Search Results for: photo above the ravine 2

June 15, 2020 10 PM Update

Good evening! Mostly clear and 69 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. The dew point is 49 degrees. Not a half bad evening not really hot.

Today was a long day at work ๐Ÿ’ผ but I got two hours of overtime so I can’t complain too much. Working late though meant I couldn’t walk out to Five Rivers after work but I did get down to the park โ›ฒ and walked some of the trails in the ravine. A found a tick on my neck which I pulled. ๐Ÿœ It was a butch to remove. I got podcasts so I was happy about that. ๐ŸŽง I kind of wish I could have been on the wifi today as sometimes watching a movie picture in pictures can pass the time when I work, especially the more boring ๐Ÿ’ค parts of the day.

Tonight will have patchy fog after 5am. Otherwise, mostly clear ๐ŸŒƒ, with a low of 51 degrees at 5am. Six degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 29th. Maximum dew point of 49 at 8pm. Light northwest wind. In 2019, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became light rain by the early hours of the morning. It became somewhat humid as the night progressed. It got down to 63 degrees. The record low of 40 occurred back in 1961.

Tonight will have a Waining Crescent ๐ŸŒ˜ Moon with 24% illuminated. The darkest hour is at 12:57 am, followed by dawn at 4:43 am, and sun starting to rise at 5:18 am in the east-northeast (57ยฐ) and last for 3 minutes and 27 seconds. Sunrise is one second later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ The golden hour ends at 6:01 am with sun in the east-northeast (64ยฐ). Tonight will have 8 hours and 41 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 21 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 81 degrees at 4pm. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around June 26th. Maximum dew point of 52 at 10am. Calm wind. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. The high last year was 68 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1967.

I couldn’t sit out back because Big Red ๐Ÿš˜ is still at the shop with my lawn chair out back. As usually is the case when you have alignment issues and tire wear, the tie rods and ball joints needed replacement to do the alignment but I’d rather replace them then have them break on the trail or road. When they snap sometimes they do body damage or cause the truck to roll depending on the speed they snap. And the internet is full of Chevy pictures with snapped tie rods, it’s a meme. ๐Ÿ˜ญ

Those Chevy’s have notoriously weak tie rods and with the lift kit they’re do for replacement at 90k miles. ๐Ÿ”ง But hopefully this will even out the tire wear and things will last at least through the inspection in November. โšซ It was noticeable just looking at the front wheels over the past year – they’ve been looking fairly messed up for a while. Cheaper than new tires or renting a car when the wheel fell off. Not a lot of tire wear up front but it’s obvious looking at them they were a bit messed up and the classic popping noise of the ball joints could be heard at times.โšช A little less than $1,200 later I’ll have the truck back tomorrow. But so be it – I’ve already budgeted for it when I bought the lift kit six years ago – figured $5,000 for the lift kit then $5,000 for repairs thereafter.

I did plan for this week as I knew I would work late several nights ๐Ÿ’ต and earn some overtime which adds up at time and a half. This will be a good week for billable hours at my job. I’ll retire the debt tomorrow from savings and hopefully the rest of the summer will be trouble free with the trugk.

I want to get two more summers out of it and I’ll make a decision next year at the end of 2021 if I want to retire Big Red and go carless for a few years. ๐Ÿšฒ I think it would be fun to have a bicycle and ride around town, do more things in town, maybe get a drink somewhere or even have internet at home and just rent a car a few times a year for road trips. I’m ready for not having to deal with the automotive industry or car insurance for a few years. Even with Uber fees and car rentals it really is a big savings. A lot of my colleagues have gone carless – they rent a car, take a bus or train, or Uber everywhere. I know the reaction I get from people is I’m nuts.

That said, at least I shouldn’t have to worry so much about either of those things failing anytime soon ๐Ÿš˜ or saving miles at this point. I’ve been a bit concerned about the tie rods for a while, I knew they were getting bad. I’m probably still considering going north for the second half of the week โ›บ as even if I do work long days as long as I have power and cell service I can log the hours โณ and get the work done that needs to happen from my screen tent ๐ŸŽช it hammock or even by the campfire. ๐Ÿ”ฅ

I run a tight budget and I’m always saving where I can ๐Ÿ’ธbut I love ๐Ÿ˜ being in the woods and I give up plenty of other things my colleagues enjoy like nicer apartments, air conditioning, wireless internet, cable television, haul my own trash to the transfer station and I take the bus to work. ๐Ÿš˜ Big Red is kind of my guilty pleasure but I paid cash for it so I’ve never paid any financing fees for it. And I’m investing a lot of money and saving for retirement. But I’m not perfect.

And while land and implements is expensive ๐Ÿšœ I do expect by then to have more money and when you own land you don’t pay rent. ๐Ÿก And if I live off grid there won’t be electric and gas bills, especially if I can harvest wood for heat. ๐Ÿ”Œ I doubt I’ll ever have cable or wireless internet and I expect my trash will go up in smoke – that is besides the cans and glass for recycling โ™ป .

In four weeks on July 13 the sun will be setting in the west-northwest (301ยฐ) at 8:32 pm,๐ŸŒ„ which is 2 minutes and 42 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2019 on that day, we had hot, partly sunny and temperatures between 88 and 65 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 83 and 62 degrees. The record high of 96 degrees was set back in 1894.

Looking ahead, Average High is 80 ๐Ÿ– is in 1 week.

Settles Hill

April 4, 2020 Night

Good evening! Mostly cloudy and 53 degrees in Delmar, NY. โ˜ Calm wind. The dew point is 43 degrees. The skies will clear tomorrow around 10 pm.

It’s a nice evening, sitting out in the bed of my truck after the evening walk ๐Ÿšถ. I opened the container of Christmas ale ๐Ÿป that I got at Christmas and it’s good and 9 percent alcohol. I won’t need a sleeping pill ๐Ÿ’Š tonight after two good size mug fulls. First alcohol I’ve had since my birthday ๐ŸŽ‚ .

It turned out to be a lot more sunny โ›… and nice day then previously predicted. Walked about ten miles at Partridge Run. Started at Bradt Hollow Road and Beaver Road to Sickle Hill Road to High Point Road to the Long Path past the big swamp to a snowmobile trail that runs southerly to a clearing that runs along the property line up to Cook Hill and the newer part of Partridge Run Game Management Area then bushwhacked down to a stream and deep Ravine to Cook Hill Road to Bradt Hollow Road than took the gated southerly section that goes back to field that overlooks a hollow, North Hill in Rensselaerville and the Catskills. I also tried bushwhacking back to a large pond – actually a swamp back that way and I spotted several geese and wood duck. ๐Ÿœ Fortunately didn’t find any ticks on me when I got home but I did find one crawling on me when I was hiking.

At the end of the day I was thinking it would be a nice night to camp โ›บ overnight but I didn’t bring any food with me and had eaten my lunch already and it was getting dark. Plus I knew tonight would be a fairly cool and long night. But I was tempted to just get my hammock out, swing by one of the nearby state forests, grab some blankets and hoodie, start a small fire, ๐Ÿ”ฅ put on some music ๐ŸŽถ and then in a few hours all it a night in the hammock. But I knew by morning that I’d awake and be cold and have to try getting back to sleep ๐Ÿ˜ด until daybreak. It’s still early April and while the low in Albany is 45 degrees, it would be a fair bit colder done morning. I haven’t hung out in the hammock since autumn, I wouldn’t mind breaking it out for a good nap in the woods, especially when it gets a bit warmer, agree all two weeks until the average day is in the sixties. It’s actually a bit surprising how do far this year we haven’t had any real warm days. Maybe during the long weekend. Certainly there are some state forests in the western part of Albany County that are good for hammock camping.

Tonight will have a slight chance of showers between 11pm and midnight. Mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒง, with a low of 43 degrees at 6am. 10 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 1st. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 25 degrees. The record low of 14 occurred back in 2016.

Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbons Moon with 88% illuminated. At 10 PM, the moon was in the south-southeast (162ยฐ) at an altitude of 60ยฐ from the horizon, some 227,975 miles away from where you are looking up from the earth. ๐Ÿš€ At the state speed limit of 55 mph, you’ll make it there by September 24th. Buckle up for safety! ๐Ÿ’บ Ursa pretty bright moon lit night. The Pink ๐ŸŒธ Moon is on Tuesday, April 7. The darkest hour is at 12:59 am, followed by dawn at 6:04 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:32 am in the east (81ยฐ) and last for 2 minutes and 56 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 43 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ The golden hour ends at 7:10 am with sun in the east (88ยฐ). Tonight will have 11 hours and 4 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 50 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a chance of showers, mainly after 4pm. Mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 60 degrees at 3pm. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 18th. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 42 degrees. The record high of 82 was set in 1928. 2.1 inches of snow fell back in 2019.โ„

Maybe tomorrow will turn out relatively nice like today. โ›… That said no big plans for tomorrow, just early to the laundromat and get groceries than back home. Maybe go for a walk around town, we will see or down to the park โ›ฒ. That said, between the ticks on the grass and the possibility of picking up COVID-19 from the park bench, it will be more of a walk ๐Ÿšถ there to get podcast than an extended stay. I do want to try to get the revised blog theme done and some fixes to my photo upload code.

Monday looks quite nice, ๐Ÿ˜Ž I plan to do my morning shift from my backyard and then go out to Five Rivers Environmental Education Center to save bandwidth on my employers network card and be able to use my personal laptop for downloading videos and maybe activating the new blog theme.

No certain plans for the long weekend ๐Ÿฐbut truth be told I have some ideas. Nothing in stone yet but I’m watching the forecast and if things suck Thursday night I might leave early on Good Friday. To be safe I’ll get gas and all supplies โ›ฝ before I leave to ensure that I can wash my hands well. That said I’m a bit concerned that the forecast is trending cloudy โ˜ and cooler for the Easter holiday.

In four weeks on May 2 the sun will be setting in the west-northwest (292ยฐ) at 7:57 pm,๐ŸŒ„ which is 31 minutes and 49 seconds later then tonight. In 2019 on that day, we had partly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 65 and 50 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 65 and 43 degrees. The record high of 90 degrees was set back in 2018.

Looking ahead, Average High is 60 ๐ŸŒผ is in 2 weeks, 8 PM Sunset ๐ŸŒ‡ is a month away, Average High is 70 ๐Ÿฎ is in 6 weeks, Memorial Day Weekend Starts ๐Ÿ•๏ธ is in 7 weeks, Last Day of Session ๐Ÿ› is in 11 weeks and Summer ๏ธโ›ฑ๏ธ is in 11 weeks.

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿฆ…Only 47 days remain until the start of Memorial Day Weekend!๐Ÿฆ…๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ

Dairies Along Clauverwie Road

July 9, 2019 Night

Good evening! Mostly clear ๐ŸŒƒ and 78 degrees waiting for the bus at the NYS Capitol. Calm wind. The dew point is 59 degrees. Not a half bad evening once I get home to sit out back.

I got out at five, went down to the waterfront and then to the Save the Pine Bush meeting. ๐ŸŒฒNot a bad evening but it ran long and I had to rush up the Madison Avenue hill to catch the bus. ๐Ÿš Not really hot but huffing and puffing made me tired. ๐Ÿ˜ด

I was a little discouraged after the meeting ๐Ÿ˜ฉbut so be it I’m a volunteer and I’ll do what I can do. It would be nice to win for the environment ๐ŸŒŽ but I’m not going to loose sleep about it – but it’s a good fight. But I’m mostly concerned about my future which ultimately doesn’t involve the Capital Region.

The ice cream I eat when I got home was good ๐Ÿจ but I eat too much as that’s the problem with having it at home. I have absolutely no self control after a depressing night like tonight.

Tonight will be mostly clear ๐ŸŒƒ, with a low of 62 degrees at 5am. One degree above normal. Maximum dew point of 59 at 9pm. Light and variable wind. One more night of pleasant sleeping but the humidity will pick up on Wednesday into Thursday. In 2018, we had mostly clear skies. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 62 degrees. The record low of 47 occurred back in 1963.

Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous Moon ๐ŸŒ” with 68% illuminated. The moon will set at 1:12 am. The ๐ŸŒ• is on Monday night with partly cloudy skies. The sun will rise at 5:26 am with the first light at 4:52 am, which is 43 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ Tonight will have 8 hours and 52 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 11 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be sunny and hot โ˜€, with a high of 92 degrees at 3pm. 10 degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 62 at 10am. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph. A year ago, we had sunny skies. The high last year was 92 degrees. The record high of 100 was set in 1936.

That Ravinewood Off Grid cabin ๐Ÿก I posted earlier is super cool. Massive solar system, really well built to power essentially a modern home ten miles from electric lines. While I doubt that I’d ever own something that big and fancy – I’m more of a dirty hick – I do think it’s cool. ๐Ÿฝ When you think about utility bills of all sorts by going off grid, growing and raising some of your own food, managing own trash, ๐Ÿ”ฅ forgoing internet, you can save a lot of money. ๐Ÿ’ต

I decided going forward to pull back a bit from investing in the markets – a little bit – because I have a feeling finally things are getting a bit over priced. ๐Ÿ“‰ I’m not timing the markets or pulling money out but I’m seeking more safety from an high interest savings account over stocks for future investments. It’s just a matter of percentage going forward. We might have some more growth but I’m sure a big drop is coming and it will take years to recover from the drop just like the 2008 recession. Maybe it’s a mistake but also I don’t know how much longer I’ll stay in New York and I want to not have things locked up too long in stock paper. ๐Ÿ“„I’m getting old fast, although I’ll probably remain locally as long as I have family around.

In four weeks on August 6 the sun will be setting at 8:09 pm,๐ŸŒ„ which is 25 minutes and 18 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2018 on that day, we had hot, humid, mostly sunny, shallow fog and temperatures between 92 and 69 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 82 and 61 degrees. The record high of 98 degrees was set back in 1900.

Looking ahead, Last Sunset After 8:30 PM ๐ŸŒ† is in 1 weeks, World Mosquito Day ๐Ÿž is in 6 weeks, Constitution Day ๐Ÿ“œ is in 10 weeks, October ๐Ÿ›ฅ is in 12 weeks and Election Day 2020 ๐Ÿ—ณ๏ธ is in 69 weeks.

Half moon

January 27, 2019 Morning

Good morning! Happy Sunday. Six weeks to Daylight Savings Time 🌆. Snow showers, mostly gray with a few breaks and 26 degrees in post Trump Government shutdown Delmar. โ„ Breezy, ๏ธ17 mph breeze from the south 🌬 . The current wind chill is 13. There are 4 inches of snow on the ground. โ˜ƒ ๏ธThings will start to thaw out at around 10 am. 🌡๏ธ The snowman doesn’t quite know what to think about today.

Today will have a chance of rain and snow showers before 3pm, then rain showers likely between 3pm and 4pm, then snow showers likely after 4pm. The snow could be heavy at times. He ain’t heavy, he’s my snow squall. Doesn’t seem like it’s going to stick much as it’s pretty warm. Mostly cloudy 🌦, with a high of 40 degrees at 3pm. Nine degrees above normal, which is similiar to a typical day around March 4th. Breezy, with a southwest wind 16 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny. The high last year was 48 degrees. The record high of 62 was set in 1974. 9.3 inches of snow fell back in 1963.โ„

The sun will set at 5:02 pm with dusk around 5:32 pm, which is one minute and 18 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for snow showers, clouds 🌨 and temperatures around 35 degrees. Fairly mild for late January. There will be a west-southwest breeze at 15 mph with gusts up to 26mph. Today will have 9 hours and 49 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 13 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a chance of snow showers, mainly before 7pm. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 9 degrees at 6am. Six degrees below normal. Maximum wind chill around 2 at 5am; Northwest wind 6 to 14 mph. Maybe I shouldn’t turn the heat down much tonight. It was a bit chilly this morning. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. In 2018, we had partly cloudy skies in the evening, which became totally cloudy dude by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 29 degrees. The record low of -16 occurred back in 2005.

Yesterday was the Save the Pine Bush hike, 🌲which was followed by a bunch of us going to Yonder Farms for sweet tasting unhealthy but all so good things, then me wandering around the preserve for another two hours until dusk then heading over to Claire’s house to get my ski boots. 🏂 I’ve hiked all over the preserve but it’s the first time I’ve explored the upper Kiakout Kill to the east of Karner Road. Kind of neat how deep the ravine is there, they’re is a lot of fill on New Karner Road it cross the Kiakout Kill. The part of the trail that follows Old Karner Road is pretty neat too.

Later on I went home, had dinner cooking up some pasta and made up macaroni and cheese with some diced tomatoes and broccoli mixed it. 🍛Pretty good dinner then I went for an evening walk. Continuing to write the new driver for my LED lighting, I’ve been trying to restructure the code and make it more manageable while taking advantage of the greater flexibility I have with the Bluetooth and the powerful esp32 chipset compared to the much more primitive Arduino Uno. ๐Ÿ’ก

Looking ahead, there are 6 weeks until Daylight Savings Time 🌆 when the sun will be setting at 6:56 pm with dusk at 7:24 pm (Daylight Savings Time). That will be nice to have the extra sunlight in the evenings. On that day in 2018, we had mostly sunny, snow showers and temperatures between 38 and 29 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 42 degrees. We hit a record high of 72 back in 1977.

 Secret Overlook

December 12, 2018 Morning

Good morning! What day is it? Hump Day, of course. Two weeks to Boxing Day 🥊. I’m all for Boxing Day if it’s a holiday you celebrate using fire and all the packaging Christmas gifts come in. Cloudy with a fresh inch or two of snow on the ground, 27 degrees in Hector. โ„ There is a west-northwest breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. Things will start to thaw out at Friday around 8 am. 🌡๏ธ About the ttim I start packing up up for home.

Today will be mostly cloudy 🌦, with a high of 29 degrees at 1pm. Eight degrees below normal. West wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. A year ago, we had light snow and mist in the morning, which became light rain and mist by afternoon. The high last year was 36 degrees. The record high of 62 was set in 1979. 6.6 inches of snow fell back in 1970.โ„

This morning when I awoke there was an inch or two of snow on the ground. โ„ Not a lot, I think most of it came down in the evening before I retired to the tent as I didn’t like all the wet globby snow coming down. Did my business, made coffee, started up the truck as the battery was a bit low. Then I ended up cooking up eggs and sausage for breakfast. The eggs being in the cooler didn’t freeze unlike nearly everything else. All the water I have is totally frozen, I’ve been melting snow on the stove to produce water for coffee, cooking and washing. That stove puts out a lot of heat so

The sun will set at 4:34 pm with dusk around 5:06 pm, which is 9 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for mostly cloudy skies โ˜ and temperatures around 29 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 9 hours and 6 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 38 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a chance of light snow, mainly after 2am. Mostly cloudy 🌨, with a low of 24 degrees at 8pm. Two degrees above normal, which is similiar to a typical night around December 9th. Maximum wind chill around 20 at 7pm; South wind 5 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. In 2017, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 16 degrees. The record low of -6 occurred back in 1988.

Yesterday I decided to stick around camp, going for what was originally going to be a short walk to sit back and study nature🐦 but became a longer seven mile walk via the Backbone, Ravine, Interlaken and Burnt Hill Trails.🌲 Some of the views from the pastures were fairly nice although the woods seemed unusually quiet maybe due to the clouds and somewhat unsettled conditions. I was hoping to see more wildlife but it was still a nice walk. I’ve never explored the trails much up here as they always seem so muddy in the summer.

Plow just came through but I still think I’ll take the less steep route off the mountain in case it’s slippery as it’s still snowing a bit. โ„ I’m chewing over Seneca Falls and Montezuma today versus Ithaca and Luicifer Falls in the winter. I know the gorge trails are closed but I believe the overlook is still open. Not a real sunny day but not much sun is predicted for the rest of the week. I want to get the propane tank topped off just because it’s getting a little light and I’d hate to run out in the cold weather. Maybe I’ll do Seneca Falls just because I hate driving in Ithaca so much. Probably leave before dark as I don’t want to drive back on those rural roads after dark.

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Boxing Day 🥊 when the sun will be setting at 4:40 pm with dusk at 5:12 pm. On that day in 2017, we had snow, partly cloudy skies and temperatures between 22 and 8 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 33 degrees. We hit a record high of 59 back in 1895.

Photo.2012.12.04 15.30.33

A very pleasant summer morning ๐ŸŒ…

Cool enough this morning to be reminded of what fall feels like without the humidity and wildfire smoke mugging you the moment you step outside. That said, autumn is just around the corner as is August. It will come quickly come August 8th when I’m back from summer vacation, and I loose all the sunlight in the evening as I’ll be back farther east.

Good morning! Mostly clear ๐ŸŒ… and 61 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. The dew point is 56 degrees.

Out walking ๐Ÿšถ at 6:15 am which probably isn’t good idea as I didn’t get to bed until much too late after the late return from the hike last night, which I followed by sitting out back for a while and then running inside, taking a shower ๐Ÿšฟ and checking carefully for ticks before bed ๐Ÿ›. A hard boiled egg ๐Ÿฅš and some grapes ๐Ÿ‡ for protein and sugar before the morning walk. Whole grain oatmeal with fresh blueberries and black berries with more black coffee after the morning walk.๐Ÿซ๐Ÿ“ Plus maybe some carrots ๐Ÿฅ• for a fiber boost.

Today will be sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 85 degrees at 4pm. One degree above normal. Maximum dew point of 61 at 10am. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. It was sticky. The high last year was 97 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1991.

Finally finished my bike build. ๐Ÿšฒ I’m much happier with Blackie now that I got all the accessories installed except the heavy gauge u-lock holder ๐Ÿ”’ because I’m debating if I should mountain on the frame or on the rack, for better balance center and axle wise versus blocking the location for future additional water storage unit under bike lights for safer nighttime riding for finding potholes and rough terrain on the trail. The waterproof phone holder is great with the Zeopoxa Cycling app which not only tells me my speed but also distanced traveled and provides a map of my route. And every mile it barks out how many miles traveled, average speed and calories burnt. ๐Ÿ—ฃ๏ธ

That said, I think the feature I like the most about my bicycle is the 13×15 crate I have mounted on my bike rack, now with a MIK adapter for quick release so I can load the box when it’s not on the bicycle or take off for transit on the bus or in my truck. ๐Ÿงบ Or what riding in real rough country or greater efficiency. It’s great, you just throw whatever gear you want in it and go. Hammock, backpack, water, lunch, tools, etc. Also makes a good grocery carrier for heading home from the store. ๐Ÿช Detach the crate, load in the store and I never have to worry buying too much groceries to haul home. Probably use it tonight for that purpose. Toss in the Bluetooth speaker ๐Ÿ”Š and have tunes ๐ŸŽถ and podcasts to listen to plenty loud over the roar of traffic. Ended up using six plastic cable zip ties to secure the basket to the MIK adapter, it just worked better than bolts and washee with my particular crate. The crate is the weakest link, not the twist ties but I feel confident it could safely carry 20-30 lb of supplies or groceries. ๐Ÿ While the rack is rated for 30 kg or 66 lb, the mount is 20 kg or 44 lb, I think the lightweight crate I installed probably couldn’t handle that much. But I don’t often get juice or milk at the grocery store — milk but usually at Stewarts where I walk, and only a gallon at most of the time. Bicycle water bottle holders are inexpensive, but I’m not sure the advantage over just tossing the water in the back. Maybe for long trips I’d want additional water closer to the front axle.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 68.1ยฐ from the due south horizon (-2.7ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.4 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:47 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (293ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (300ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:29 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 19 seconds with dusk around 9:01 pm, which is 48 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent ๐ŸŒ’ Moon in the west (275ยฐ) at an altitude of 15ยฐ from the horizon, 251,882 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:44 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ and temperatures around 76 degrees. The dew point will be 62 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 14 hours and 55 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 43 seconds over yesterday.

Well that certainly was an interesting evening hiking in the Norman’s Kill Ravine Preserve. ๐Ÿšถ The loop trail was just longer than I expected and the terrain was more rugged then I would expect for suburban Delmar. Not even all that exciting, just a lot of ridges and swamps along a flatwater, very muddy from the recent rain โ˜”. I think the trails are a bit rougher than I would want to take my new mountain bike on but might walk them again come the autumn when things are colorful and the views are better. ๐Ÿ‚

Tonight will be mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒฅ, with a low of 67 degrees at 4am. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 64 at 4am. South wind 3 to 7 mph. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It became very sticky as the night progressed. It got down to 72 degrees. The record low of 45 occurred back in 1974.

I am thinking tonight maybe of checking out another nature preserve along the Normans Kill, the Normans Kill Preserve behind the Justice Center on Normans Kill Boulevard next to Delaware Plaza. ๐Ÿธ๐ŸŒธ This preserve looks much more interesting then Normans Kill Ravines Preserve, and is much smaller / quicker hike, though a slightly longer bus ride. I was thinking I could go there and then go grocery shopping for the weekend thereafter, all using my bicycle. ๐Ÿšด

On this day in 1969, Apollo 11’s crew successfully makes the first landing on the Moon ๐ŸŒ• in the Sea of Tranquility. Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon, well at least in England. Us Americans would get to watch it the next day. ๐Ÿ“บ Funny how time zones work. The world conquered the moon, returned a half dozen times or so and got bored and gave up visiting the moon only three years later. ๐ŸŒŽ Worldly problems like Vietnam, pollution and inflation somehow seemed more important than visiting the moon. I guess they were, but to give up so quickly after a goal ๐Ÿฅ… was reached seems like a major societal cop out.

Continues to be a nice weekend on tap. โ˜บ That said, the muggers will return after the rain tonight into tomorrow. Saturday, isolated showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. West wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Maximum dew point of 63 at 8am. Sunday, sunny, with a high near 84. Maximum dew point of 63 at 7pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 84 degrees.

The plan continues to be to head out of town for the weekend. ๐Ÿ• I am thinking early Saturday morning through mid-day Monday, after the rain stops. I am leaning towards Catskill Scenic Trail on Saturday morning from Grand Gorge to Stamford, then swim in Mine Kill State Park, then Sunday maybe mountain bike around Burnt-Rossman Hills State Forest truck trails. ๐Ÿšด I do want to get Shaul’s too, I haven’t decided if that will be Saturday or Sunday. ๐ŸŒถ Probably Sunday as Shaul’s closes at 5 PM. โŒ› Maybe that could be another pool and bicycle day. ๐ŸŠ Biking along NY 30 from the Blenhiem Bridge and maybe doing another afternoon at Mine Kill Pool could be good for Sunday, even though I’d rather hang out at camp for the day and not have to take down camp or at least lock things up, and then have the fun of getting out of that rough site and the bumpy roads. But whatever. Then maybe more of the Catskill Scenic Trail on Monday morning, such as Stamford south to Bloomville. ๐Ÿฎ ๐ŸŠ And another swim before heading out to the folks house. ๐Ÿ– Truth is I don’t want to get home too late on Monday as I need to pack for summer vacation like the next day.

Looking ahead, there are 2 weeks until Campfire Day ๐Ÿ”ฅ when the sun will be setting at 8:15 pm with dusk at 8:45 pm. On that day in 2022, we had hot, mostly sunny and temperatures between 90 and 64 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 83 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1975.

Across Cedar River Flow