Mine Kill State Park πŸ“

Mine Kill State Park, nestled in the picturesque Schoharie Valley, provides a scenic vantage point overlooking the Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project by the NY Power Authority. The lower reservoir is a fishing haven, stocked with trout, walleye, bass, and more, catering to motor boating, kayaking, and water skiing. The park features an Olympic-sized pool, wading pool, and diving pool, free for the public to use (no fees are collected at this park due to hydro plant subsdies). Swim lessons are available in summer. Warm weather pursuits include hiking, mountain biking on the 8-mile trail network, and soccer on regulation fields. The park’s namesake, Mine Kill Falls, an 80-foot cascade through a gorge, is accessible via overlook platforms and the Long Path trail. Winter brings snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling opportunities.

πŸ–ΌοΈ Photos πŸ“½οΈ Videos

Finally a beautiful Saturday out in Schoharie and Delaware County after so many crappy weekends πŸš΅πŸŠπŸ•οΈ

After such a run of wet and bad weather we finally got a break and I got away from town. Awesome, although I will say that the pool is cold with the low dew point and the breeze. But it was great for hiking Platts Rocks then riding 26 miles round trip or the Catskill Scenic Trail. That said, I’m beat after all that bicycling, I barely want to hit the pool. But it’s fine, I got a shower and some pool time in and it will be closing for a bit and then be time to head up to camp.

Good evening! It’s been a pleasant day. Mostly sunny and 78 degrees at the Mine Kill State Park. There is a northwest breeze at 9 mph. πŸƒ. The dew point is 55 degrees.

Lol where to start! πŸ˜‚ Last night turned out much better than forecasted so I ended up deciding to ride out to the Bender Mellon Preserve πŸ‰ and hiking around that for nearly an hour, exploring the outside parameter trail and taking a bunch of pictures after deciding πŸ“Έ the trail wasn’t so wet yesterday and the skies were interesting. Then I decided to ride out to Voorheesville, down Main Street then out past the Voorheesville High School and library then down the rail trail to Adams Place then snaked through the subdivisions back home. 🐍 By then it was late for packing for camp but I got some done like filling the water container and some other things but won’t say that I didn’t stay up late sitting out back and still had a bunch to do in the morning contributing to me not leaving until 9:30 am.

On my way out I realized I forgot toilet paper 🚽 and paper towels. Both are good for camping. What I ended up doing was going to Tops in Greenville and buying paper towels for both purposes. They’ll be good for both. Then I took NY 81 out to Oak Hill which is still closed west of there.

With the detour I ended up deciding to head over to Prattville and checking out Pratts Rock. What a beautiful day. 🏞 Finally got to the Catskill Scenic Trail in Grand Gorge at 12 noon, rode until 1:45 when I got to Hobart at 1:40 pm when I stopped at the park for a while 🚲 and headed south almost to South Kortwright but turned back as I wanted to be back to my truck as close as possible to 4 pm so I could shower 🚿 and cool down in the pool. πŸŠβ€β™‚οΈ Then off to camp at Betty Brook most likely though if the campsite on West Kill Road is open I might stay there.

Tonight will be mostly clear πŸŒƒ, with a low of 54 degrees at 5am. Nine degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 12th. Maximum dew point of 56 at 7pm. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm in the evening. Going to be a cool evening especially here in the mountains. In 2022, we had partly cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 65 degrees. The record low of 45 occurred back in 1981.

Tonight will have a Waxing Crescent πŸŒ’ Moon with 22% illuminated. At 5 PM, the moon was in the south (185Β°) at an altitude of 51Β° from the horizon, some 249,518 miles away from where you are looking up from the earth. πŸš€ At the state speed limit of 55 mph, you’ll make it there by January 28th. Buckle up for safety! πŸ’Ί The moon will set in the west (273Β°) at 11:05 pm. The Strugeon 🐑 Moon is on Tuesday, August 1. The darkest hour is at 1:05 am, followed by dawn at 5:08 am, and sun starting to rise at 5:41 am in the east-northeast (61Β°) and last for 3 minutes and 17 seconds. Sunrise is 56 seconds later than yesterday. πŸŒ„ The golden hour ends at 6:22 am with sun in the east-northeast (68Β°). Tonight will have 9 hours and 9 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 48 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 83 degrees at 5pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around August 3rd. Maximum dew point of 60 at 5pm. Calm wind. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. It was humid. The high last year was 97 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1955.

I’m undecided about my plans for tomorrow. πŸ’­ I still want to get to the farm stands of the Schoharie Valley 🌽 πŸ… but I also kind of want to set up camp β›Ί and not have to secure it or take it down tomorrow. Plus I don’t love driving that rough Betty Brook Road, it’s tough on Big Reds aging suspension. 🚲 That said it could be a fun filled day. I might cycle from the Rest Area to Middleburgh, then poke around the village, get ice cream 🍦 then hike Vromans Nose πŸ‘ƒ and turn hit up the farm stands, head back to Mine Kill Pool and swim some more before camp. Monday I will park in Stamford, ride down to Bloomfield and maybe hike not drive Utsaythana followed by a swim at Mine Kill before going out to see the folks before vacation which starts Friday.

In four weeks on August 19 the sun will be setting in the west-northwest (288Β°) at 7:55 pm,πŸŒ„ which is 34 minutes and 33 seconds earlier then today. In 2022 on that day, we had hot, mostly sunny and temperatures between 89 and 58 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 82 and 61 degrees. The record high of 92 degrees was set back in 1899.

Looking ahead, Work Like a Dog Day 🐩 is Next Saturday (not likely to happen on vacation), Last Sunset After 8 PM πŸŒ† is in 3 weeks, National Dog Day 🐩 is in 5 weeks, Autumn πŸ‚ is in 2 months, Daylight Savings Time Ends πŸ›₯️ is in 15 weeks, Veterans Day πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ is in 16 weeks, Regular Deer Season in Southern Zone 🦌 is in 17 weeks, Small Business Saturday πŸ›οΈ is in 18 weeks, Average High is 40 🌨 is in 20 weeks, Earliest Sunset of the Year βŒ›οΈ is in 20 weeks, Tea Party Day 🐍 is in 21 weeks, Days are Getting Longer β˜€οΈ is in 5 months, Festivus πŸ– is in 22 weeks, Bacon Day πŸ₯“ is in 23 weeks and Bacon Day πŸ₯“ is in 23 weeks.

Fields

Thematic Map: Log Homes of Albany County
Map: Stone Dam Lake Trail
Thematic Map: The Barns of Schoharie County
Map: Shindagin Hollow State Forest Ortho

September 12, 2021 – Looking Ahead This Week

Unstable but mild week ahead 🌦

The coming week looks fairly unsettled but quite mild, but not too hot. Maybe a nice weekend next week? πŸ• But this work week looks a bit stormy, so I will have to take it day by day.

This Afternoon.
Feels like …
September 8th.

Isolated Showers

Isolated showers. Mostly cloudy.

Southwest wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

and

77 degrees , 66 max dew point, 7:11
sunset.
Tonight.
Feels like …
August 20th.

Heavy Rain

Showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 3am. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Low around 60. West wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

and

60 degrees , 6:36
sunrise.
Monday.
Feels like …
September 14th.

Chance of Showers then Mostly Sunny

A chance of showers, mainly before 7am. Partly sunny.

Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

and

75 degrees , 61 max dew point, 7:11
sunset.
Monday Night.
Feels like …
September 17th.

Slight Chance of Showers

A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy.

Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

and

52 degrees , 6:37
sunrise.
Tuesday.
Feels like …
September 11th.

Slight Chance of Showers then Chance of T-storms

A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny.

Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

and

76 degrees , 65 max dew point, 7:09
sunset.
Tuesday Night.
Feels like …
July 15th.

Chance of T-storms

A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy.

Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

and

63 degrees , 65 max dew point, 6:38
sunrise.
Wednesday.
Feels like …
August 14th.

Chance of T-storms then Showers

A chance of showers before 11am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 11am and 2pm, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. High near 82. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

and

82 degrees , 69 max dew point, 7:07
sunset.
Wednesday Night.
Feels like …
August 26th.

Showers then Chance of Showers

Showers, mainly before 8pm. Low around 59. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

and

59 degrees , 6:39
sunrise.
Thursday.
Feels like …
September 14th.

Mostly Cloudy then Chance of Showers

A chance of showers after 2pm. Partly sunny.

Chance of precipitation is 30%.

and

75 degrees , 66 max dew point, 7:05
sunset.
Thursday Night.
Feels like …
August 13th.

Chance of Showers

A chance of showers before 2am. Mostly cloudy.

Chance of precipitation is 30%.

and

61 degrees , 65 max dew point, 6:40
sunrise.
Friday.
Feels like …
September 1st.

Partly Sunny then Chance of Showers

A chance of showers. Mostly sunny.

Chance of precipitation is 40%.

and

79 degrees , 67 max dew point, 7:04
sunset.
Friday Night.
Feels like …
August 13th.

Chance of Showers

A chance of showers. Partly cloudy.

Chance of precipitation is 30%.

and

61 degrees , 66 max dew point, 6:41
sunrise.
Saturday.
Feels like …
September 5th.

Mostly Sunny

Mostly sunny.

 

and

78 degrees , 65 max dew point, 7:02
sunset.

 Dusk

Map: South Bradford State Forest
Map: Beaver Pond State Forest

Good Evening – September 12, 2021

Good afternoon! That water in the Mine Kill Pool is so cold. πŸŠβ€β™€οΈ

It’s just so tough to swim in 60 degrees water. I can do a few laps before my muscles get hardened up from the cold.

Partly cloudy and 77 degrees at the Mine Kill State Park. β›… There is a west-southwest breeze at 11 mph. πŸƒ. The dew point is 66 degrees. The skies will clear tomorrow around 11 am.

Did some nice hiking yesterday. I hiked the Windham Path outside of Windham – a scenic nature trail right outside the village and then did the Catskill Scenic Trail 🚢 – a lightly traveled rail trail between Grand Gorge and Hubbell’s Corners, through the deep gap where there headwaters of the East Branch of the Delaware River run. πŸ—» I wasn’t planning to drive through Windham but I ended up going that way as I got gas in Durham and got on the wrong road heading up over the ridge. β›½

I always forget how big and dramatic the mountains are in the Catskills around Windham β›° as I rarely get up this way – and the places with the good camping on backcountry roads tends to be relatively flat. I like the mountains a lot but my feelings about the Catskills and all of New York State are kind of mixed. πŸ’­ I just feel like taxes are so high in New York State πŸ’΅ and the state really likes to punish rural communities.

I was hoping to camp at Duck Pond again but that campsite was taken. πŸ• So I ended up camping on Betty Brook. I kind of like that campsite, it’s fully off the grid and is small so it’s easy to light and set up although it’s always a bit of a challenge to get Big Red backed in between the trees. πŸŒ²πŸŒ²πŸ›» It got pretty muddy as I decided to take Red up Burnt Hill Road from Blenheim and that section is kind of rough. Muddy too, Big Red will need a bath πŸ›€ this week.

Looking Glass Pond was drained, 🎣 so no fishing while I was up there, although there was a dad and their kid working a trap line πŸ€ harvesting muskrats along the shore line when I was walking there. 🌽 Got sweet corn and veggies at Shauls and then went for another swim. πŸŠβ€β™‚οΈ But alas the water πŸ’¦ is so cold so it’s hard to swim.