Inviting

While often crowded during the beautiful weather on Saturday, Peebles Island did offer a chance to enjoy some solitude walking in the park.

Taken on Saturday October 19, 2019 at Peebles Island State Park.

Holding off on a MPPT controller

I’ve decided to hold off on getting an MPPT solar controller for my truck for now – even when the benefits are obvious like on a partly cloudy day like this morning when I shut off the inverter, changing the resistance and actually boosting the output of the panel.

For the most part I have sufficient power with the two accessory batteries and don’t need the benefit compared to the PWM charger I currently have. The system preformed well enough on my October road trip even if I know on many days I’m not necessarily getting the best possible performance out of the solar panel. I say replace it when the PWM charger dies but the truth is without capacitors or non solid state components that’s unlikely to happen any time soon.

Plus if I were to get the larger Renology Rover MPPT charger I’d have to relocate the inverter and several other components which would require lengthening and cutting several wires to make things fit which is quite a bit of work. I do like all the diagnostic features of that charger though. One of the off gridders I follow online is a big fan of the Victron MPPT controllers which are pretty much the size of the PWM controller currently have.

Honestly the system works fairly good. Why put more money into something that works fine now?

Solar panel installed to top off battery when camping multiple days

Cold to Close Out October?

After a fairly mild October, it looks like the weather pattern is changing and it will be cold to close out the month, especially in the upper-midwest, but also here in New Yak State.

October 20, 2019 Morning

Good morning! Happy Sunday. Two weeks to Daylight Savings Time Ends πŸ›₯️. Partly cloudy and 49 degrees in Dormansville, NY. β›… There is a south breeze at 5 mph. πŸƒ. The skies will clear around 10 pm. Warmed up quickly this morning, it was about 30 degrees when I first woke up around dawn this morning.

Today will have a chance of rain, mainly after 3pm. Mostly cloudy 🌞, with a high of 52 degrees at 2pm. Six degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around November 5th. Maximum dew point of 46 at 4pm. South wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 62 degrees. The record high of 80 was set in 1965. There was a dusting of snow in 1952.❄

The sun will set at 6:06 pm with dusk around 6:35 pm, which is one minute and 32 seconds earlier than yesterday. πŸŒ‡ At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and temperatures around 50 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 10 hours and 52 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 43 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a chance of rain, mainly before 8pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 39 degrees at 6am. One degree above normal, which is similar to a typical night around October 18th. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2018, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 35 degrees. The record low of 17 occurred back in 1972.

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Daylight Savings Time Ends πŸ›₯️ when the sun will be setting at 4:47 pm with dusk at 5:16 pm (Standard Time). On that day in 2018, we had rain and temperatures between 57 and 41 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 53 degrees. We hit a record high of 75 back in 1990.

 Cloudy Fall Day on Wollock Road

Ticks

Don’t fear the ticks or the woods but please be aware they are out there.

I got a big, fully engorged one on my stomach yesterday and I pulled it with a tick key I keep in my truck. I’ll monitor it for a Lyme rash but do far no bulls eye.

Ticks and Lyme disease are a growing part of life with our changing climate. Better management of our forests and pastures including controlled burns, timber harvests and removal of invasive species can help reduce the tick threat but not eliminate it.

Life is to be lived and enjoyed, not worry much about wearing out the bearings in your body. Face it, you’re going to wear out eventually and be landfill in a cemetery or incinerated in a crematory just like everything else in this world. None of us are going to live forever, so get out, take risks enjoy the wilderness.

But definitely use DEET or Picardin. The later is wonderful, much less nasty than DEET. Carry a tick key, check for ticks and bulls eye rashes. Go to your doctor if you think you have Lyme disease. But most importantly, enjoy life and woods while you still can.