In theory those are available direct from the USGS Historic Topographic Map system...but I find navigating that a circle jerk where they just keep saying they're available, there's information here...and rotates through several sites none of which have obvious links to the maps.
Environmental Maps:
CT Environmental Conditions Online: http://www.cteco.uconn.edu/map_catalog.asp
This has a variety of interesting maps (soil, DEEP property, orthography) but perhaps most interesting is the Protected Open Space
Historical Maps: RI Historical Cemeteries ... which helps show some historic development patterns (like the 1750-ish cemeteries along Shetucket Turnpike long before the turnpike was built!)
So I started off with a run to re-stock the pantry at Market Basket -- arriving there at 7:30 meant it wasn't a mad house (but far from slow!); with the added budgetary bonus that I'm not likely to be shopping while tipsy at such an hour.
On Thursday(?) before I left work I re-jiggered how the radio was mounted, making it cleaner. I used double sided tape to hold the foam on the bottom that night. Decided on Friday I didn't like the look of the exposed foam cut, so Friday night I covered it with electric tape to make it a bit smoother and spent about an hour, while listening to WAAF's last hurrah, programming more frequencies in it.
So being at Market Basket, I realized I was about half way to Leominster where the trailer I've been eyeing since last fall is...since I hadn't planned this out I put a down payment on it and I'll return next Saturday with my hitch and take it home:
Sunday morning I went out on my errands, and was a bit shocked to see records in Walmart (though reading earlier this week while most music is bought online now, for folks who by physical media records make up like 10% of sales today O_O). I got into listening to music relatively late -- after I started driving; and by that time CDs had already largely displaced records though I bought tapes because after at least '93 that's what my truck had a player for.
...any way back to the Jeep, I bought a "woobie" blanket to keep in it from Amazon but one thing at Walmart today was a stuff sack so it could tuck away taking up less room:
“Horns Up...1970 their opening year, first heavy metal song, heavy metal band. Hand crafted for the change over. Loud, in your face cheap and fast, for everybody who has ever listened! Roll your windows down, crank your speakers up!!! “ AAF AAF AAF AAF AAF AAF AAF
queue Black Sabbath Black Sabbath
And with that it was done; the silence afterwards the longest seconds until the feed cut way into the middle of some prosperity evangelicalism bullshit song.
I did stay up to listen live to the end, but waiting for the podcasts to listen to some parts I missed earlier and especially on Thursday. Caught most of it live between headphones at work and the car and home.
Black Sabbath (the song) premiered 50 years and a 8 days before WAAF signed off; 1970 being the same year WAAF became a rock station -- although I'm pretty sure Sabbath wasn't on their playlist yet.
This may be the most WAAF photo I've ever seen -- Mistress Carrie after it ended. While not quite a song WAAF would be known for playing, I have to quote Chubawamba, "I get knocked down, but I get up again. You're never gonna keep me down."
Got a chuckle from the lede line from the T&G:
The final playlist from the day, starting at 10am when Mike Hsu & Mistress Carrie came on the air:
Finsihing at the stroke of midnight:
Ozzy (Black Sabbath)
Black Sabbath
Played at 11:07 pm EST
Freewill
Rush
Played at 10:13 pm EST
Call Me A Dog
Chris Cornell (Live 4/18/07)
Played at 8:35 pm EST
Wild Thing
Sam Kinnison
Played at 8:04 pm EST
Country Boy Live @ Waaf
Aaron Lewis
Played at 7:42 pm EST
Looks That Kill
Motley Crue
Played at 7:30 pm EST
A.D.I.D.A.S.
Korn
Played at 7:13 pm EST
Blitzkrieg Bop
RAMONES
Played at 6:45 pm EST
Back To School
Deftones
Played at 4:39 pm EST
Savages
Ice Nine Kills
Played at 4:29 pm EST
Bitch
Rolling Stones
Played at 4:09 pm EST
Smokewood
Nullset
Played at 3:57 pm EST
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Warrant
Played at 3:31 pm EST
I Stand Alone
GODSMACK
Played at 2:55 pm EST
Simple Man (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
Shinedown (Live @Waaf 1/20/04)
Played at 2:51 pm EST
Fly From The Inside
Shinedown Live 4/23/03
Played at 2:07 pm EST
Remedy
Black Crowes
Played at 1:38 pm EST
The Beautiful People
Marilyn Manson
Played at 1:26 pm EST
Dream On
AEROSMITH
Played at 12:59 pm EST
Sweet Emotion
Aerosmith
Played at 12:47 pm EST
Make Up Your Mind (Unplugged)
Theory Of A Deadman
Played at 12:26 pm EST
Just Go
Staind
Played at 12:12 pm EST
Denial
Sevendust
Played at 11:28 am EST
I Am The Bullgod
Kid Rock
Played at 11:17 am EST
Stone The Crow (Acoustic)
Down
Played at 11:03 am EST
Bad Company
Five Finger Death Punch
Played at 10:58 am EST
Wild Horses (Live/Acoustic)
Cory Taylor - Backstage/Fam Values
Played at 10:48 am EST
Cemetary Gates
Pantera
Played at 10:41 am EST
Beer
Psychostick 12/1/06
Played at 10:35 am EST
Diamonds And Rust
Judas Priest (Live@Waaf 6/12/05)
Played at 10:28 am EST
Antisocial
Anthrax (Live@Waaf)
Played at 10:11 am EST
Mutha (Don't Wanna Go To School Today)
Extreme
The hug at the end of Black Sabbath (and she was wearing the same jersey she got for a softball game with Extreme the day she started as an intern):
Managed to burn wood for nearly the entire February billing cycle (due in March). Only turned on the minisplit two evenings when the wood had failed to catch in the stove in the morning leaving the house a bit chilly (and by a bit I mean it was still like 60-ish).
It was an exceptionally mild February, but I don't think that would make a big difference on the bottom line -- a regular February would just mean more wood.
There was a time if WAAF announced it was sold and converting to Christian Contemporary on Saturday you would know it was an epic troll.
This time I'm not so sure, and think instead a forever young bit of my soul is dying...
In it's heyday I was in a college class of 40+ people and the teacher did a survey in which 90% of the students listend to WAAF daily. It was noticeably different from all the other radio stations in that national advertising dominated its prime hours rather than little local places. It's old transmitter on Asnebumskit was absolutely dominating central New England with significant coverage in at least 5 states, maybe into southern Maine. Concerts from Springfield and Hartford to Boston would get promoted on it because it reached so many separate markets. Sadly I understand it can "never go back" because after it moved its site to Westborough the FCC adjusted what was allowed by other stations such that a move back and at the old power would cause interference with the other stations.
Of course, when I heard on another station and switched to 'AAF to see if it was real, "Here I Go Again" was playing. For reasons few if any will ever hear from me that's really the first rock song I remember a specific time, place, and state of mind hearing it. I had heard it before, but that night it burned into my mind in a way that will never go away.
Although it's been postponed six months based on pushback, the Massachusetts DCR is trying to significantly reduce public access to the Ware Rive Watershed lands.
I originally found this on a hot day in the late 80s (maybe very early 90s?) driving around for relief from the heat. An extensive amount of internal roads are currently open to the public, and unlike nearly all state facilities it is open 24x7. They do seasonally close the roads to avoid excessive damage due to mud -- although some of the gates we came across are not normally closed until March they were locked already but I suspect that is based (quite reasonably) on the very, very mild winter we've been having.
However they are currently proposing extending the "prohibited zone" from about 15 acres to over 400 acres in a 1000 meter radius from the diversion intake -- except Route 122 which is a literal stones throw away from the intake will remain open for traffic, presumably including bulk shipments of water soluble hazardous materials.
In addition to that they want to close off all the roads on 23,000 acres of state land year round with a narrow exception for hunters possessing permits to hunt on the watershed land.
The area is also one of the very few state locations open to (authorized) activities like hiking, snowmobiles, and cars around the clock. They also want to end that as well.
Low today was 5, which is the coldest day we've had this winter -- last week most days got above 40, this week most days are predicted to get above 40.
I snagged Eric on the way north :D
A lot of the dashboard pics didn't come out that well with vibration from the car :/ . The videos seem OK-ish.
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Since these things have a habit of disappearing from state websites when it becomes inconvenient to regulators, here's the 2010 plan that is currently trying to be revised to (for the most part) significantly reduce public use while increasing a few things like authorizing more mountain bike trails.: http://www.d90.us/fire/Jeep/20200215/2010wareaccessplan.pdf
Do you have any idea how confusing the folder name 20200202 is to read?
Anyway, catching up with my exploits from last Sunday testing to make sure nothing from the ham radio install to that point shook loose.
Going up some powerlines until such point they were posted, scouting out if there was a good place to try and photograph bald eagles without having to hike on my bad knee.
And a clearing on the Connecticut / RI Border; I've posted this before under gypsy moth damage since they then killed many of the trees that had been left standing. Resisted temptation to go in :D
So I met up with a jeep club...found them on Sunday, happened to be their next run was on Saturday :)
Lest I be accused of burying the lede, let's just skip to the good part, asking the question, "Can you Ford a puddle in a Jeep?":
Ryuk just barely touched the "You must be this tall to ride" line...I was the only Jeep without a lift or larger than 32" tires. (One other Jeep may not have a lift, but definitely better tires).
Heading out
Ok, we're entering the first of two "bucket list" roads that I had never ventured on before. Never went down them with dad, I nosed into both from both ends over the years and nope'd out...thinking if I ever had a very dry summer or very cold (but not snowy) winter and a reliable vehicle I would try them.
You can't slap the grin off my face I got to go down these roads. I'd be shocked if my Dad hadn't done them with his older Scouts.
After this point I didn't take many photos in motion since I needed to concentrate more. This one did initially stop me and I had to back up a little and engage the rear lockers for the first time outside of testing :)
The middle of nowhere. Seriously, the nearest line is not a road, it's a border :D
It was only afterwards I had time to mount a new holder for my phone so I can take snaps / movies much more easily.
