Problems, Predicaments, and Technology

Rough Ridge Trail in North Carolina I am currently on a trip as I start this article and enjoying the cool weather. It has been unseasonably cool for this time of year but I can't complain because I'd rather have the cool weather over the other extreme of too warm, which is increasingly looking likely for the remainder of this year.  The first part of this trip is taking in the Blue Ridge Parkway, although it is still not fully open yet. Worse still, most of the attractions along the route are also not open. Something unusual that I have never witnessed before; all the picnic grounds/areas that we have passed so far are closed off. The only ones open were located near the start of the parkway in Virginia. I don't know if this is because of government shutdowns, the elimination of so many park jobs, or what the issue is. I'm used to various attractions like restaurants and campgrounds being closed for the winter, but in previous years, picnic areas were open even when it...

  Linn Cove Viaduct, Blue Ridge Parkway, as seen from above the Rough Ridge Lookout on the Tanawha Trail

  People enjoying the Rough Ridge Lookout at Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina

  Beacon Heights Overlook, North Carolina

  Beacon Heights Overlook, North Carolina

  Picnic Area at Lake Powhatan, North Carolina

  Fog on the reservoir at R.B. Winter State Park in Pennsylvania

  Middle Fork Falls, Joyner, Tennessee

  Ausable Chasm, New York

  Whiteface Mountain, New York

  At the top of Whiteface Mountain in New York

  Lexie was one of several dogs climbing to the top of Whiteface Mountain with us

  Climbing this trail to the top of Whiteface Mountain was a blast!

  Delt Church Park trail Before I get started on today's article, I'd like to take a moment to thank all those who posted comments recently; especially the supportive ones. I think that being more supportive in today's atmosphere of eroding trust and increasing violence is one way to thwart those trajectories. Not only do I appreciate these comments, but I am certain that others are benefitting from them too! One item I considered putting into my recent article about suicide I decided to put into a future article instead to keep the first article more compact. This explains the inspiration for this article which has been similar to suicide in my line of articles - it has been put on the back burner too long and needs to be brought into the light. I don't take these articles lightly, but at the same time I likewise do not think they are more than they are. Ever since I discovered the psychological roots as to why  and how we got ourselves into this mess of inescapabl...

The beach at Glimmerglass State Park in New York

  Hyde Hall at Glimmerglass State Park

The walkway down to Otsego Lake at Fairy Springs Park outside of Cooperstown, New York

Early October morning at Hills Creek State Park

Round Barn in Indiana

The Mississinewa Dam