August 15, 2020 Evening

Good evening! Cloudy and 70 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. There is a south-southeast breeze at 9 mph. . The dew point is 64 degrees. The skies will clear tomorrow around 5 am.

Final night of summer vacation. All things have to come to an end. It’s been a very unusual year with the pandemic smoldering all around the world but in some ways it inspired me to find new places to visit and new forms of socially distant recreation. Without the pandemic I might not have explored the Keuka Outlet Trail or the Catherine Valley Rail Trail or the Catherine Swamp WMA and missed some really beautiful and wild country.

I don’t know how I had never driven or walked Rock Cabin Road in Watkins Glen but it sure is beautiful. I wish I hadn’t left my binoculars in the truck as the marsh was full of wildlife I wish I could have seen up close. It looks like there are some good paddling possibilities from the marsh but I didn’t have time with the threat of thunderstorm and the sky getting dark. When I started to hear rumbles and looked at the radar I was concerned but if the weather was bad enough I could have probably thumbed a ride back to the truck or found a relatively safe low lying place in the marsh or along the road. But it sure was dusty.

I had tuna fish salad for dinner with several beers to wash it down. I’ve used up most of the last of the cold food so I didn’t buy ice today. I doubt the mayonese or sliced cheese will go bad if it gets a bit warm by evening but if it does its not a big loss. Had a nice roaring fire for a while but I’ve let it burn down by bed time. I tried to straighten up camp for easier take down after spending nine days at this site. Returned a bunch of cans at Walmart this evening so I have a lot less trash to bring home and I got my deposit back and a fresh case of beer . I know I won’t be littering and my campsite super clean when I leave.

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9pm. Mostly cloudy , with a low of 65 degrees at 5am. Five degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 64 at 6pm. South wind 5 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was humid. It got down to 63 degrees. The record low of 41 occurred back in 1972.

Tonight will have a Waining Crescent Moon with 12% illuminated. The darkest hour is at 1:13 am, followed by dawn at 5:46 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:16 am in the east-northeast (70°) and last for 3 minutes and 3 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 3 seconds later than yesterday. The golden hour ends at 6:55 am with sun in the east-northeast (77°). Tonight will have 10 hours and 8 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 32 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of showers. Mostly sunny , with a high of 80 degrees at 3pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around August 18th. Maximum dew point of 64 at 8am. Southeast wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became rain by afternoon. It became humid as the day progressed. The high last year was 81 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1936.

I am glad that I had coffee for tomorrow morning. I have to think that I’m an caffeine addict but I’m sure was much happier this morning with my cups of joe. I have muffins for tomorrow which will be good.

I am in no rush to get going tomorrow and packed up and heading home. It all will depend if it’s raining come morning but I’m quite content to lay back in the hammock and read a bit before taking down camp and then doing some of the Taughannock Rim Trail before heading home. Still thinking about going through Marathon and taking NY 23 at least part of the way home. Summer vacation has to come to an end but there are always future trips or so I hope. COVID-19 is real and out there, but I tried to stay safe while enjoying the Finger Lakes.

Then it’s back to work Monday but with remote work it’s either a matter of going down to the library parking lot or using my new phone to get done what needs to be done. All the signs point to a busy week next week but after my week off camping without cell service at camp I’m ready to make it happen.

I was looking and it seems like I need to renew my blog contract come October. I’ll probably do it sooner than that and do the 3 or more years – whatever is the cheapest rate. I like doing my blog and while I don’t make any money from it, really isn’t that expensive and it gives me an opportunity to think and express my thoughts and experiences .

I saw another one of my colleagues bought a house . Nice mid-century modern house, probably in the more suburban part of the city. Yeah, I’m a bit jealous but it’s certainly not may way of living. But I’m only a few steps behind him and if I keep saving and investing I’ll be closer to that goal . Of course, I think if rather live somewhere surrounded by corn fields or forest , some place small without grid power where I can have fires , shoot guns and live the good life without any neighbors to give a damn. With cheap taxes , no special government permission to carry guns or improve your land or run my hobby farm . Land in rural areas is a lot cheaper and freer – especially in other states but it’s hard to make a living in the rural countryside, although maybe the pandemic and increased remote work is changing that.

As Malvina Reynolds once sung, “Little Boxes made out of ticky tacky”. If that was my only choice, I’d choose my moldy apartment.

While my hammock stinks tonight after getting wet today in the rain and the Martin’s Permethrin I applied earlier in the week being somewhat unlocked, I continue to be very happy with the replacement hammock I bought more than two years ago to replace the shitty Eno / LL Bean branded hammock that had bad carabiners and then only months later ripped and wouldn’t be warranted. While I got the LL Bean with credit card reward points , it was expensive and within a year was placed in the camp trash and ultimately burnt to a crisp. The cheap Chinese replacement I got on Ebay for $15 has lasted more than two years now and is still in good shape. That said, I do like the Eno straps, I still use them today with the China hammock. God bless those factory slave workers who make quality inexpensive products.

In four weeks on September 12 the sun will be setting in the west (276°) at 7:22 pm, which is 46 minutes and 14 seconds earlier then today. In 2019 on that day, we had partly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 68 and 51 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 74 and 53 degrees. The record high of 94 degrees was set back in 1947.

Looking ahead, Average High is 60 is in 2 months, Northern Zone Regular Season is in 9 weeks, Halloween and the Blue Moon is in 11 weeks, Small Business Saturday is in 15 weeks, Repeal of Prohibition Day is in 16 weeks, Bill of Rights Day is in 4 months, Boxing Day is in 19 weeks, Static Electric Shock Day is in 21 weeks, National Cheese Lovers Day is in 23 weeks, Save the Pine Bush Turns 43 is in 25 weeks, 5:30 PM Sunset is in 27 weeks and Snow Moon is in 28 weeks.