Good evening! Mostly clear and 66 degrees at the Allegheny National Forest. Calm wind. The dew point is 60 degrees. It’s a bit sticky earlier this evening but certainly not oppressive. Now comfortable.

It’s been quite a day but I survived unharmed and saw some beautiful country. I like taking the blue highways but twice this day I got cut off and had to slam on the brakes.💥I also almost got hit in the parking lot at Quaker Lake but fortunately not. I was parked at the time with my engine off so it wouldn’t have been my fault but it could have required a police report 👮 and body work had it happened. Stupid other kid backing out. I was reminded by Waze that Sugar Run Road was closed so I ended up dwtouring by taking a scenic drive through Allegany State Park – I was going to say I’ve never been through it in the summer – but that’s not true I drove that way in 2017 due to another Penna DOT detour on US 6 and making a wrong turn. But that’s fine I wanted to buy some food for dinner – Then I got lost in Bradford Penna – first looking for a grocery store and then later looking for the road back to the Kinzua Overlook – PA 59. Oh, and I had to back track a bit on Cuba, NY when I realized the old road that I was using to Shunpiking the Southern Tier Expressway was a dead end.

It was a good day though, first starting out at Klipnocky Road in Gas Springs State Forest then taking down the hammock and alternating between the Southern Tier Expressway and other routes that I could find for Shunpiking. 🚙 It’s so easy to wile away the hours in the hammock. But I have to admit having phone access most of my trip I’ve not necessarily used my time for productive uses, e.g. reading 📖. It’s so easy to scroll through Facebook and look at stupid memes. Some neat little historic towns I passed through. I snapped a few quick pictures on the dash cam but I admit I probably should have stopped a bit more and took in the streetscape 📹 before it’s gone or visited more of the local businesses like the Cuba Cheese Store. 🍕

I was running a little bit early so I drove up to Little Rock City. 📷 Not much has changed since I was there in 2013 during my autumn trip out there. 🍁The past two off year trips I’ve shunned Western NY for West Virginia.

I also drove down to Allegany State Park to swim, 🏊 and the new bath house 🛀 was a dank and smelly as it was last time. The ventilation and drainage of the new bath house had never been right and I miss the vines and natural woods of the old one – the new one looks like standard suburban McMansion crap and the bathrooms while new are gross. The water was cold and not as clear in Quaker Lake as I remembered but that’s probably comparing it to Lake Erie whose water is particularly bad this year with severe blue green algea. 🐸 But the country driving out there was so beautiful.

Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 57 degrees at 5am. Five degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around August 31st. That said, I expect it’s always a bit cooler here up in the Allegheny Mountains. Maximum dew point of 60 at 9pm. Calm wind. In 2018, we had mostly clear skies. It became very sticky as the night progressed. It got down to 68 degrees. The record low of 47 occurred back in 1977.

I’m fairly happy with the campsite I have here at the Allegheny National Forest. The Allegheny woods with the mountain laurel and broad canopy above is so much different than the Adirondacks. It’s really unfortunate it’s such a long trip from Albany 🗻 because it’s such beautiful country. I guess for folks who live in Buffalo, it’s just a weekend trip and hardly special but I guess the same can be said about me and the Adirondacks, especially Piseco Powley Road.

Tonight will have a Waning Crescent Moon 🌘 with 20% illuminated. The moon will rise at 1:28 am. I’m not staying up for it tomorrow. The New Moon is on Tuesday night with a chance of t-storms. The Strugeon Moon 🌝 is on Wednesday, August 14th. The sun will rise at 6:03 am with the first light at 5:31 am, which is 58 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 9 hours and 25 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 55 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 81 degrees at 4pm. One degree below normal, which is similar to a typical day around August 10th. So be it, August is just around the corner. Maximum dew point of 60 at 5pm. Southwest wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 86 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1955.

Tomorrow I’m heading back east to outside of Wellsboro where I have a camping permit for the night. ⛺ I want to stop at a few places on the way east, then explore the Pine Creek Gorge. 🚶 I’m considering visiting the lumber museum, 🌲🌳🌲 which is right on the way back and may also check out the completed block glass plaza in the little town whose name escapes me but used to a manufacturing hub for most of glass blocks used in buildings across the country. Maybe Port Allegheny? I’m glad at any rate I’ll be able to break up the long drive home into multiple days as I like to poke around on the back roads and not go too far in any one day🚙 . At any rate, tomorrow is the last full day of vacation, Sunday by mid morning the focus will be on heading east on Route 6 then making a bee line for Albany on Interstate 88, so I can get home and unpacked and ready for a certain busy week at work. But I’m fine, it’s been a long time away from home and I’m starting grow tired of the travel.

In four weeks on August 23 the sun will be setting at 8:02 pm,🌄 which is 36 minutes and 40 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2018 on that day, we had mostly sunny and temperatures between 78 and 58 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 80 and 59 degrees. The record high of 94 degrees was set back in 1947.

Looking ahead, National Dog Day 🐩 is a month away, Labor Day Weekend Begins 👨‍🏭 is in 5 weeks and Friday the 13th 👿 is in 7 weeks.