more than I need.
I did that. And 0830hrs this morning, I got a knock on my window from one of the park staff, telling me that I had to move. She's so lucky that I awoke then as I was 5hrs from my required 8hrs of sleep. I was in somewhat of a daze when I had to get up and couple the trailer. I'd say it was barely in the relm of being a safe thing to do.
She told me to move about 4 sites over and I did. But when I left, I remembered that she did not tag my new site. So, I tried to contact the campground, but the only phone number that i have is for a collective of 3 state parks. It was automated and I left a message. So far, it's been about a few hours since I did that and nobody there has returned my call. Burr Oak's west campground is popular and I know that there is a staff member there.
Today, I got some much needed shopping done. I purchased some knobby tires because the I don't trust the chubby's on some of the backcountry dirt roads that I believe I'm going to put them on. I want more traction to deal with thick, loose, pasty dirt with flood channels chiseled through them and small boulders embedded in the surface.
Days ago, I found that in the electric camps, I'll want to use the USB powered hub, which is located on the stem of the laptop mount in the front passenger's side of the car. So far, I have a conventional 7ft indoor extention cord and an DC to AC converter. But I forgot to get a universal AC adaptor for it.
- pouch for the external bike/ smartphone battery was procured. When I use the USB generator, it only makes power when I pedal. And the smartphone is so power intensive, that the best thing that I can do these days is slowly drain it, instead of keeping the power level the same, or charging more than I need.
2014/01/14
Log 2014010701
What I'm about to write is not exactly Facebook worthy. It's difficult to describe what I'm doing these days. And it's all a part of my "master plan." Basically, things change with transit in Ohio and I'm usually not aware of it until I scan through their websites. The Ohio Transit Hiker's Resource should be updated once annually. This year, I have a special treat. gpsvisualizer.com now has an option to merge track segments. Also, Google Maps - MyMaps has been redesigned.
Then, the Buckeye Trail Association released their centerline track data, but it comes in hundreds of track segments and my GPS's operating system will only reads about 25. So, I'm working on merging as much as I can to get the number of track segments down. But this merging isn't without it's problems. Sometimes a mysterious track connects with another track, causing a triangle. My best guess is that one of the affected segments is was recorded in the opposite order and it needs to have the coordinates in its XML language flipped around? Another possibility that comes to mind is that the web page that I'm using just has certain limitations?
There's the impending hiking trip coming up. There's no telling what condition it will be in. If the blazing isn't perfect, I learned on my last hike that having a good GPS track will help out a lot. And so, I come full circle on needing those tracks.
So basically, there's 1700 miles of major hiking trails in Ohio and it's going to take a long time to get them just right.
So, the master plan goes like this...
1. Settle in to my new living arrangement (check, it's done)
2. Save money
3. Update the transit hiking website (in progress)
4. Prepare my gear and make retrofits if necessary (the utility hauling trailer needs to be re-wired)
5. depart for Stockport Section, Pt. 3, which is Campground H of the American Electric Power"s ReCreation Land and start my hike when the weather breaks.
The problem with hiking now is The Cramper. It's heating systems have never been tested in the cold, let alone a polar vortex. And even though I just replaced the rear struts, they were cheap. And even the slightest load in the tailgate makes the back end dip. Which makes the front look higher and the HHR is front wheel drive. Another thing is what if it snows? I may have to camp somewhere on an unimproved road. Some of those are dirt, gravel, 1 1/2 lanes wide with edges for which there are no metal barriers. Sometimes the HHR drives like the Cobalt, while others its more like the Tahoe. There's no telling what it might be like if I was trying to brake down hill while pulling an extra 40% of the Chevy's weight.
With that being said, while parking near state highways might be an option, I still have to pre-position the bicycle, or retrieve it from somewhere.
On another note, my back seems to be getting better. Today is day 62. I flared it up just a little bit while taking my brother's dog for a walk a couple days ago.
Then, the Buckeye Trail Association released their centerline track data, but it comes in hundreds of track segments and my GPS's operating system will only reads about 25. So, I'm working on merging as much as I can to get the number of track segments down. But this merging isn't without it's problems. Sometimes a mysterious track connects with another track, causing a triangle. My best guess is that one of the affected segments is was recorded in the opposite order and it needs to have the coordinates in its XML language flipped around? Another possibility that comes to mind is that the web page that I'm using just has certain limitations?
There's the impending hiking trip coming up. There's no telling what condition it will be in. If the blazing isn't perfect, I learned on my last hike that having a good GPS track will help out a lot. And so, I come full circle on needing those tracks.
So basically, there's 1700 miles of major hiking trails in Ohio and it's going to take a long time to get them just right.
So, the master plan goes like this...
1. Settle in to my new living arrangement (check, it's done)
2. Save money
3. Update the transit hiking website (in progress)
4. Prepare my gear and make retrofits if necessary (the utility hauling trailer needs to be re-wired)
5. depart for Stockport Section, Pt. 3, which is Campground H of the American Electric Power"s ReCreation Land and start my hike when the weather breaks.
The problem with hiking now is The Cramper. It's heating systems have never been tested in the cold, let alone a polar vortex. And even though I just replaced the rear struts, they were cheap. And even the slightest load in the tailgate makes the back end dip. Which makes the front look higher and the HHR is front wheel drive. Another thing is what if it snows? I may have to camp somewhere on an unimproved road. Some of those are dirt, gravel, 1 1/2 lanes wide with edges for which there are no metal barriers. Sometimes the HHR drives like the Cobalt, while others its more like the Tahoe. There's no telling what it might be like if I was trying to brake down hill while pulling an extra 40% of the Chevy's weight.
With that being said, while parking near state highways might be an option, I still have to pre-position the bicycle, or retrieve it from somewhere.
On another note, my back seems to be getting better. Today is day 62. I flared it up just a little bit while taking my brother's dog for a walk a couple days ago.
2013/11/29
Log 2013102401
I checked out of Basecamp Alpha again and have now established
Basecamp India at the Ring Mill Campground in the Wayne National Forest -
Marietta Unit. Prior to this, I picked up my mountain bike at
Threesixty Bike Shop in Zanesville of Muskingum County. I test drove it
before leaving and everything seems to be in working order.
I'm writing this from a McDonald's in New Martinsburg, West Virginia, which is the closest to Basecamp India. I stopped over at the Noble County Sheriff's Department to ask about where the Craig's List Killings took place. And I was informed that it happened on Don Warner Road, which intersects the BT. As to where exactly, the SD wouldn't elaborate.
I'm writing this from a McDonald's in New Martinsburg, West Virginia, which is the closest to Basecamp India. I stopped over at the Noble County Sheriff's Department to ask about where the Craig's List Killings took place. And I was informed that it happened on Don Warner Road, which intersects the BT. As to where exactly, the SD wouldn't elaborate.
2013/11/03
Log 2013110302
The 2008 Chevy HHR continues to have maintenance issues. The most recent is that the trailer lights, while hitched, had a short and blew out the night time running light filaments in both rear bulbs of the car itself. I can say that because the car and trailer brake lights and turn signals still work. It's definitely a tell-tale sign that there is a short in the trailer's wiring. So, this afternoon, I left Basecamp Juliet in broad daylight and barely made it home before sunset this evening. At this point, I'm not sure if its a fuse, or a bulb that needs to be replaced? I might start that diagnostic tomorrow?
The drive back to Lake County was uneventful and I used it to generate fuel efficiency data as stated in the previous log. While at Basecamp Juliet, I managed to hike the Stockport Section, pts. 3 - 15, or from the AEP ReCreation Lands Campground H to the Village of Stockport, both being in Morgan County on the 1st. Getting home took me well into the morning on the 3rd.
I would have hiked further down trail to pt. 19 in the Village of Chesterhill, also of said county, and met the independent east arm of the American Discovery Trail. If I could have taken lodging in Stockport, it could have been done on a hike & bike. But I got to Stockport at 2330hrs. Two lodging establishments only operate their business offices during certain hours and one of the hotels was totally leased. So, I had to get on my bike and ride 24 miles after the hike back to Basecamp Juliet.
Once back, I slept in because I'm dysfunctional on anything less than 8 hours of sleep. When I awoke, there wasn't much time between then and my usual bedtime, so I slept until 0830 on the 3rd. When I awoke then, there was some frost on The Cramper, so I'd rather let it melt before I disassemble it put the The Cramper in Transport Mode. I broke camp today because tomorrow, I have medical appointments in Cleveland.
There were a lot of Lady Bugs at Basecamps India and Juliet. At Juliet, the dozens of them crawled inside the top crevices of each door. And I had them in every crease in The Cramper's outer shell.
At the moment, according to the mileages published on the affected Buckeye Trail maps, I have 340 miles remaining. In the meantime, the government could shut down again and I'm not sure that I want to be caught downtrail when that happens. Besides, the load on the trailer has always made the Chevy's back end sag. And right now, its about as good as a front wheel drive mini van in slippery conditions when hitched. A lot of points on the Buckeye Trail intersect or take place on roads that are not maintained in the winter. I think that this is a good time to sit out the worst of this upcoming season at home port. It'd be one thing if the Chevy had studded, or chained tires with a wench on the front bumper and perfect suspension. But it doesn't.
The drive back to Lake County was uneventful and I used it to generate fuel efficiency data as stated in the previous log. While at Basecamp Juliet, I managed to hike the Stockport Section, pts. 3 - 15, or from the AEP ReCreation Lands Campground H to the Village of Stockport, both being in Morgan County on the 1st. Getting home took me well into the morning on the 3rd.
I would have hiked further down trail to pt. 19 in the Village of Chesterhill, also of said county, and met the independent east arm of the American Discovery Trail. If I could have taken lodging in Stockport, it could have been done on a hike & bike. But I got to Stockport at 2330hrs. Two lodging establishments only operate their business offices during certain hours and one of the hotels was totally leased. So, I had to get on my bike and ride 24 miles after the hike back to Basecamp Juliet.
Once back, I slept in because I'm dysfunctional on anything less than 8 hours of sleep. When I awoke, there wasn't much time between then and my usual bedtime, so I slept until 0830 on the 3rd. When I awoke then, there was some frost on The Cramper, so I'd rather let it melt before I disassemble it put the The Cramper in Transport Mode. I broke camp today because tomorrow, I have medical appointments in Cleveland.
There were a lot of Lady Bugs at Basecamps India and Juliet. At Juliet, the dozens of them crawled inside the top crevices of each door. And I had them in every crease in The Cramper's outer shell.
At the moment, according to the mileages published on the affected Buckeye Trail maps, I have 340 miles remaining. In the meantime, the government could shut down again and I'm not sure that I want to be caught downtrail when that happens. Besides, the load on the trailer has always made the Chevy's back end sag. And right now, its about as good as a front wheel drive mini van in slippery conditions when hitched. A lot of points on the Buckeye Trail intersect or take place on roads that are not maintained in the winter. I think that this is a good time to sit out the worst of this upcoming season at home port. It'd be one thing if the Chevy had studded, or chained tires with a wench on the front bumper and perfect suspension. But it doesn't.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)