Burnt-Rossman Hills State Forest, spanning an impressive 10,588 acres, proudly holds the distinction of being Schoharie County’s largest state forest. This natural haven has garnered immense popularity among enthusiasts of outdoor pursuits such as hiking, camping, and various recreational activities.
Traversing a segment of this expansive landscape is the Long Path, a trail adorned with aqua blazes, stretching over 350 miles. Within this forest, the Eminence Lean To stands as a notable point of interest along the Long Path, positioned roughly 0.5 miles to the east of Old Cemetery Road. A crossing of Old Cemetery Road can be spotted just to the south of an ancient burial ground.
Among the captivating features of the forest are the campsites discreetly nestled along Betty Brook Road, as well as the inviting spots found at Duck Pond, situated along Burnt Hill Road.
For those with a penchant for angling and boating, Looking Glass Pond, located along Rossman Hill Road, offers an inviting prospect. This charming pond not only facilitates fishing and boating but also boasts well-maintained fishing platforms courtesy of the Fulton Fish and Game Club.
Probably by midday it will mark 100 days of walking a minimum of 5 miles a day or 10,000 steps. 👣 That said, lately I’ve been doing a lot more. Yesterday that worked out to be more like 11 1/2 miles. Feeling great, except for my lack of sleep last night!
Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! Partly cloudy with fog around and 41 degrees in Delmar for the morning walk. ⛅ Calm wind.
For the first time in a long time I did not sleep well 🛏 last night. Part of it was I didn’t get to bed until later then usual as I walked until 7:45 then went to the grocery store. By the time I was in bed and lights off it was closer to quarter before ten. Then I woke up at 2 am and struggled to get back to sleep. 😴
Worse thing about waking up during the night 🌃 is all the podcast ads magically become for Better Help, sleeping medications and mattress commercials. 💊 Can’t sleep at night, our online therapists can help you 24-7. Talking to a shrink is exactly what I need in this middle of the night when I can’t sleep. Really, lol. No I just need to get up, take a piss and get back to bed listening to some boring 💤 lecture of podcast.
Today will have increasing clouds 🌥 👉 ☁, with a high of 65 degrees at 3pm. Typical for today. Light and variable wind becoming southeast 5 to 10 mph in the morning. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 54 degrees. The record high of 92 was set in 1990. There was a dusting of snow in 1966.❄
Yesterday was a crickets day at work 🦗 it was dead quiet until it wasn’t. But then the project got sent back to the researcher and it was dead. I’ve been continuing to update R studio packages, and working on some interesting new maps. I like the quality of the simple maps I’m getting out of ggplot these days. Accidentally scheduled too many posts yesterday evening, but I’m moving them around and getting that fixed.
Got out walking after a quick dinner 🏃 managing to get in 11 1/2 miles for the day. Then I went grocery shopping. 🛒 When I got done ringing up my items from shopping, I had a bit of sticker shock after shopping — my bill rang up to $113. 😮 I know, but then again I needed coffee, salmon, and some other more expensive things that will likely last a month or two as a dole out the servings over time. I buy in bulk, and these days bulk buying is expensive. ☕ I expect my grocery bills to much closer to normal in coming weeks, but also I do expect they’ll run about $10-20 a week more then what they were before I started eating healthy. While in some ways healthy foods bought in bulk are less expensive, all the ingredients and variety just adds up. 👨⚕️ And it’s worth it if it keeps me healthy, as I noted last night.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:54 pm with sun having an altitude of 61.5° from the due south horizon (-9.3° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:13 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (284°). 📸
The sunset is in the west-northwest (290°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:52 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 5 seconds with dusk around 8:22 pm, which is one minute and 8 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous 🌔 Moon in the south (188°) at an altitude of 66° from the horizon, 252,101 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:00 pm. At sunset, look for cloudy skies ☁ and temperatures around 59 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 14 hours of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 34 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will have a chance of showers, mainly after 1am. Cloudy 🌧, with a low of 45 degrees at 6am. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 5th. Southeast wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 33 degrees. The record low of 27 occurred back in 1947.
Tomorrow will have showers. 🌦 High of 50 degrees at 2pm. 15 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 30th. Maximum dew point of 43 at 1pm. 🏖️ Southeast wind 9 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 61 degrees. The record high of 88 was set in 1888. 1 inches of snow fell back in 1885.❄
This weekend I want to work on the bicycle 🚲 rebuilding the wheel now that I have the gears off and spokes here. Once the wheel is trued, I will reinstall the tube. I’m not sure if I need a new rear tube, seems like it has a slow leak, I have rubber cement and rubber patches to fix it. Then I’ll order the remaining parts I need — a rear derailer cable and screw/adjuster plate. 👩🔧
Looking ahead to Sunday, showers, mainly after 2pm. High near 62. Southeast wind 6 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Maximum dew point of 51 at 7pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 66 degrees.
Looking ahead, next Friday is Cinco de Mayo 🤠 when the sun will be setting at 8:01 pm with dusk at 8:30 pm. On that day in 2022, we had partly sunny and temperatures between 68 and 49 degrees. Right on target. Typically, the high temperature is 68 degrees. We hit a record high of 91 back in 1944. I am hoping to get out of town next week, maybe to the Adirondacks so I can get eaten alive by black flies. But a lot depends on the weather. Some forecasts call for sun, others for rain, but it’s 7 days out and that’s always a wild card. I guess the alternative could be going out to Schoharie or Rensselaerville.
A few months back I posted several articles that I found in my research and reading about milkweed – how it’s wonderful for wildlife and really poisonous for livestock.
There are darn good reasons why farmers spray it and work to eradicate it from their farm fields. It can kill horses and cattle if mixed with their hay. That’s a big deal if you depend on your land for your livelihood that keeps you living the rural life. Seeing an animal die a painful death is traumatic to all involved.
But we need milkweed to support butterflies and our ecosystem. Like everything, there is a time and place. A noxious weed on the farm can also sustain life of other species, be part of a healthy ecosystem. The efficiency of clearing fields of noxious weeds is blamed for the decline of many common butterflies.
What is the solution? Probably a mix of both farming and places where milkweed can be planted and sustained in yards, nature preserves and land set aside by private owners for conservation purposes.
I often think many areas they call wilderness areas aren’t true wilderness. On the other hand, areas not called wilderness can be very much true wilderness.
I spent four or five hours hiking today back to Hilderbrandt Vly and Glasgow Lake and did not see another person. The snowmobile trail while soft and flooded in many low lying areas contains little evidence of overuse, indeed I suspect these lakes are little visited except by snowmobilers and a handful of hunters and fishermen. If anything Glasgow Lake shows the signs of the most use of the area but at least while I was there I didn’t see a single other person.
People sometimes ask what I like to do while camping⛺ Besides sitting by the fire and listening to the spring peepers and the birds,🐸 I also will often put on some music or a podcast, especially in the evening.
In the day time I like to cook – I actually like camp cooking better than at home as I’m not distracted by all the other things going on at home. 🍳I also spend a lot of time reading as camping often is a long distraction free time for me. Lately I’ve been spending more time writing, 📚as I’m trying to capture more of my thoughts and experiences in words.
Camping in the wilderness is a chance to get away from all the noise and problems that are inherent in living in the city.
Lately I’ve gotten into Cat Stevens record lately. I think it’s because I have a lot more energy these days and feel great.
Good morning! Happy Arbor Day. 🎄 Trees are great. They keep it cool in the summer, are nice and warm when you burn them, great places to hang stuff off of and create good healthy oxygen.
Fog and 41 degrees in Delmar for the morning walk. 🌫 Calm wind. More sun later with skies clearing around 8 am as the fog burns off.
Finally got up and walking 🚶 closer to six 6⃣ this morning. Little achy from the dampness but it’s good to be alive. Barley and blueberries for breakfast 🥣 when I get home. This evening after the walk I’ll refill my pantry so I have a wider variety of healthy choices in my pantry for next weekend going into next week. Variety is important for a good diet. 🍏 🥦
Today will have isolated showers between 10am and noon. Mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 61 degrees at 5pm. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 19th. Calm wind becoming northwest around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 51 degrees. The record high of 91 was set in 1962. There was a dusting of snow in 2020.❄
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:54 pm with sun having an altitude of 61.2° from the due south horizon (-9.7° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:12 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (283°). 📸
Yesterday I got in 10.1 miles walked 🚶 for the day which is good. The heavy rain held off until 8 pm, it was pouring by the time I was heading home from the park. Got dark quickly too. Tomorrow marks 100 days walking five miles or more a day some days far more. I can’t complain, I feel great.
The sunset is in the west-northwest (290°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:51 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 4 seconds with dusk around 8:20 pm, which is one minute and 8 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the First Quarter 🌓 Moon in the southwest (215°) at an altitude of 67° from the horizon, 252,244 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:58 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 57 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 13 hours and 58 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 35 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌤, with a low of 37 degrees at 5am. Five degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 16th. Light south wind. In 2022, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 37 degrees. The record low of 25 occurred back in 1947.
Not a particularly nice weekend on tap. 😞 Saturday, showers, mainly after 8am. High near 54. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Sunday, showers likely, mainly after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Maximum dew point of 51 at 1pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 66 degrees.
As previously noted, next Thursday is 8:30 PM Dusk 🌆 when the sun will be setting at 7:59 pm with dusk at 8:29 pm. On that day in 2022, we had rain showers, mostly cloudy and temperatures between 57 and 50 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 68 degrees. We hit a record high of 91 back in 1944.
Wind turbines have to be started by the electric power in the grid just like a car needs a battery and a starter to start. It takes energy to get the blades moving then they coast along with the wind once they’re moving.
Wind turbines like a car can be shut off when their is no market for their power, wind speed is too low or strong, or maintenance is required. They have both braking using the motors and physical brakes like a car. Just because it’s windy doesn’t mean that a wind turbine will be turning or generating electricity.
Like running a car engine, running a wind turbine puts wear on the bearings and other equipment like the blades – you only want to run it when necessary. Plus you have to have somewhere to dump the power – if you loose the grid connection the turbine must stop or the wires or turbine motor will burn up as electricity must be consumed as soon as its produced.
I’ve been hoping for a nice weekend to get up into the wilderness before black fly season got underway, but every weekend this April since the Easter holiday has been worse — and each weekend seems to get cloudier, cooler and rainer. Two weekends ago, I could have gotten out of town, and it would have been fine, but the forecast was wet. Last weekend was okay, until Saturday night when it absolutely poured. And then this weekend’s forecast.
At some point my luck will change. Indeed, Mothers Day Weekend might be a good one, as my parents aren’t going to be in town, and maybe depending when they get the state budget done, I can take off that Friday with just credited time. Black flies, if I decide to go up north might be bad. But maybe I’ll do Schoharie, especially if I get my bike working, it could be a lot of fun to ride some of the roads out there.
