day 10
pittstown to pittsfield

"Yeah, downtown Albany. Why not. Let's
enter the snake pit." -a.
home...   map...   photos...   contact us...     giftshop!
Bennington Monument:
Height: 306' 4.5"
Width: 37'
Weight: 100,000 tons
Cost: $112,000 (inc. site)
Stone: Sandy Hill Dolomite, quarried from Hudson Falls N.Y., a blue-gray magnesian limestone.
Visitation: 50,000 per year

Claim to Fame: If measured at sea level, the Bennington Monument is higher than the Washington Monument.
Things New Englanders Love:
1. Trampolines
2. Lobster Rolls
3. Talking for long stretches without a breath
4. Mountains
5. Globey Things
6. Irvings
7. Personalized Plates
8. Take-Out
9. Covered Bridges
10. Maple Syrup
It Gets Stickier
The persian debate is not over. As you will recall, we initially stated that persians were made with raspberry icing. This was met with much argument. So we questioned the world, were told that the real answer was strawberry, and printed a formal apology.

However, Susan Beimers of Thunder Bay questioned the Persian Man (Balmoral Location) regarding the flavour of the icing and they attest that it is, in fact, RASPBERRY (they also mentioned that an awful lot of people had been asking lately).

Since I am more inclined to believe my own mother over the rest of you, we are retracting our apology until we can be presented with some solid evidence, and standing behind our original answer, raspberry.

Follow previous coverage on the
2 weeks, 1 week, and 5 days to go pages.

10 Days: A Look Back
Sept 5 - It's been ten days since we officially started travelling across this large and majestic country. Living outside has certainly taught us some lessons about this funny old merry-go-round called life, its merits and demerits, its ups and downs, its foibles and its... um... antifoibles. Oh yes, from a four month camping extravaganza to a weekend getaway in the woods, it's all just one big classroom of knowledge with the teacher called away to the staff room. What have we learned as we hit the double digit mark on our trip and scream madly towards the triple? Read on, dear friends, read on.

1. Men get up first.
This was a surprise to us. The women at most campgrounds are still snoozing while their husbands are getting ready for breakfast. Why? Kev's hypothesis is that in a comfy bed, men are greedy and want as much of that comfiness as they can get, where women, once they have rested enough, are ready to get up. Camping, the sleeping arrangements are uncomfortable. The women now try to squeeze an ample amount of sleep from their bags, to little success, while the men just simply say, "Screw this," and get up.
2. Men make the fires.
This doesn't waver much from the usual "men BBQ" idea. Aimee's got the propane stove, Kev's got the pure flame.
3. Log cabin beats teepee.
To be precise, the best fire-making method is the hexagonal log cabin, not the traditional four-sider.
4. If you're boiling water, use the propane burner.
The approximate time to boil water on the fire is 3 hours. Propane: 2 minutes. Efficiency experts agree.
5. Situate your tent in an easterly direction.
There's nothing like having to step out into the freezing shadow of darkness in the morning. It will take you all day to warm. However, by ensuring a direct path from the Earth's Sun to your sleeping bag, you'll wake up (a) earlier and (b) toasty warm.
6. Toast your socks.
If you're expecting a chilly night, toss your socks on the grill for a few minutes before you jump into the sleeping bag. Ensuring, of course, that the campfire has reduced to coals by this point. Then, take the socks, dump the water on the fire, and get in bed in under a minute. You'll thank us later.
7. Dedicate one set of clothes to be campfire clothes.
This will stop you from getting sniffed at all day, and reduce your laundromat visits.
8. Being too warm is much better than being too cold.
Do not skimp in the sweaters, long underwear and socks. Remember: you can always take stuff off.
9. Comfort is worth the price.
Don't be a hero. If switching tents costs forty bucks, and an underpad is twelve, but means you'll sleep through the night, do it.
10. It's easier to do dishes with warm water than cold water.
In the case that you don't have warm water available to you, it's probably easier to manually pick the pieces of food off instead of resorting to cold-water dish-doing. If hot water is not available, put a pot of cold water on the fire approximately three hours before you plan on doing the dishes, as stated in number 4.

Take heed, chums. One day, this simple page of seemingly useless information, will save your life. Now, go out there and grab on to that big old world with both hands, and hold on tight!

Like Dominick here...

Profiles in Courage:
Meet Dominick Caputo, Park Ranger

Age: 27 yrs.
Occupation: Park Ranger at Woodford State Park.
Length of Time: Four wonderful years.
Occupational Perks: Besides having one of the few untarnished job titles in America, (second only to Fireman), Dominick enjoys free rent, an official ranger truck, and a beautiful setting to live in. Dominick is a happy camper because he's close to the Long Trail, the spring fishing is great, he's smack-dab in the middle of the National Forest, and he gets to see more of the amazing spruce - a tree we all know and love. Overall, he's got it made.
Winter Habitat: During the winters, our Ranger Dominick gets to stay in an 1860's mansion filled with period pieces. We are jealous and you should be too.
Close Call #1: A few weeks ago, a couple of guys took a bat to another guy in the park. Most Rangers would have tossed in the towel at this point, but our hero Dominick kept his cool and brought in his pal, the Sheriff.
Close Call #2: This summer he had to throw out a group of about 15 rednecks who wouldn't be quiet at their site. They turned on him and started with the threats, but eventually they took his advice and left. They are S-M-R-T.
Disclaimer: Dominick would like everyone to know that these two incidents are the ONLY incidents that have happened in the entire 4 years he's been Ranger. The park is perfectly safe and a great place to camp.
City Folks vs. Country Bumpkins: Dominick has wisely noticed that city folk are behaviourly better campers than country folk. His theory is that the city people are afraid to be out in the wilderness and so they keep to themselves. The country bumpkins let it all out and generally cause a fuss when they're camping. So remember: Rangers love people who are scared shitless of the woods. It makes their jobs easier.
Final Ranger Advice: Be positive, and enjoy yourself. There are too many grumpy people out there.


albany...

Tall!

Deep!

Funky!

Aimee ran out of adjectives on this one
more photos in the archive...

Current Location
(get out your push pins)

Pittsfield, MA

Next Stop: Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, off Rt. 20

see the full map...

Today's Weather:
Go towards the light...

Daily Stats
Distance:184.2km
Gas:$10.50
Radio:97.1 fm
Friendly's:3

Sleeping Quarters
October Mountain SP

Great grill with which to make fajitas. The evening was fairly warm but the morning was wickedly cold.

Cost: $12.00

Bkfast: 
Campground
Woodford S. P.
K's Order:Froot Loops
Coffee
A's Order:Supreme Muesli
Lunch: 
Campground
Woodford A. P.
K's Order:Bowl of Chili
A's Order:Bowl of Chili
D's Order:Bowl of Chili
Cookie
Coke
Cost:$11.70
Dinner: 
Campground
October Mountains
Both:Campfire Fajitas
Raspberry Dessert Fajitas


© 2001. Kevin Beimers and Aimee Lingman. Just a couple of cold Canucks.