Campsite From The Road

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This is the second time I've camped at Moose River Plains Campsite 68. It's not far off the road but well elevationed and about a 1/2 mile in one direction from the nearest campsite, and maybe a mile in the other direction. Nestled between Mount Tom and Mitchell's Pond Mountain the radio reception is non-existent, but it's nice to be away from the news on NPR for a while. At mile point 7 from the Limekiln Lake Entrance, it's not too far from Inlet.

Taken on Tuesday July 4, 2017 at Moose River Plains.

Why Summer Jobs Don’t Pay

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Why Summer Jobs Don’t Pay

"Why can't kids today just work their way through college the way earlier generations did? The answer to that question isn't psychology. It's math. A summer job just doesn't have the purchasing power it used to, especially when you compare it with the cost of college."

"Let's take the example of a working-class student at a four-year public university who's getting no help from Mom and Dad. In 1981-'82, the average full cost to attend was $2,870. That's for tuition, fees and room and board. The maximum Pell Grant award back then for free tuition help from the government was $1,800. That leaves our hypothetical student on the hook for just about $1,000. Add in a little pocket money, too — say $35 a week. That makes an extra $1,820 for the year on top of the $1,000 tuition shortfall."

Dusk at the Big T

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Heading west from Helldiver Pond towards the Big T, passing the Summer Stream at Moose River Plains.

Made Some Good Muffins

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Came out fully cooked, not at all burnt on the bottom. I'm glad, because in Boy Scouts with the reflector and dutch ovens, we always ended up burning our food.

Taken on Monday July 3, 2017 at Moose River Plains.

July 5, 2017 Morning

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Good morning! Suddenly it’s July and Hump Day, of course. Sunny and 68 degrees in Elsmere. Calm wind. The dew point is 56 degrees. A very nice, clear summer morning that should be proceeded by a nice day with some more humidity pushing in late but still quite pleasant. 

Today will be sunny, with a high of 83 degrees at 3pm. One degree above normal. Next week we will be getting to the hottest part of summer. Maximum dew point of 58 at 6pm. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had drizzle, partly cloudy skies and a high of 89 degrees. The record high of 99 was set in 1919.

The sun will set at 8:35 pm with dusk around 9:10 pm, which is 18 seconds earlier than yesterday. At sunset, look for partly clear conditions and 75 degrees. The dew point will be 61 degrees. Might start to feel a little humidity by then but still not bad. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 11 minutes of daytime, an increase of 56 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be partly cloudy, with a low of 62 degrees at 4am. Typical for tonight. Maximum dew point of 61 at 8pm. South wind 5 to 8 mph. In 2016, it got down to 64 degrees with mostly sunny skies. The record low of 47 occurred back in 1962.

On this day in 1999, U.S. President Bill Clinton imposes trade and economic sanctions against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. In retrospect, maybe that was too little too late but I guess hindsight is 20/20.

Talking about seeing well, I got my next year’s supply of contact lenses that’s one less expense on my budget. My prescription was going to expire and I didn’t want to go to the eye doctor when my insurance only covers once every two years. Plus I hate going to the doctor of any sort. Maybe I don’t do enough preventive maintenance on my body but if I make it to 3/4 of a million miles or 75 years I’ll be fine. I’m not sure I want to make it into my 80s. By then all kinds of problems start to develop. 

Looking ahead, there are 7 weeks until Last Day with Average High of 80 when the sun will be setting at 7:43 pm with dusk at 8:13 pm. Summer won’t last forever. People too often take these nice summer days for granted. On that day in 2016, we had mostly sunny skies and temperatures between 80 and 50 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 80 degrees. We hit a record high of 94 back in 1947.

I am not sure what my weekend plans are going to be. There are many options. I am not sure if I want to go too far after spending the long weekend but it does look quite nice. I’m still thinking about Wells but Vermont and Schoharie are good options. 
Have a great day!