The Rain Didn’t Dampen Our Spirits

August 21, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Hi kidlets. This morning (August 21st 2025) SWMBO and I had some shopping to do so we decided to activate Kings Gap Environmental Education Center US-4361. The sky was threatening to drop rain on us the whole drive down there but held out until we got set up. We got on the air at 0854 and were almost immediately swamped. The calls were coming in at a fast and furious rate; this makes SWMBO happy. In 4 minutes, we worked 10 stations which, of course, made us bonafide. The pace of calls was such that I hadn’t the time to spot myself on the usual POTA spotting sites. By the time we were finished, we had worked 53 stations. We shut down as 0944 as we did have some stuff to do in Carlisle. 6 of the stations we worked were Park-to-Parks; 4 of which were either double parks or 2-op stations. In the pictures I am attaching below you can see that it was definitely moist out there. We even had an op “slip in under the wire” when I had called “last call”. I was just about to press the power button as he came booming in from Reading PA. We did not hear any birds, however so it was a quiet rainy morning.

Kings Gap is a nice place to activate from. The few people that are there are doing their own things whether they are hiking, sight-seeing or rangering. There is a mansion up here (which I have posted pictures of before) that was built by a rich man about 100 or so years ago. They use the mansion now for educational programs, other activities and you can rent a room there and spend the night It is supposed to be haunted! There are several hiking trails and a picnic area along with a nice garden which is maintained by a local gardening club. Along the access road there are pull-offs with picnic tables and at the bottom of the mountain is a pine plantation in which it is very nice to walk around.

Once again to all my readers (both of them) I say Namaste!

The parking area/trailhead information sign

Either I am talking to a contact, or I am singing opera.

More In Maryland And West Virginia

August 7, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Great day today. SWMBO and I set out early (after I had to go to the phlebotomist) and made our way down to Gathland SP US-1574 which the Appalachian Trail US-4556 runs through. It was out intent to activate and then go to Burkittsville Union Cemetery. Well, we did and then had a change in plans (more in a minute). We worked a total of 24 contacts including a couple of Park-to-Parks. The weather was nice, warm without being humid and the birds were out in full force. We heard: Northern Cardinals, Carolina Wrens, Tufted Titmouses, American Goldfinches, American Crows, Carolina Chicadees, American Robins, Eastern Wood-Pewees, Chipping Sparrows, House Finches, European Starlings, Worm-Eating Warblers and Cedar Waxwings. Before we finished with the activation, SWMBO suggested that we go to Harpers Ferry US-0735 after the cemetery. Of course, I thought it was a great idea. We finished up and went down the hill to Burkittsville. One notable in the cemetery was a Dr. who died under mysterious circumstances. We took some photos and walked around and then set our course for Harpers Ferry WV. We got to the visitors center and I let the ranger on duty know that we wanted to activate the park. She was all in favor of it. We set up in the car at the far end of the overflow parking area so that we would be away from any people. We made 15 contacts and SWMBO said “Why don’t we go take a walk around the town as long as we are here”. Again, I concurred, and we wrapped up operations at 15 contacts. The only birds we heard were: Tufted Titmouses, Chipping Sparrows and Eastern Bluebirds. A nice shuttle bus took us to the town and we meandered around. We went first to the park shop and I got a few stickers. We strolled about and found a small book store. After browsing around, we decided to have lunch. An interesting cafe was nearby, the Coffee Mill. We sat down for a burger and then continued walking around. Then we took the bus back up to the visitors center and headed home with a stop in Hagerstown ad a home decor shop and a stop at Wyse’s store in Newville PA for some necessaries. All in all, I was happy with how the day went. Now I am relaxing with some coffee and interacting with our kitties. Namaste, folks.

Lunch at the Coffee Mill in Harpers Ferry

A mysterious death noted at Union Cemetery in Burkittsville MD

Who Turned The Heat Up?

July 24, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

This is typical. We decided to go camping ( I admit it was my idea) and it turned out to be bloody hot! It is like a sauna out there. No matter, SWMBO and I still had a good time. We left home yesterday (only had to turn back about 5 minutes into the journey due to me forgetting my meds; after all what adventure starts off without a mishap?) and drove down to Caledonia State Park US-1337 where we quickly set up camp. We made a quick trip to the store and then semi-settled in. I got on the air with SWMBO logging and we worked 30 contacts in about 30 minutes. We had a visitor to the campsite which I will post a link to the video I made. We then took a ride to cool off in the AC and to recharge our fones. During our drive we saw 5 ruminants and several bunnies along with a whistle pig who appeared to be praying. By the time we got back and got the fire lit, it was after 20:00 local which made it the 24th for logging purposes. I got back on the air and worked 29 more stations before I shut down to honor the park’s noise policy. We spent some quiet time reading and relaxing and watching the fire burn. This morning, we got up and were on the road before 7 AM. We drove down to Mont Alto State Park US-1386 and worked 12 contacts. Mont Alto can be difficult to work from as it is down in a low spot and the whole area is infested with iron ore, diminishing all radio signals. We made it and headed on. The heat index was predicted to be upwards of the rectal temperature of Satan. Actually they were calling for a heat index of 103 to 105 F but close enough. We travelled down to Fort Frederick MD US-1570 which borders on US -0015 C&O Canal National Historic Park, making this activation a 2 fer. We made 11 contacts and once again set out in the AC coolness to our last park for the day. I stopped in at the Visitors center at Antietam National Battlefield Park and obtained a life-time National Park Pass which entitles myself and 3 others access to all National Parks, Historic Sites, National Forests and other National sites. At Antietam we worked 13 contacts. I know these numbers seem low but consider we were only working 40 M and the band conditions were not that conducive to portable operating. Anyway, we had a good adventure and topped it off with a great lunch at Lincoln Diner in Gettysburg PA. Did I mention that it was very hot out there? We then tore down our campsite and came home, tired, hot and happy with our POTA success. Before I got home the P2P contacts had all uploaded their logs so when I uploaded mine I got the P2P credit. I even got another Warthog Rover certificate: my 3rd. For birds, last night we were serenaded for a few hours by a Yellow-Throated Vireo. Today we heard a lot of birds in all our locations: Red-eyed Vireos, Eastern Wood Pewees, Chipping Sparrows, Great Blue Herons, Common Mergansers, American Robins, American Goldfinches. Eastern Meadowlarks, American Crows and Eastern Phoebes. Quite a bunch. This was a good couple of days and we had a lot of fun. Well, namaste for now, kidlets.

Missie, Moxie and Ollie at Ft Frederick MD

Too Soon?

May 23, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

I have found that the older you get, the quicker time goes by. I just finished a 4 day break from work. Another member of the team had to swap days with me as he had an obligation out of state to attend to. This means that my work schedule is a bit skewed. I was off for the past 4 nights and now I have to work for the next 4 nights. This did allow me to do some activations. I posted in a previous entry about not being in Hawaii but I went out on the 21st, also. It was a short, spur-of-the-moment activations. The bands were bad due to solar activity and I was only able to work 15 stations in an hour at Big Spring State Park US-4355. Before we had finished it started to rain so my owl got moist. I will be adding, either tonight or tomorrow night, a video of a train I took while sitting in the Lincoln diner, to my Youtube channel. You can find it at https://www.youtube.com/@gestyrious/videos. Anyway, I am sitting here drinking coffee and considering getting ready for work. I enjoy my job so that is no big thing but the hours do get long. A 12 hour shift can be a bit endless on the 4th consecutive night. I guess we all have to make our way as best we can and take the ups with the downs. SWMBO and I got some new action cameras so I might be adding more videos soon. In any event, it is Memorial Day Weekend so let us take a moment to think of those who sacrificed their lives to ensure our rights and freedoms. Well, one of my cats, Kalamazoo, is begging me for some treats so I better comply. For now and as always, namaste kiddos.

Ptolomey in the rain at Big Spring State Park

A Sunny Day, 3 Parks And A Walk

May 2, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Yesterday, 1 May 25, was a really nice day. The sun was shining and the temps were in the upper 20’s C. SWMBO suggested we go activate 3 parks and then have lunch. I grabbed some coffee from the local store, PDS, and we drove down to Cunningham Falls State Park US-1566 in Maryland. I have a park pass so I do not have to pay admission to the parks in Maryland, which is handy. We got set up and on the air by 0840. We were the only people in the park aside from the rangers. Band conditions were bad, it was almost like pulling teeth to get contacts but we made 11 contacts in about 20 minutes. We decided to move on and go to Catoctin Mountain Park US-0666. We stopped at the visitors center to make sure it was ok to operate. Camp David is close to the park and you need to check with the rangers before you play radio. It was a good idea to check with them as I was informed by the ranger on duty that the Chestnut Picnic Area was being used by school groups. He suggested we go to Thurmont Vista parking area and it turns that it was a good suggestion. There were very few people around, mostly folks out for a walk. We got set up and on the air by 0940 and made 16 contacts by 1001. It was such a nice day that we decided to take a walk on the Charcoal Trail. This is a loop through the woods where they used to make charcoal for the local furnaces. There are displays along the trail which showcase the activities and process in making charcoal. It was just nice to get out and about in the forest. There were mosquitos buzzing around but we survived them. I will post my videos of the walk on my YouTube channel. Just do a search for Planet Gestyrious in the next few days. Anyway, we made it back to the car and went to Gettysburg US-0027. As usual, we set up on Culp’s Hill and made 12 contacts in 23 minutes before we called it a day. I was putting away my antenna when a man walked up and asked if I was fishing. I told him it was ham radio. He seemed to lose interest. As I had stated earlier, bands were not in good shape. Between the three parks we heard the following birds: Carolina Wrens, Red-Eyed Vireos, Tufted Titmouses, Louisiana Waterthrushes, Wood Thrushes, American Robins, American Redstarts, Eastern Wood-Peewees, Oven Birds, Northern Parulas and Great-Crested Flycatchers. We drove from Culp’s Hill to downtown Gettysburg and ate at the Lincoln Diner which is located by the railroad station. We highly recommend it though the seating is old and uncomfortable. The food there is very good and the staff friendly and courteous. Well I guess that is my update for today. Namaste and stay cool.

A hut used by colliers during charcoal making season. Catoctin Mountain Park

A view of the forest at Catoctin Mountain Park.

Moxie, Missy and Zarathustra at Cunningham Falls SP

Missy, Zarathustra and Moxie guarding my radio and the car at Catoctin Mountain Park.

Last Week Of January Dirty Snow Icy Roads Blues

January 28, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Yep, it’s the last week of January. The pristine and picturesque whiteness of fresh snow has degraded. Now we have dirty dust covered snow, a harridan which used to be virginal and beautiful. I guess it is the cycle of nature, the fresh and new fades away and becomes dismal and mundane. I was thinking of this as I ate breakfast this morning while trying to decide where to activate. I wanted a place where solitude ruled, away from the bustle of people. We ended up going to the ATV Lot in Michaux State Forest US-5471. During the weekends and especially during the summer, the lot is alive with ATVers and other outdoor enthusiasts but today it was empty. Empty and almost forlorn with the parking area a patchwork of gravel and snow. We got set up and I decided to try 40M first. It only took 23 minutes to work 31 stations. The first one I worked was a Park- to -Park. I had tuned to an empty frequency and listened. After a minute I asked if the frequency was in use. I got an immediate reply from N4TRD from a park in NC. He laughingly told me that he was just about to start calling but I had beat him to the punch. We exchanged information and I let him have the freq as he was already spotted here. It was a pleasant and amicable exchange. I tuned to 7.197 and worked a bunch more contacts. Then SWMBO said “How about we finish out this page in the logbook and move to another park?”. It only took us a few minutes to finish that page and then a couple more on the next page. Our total for this park was 31. We then packed up and trolloped over to Kings Gap US-4361. The road up to the mansion (6.5 kilometres) wasn’t as icy as I anticipated. In fact it was mostly bare. I started out on 40M again and then went to 17M. 17 was open and I even worked Alberta which is a Canadian Province which I hadn’t worked before. We racked up 38 contacts and decided to call it a day as we had a few irons in the fire. Basically it was a good day and that alleviated my maudlin mood. 🙂 Well enough for now. I need to fill the stove and get some more coffee. Namaste, kidlets!

And It Rains as a Memorial

May 27, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Today is Pseudo-Memorial Day. I call it that as the real day of memorial was declared to be May 31st but politicians wanted to have a 3 day weekend so they changed tradition and changed the holiday into a meaningless day of sloth and bar-be-ques rather than remembering those who gave their lives for the service of this country. Okay, off of the soapbox lol. By now no one is reading this. lol. We had a bit of a scary and stressful time. Our oldest cat, Mote (age 10) has been losing weight and not acting himself. We feared the worst. We took him to the vet and he was diagnosed with a kidney infection and possible bad kidneys. We have now put him on a diet. This is much better than the cancer which we had feared. I was fully expecting to have to hold him as he crossed over, which I have done in the past for other furbabies. We are so happy that we have more time with him. Now on to more stuff. It is raining today. Very fitting. Friday we went to lunch at the Newville Diner and then activated King’s Gap SP. We made 15 contacts of which 3 were park-to-parks in about 45 minutes. Some people walked past us but no one stopped and asked us anything. Next we stopped off at State Game Lands 169. This is a nice quiet place and we worked 11 of which 6 were park-to-parks. Some of those I went hunting for as the propagation was not the best. We did not do any activations on Saturday but yesterday, Sunday, we went to the ATV lot in Michaux State Forest. We worked a total of 28 contacts and 8 of these were park-to-parks. I have decided that we need to get a sunscreen for the car. I covered the windshield part way with a shirt to screen the radio but my wyfe had to move her cell phone (which she uses to keep time) as it was getting very hot. I also need to keep a pair of gloves in the car as my mag-mount gets very hot. We were discussing on the way home where I could keep these gloves. If only the car manufacturers had designed some compartment in the cars to hold gloves. Maybe someone should suggest it to them. Well enough for now. I am going to stare at the rain and the go ride my stationary bike. Namaste kidlets.