Christmas Eve 2015 night

|

Good Evening. Warm enough to sit out back with nothing more than a short sleeve shirt and an unzipped vest. Sipping on a cold one. Did I mention it’s 52 degrees with the bright full moon on the day before Christmas. The clouds are somewhat shrouding out the stars but the land is still pretty bright from the moonlight.

This year’s Christmas Eve reached 72 degrees which is the warmest temperature ever reached in Albany during the month of December. A strong El Nino plus the North Atlantic Oscillation meant warm air predominated, leading to toasty temperatures. The gradual but steady warming of the planet means on average, the winters aren’t as cold as they once were back in earlier decades.

I relocated the USB port in the cab of my truck to the front seat for ease of plugging in my phone. This way it runs on the accessory battery in case I accidentally leave it plugged in. Also packed for camping and bought food. I went for a short hike at Five Rivers Education Center but didn’t spend a lot of time there because I feel like I’m getting a cold and are trying to rest up. All packed for leaving early for hiking and camping tomorrow.

Had a nice Christmas Dinner at the parents house and we exchanged gifts. We had ham with all the fixings. I received several fishing lures. Nice little Christmas Eve with the family. Went for my evening walk and filled up the water containers. Beautiful full moon.

I can feel a fairly bad cold coming on but I still plan on going hiking tomorrow morning and camping on Christmas. It will be a beautiful day and I think the fresh air and exercise will help. I plan to get a good night’s sleep tonight and hopefully I will be feeling better.

That big full moon will be beautiful tomorrow. I am excited about seeing Glimmerglass State Park and doing some hiking. The pictures look nice and there are several miles of trail to explore. It should be a nice day and night. It really is unfortunate that I’ll have to head back Saturday in advance of the pouring rain.

One week from tonight is New Year’s Eve. I find it hard to believe that 2016 is just around the corner. If the night is snow and rain free, I plan to spend it in the Adirondacks, counting down the end of the year by a nice campfire. Hopefully then the weather will be nice enough to spend a couple of days in the woods. We will see. All and all, I think 2015 was a good year.

Sleep well. I’m heading inside for a long winter nap, to hopefully recover from my Christmas Cold.

December 24, 2015 morning

|

Good morning! 65 degrees on this Christmas Eve and clearing. We are looking at a 70 degrees with you partial  clearing by evening then mostly clear by early Christmas morning for the full Christmas moon.

Today it’s off to get packed for camping and to the store to pick up some groceries. Later, I’ll probably go for a hike maybe in the Holt Preserve or Five Rivers Education Center. Then Christmas Dinner at my parent’s house.

Tomorrow the plan is to get up early and leave by 7 or 8, then head to Glimmerglass State Park to explore the hiking trails at thlat state park. Then get lunch in Cooperstown if anything is open then explore Basswood Pond State Forest. Then camp at Cherry Ridge Campground. Should be a great night with a big full moon.

With the rain coming on Saturday afternoon, I’ll probably have a nice breakfast cooked over charcoal and break camp. Probably will stay up late, so won’t get that early of a start. But it will still be a nice weekend.