Good evening! Mostly cloudy and 74 degrees in Westerlo. There is a south breeze at 10 mph. The dew point is 52 degrees.

Tonight will have increasing clouds, with a low around 65. Four degrees above normal. South wind 3 to 8 mph. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1982.

Tonight the sun will set at 8:36 pm with dusk around 9:10 pm, which is 16 seconds earlier than yesterday. Today will have 15 hours and 12 minutes of daylight, a decrease of 53 seconds over yesterday.

Tuesday will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 83. One degrees above normal. Light and variable wind becoming northwest around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. The record high of 99 was set in 1919.

On this day in 1776, The United States Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Second Continental Congress. 51 years later, slavery would be banned in New York State in 1821. Starting the day after Independence Day 1967, you would be able to FOIL the Federal Government, after U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Freedom of Information Act into law on July 4, 1966. Then citizens could request information on how much the federal government spent on fireworks the night before.

There are 4 weeks until First Day of August when the sun will be setting at 8:14 pm with dusk at 8:46 pm. The average high temperature is 82 degrees, with a record high of 101 in 1933.

Sitting by the fire last night, I had to put on my beloved blaze orange  hoodie and jeans as the mercury dropped into the low 50s, as another cool and clear Adirondack night got underway. I generally keep my campfires small as I don’t like wasting wood. I actually won’t get all the firewood burnt by the end of the trip, but I’ll leave it for the next people camping here, as you can’t move non-local firewood any more. Listening to the rumble of people lighting off fireworks in the distance, probably in the Red River Valley, which is about two miles away.

It’s always kind of funny how in Inlet you can tell who is camping at the Plains by how much mud is on their trucks or cars. Honestly I don’t understand the appeal of camping at one of those Intensive Use state campgrounds, I like the space and freedom of camping where I am at Moose River Plains. The nearest campsite from where I am is over 1/3 of a mile away per my GPS. I could shoot my 22, and with the un-level terrain I doubt they could hear me. The shotgun is louder, but not that loud. I can certainly hear  the fireworks in the distance.

Nothing like the campsites at Limekiln Lake Intensive Use Area, where the nearest campsite is like a few feet away. I don’t get the appeal of that intensive form of camping, although visiting the hot shower there earlier was pretty nice. The beach though closed at 6 pm, so I only went to the shower a Limekiln. I guess I could have gone for a paddle or fishing, but I was hungry so I returned to my campsite at Moose River Plains.

I sure love those Independence Day lights I got. I want to get to Walmart on Tuesday to get another string or two, so I can entirely bathe my campsite in the patriotic lighting. I like how little electricity they draw, and how they are stars within pretty round globes.I have a soft spot for LED lighting for sure. With the solar light, I keep the flag lit throughout the night. It’s a matter of respect and offers a comforting light throughout the night.

I retired to bed relatively early, but woke up with a bit of a headache from the night before. I tried drinking a lot of water in the evening and the morning, but I think I had a few too many drinks while I was grilling up the chicken last night. Took camp down, and drove home, stopping several times for pictures. I took Route 30 to avoid the traffic heading back, but I was so close to Inlet, it would have been much smarter to have taken Route 28 back through Old Forge.

I got most of my gear unpacked, and am now out at my parents house for Sunday dinner. They made some pretty amazing sausage burger-paddies with peppers, sauce, and parmesan cheese. A pretty good way to end out the Independence Day Weekend. I already miss camping, but it won’t be long before I’m back out in the wilderness camping in future weekends. Only a four day work week too.