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Gorging on Gorges, An Adventure, Day 1

About a month ago, I took a trip I gave the name โ€œGorging on Gorgesโ€. As the name would suggest, most of the trip involved visiting various gorges, taking photographs of them, and otherwise exploring them. About half of them I had previously been to, while the rest were new. I also visited several other state parks, state forests, and national forests โ€“ and did something I havenโ€™t done in a long time โ€“ camped one night in a developed campground.

Towards the Park

I started out my trip from Albany, taking US Route 20 West from I-88. I really wanted to avoid expressways for the bulk of my trip, is my general view is that expressways are the best way to get across America without really seeing anything. Itโ€™s more then a philosophical argument for me โ€“ whatโ€™s the purpose of a vacation if your rushing from point โ€œAโ€ to point โ€œBโ€.

The first part of the trip, I drove to Chittenango Falls State Park via Nelson and beautiful farm country so high above. I walked down into the gorge, and up and around the falls. The color was somewhat muted, but it still was quite pretty. Then I headed off, taking some side roads as recommended by my GPSโ€™s most direct route, and ended up passing a few miles from Labrador Hollow and the beautiful Labrador Pond, and said, heck, I got to stop on by there.

I drove down to Labrador Pond parking area, and hiked down to the pond. The colors were still not fully-turned on Jones Hill, but on Labrador Mountain were well past peak. Despite the crowds of fall foliage peepers from Syracuse, crowding the area, there were adequate opportunities for solitude. I walked down to the lake, snapped a few photos, then hiked the nature trail/boardwalk. It was nice. It also was great to see the boardwalk being used by a disabled man โ€“ he could get out and enjoy nature, despite his difficulties he had walking. One of the large dairies in the area was spreading something on fields nearby, and it sure stunk โ€“ it seemed nastier then fermented grain, although thatโ€™s probably what it was. Didnโ€™t stick around too long, as I had places to go.

Somewhat Faded Colors

Drove down through Prebles, another deep, rich agricultural valley, dotted by large dairies that take advantage of the areaโ€™s rich soils for producing many bushels of corn on each acre. Got held up for about 5 minutes during a paving job, where they had the road restricted to one lane, for what had to been a half mile or so. Noticed how most of remaining trash burning barrels had disappeared from the landscape, that might have only been there 3 or 4 years ago.

Then it was off to Homer, where I passed a moose, made out of welded scrap metal along the road. It was kind of a neat roadside attraction, and I really should have stopped and got a picture, but I had a tight schedule and was burning daylight. I would come to later regret not getting that picture, but heck, I figure I can probably find a picture of it on the Internet using Google Images or Flickr. If not, it will certainly be there, the next time I find myself going through this roadside wilderness.

Millard Fillmore Historic Marker

I got lost on my way to Moravia. Not really lost, because I was following the GPS, but because I had programmed the โ€œmost direct routeโ€ rather then โ€œfastest routeโ€, the GPS.decided to take me up a rough dirt road through Hewitt State Forest. I declined, and eventually the GPS found a new route, that happened to take me past Milton Fillmoreโ€™s birthplace. There is now a picnic pavilion and a some landscaping in that location. I turned around, snapped a few pictures, and explored it briefly. I wanted to a get a picture for dad for his historical markers collection.

Then it was off to Fillmore Glen. I was running a bit late at this point, but itโ€™s a pleasant drive down to Filmore. The landscape is pretty rural until you drop, rather quickly into Moravia. Moravia is a pretty, small rural town; the glen is located at far southernly end of the town. There was a bridge being replaced in town, and you had to wait, for what seemed like an eternity for the light to green on the on-one lane bridge.

Finally, I got to the park entrance. The older guy there, grumbled when I said I had an Empire Pass. He was like โ€œwhere is it โ€“ I canโ€™t see itโ€. The rear window on my truck where the Empire Pass is tinted, but not that dark. I was slightly annoyed that the park entrance guy wasnโ€™t friendly, and I forgot to ask for a map. I was kind of rushing. Got parked, and there was a big wedding going on, complete with horse drawn carriage. Crossed the โ€œDry Creekโ€ and started up the trail, first to the Cow Shed falls, then decided to take the Northern Rim Trail. It wasnโ€™t apparent at first that it was the rim trail, but I didnโ€™t have a map. I actually printed up a map, and had it my truck, but I of course forgot it.

Small Waterfall in Gorge

The Northern Rim climbs a fair bit, then runs along the rim, with very limited and occasional views. It crosses a pretty little creek that tumbles down the gorge, and eventually leads to a path down to the gorge trail, three-quarters the way up the gorge. I decided to hike down to the gorge trail, and then head back down the gorge towards the parking area. I missed a bit of the gorge trail, and the overlook, but so be it, time was tight.

The Gorge trail was scenic, but certainly not the most scenic of gorges. There were several small waterfalls, and some stairs and bridges, although most of the trail was gravel along the edge. The โ€œDry Creekโ€ had plenty of water, but in general, the gorges was smaller then other Finger Lake gorges. There were several glens of interest, but the most beautiful portion of the glen was the Cow Sheds in the button of the gorge. Cow Sheds falls, are the wider portion of the gorge, where at one time, historically, cows would gather for shelter in severe or cold weather.

Cow Sheds Falls

Snapped a few more pictures of Fillmore Glen, and it was off to Ithaca. I made pretty good time to Ithaca, although I admit I certainly wasnโ€™t poking along. I really should have stopped more places, but I wanted to get to the Finger Lakes National Forest relatively early so I could set up camp and/or make alternative plans should my desired campsite on Chicken Coop Road be unavailable. Passed a giant bull statue on a farm, along NY 38, a few miles south of Moravia. I really should have stopped for a picture, but I was burning daylight, and the Finger Lakes National Forest, was over an hour away. I think this is the one, that the farmer paid like $10,000 to haul from an abandoned Steakhouse in Binghamton to the farm. I am sure the bull will be there for a long time โ€“ in case anybody forgot what is raised on farms.

Then it was down to Freeville.. The only thing real remarkable about that town, was the pine barrens and swamps, consisting of heading into it. When you think of the Finger Lakes, you tend to think open landscapes and farms, at least until you get mostly south of them of them, or in the highest points to the west. But not here. The Finger Lakes Trust owns some land, on the north side, where it the land is mostly the backwaters of the Oswaco Inlet.

Finally made it to Ithaca by 4:45 PM. I was lucky at this hour that traffic wasnโ€™t too much of a slog by Ithaca standards, then I was off heading up Trumansberg Road. It seemed like an endless drive. Finally made it to Perry City, and then to the Finger Lakes National Forest. There was no sign of the government closure when I got there, but a bit disappointed, my favorite campsite on Chicken Coop Road was already taken. It was off to campsite on Potamac Road, just past the hunting camp.

I wasnโ€™t thrilled by campsite, a big field campsite, but it had some trees along one edge for hanging the flag and lights. It was pretty good site for observing the stars, although there was a hunting camp down the road a little ways, so I had to keep the music down. I really donโ€™t want to piss off the hunters. I gathered up some firewood from the woods, and got a fire started. The sun was fading fast, but so be it. I wired up my lights, some Christmas lights, and got the spot light on the flag.

It got dark, and I tuned into the Ithaca Progressive Radio Station, and gazed on the stars for a couple of hours. Nibbled on some snacks, cracked open a beer or two. Tossed some more wood on fire, and was happy to finally be on vacation.

It was a good first day… more adventures to come.

Old Gorge Railroad Bed

Originally the railroad/trolley took this path into the gorge, and remained close to the river to avoid coming down the Niagara Escarpment by where the Moses parkway nowadays is.

Taken on Monday November 5, 2012 at Niagara Falls.

And now another adventure ๐Ÿ›ป

Next weekend now looks better lol? I’m packed though and ready to go with an ambitious agenda. More sun would be nice but I take what I can get as winter’s coming and I have Monday off with Tuesday being a state holiday for the mostly uncompetitive elections I voted in last week mostly pissed about the drone issue not that I even own a drone.

Good morning! Mostly cloudy and 42 degrees in Delmar, NY. โ˜ There is a south breeze at 6 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The skies will clear around 6 pm.

I had forgotten how unpleasant the side effects were from the COVID jab ๐Ÿ’‰ as my arm ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿป was a sore throughout yesterday though the bike ride in the cold both ways probably didn’t help. ๐Ÿšฒ And then I was sleepy ๐Ÿ˜ด all afternoon yesterday, maybe because it was a five 5โƒฃ day work week after

So I’m off for a four day trip out to Madison County. ๐Ÿฎ Not quite West Virginia but it’s a good adventure I have planned closer to home. ๐ŸŒฅ Not going to be a real sunny weekend but mild, not looking super wet. Lots of gravel biking maybe some single track trail riding come Tuesday. Plus exploring Chittenango and Canastota on the Erie Canalway. ๐Ÿšฒ Plus Cazenovia, a fun town and I want to check out the Aldi there. ๐Ÿ›’

Tried to keep the packing list ๐Ÿ“ƒ simple and to the essentials for this four day, three nights trip. I’m close enough to stores ๐Ÿฌ to buy supplies if I forget something or if things go terribly wrong I can head home. ๐Ÿก But a lot of the camping ๐Ÿ• gear I keep in the truck year round. Trying though to keep this trip under $100 for all consumables like gasoline, and any items above and beyond ordinary food. Banana or oatmeal that I would eat regardless don’t count but paper towels do. Though most of the consumables I have from vacation already bought.

Quick breakfast ๐Ÿฅš of eggs I boiled last night, some whole wheat bread I baked on Thursday ๐Ÿž, apple ๐Ÿ and I’ll bring an a banana for the road. A five hour energy โšก for my caffeine jolt and a quick shower ๐Ÿšฟ and hopefully I won’t be pissing all day. No ginger or tumeriac until I’m to camp, lol. ๐Ÿ˜‚ That five hour energy โ˜• packs in as much caffeine as 2 ยฝ cups of coffee which I probably would otherwise drink and be pissing my way to Madison County. Plus I drank a lot of water ๐Ÿ’ฆ yesterday to overcome the symptoms of the COVID jab.

Stopping at Tractor Supply in Guilderland to top off my propane tank ๐Ÿฎ after 8 am when they open to be safe though it’s not super low after such a mild vacation but the nights are long and cool especially with the time change. ๐Ÿ•’ Set my manual clocks ahead at home, will do the truck before I leave. Also will need more gasoline and a few groceries – bananas ๐ŸŒ, apples ๐Ÿ, carrots ๐Ÿฅ• and whatever fruit and vegetables look good and are cheap as I’m good on grains and proteins. Maybe honey, ๐Ÿฏ cottage cheese and Greek yogurt. Canned pumpkin? ๐ŸŽƒ And fuel โ›ฝ for the truck.

Today will be mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒฅ, with a high of 55 degrees at 2pm. One degree above normal, which is similar to a typical day around November 2nd. South wind around 6 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 71 degrees. The record high of 76 was set in 1994. There was a dusting of snow in 2006.โ„

Going to be a rather gray day today but the plan is to spend the balance of the day riding the Chenango Canal Trail ๐Ÿšฒ down to Hamilton from Bouckville. But not too late as the sun sets early and I want to have time to find firewood. ๐Ÿ”ฅ Gain an extra hour tonight and I get up so early these days, but I’m going to be a bit more relaxed about getting up but still probably in darkness to maximize the limited daylight. ๐ŸŒ… Plus I like sipping coffee โ˜• watching the sun rise.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 12:40 pm with sun having an altitude of 32.1ยฐ from the due south horizon (-38.8ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 9.6 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 5:06 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (243ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-southwest (250ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:46 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 6 seconds with dusk around 6:14 pm, which is one minute and 15 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 6:49 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies ๐ŸŒƒ and temperatures around 53 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 5 mph. Tomorrow will have 10 hours and 12 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 28 seconds over today.

Yesterday was my last bike ๐Ÿšฒ ride home after work with the time change ๐Ÿ•’ but I still think I want to try to ride to work as much as possible until too cold and snowy โ˜ƒ and take the bus ๐Ÿš home in the evening. It was a nice ride home, the wind not as strong as I had feared. But by no means am I going to ride through the South End after dark and onto an unlit bike path in the gorge. But the buses all have racks to take my bike home. ๐Ÿšถ And I’m going to start doing evening and probably morning walks again.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒฅ, with a low of 41 degrees at 5am. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around October 17th. Calm wind. In 2022, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 61 degrees. The record low of 17 occurred back in 1951.

Got looking at Ebooks and all the online services my library offers. ๐Ÿ“š I’m still in the mindset of the library being just physical books but they have hundreds of ebooks, magazines, and especially those free training classes on advanced computer classes for GIS ๐Ÿ—บ and other skills like programming with Udemeny. While I probably wouldn’t pay for the online classes, they’re remarkably good and free through the library. ๐Ÿ–ฅ And they can be accessed from my smartphone ๐Ÿ“ฑ.

Looking ahead, next Saturday is Veterans Day ๐Ÿช– when the sun will be setting at 4:38 pm with dusk at 5:07 pm (Standard Time). Big change with the time change. Friday also is a state holiday with Veterans day observed then. On that day in 2022, we had rain and temperatures between 69 and 48 degrees. This year it could snow or be wet โ˜” or maybe not it depends on the timing of the front come Thursday into Friday. Typically, the high temperature is 51 degrees. We hit a record high of 70 back in 2002.

Drop

This morning is a drag ๐Ÿฒ

Puff the magic dragon by lived by the sea, and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee. A dragon lives forever but not so little boys.

Good morning! Happy Thursday. It’s cloudy and 60 degrees in Delmar, NY. โ›… Calm wind. The dew point is 60 degrees. Fog around, and it’s in my head this morning and I’m not stoned but maybe I wish I was as I stumble around this morning skipping my morning walk.

So I can get at least some steps in ๐Ÿ‘ฃ taking the long way around the High School ๐Ÿšธ superblock to the express bus ๐Ÿš as I have enough time. Breakfast was a bowl of light red kidney beans with sugar free maple syrup and a little bit of Greek yogurt and fresh fruit. I have a bit of sore throat this morning and maybe that’s my excuse for my dragging ass, though truth be told it’s the gray skies my struggle to recover from summer vacation. ๐Ÿ› I was in bed shortly after 9 pm and slept well but had to run to the bathroom ๐Ÿšฝ a few times during the night as I had a bunch of lemonade ๐Ÿ‹ after my evening bike ๐Ÿšฒ ride to Voorheesville.

Today will have a slight chance of showers before noon, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between noon and 5pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 5pm. Mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 78 degrees at 12pm. Five degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 5th. Maximum dew point of 67 at 1pm. Lighyg south wind increasing to 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 79 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1949.

If the weather was going to be better today โ›ˆ I would definitely be riding into work. ๐Ÿšฒ It was a nice bicycle commute yesterday, although my ride home was a bit heavy with all that sweet corn ๐ŸŒฝ, zucchini, cucumbers ๐Ÿฅ’ and that watermelon ๐Ÿ‰ I had loaded into the back of my bike. Howard Street does get a bit crazy ๐Ÿš˜ at 5 o’clock but once I hit the bike path under 787 and do the climb out of the valley it’s a bit of serenity. Tomorrow I’ll ride down to the dentist ๐Ÿฆท and then to work.

Yesterday I rode close to 30 miles or maybe more. ๐Ÿšฒ Not sure though I did GPS log it. Sunset is getting earlier ๐ŸŒ‡ and I was running late ๐Ÿƒ after dinner but it was still a great ride. That said my mountain bike is so slow compared to the road bikes and it’s boring ๐Ÿ’ค to ride on asphalt but take it to the places I like to camp โ›บ it’s wonderful and it beats walking ๐Ÿšถ around town. It just annoys me as road bikes fly by on the bike path, and general boredom of the bike path, but I remember it’s a compromise compared to the great places I can get up in the wilderness. I am thinking the gravel/stone dust of Pennsylvania’s Pine Creek Gorge might be fun this autumn. 

I’ve been kicking myself for not stopping in Triangle on my way home from the Finger Lakes to get more zucchini and have been desperate ever since. ๐Ÿฅ’ The zucchini I had in the Finger Lakes was so good that all I’ve been dreaming of all week is more zucchini. Fried with onions, some MSG, some pepper and a bit of stevia and olive oil it was so good. Eat way too much but there are worse foods to over indulge in. Sweet corn also for dinner and a plum for dessert. ๐ŸŒฝ This morning as I mentioned it was red kidney beans and syrup, and lunch is going to be onions, rice with peas and lentils and then some edamame thrown in. Haven’t had edamame in a few weeks, and it’s good, mostly because of vacation. 

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 63° from the due south horizon (-7.8° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:27 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (286°). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (292°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:06 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 7 seconds with dusk around 8:35 pm, which is one minute and 22 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:15 pm. At sunset, look for rain ๐ŸŒง and thunderstorms ๐ŸŒฉ and temperatures around 71 degrees. The dew point will be 66 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 11 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 26 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have showers and thunderstorms likely before 1am, then a slight chance of showers between 1am and 2am. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy ๐ŸŒง, with a low of 61 degrees at 4am. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around August 13th. Maximum dew point of 66 at 6pm. South wind around 8 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 63 degrees. The record low of 46 occurred back in 1941.

Another summer weekend on tap. ๐Ÿ– Saturday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. South wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 66 at 5pm. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 80. Maximum dew point of 68 at 10am. Typical average high for the weekend is 83 degrees.

This weekend I’m thinking of either riding or driving out to Our Families Harvest farm stand ๐ŸŒฝ in New Scotland to stock up on produce then maybe some mountain biking / trail riding in the Albany Pine Bush ๐Ÿฆ‹, I think that could be a lot of fun. Do it early as I see thunderstorms โ›ˆ๏ธ and rain popping up by afternoon. Then maybe go to see John and get some groceries at the Walmart in Albany. I specifically like those little pearl onions they have, I haven’t seen them at other grocery stores. They’re like candy and you can eat them raw after you peal the outer skin or toss them in a frying ๐Ÿณ pan and they quickly get brown and extra sweet. Maybe head a bit further north in Colonie and do some of the Canalway trail but I doubt it. Quiet day Sunday, maybe Five Rivers Environmental Education Center ๐Ÿธ and go out and see the folks. ๐Ÿ‘ช

I asked the secretary ๐Ÿ—“ to schedule no meetings for me on Thursday and Friday of next week, lest I want to head up to the Potholers for a long weekend and to ride Piseco-Powley Road on Blackie ๐Ÿšต and camp at House Pond Campsite โ›บ assuming it’s open. I could go for a nice few days at the swimming ๐ŸŠ hole there maybe with some clams again ๐Ÿฆช and tons of fresh farm produce ๐ŸŒฝ ๐Ÿฅ’ ๐Ÿ… ๐Ÿง… to toss in the beer and clam broth. We’ll see, it depends on the weather. I could use some time floating on the tube โญ• and cooling in the Potholers before summer is done. I can’t do the following week as the other director is off. Right now the second half of next week looks good, and we might finally get some warmer and drier weather. One last stand before summer is done. I’m also thinking of seeing if I can work remote or take a personal day that Friday before Labor Day Weekend ๐Ÿ‘ท‍โ™€๏ธ so I can get camp set up early on Friday, then work or have fun as time would allow.

One month ๐Ÿ“… from now will be 6:30 Sunrise ๐ŸŒ‡ when the sun will be setting at 7:16 pm with dusk at 7:43 pm. It will mean darker mornings especially for walking ๐Ÿšถ although I should be able to walk for a few more weeks after then at 6:15 as dawn is about a half hour earlier and I do that most of the winter at any rate. The cooler air will be refreshing and help wake me up when those days come.

South in Gorge

When the ice cream makes you sick ๐Ÿจ๐Ÿ˜”

Getting those large maple walnut sundaes at the Glen Dairy Bar is quite a tradition for me. But maybe not so much in my forties. All that sugar made me feel so sick and kept me up half the night. I might get ice cream later in the week but it won’t be a large portion for sure! I still feel kind of sick today from all that sugar. Soft ice cream has so much.

Good morning! Where did July go? Lost to vacationland I guess. Today is Ithaca day, exploring the city and the gorges on my bicycle. Beautiful day, partly sunny and 72 degrees at the Cass Park ๐Ÿž on Cayuga Lake. There is a northwest breeze at 9 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 58 degrees. Big day ahead. Monday, Monday on vacation. ๐Ÿ– It really doesn’t seem too bad.

As I noted, Today is Ithaca Day, that is I plan to do Ithaca is Gorges. Start out at Stewart Park ๐Ÿž this time starting closer to 9 am then 11:30 am. I need to stop and get ice on the way back to camp, the Enfield Dandy’s should be good for that. Mostly for the coolers but I’ll also fill one of the water bottles with ice so as it melts down in the evening I can use it for lemonade with Stevia. ๐Ÿ‹

I don’t have cell service up at camp so I’ve been slow at uploading photos to the blog ๐Ÿ“ธ as it requires a lot of data, and even when I bike or hike where I have good service ๐Ÿ“ถ it seems like it’s still pretty weak up on the backbone and in parts of Watkins Glen. Ithaca today I should have better service but too much blogging ๐Ÿ“ takes time away from adventures. ๐Ÿง—โ€โ™‚๏ธ Ain’t got no time for that!

Today will have a chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Partly sunny , with a high of 77 degrees at 4pm. Seven degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 8th. Maximum dew point of 59 at 12pm. Northwest wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 86 degrees. The record high of 98 was set in 1917.

That sugar from the ice cream was so bad. ๐Ÿคฎ I thought I was going to have the runs all night spraying poop ๐Ÿ’ฉ off the tailgate of my pickup, having to shovel it come the morning. Wasn’t that bad but I was bouncing off the walls well after midnight, riding the Forest Service roads after dark on my mountain bike ๐Ÿšต,, hanging out at Foster Pond well into the moonlit hours of Monday early hours with no desire to sleep. Sugar is a narcotic when your not used to eating it. Hell of it was I was still a bit hungry when I got back to camp but frying up an onion ๐Ÿง… with some fresh spinach more than filled me up fine. No alcohol yesterday, and only other thing I eat all day was a banana ๐ŸŒ or two, the remainder of pancake ๐Ÿฅž mix and sausage I had bought last winter. But they’re done now and I’m done with that chapter of my life in the thirties. I’m forty now.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:13 pm with sun having an altitude of 65.8ยฐ from the due south horizon (-5ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:48 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (289ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (296ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:29 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 13 seconds with dusk around 8:59 pm, which is one minute and 7 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Full ๐ŸŒ Moon in the southeast (133ยฐ) at an altitude of 6ยฐ from the horizon, 227,253 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:41 pm. At sunset, look for rain ๐ŸŒง and thunderstorms ๐ŸŒฉ and temperatures around 69 degrees. The dew point will be 58 degrees. There will be a north-northwest breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 33 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 8 seconds over yesterday.

This morning I avoided anything with sugar and instead fried up spring onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers with a bunch of spinach and an egg or two. ๐Ÿณ Added some parm cheese ๐Ÿง€ and MSG plus pepper. It was good. No desire for anything sweet at this point. ๐Ÿคฎ My stomach still is rumbling from the sugar. I also hard boiled eggs ๐Ÿฅš for protein later. Probably eat dinner on the run this evening.

Swimming ๐ŸŠ in Cayuta Lake at Taughannock, Buttermilk Falls swimming and Enfield Glen swimming are open until seven. That is after exploring the Casacadilla Glen at Cornell University and other bike ๐Ÿšฒ paths and trails in the city. Figuring a light snacky dinner when I get back, probably sugar free syrup plus kidney beans, or maybe I’ll cut into the watermelon ๐Ÿ‰ I got on Friday. That should be good but I know as soon as I cut into the watermelon the clock will be ticking โณand I’ll be eating a lot of water melon. Just like if I get clams ๐Ÿฆช later in the week. Eat eat eat! Just hopefully not get sick like all that ice cream.

Tonight will have a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Partly cloudy ๐ŸŒƒ with a low of 54 degrees at 5am. Eight degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 12th. Maximum dew point of 58 at 6pm. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2022, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 69 degrees. The record low of 46 occurred back in 1964.

Yesterday besides my adventures in eating and ice cream sickness it was a busy day, bicycled ๐Ÿšฒ 30 miles, hiked 4 ยฝ, ๐Ÿšถ swam for about a half hour. ๐ŸŠโ€โ™‚๏ธ Did all of the Catharine Valley Trail from Watkins Glen to Montour Falls to the end outside of Horsesheads in Pine Valley at the Mark Twain Golf Course โ›ณ. Rode in the evening along Rock Dam Road, you can really fly down there on a mountain bike. ๐Ÿšต Then along Airport Road ๐Ÿ›ฌ at the Catharine Valley WMA to Boat ๐Ÿ›ฅ Launch Lane, then over through the village to the Watkins Glen pier on Seneca Lake. Walked out on the pier, it was colorful evening ๐ŸŒƒ but the sunset was kind of blocked by clouds that came in late. Went back through Clute Park then rode back to my truck around dusk disappointed by the lack of a classic sunset. On the whole it was a beautiful day!

Going to close out vacation next weekend with good swimming weather. ๐ŸŠโ€โ™‚๏ธ Saturday, partly sunny, with a high near 79. Maximum dew point of 66 at 11am. Maybe paddle Seneca Lake then swim at the Watkins Glen pool. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Maximum dew point of 64 at 11am. Swimming in Cayuga Lake? Then head home around 4 pm or so to be home by dark? ๐Ÿก That’s a long way off, no need to think about it. Typical average high for the weekend is 83 degrees.

Looking ahead, there are 3 weeks until World Mosquito Day ๐Ÿž when the sun will be setting at 8:00 pm with dusk at 8:28 pm. Bugs seem worse this year then normal but no so bad now that the front came through and cooler. On that day in 2022, we had hot, partly sunny and temperatures between 88 and 70 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 82 degrees. We hit a record high of 98 back in 1916.

Pines Along Cedar River Flow

May 3, 2020 10 PM Update

Good evening! Partly clear and 64 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a west breeze at 6 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 46 degrees. Nice evening, sat out back for a while. Not feeling terrible but still a little achy from the Lyme. I still need to take the doxycline I got from the doctor Friday. ๐Ÿ’Š

Sleeping with the windows open tonight โฌ› which is nice until I heard the sirens from the meat wagon ๐Ÿš‘go roaring by. I wonder if it’s somebody dying of Coronavirus? Hopefully nobody I know. It’s a question one always asks these days.

I thought about staying up north one more night and driving home early tomorrow ๐Ÿš˜ but I decided against that as I broke camp midday to go hiking. ๐Ÿšถ While hiking the remote section of the abandoned Dunning Pond Snowmobile Trail was quiet I eventually lost the trail as it got into dense woods with lots of trees down and few of the old markers. ๐Ÿ”ด Some nice views of the gorge and then a lot of it was an eroded mountain road until the trail left the road and disappeared into the woods. This wouldn’t have been a big problem if I had the GPS tracks from my Google County Maps part of the blog but of course I managed to somehow delete them off my phone. I got to make sure I have them on the phone along with USGS Topo maps saved. I would have also had a better chance of following the herd path up to Eagle Pond that I had lost on Saturday if I had that data saved. ๐ŸŒWell there always is future trips up north.

It was a pretty good weekend up north ๐Ÿ˜Ž with lots of sun and actually quite mild and warm most of the weekend except for brief rain shower around 10 pm Saturday night ๐Ÿ’ฆwhen I ended up retiring to my truck cap earlier than I had planned. Had a nice big fire ๐Ÿ”ฅ at the same campsite I’ve been at the past few times I’ve been up north on the East Branch Sacandaga River. โ›บ Some traffic ๐Ÿšฅ noise but pretty nice. Spent a lot of time laying back in the hammock, soaking up the sun. โ˜€ The sun felt good especially when I felt achy from the Lyme. Warm enough a good portion of the weekend I could just lay out with a t shirt ๐Ÿ‘š on.

Left my Bluetooth speaker ๐Ÿ”Š home which was annoying when I wanted to listen to podcasts and music ๐ŸŽถ. I’m going to start leaving that in the truck. Better to charge it there too – I don’t pay for the unused solar power the truck produces while parked with the solar controller in float mode. ๐Ÿ”‹ Also forgot ketchup for my hotdogs – ended up topping them with baked beans and cheese. ๐Ÿฃ

Explored more of the Fox Lair remains, I want to do one of those historical aerial photo comparisons, especially if I can find the 1942 aerial photo ๐Ÿ“ท. Not a lot left of the ruins, but I wonder if I can find more old pictures on the internet. ๐ŸฐDid some walking ๐Ÿšถ along NY 8 just for exercise too and to take in the scenery.

Came back relatively early, I was unpacked by about six. ๐Ÿก Laid back on my bed for a while before showering ๐Ÿšฟ and shaving. Got a nice tan. Those side burns I’ve grown are coming in nicely but I do need a hair cut ๐Ÿ’‡. I’m going to do some trimming myself in the morning as who knows when the barber ๐Ÿ’ˆ is going to be allowed to reopen. My barber is so elderly, I wonder if he will just hang up his hat ๐ŸŽฉ after the pandemic. I decided to avoid the expressway and cities home so I took NY 30 to Duanesburg Churches Road past the Mariaville Farm to US 20. Pretty drive with things greening up outside Amsterdam but I tell you there are some sharp curves on NY 30 south of Amsterdam. ๐Ÿ”ถ

Tonight will be partly cloudy ๐ŸŒค, with a low of 49 degrees at 6am. Five degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 21st. West wind 6 to 8 mph. In 2019, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 52 degrees. The record low of 28 occurred back in 1985.

Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous ๐ŸŒ” Moon with 85% illuminated. At 10 PM, the moon was in the south (175ยฐ) at an altitude of 52ยฐ from the horizon, some 226,511 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 October 22nd. Buckle up for safety! ๐Ÿ’บ The Flower ๐ŸŒท Moon is on Thursday, May 7. The darkest hour is at 12:53 am, followed by dawn at 5:16 am, and sun starting to rise at 5:48 am in the east-northeast (68ยฐ) and last for 3 minutes and 8 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 19 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ The golden hour ends at 6:27 am with sun in the east-northeast (74ยฐ). Tonight will have 9 hours and 46 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 24 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of showers between 11am and 1pm. Partly sunny ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 57 degrees at 11am. Nine degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 13th. Northwest wind 9 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. The high last year was 67 degrees. The record high of 91 was set in 1944. There was a dusting of snow in 1986.โ„

Tomorrow I probably should go to the laundromat ๐Ÿ‘–๐Ÿ‘• ๐Ÿ‘š and wash some clothes and probably my sheets too. I can probably bring my laptop there and work from there, uploading pictures from the weekend that was. I’m good on food but the two gallons of milk I bought last week is almost all drunk. I do like my cow ๐Ÿฎ beverages. Other than that I should be good on food until mid week.

As I noted previously, last weekend I got another tick bite. ๐ŸœI was sore found it on Tuesday. Its been weird – sometimes I feel fine other times terribly stiff and sore. No bulls eye though. Went to the doctor on Friday, she kind of thought I didn’t have Lyme but gave me doxycline. ๐Ÿ’Š I held off taking it as I went to the Adirondacks for the weekend and knew doxycline and sun don’t mix due to the risk of severe sunburn. I’m also a little mixed on my concern – it stings from time to time around where I was bit, I’ve been super sleepy at times. ๐Ÿ˜ด I don’t want to take an antibiotic I don’t need. But I guess the doctor while questioning ๐Ÿ™‹ me said I should take it. I don’t know what to think.

It was such a werid experience going to the doctors office during the pandemic. ๐Ÿ˜ซThe doors had big signs warning people that if they had cold or flu symptoms they aren’t welcome and that they did not offer Coronavirus testing there. The whole experience was kind of odd and frightening. ๐Ÿ‘พ

While I’m always cautious about social distancing and wearing a mask out in public places but between the limited vision under the banada, the empty doctors office, the hand sanitizer everywhere and all these things like a special Coronavirus questionnaire that I had to do on my phone before the doctor would see me. ๐Ÿ“ฑ I was so creeped out by the experience.

In four weeks on May 31 the sun will be setting in the west-northwest (301ยฐ) at 8:26 pm,๐ŸŒ„ which is 27 minutes and 53 seconds later then tonight. In 2019 on that day, we had partly cloudy, mist and temperatures between 76 and 55 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 74 and 52 degrees. The record high of 92 degrees was set back in 2013.

It looks like for Mothers Day it’s going to be cold and they might get snow in the Adirondacks. โ„ It does not look like a good weekend to get out of town. I’m still thinking about a mid May trip out to Schoharie County – maybe three nights with me working from my truck on a Monday. โ›บ I’m thinking the last week of May – the one after Memorial Day Weekend – to do a three night trip to Piseco Powley Road starting that Thursday night before the weekend if it is nice. I hope to have the screen house by then to avoid the bugs. Peak black fly season isn’t so bad if I have shelter during the day as black flies aren’t out after dark. Memorial Day Weekend proper I’ll stay home ๐Ÿก most likely to avoid the crowds especially if other developed campgrounds are closed forcing people into the back country taking up all the good sites. I’m also seriously thinking about planning my summer vacation up at Piseco Powley Road – and a week at the House Pond Swimming Hole could make up for all the state park pools being closed. ๐ŸŠ I’d have to see about getting a camping permit.

Looking ahead, Mothers Day ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€ is in 1 week, Pack Rat Day ๐Ÿ€ is in 2 weeks, Strawberry Moon ๐ŸŒ• is in 5 weeks, Fathers Day ๐Ÿ‘จ is in 6 weeks, Election Day 2020 ๐Ÿ—ณ๏ธ is in 6 months and Election Day 2020 ๐Ÿ—ณ๏ธ is in 6 months.

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿฆ…Only 19 days remain until the start of Memorial Day Weekend!๐Ÿฆ…๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ

Tulip Time!

October 10, 2019 Morning

Good morning! Happy Thursday. Vacation is going by much too quickly but I’m excited as today I’m going to West Virginia through Sunday. Three weeks to Halloween ๐Ÿ›ฅ๏ธ. Sunny and 42 degrees at the Buzzard Swamp Coop Mangement Area. ๐ŸŒž Calm wind.

This morning I started out the day with walk back to Buzzard Swamp ๐Ÿฆ. Beautiful morning with fog ๐ŸŒ over part of the Buzzard Swamp. I really do tight invest in a good pair of binoculars. ๐Ÿ”ญMaybe I’ll look at that for Christmas ๐ŸŽ„ sales time. Later it’s to Punxsutawney on PA 36 then Mount Davis Pennsylvania High Point and then Cannan Heights WV.

Today will be sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 66 degrees at 3pm. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around October 1st. East wind 3 to 5 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. It was humid. The high last year was 83 degrees. The record high of 89 was set in 1939. 0.8 inches of snow fell back in 1925.โ„

The sun will set at 6:43 pm with dusk around 7:11 pm, which is one minute and 38 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At sunset, look for clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ and temperatures around 63 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 11 hours and 21 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 43 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be clear ๐ŸŒƒ, with a low of 41 degrees at 6am. Typical for tonight. East wind 3 to 6 mph. In 2018, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became light rain by the early hours of the morning. It became very sticky as the night progressed. It got down to 61 degrees. The record low of 22 occurred back in 1943.

I set my alarm for six AM โฐ which was pitch black this morning except for the stars. ๐ŸŽ‘ I did hit the reset a few times more then I’m proud to admit but less than yesterday. The moon had set and it was cold but unlike yesterday, I was determined to break camp by eight to drive down to West Virginia. I saw the starting battery ๐Ÿ”‹ was at 12.50 so I started up the truck with a bit to be safe.

Not so cold this morning and I made only a small pot of coffee โ˜• so hopefully I won’t have to stop a million times on the way to West Virginia. I tried to leave early the previous day but it was so dark and cold and I had to the down the tarp and tent. Today I had a lot less gear plus I camped fifty miles to the south. Saved some dash cam video ๐Ÿ“น on my laptop.

Yesterday I decided to go to Warren Tops to buy groceries. I really needed ice and was running low on milk and cheese. I also decided to buy beer. ๐Ÿป It’s now sold at selected grocery stores in Pennsylvania but it’s a completely separate unit – you have to pay for it separately from the rest of the groceries and they sell non standard sizes – I bought a 15 pack of Budwiser for $12.98 no tax or deposit which is cheap compared to New York. It maybe not, I often buy 30 racks at Walmart for $19.95 plus $1.60 in sales tax and $1.60. But unfortunately without a deposit, I’ll have to crush the cans and bring them back to the transfer station for recycling โ™ป. Forgot how much Warren stinks like oil country – its a mix of crude oil, hydrogen sulfide with a certain amount of sweetness to the air. Actually camp smells a bit like that.

Then I headed south along US 62 stopping at the Tidoute Overlook ๐Ÿ“ท and then going to Nebraska Submergable Bridge. ๐ŸŒ‰ It’s kind of fun to see it again after seeing many Facebook posts of people exploring it while it’s submerged. Honestly I was surprised how much traffic goes over the bridge but it’s a pretty big shortcut to a lot of hunting camps. Hit a lot of construction ๐Ÿšง on US 62 AND on PA 36. They were paving PA 36, big delays there.

Not a lot of interesting country ๐Ÿฎ – some of the sections along the Alleghany River between Tidoute and Tionesta were quite pretty. I can get why that section is popular with kayakers. ๐ŸšคFlat once you climb out of Tionesta Valley, some farmland and some businesses supporting the pop business. Rather flat until I got down to the area around Cooks Forest and then timberland as I headed to Marienville. I did see a household burning trash, which is still somewhat common in rural PA but nothing like a decade ago. Some of that plastic stuff stinks, especially if it’s smoldering. ๐Ÿ‘ƒ

After that I visited the Cook Forest State Park โ›ฒ which had a fire tower and a path down to the gorge where the Clarion River runs and a nice picnic area around a historic tree planation. ๐ŸŒฒ๐ŸŒฒ๐ŸŒฒ I took River Road along Clarion River. That road is narrow but beautiful. Almost hit a doe, ran up from the river bank and into the shadow. My tires squealed but I fortunately missed it. Reviewing the dashcam it would have been hard for me to spot it. Really in the shadow.

I was hoping to camp โ›บ at Loleta Grade campsite 16 which I like because it has good cell service ๐Ÿ“ฑ which makes the night by go by quickly and makes the remote country seem less remote. It also has a good view of the stars โœจ and would be good for solar. But alas somebody already grabbed it with their camper, probably a bow hunter ๐Ÿ™‡. They appeared to have solar too and probably cell service internet in their camp. That’s a much nicer campsite. This site on the Gurgling Run smells a bit like Hydrogen Sulfide from an oil well, I assume that’s what makes the Gurgling Run Gurgle. ๐Ÿ’ฉ And it not only smells, it gurgles. Plus I don’t want to spend three nights without cell service. ๐Ÿ“ฑ

It thought about staying here for three nights then going to see the Elk and drive the Elk Drive and do Hyer View on Sunday. ๐Ÿš™But then I would miss West Virginia and I don’t really like the campsite I ended up in. It doesn’t look good for me getting down to West Virginia in 2020 as it’s a busy election year at my other job and they’re could be recounts or snow in November.

So I decided instead to drive down to Thomas, WV for the long weekend, heading back to County Bridge Campground. ๐Ÿ—ป Heading down now to Mount Davis, Pennsylvania High Point via Penna 36 and US 219. More of that highway is built through Somerset and some of those new expressway bridges look like they’ll have amazing views. It’s a lot of driving but less than I really had in my original plan as I’m not going down to the New River Gorge – just Dolly Sods one day and the other – the cloudy and potentially rainy Saturday I’ll do Maryland High Point and Blackwater Falls. But it’s fine. Sunday I’ll take Cooridor H, visit the Mount Storm Lake ๐Ÿญ and the massive power plant and then take to the road Keyser and then to Cumberland Maryland, then take US 220 and Interstate 99 to Mount Pisagh State Park for a drive with hopefully good colors then overnight at County Bridge outside of Troy.

I will pitch the tent down in West Virginia with the heater. No fires down there due to continuing fire ban ๐Ÿ”ฅ but I’ll save the paper plates and other burnables and have a fire the last night when overnight in Pennsylvania. I also have a little bit of kiln dried wood to burn at County Bridge. It’s fine – most nights I’ve been laying back in the hammock fairly early and letting the fire go out. It’s going to quite mild and the tent heater will be toasty. Not having to gather wood means that I’ll have more time for relaxing and reading ๐Ÿ“–. Fires are really a lot of work and kind of a waste of fire wood.

As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until Halloween ๐Ÿ›ฅ๏ธ when the sun will be setting at 6:13 pm with dusk at 6:41 pm. On that day in 2018, we had mostly cloudy, patches of fog and temperatures between 61 and 28 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 54 degrees. We hit a record high of 73 back in 1946.

Towards Big Moose Mountain