July 29, 2016 Afternoon

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Good afternoon! Partly cloudy and 78 degrees in Erie, PA. There is a northeast breeze at 11 mph. The dew point is 67 degrees.

I’m a Presque Isle State Park, getting ready to hit the beach. Going to be an amazing day. I can’t wait to get in the water. Beach 12 to start out the day I think. 

This afternoon will have a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high of 80 degrees at 3pm. One degrees below normal. Northeast wind 11 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Maximum dew point of 67 at 12pm. The record high of 97 was set in 1894.

July 29, 2016 Morning

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Good morning! National Lasagna Day. Garfield would approve of this holiday, although I would think it’s best celebrates in colder weather. Partly sunny now that the fog has burnt and 71 degrees in Warren. Calm wind. The dew point is 64 degrees. Stopping briefing at the Jake’s Rocks Overlook before heading out to Presque Isle for swimming. 

Today will have a chance of showers between 11am and 2pm, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high of 79 degrees at 5pm. Three degrees below normal. North wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 64 at 10am. The record high of 97 was set in 1894. The sun will set at 8:36 pm with dusk around 9:07 pm, which is 1 minutes and 4 seconds earlier than yesterday. Today will have 14 hours and 28 minutes of daylight, a decrease of 2 minutes and 3 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low of 62 degrees at 5am. One degrees below normal. East wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 63 at 6pm. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1968.

0.4 inch of rain expected between Saturday 2pm and Sunday 7pm. Within the next four days, a total of 0.4 inches of rain is expected.

 We have some muggy weather coming up. Sunday 10am – Sunday 6pm. Maximum temperature will be 74 degrees and a maximum dew point of 66. Wednesday 5pm – Wednesday 11pm. Maximum temperature will be 81 degrees, a heat index reaching 83, and a maximum dew point of 65. Thursday 7pm – Friday 1am. Maximum temperature will be 77 degrees, a heat index reaching 77, and a maximum dew point of 65.

There are 2 weeks until First Day of Sunset Before 8 PM in Albany when the sun will be setting at 8:18 pm with dusk at 8:49 pm. The average high temperature is 81 degrees, with a record high of 99 in 1944.

Made some eggs and sausage for breakfast. Got clothes and gear out for the day and got the camp gear put away. Got firewood for the night. Put it all under tarp. Got cleaned up and after a brief stop at Jake’s Rocks, then I’m heading over to Erie, Penna. and Presque Isle State Park. 

It was a nice night. I ended up staying up until well after 1 am but I had a nice campfire and it was pretty nice once the drizzle stopped. Foggy morning, as is common in the Allegheny Woods. 

My laptop battery is dead, so I won’t be able to upload yesterday’s photos until tomorrow. It should get a good charge on the way out to Erie, Penna. 

I listened to Hillary’s speech last night. I have to admit this is the first keynote address of the conventions I’ve stayed up until late night to until I was on vacation. I fell asleep before Trump’s speech last week, in part because I had to work the next day. 

I liked a lot of what I heard but I do have serious concerns about what she had to say about guns and the second amendment. I also worry that a democratic president could lock up a lot of public lands as developed parks and monuments, taking away people’s right to camp, hunt, fish, off-road and ATV. There are some special areas that deserve wilderness protections but most forests can sustain a wide variety of public and private uses. Hillary seems like a liberal without bounds and I worry that there might not be a powerful congress to check her. 

That said Trump worries me. He strikes me as a greedy business man, who doesn’t have a moral compass. I fear what he would be like if elected president, as he seems to have a temper and a poor grasp of international affairs or economics. He could blow up the world markets. I don’t think he understands the oil crisis the world faces, even if prices are low now. Nor do I think we need a president who fails to acknowledge climate change, and the pros and cons to action. 

I’m a lifelong Democrat. I’m sure I’ll come home at the end, but Hillary gives me pause. I hate how the National Democratic Party and it’s surrogates have taken to attack the NRA, when they’re out there advocating for me and my fellow gun owners. I don’t think guns should be a partisan issue, as self defense is a human right, and hunting gets people out in the wilderness and creating a personal stake in protecting our environment. 

July 29, 2016 midnight update

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Good morning, early on my half birthday! Cloudy and 67 degrees in the Allegheny National Forest as we head into the midnight hour of Friday. Calm wind. The dew point is 64 degrees. Pretty muggy. We had some showers but now they’ve stopped. The radar showed a severe thunderstorm, but it passed to the north of where I am. 

Today I went for a swim for a few hours at Watkins Glen then got a massive black raspberry twist cone at the Glen Dairy Bar. Drove to the Allegheny National Forest, after exploring campsites along FR 137 up by the Willow Run ATV Trail, decided on camping on Forest Road 259, at a favorite campsite from years past. This is more convenient for tomorrow when I drive out to Erie. Assuming we have good weather, I want to watch the sunset from Rim Rock. I’m leaving my campsite up tomorrow, secured by security cables so if I get back after dark, I just have to unlock and uncover things and light the lantern and plug the lights into the truck.  I also set up my tent again for storing paper products, charcoal, dirty clothes, etc. Keeps them dry and out of the way. I also  set up a tarp so I can duck under it if we get showers. 

There was a major detour on US 6 between Port Allegany to Smethport, and I ended up taking a road through Bradford, Penna. It turned out to be a hell of a longer trip, and wasn’t too scenic to boot. That said, I enjoy exploring new roads. 

Tonight for rest of the night, we will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low of 62 degrees at 6am. Typical for tonight. Light north wind. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 65 at 10pm. The record low of 47 occurred back in 1987. Waning Crescent Moon tonight with 30% illuminated. The moon will rise around 2:09 am. The New Moon Moon is on Tuesday with mostly clear skies expected. The Full “Strugeon” Moon is in 3 weeks.

Tomorrow in the northern Allegheny National Forest, we will have a slight chance of showers before 11am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high of 78 degrees at 2pm. Three degrees below normal. Fewer clouds as you head west, like with me going to Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Penna. North wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 62 at 6am. The record high of 97 was set in 1894. The sun will rise at 6:06 am with the first light at 5:34 am, which is 59 seconds later then yesterday.

Tomorrow I plan to go to Presque Isle State Park and go swimming in Lake Erie. The weather looks decent there tomorrow. It’s a nice drive and those big sandy beaches are fun. Might be some good waves with the changing weather. For Saturday we will see. I could pack up, go to Allegany State Park and go swimming in Quaker Lake then camp somewhere on the way home. Or if it looks like they have better weather in the Finger Lakes, I could head back there and hit up Watkins Glen pool one last time and overnight in that National Forest. Or remain at this campsite and try the beach on the Allegheny Reservoir. We will see. 

0.1 inch of rain expected between Thursday 10pm and Friday 7pm. 0.2 inch of rain expected between Saturday 8am and Sunday 7pm. Within the next four days, a total of 0.3 inches of rain is expected.

Looking ahead, State Fair Opens is in 4 weeks, First Day of Sunset Before 7 PM in Albany is in 3 weeks, First Day of Autumn is in 8 weeks, Last Recorded Day Above in 90 in Albany is in 10 weeks, First Day with Average High Below 60 is in 12 weeks and Thanksgiving is in 17 weeks.

Friday Night. Chance of T-storms then Chance of Showers and 58 degrees, 61 max dew point, 6:08 sunrise.
Saturday. Chance of T-storms and 76 degrees, 61 max dew point, 8:34 sunset.
Saturday Night. Chance of T-storms and 59 degrees, 61 max dew point, 6:09 sunrise.
Sunday. Chance of T-storms and 76 degrees, 63 max dew point, 8:33 sunset.
Sunday Night. Chance of T-storms and 58 degrees, 61 max dew point, 6:10 sunrise.
Monday. Mostly Sunny and 79 degrees, 62 max dew point, 8:32 sunset.
Monday Night. Mostly Clear and 58 degrees, 61 max dew point, 6:11 sunrise.
Tuesday. Sunny and 81 degrees, 60 max dew point, 8:31 sunset.
Tuesday Night. Mostly Clear and 61 degrees, 60 max dew point, 6:12 sunrise.
Wednesday. Mostly Sunny and 83 degrees, 64 max dew point, 8:29 sunset.