Good morning! National Lasagna Day. Garfield would approve of this holiday, although I would think it’s best celebrates in colder weather. Partly sunny now that the fog has burnt and 71 degrees in Warren. Calm wind. The dew point is 64 degrees. Stopping briefing at the Jake’s Rocks Overlook before heading out to Presque Isle for swimming. 

Today will have a chance of showers between 11am and 2pm, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high of 79 degrees at 5pm. Three degrees below normal. North wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 64 at 10am. The record high of 97 was set in 1894. The sun will set at 8:36 pm with dusk around 9:07 pm, which is 1 minutes and 4 seconds earlier than yesterday. Today will have 14 hours and 28 minutes of daylight, a decrease of 2 minutes and 3 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low of 62 degrees at 5am. One degrees below normal. East wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 63 at 6pm. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1968.

0.4 inch of rain expected between Saturday 2pm and Sunday 7pm. Within the next four days, a total of 0.4 inches of rain is expected.

 We have some muggy weather coming up. Sunday 10am – Sunday 6pm. Maximum temperature will be 74 degrees and a maximum dew point of 66. Wednesday 5pm – Wednesday 11pm. Maximum temperature will be 81 degrees, a heat index reaching 83, and a maximum dew point of 65. Thursday 7pm – Friday 1am. Maximum temperature will be 77 degrees, a heat index reaching 77, and a maximum dew point of 65.

There are 2 weeks until First Day of Sunset Before 8 PM in Albany when the sun will be setting at 8:18 pm with dusk at 8:49 pm. The average high temperature is 81 degrees, with a record high of 99 in 1944.

Made some eggs and sausage for breakfast. Got clothes and gear out for the day and got the camp gear put away. Got firewood for the night. Put it all under tarp. Got cleaned up and after a brief stop at Jake’s Rocks, then I’m heading over to Erie, Penna. and Presque Isle State Park. 

It was a nice night. I ended up staying up until well after 1 am but I had a nice campfire and it was pretty nice once the drizzle stopped. Foggy morning, as is common in the Allegheny Woods. 

My laptop battery is dead, so I won’t be able to upload yesterday’s photos until tomorrow. It should get a good charge on the way out to Erie, Penna. 

I listened to Hillary’s speech last night. I have to admit this is the first keynote address of the conventions I’ve stayed up until late night to until I was on vacation. I fell asleep before Trump’s speech last week, in part because I had to work the next day. 

I liked a lot of what I heard but I do have serious concerns about what she had to say about guns and the second amendment. I also worry that a democratic president could lock up a lot of public lands as developed parks and monuments, taking away people’s right to camp, hunt, fish, off-road and ATV. There are some special areas that deserve wilderness protections but most forests can sustain a wide variety of public and private uses. Hillary seems like a liberal without bounds and I worry that there might not be a powerful congress to check her. 

That said Trump worries me. He strikes me as a greedy business man, who doesn’t have a moral compass. I fear what he would be like if elected president, as he seems to have a temper and a poor grasp of international affairs or economics. He could blow up the world markets. I don’t think he understands the oil crisis the world faces, even if prices are low now. Nor do I think we need a president who fails to acknowledge climate change, and the pros and cons to action. 

I’m a lifelong Democrat. I’m sure I’ll come home at the end, but Hillary gives me pause. I hate how the National Democratic Party and it’s surrogates have taken to attack the NRA, when they’re out there advocating for me and my fellow gun owners. I don’t think guns should be a partisan issue, as self defense is a human right, and hunting gets people out in the wilderness and creating a personal stake in protecting our environment.