Folly Of Follies, All Is Folly

August 21, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Greetings kids. At this point in classic prose would be an invocation to the muses. Oh, great and frivolous muses I beseech you (and I seldom beseech) to guide my fingers on the keys to reveal only the truth and calamity of arrogance in blindly accepting the veracity of a GPS.

Wednesday, SWMBO and I set out for Hacker Valley, West Virginia where we had reserved a campsite at Holly River State Park (US-1814). The day was cloudy, hot and humid. The drive took us a bit longer than intended. One of our GPS units directed us to take this road. When I turned onto it, we discovered that it was unpaved. There were lots of tire tracks, electric poles along it and houses so I figured it would be ok. We drove for about 6 miles on this road as it narrowed and got more rutted and washboardy. Finally, we emerged to another road which was paved (WOOHOO!!). Still accepting guidance from the GPS in question, we followed it for about 2 miles until it also became unpaved. We continued on for about 5 miles up over a ridge and back down to the other side, dodging potholes the size of Rhode Island. Eventually we emerged back onto a primary road … the one we had originally been on before turning. This lead us to the State Park where we found our campsite and got settled in.

I like comfort. The older I get, the more comfort I prefer. We bought some small mattresses (actual bed mattresses) as nothing I have found has been totally comfortable when sleeping on the ground. They fit perfect in the back of the car and everything packs on top of them nicely. Let me tell you, they did the trick. Had a good night’s sleep. But I am diverging from the path my muse is directing me to take.

After getting all ready, I set up my radio and started calling CQ POTA. We were down in a hollow in the West Virginia mountains and, though my signal was getting out, reception was bad … very bad. I was finally able to log 15 in the log and called it a night as trying to pull out these signals from the background was very exhausting.

Thursday the 20th, we went to Cass WV and prepared to take a ride on the Cass Scenic Railroad to the top of Bald Knob. This was a 5 hour ride which we both enjoyed immensely. There is nothing like being pushed and pulled by a steam locomotive., Mostly it was pushing the cars but for a section between 2 switchbacks it pulled us. The scenery along the way was beautiful and culminated in a vista from the top of Bald Knob, the second highest point in WV.

It rained all day, off and on, and on the drive back to the campsite we decided to head home if it was still raining. I like camping but am not fond of sitting in a tent during a downpour. SWMBO agreed. We packed up and got on the road around 1930 EDT (2330 UTC) and drove until 0100 EDT (0500 UTC) when we reached home. The roads were teeming with trucks and, after 2200 EDT, very few cars. We made it safely thanks to good music and lots of coffee. There is a lot to be said about the virtues of caffeine!

Anyway, I am relaxing tonight. Sometime over the course of the next few days you can expect at least 1 more activation and maybe some more adventure. For now, keep your powder dry and keep your stick on the ice. Namaste, kidlets.

Calamitous Virtue In The Face Of Vapid Indifference

July 23, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Howdy kids! It has been a few since I have inflicted my blog on you. Things got very busy. Due to a fellow employee taking off for a few days, I had to work 6 consecutive nights. Let me tell you, the older I get the less fun these long stretches are.

As usual, plans can change. SWMBO and I had planned on going camping in Maryland and playing tourist and activating a park or two, but that got washed away by some weather. Sitting in a tent trying to play radio during a thunderstorm or slogging through cemeteries in pouring rain were not activities that appealed to us. We could have gone down yesterday evening, but then what fun would it have been to set up, spend the night, and then come back? We will try the camping thing again in a few weeks.

We spent yesterday doing necessary chores to include the first stage of eradication of some unwanted flora. I know I have mentioned before wanting to get rid of the bamboo I planted so now we are in the process of destroying it. I got some super-duper exfoliant which is supposed to be true death to all living plants, so we are giving it a try. We also did some of the other basic stuff that needed to be done.

This morning it was a bit chillier than it has been for a while. When we left to go do an activation it was 12.7 C (55 F) and it had warmed up to 15 C (59 F) by the time we got to the ATV lot in Michaux State Forest. The sun was shining bright and the temperature was on the rise. There were a few people camping there and others offloading their ATVs for some trail riding. We set up and between 11:43 UTC (07:30 EDT) and 12:33 UTC (08:33 EDT) we worked 29 different stations stretching from Maine to Mississippi. We did get chased off of a frequency by the sad hams who occupy an infamous frequency on 40M, (I was down 2 from said frequency but they came on and started splattering over my signal) but that was not a big issue. We just hunted other parks for a bit and then found an empty spot on the band. After a very successful activation we went to the Dickenson Restaurant in Carlisle for a great breakfast. Now I am contemplating taking out the trash as I drink my coffee.

Our newest cat, Muffin. is growing and full of mischief. Our next oldest, Scout, has taken her under his wing and they have bonded. If she isn’t in the room, he will go look for her and is very protective. Last night I was tickling her as she sat next to my chair, and Scout was giving me dirty looks. Muffin likes to climb up my legs which I have the scars to prove, and to jump into the refrigerator every chance she gets.

Now this is where I assert myself as a non-expert with ship-loads of experience. I am going to mention some stuff I take in my car that is not related to activating or to radio in general. I always have at least one first aid kit. The reasons are self-explanatory; I believe everyone should carry one. Next, I have a small fire extinguisher. I also carry window cleaner and cloths to clean dirty windshields and side windows. You never know how dirty your windows are until you see them through strong sunlight. I have a small survival kit that I received for Christmas (from SWMBO) that contains all sorts of items that would help to survive in a wilderness area such as fire making tools, a knife, fishing gear, a flashlight, a compass, some parachute cord and other items. I have a flashlight in my kit box along with duct tape.I have some orange cones in case of a breakdown. I also keep a pair of binoculars in case I want to binocle. It sounds like a lot but all this doesn’t take much room.

One more thing to mention, when driving in PA it behooves you to keep your eyes peeled for those pesky 4-footed ruminants (mentioning them by name summons them) that run out in front of your car and cause damage upon impact. This morning on the way to the restaurant a 6 pointer ran out right in front of us which made me test my anti-lock brakes and verified that I have a functional heart.

Ok, kidlets, I have rambled on too long, I think. Namaste and keep your stick on the ice!

Ollie and Hubert the Gnome are helping me operate

For no reason, a Rose-Of-Sharon growing next to the restaurant.

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

Attitude and Owls and Heat

July 26, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

First off, I am going to rant. I know that the interwebs and social media (in some cases anti-social media) is not a true cross sectional representation of hams but I have seen a lot of this online to merit some commentary. I have read too many people stating that they can go into a State or National Park or owned lands and do whatever they want without permission from the rangers and the rangers cannot tell them what they can and cannot do. I find this attitude of entitlement to be childish and hurtful to the reputation of all hams. First off, these lands are public property, yes, but that means they are shared by the public. As such, there must be rules for usage so that everyone using these lands can enjoy them. The rangers are there to enforce these rules and make sure that standards of behavior are met. Some inconsiderate person going into a park and throwing trash around or breaking tree limbs or making a lot of unwanted noise should be held accountable for their behavior. It is a matter of courtesy in most cases to let the rangers know what you are doing and answer any concerns they any have. In some cases it is mandatory to contact the rangers. Catoctin Mountain Park in Maryland is very close to Camp David. It is required that you check in with the ranger station prior to operating there so that they can make sure you won’t be interfering with the comms at Camp David. I had occasion to stop at a park this summer where they had a sign posted at the gates stating no radios allowed. I found a ranger and asked him and discovered the ban was for “boom box” type radios and he had no problems with me doing an activation. He was glad that I stopped by and asked, though. To those who have the attitude that you can do as you please on public lands, consider this: the state or town owns an easement of at least 3 feet from the edge of the road in front of your house onto “your” property. This is considered public land. What if someone with the “I can do what I want” attitude decided to empty the holding tank on their RV on this public land? Hmmmm …

On to other things. On July 21st, my long suffering wyfe and I set out early to Gettysburg to beat the heat. She wanted to do some photography so we drove around and found the monuments she had listed. We made it up onto Little Roundtop and WOW! they made some improvements in the road and parking areas up there. Anyway, after a bit we drove up to Culp’s Hill and did an activation. She heard only 1 species of bird: the Eastern Blue Jay. We logged 34 contacts over the course of 45 minutes and retreated before the heat got too oppressive. Our next opportunity to activate was yesterday, July 25th. We had a breakfast at the Newville Diner in Newville, PA and drove over to the ATV lot on Piney Mountain Ridge Road in Michaux State Forest. We found a nice shady spot and were soon on the air. There was only 1 bicyclist and 1 dog walker there so the place wasn’t busy at all. SWMBO was able to use her app and hear Red-Eyed Vireos, Tufted Titmouses (titmice?), Eastern Wood Peewees and Carolina Chickadees. The 40 metre band was hopping and in about 45 minutes we worked 37 contacts. Once again we picked up before it got too hot. All in all, a good activation. I looked into camping at the ATV lot and it only costs $10 per night. There is no running water but there is bathroom facilities (primitive but usable). Well enough for now. Namaste, kiddos.