About the Queen’s Castle 
About the Queen’s Castle
At least my Monday was better than his
And in the end 
Summer vacation 2023 comes to a close at 6:30 pm, Sunday August 6th – ten days after leaving on Friday July 28th at 9 AM.
It was a great trip, probably my favorite summer vacation of all times. While I didn’t travel as far as some years, my days were filled with smaller adventures from 6 AM to 11 PM.
Ultimately if you subtract out ordinary and existing costs, my vacation cost only about $300, about $200 was fuel the other hundred was ice cream, half case of beer, propane and miscellaneous supplies like paper towels. Of course I spent like $125 between groceries and farm stands but over a ten day period that would have likely gotten spent even if I stayed home.
I have to say this has been the best vacation in my life 
The weather has been absolutely fantastic, my days packed with adventures and cold ice cream and swimming holes. I’ve ridden like 250 miles through farm and forest land. Many nights with campfires, watermelon cold beer and fresh squeezed lemonade. Dinners with Vadellia onions and peppers, lemon pepper chicken and salmon, beer boiled clams with sweet corn, zucchini and tons of fresh fruit with Greek yogurt. Many amazing sunrises and sunsets. Just not nearly enough hours in the day.
Good morning! Happy Sunday. I do know what this means, after 10 days all good things must come to an end. 
Don’t look so sad, life goes on this world keeps turning. Summer 2024 is but a few winks 
of the eye away, as is a long weekend trip up to the Potholers maybe next weekend or in two weeks. Then maybe an extended Labor Day Weekend at Spectulator Tree Farm to close out the summer. Except for the hammock, flags, bucket shitter and the kayak on the roof of the truck my home for nine short nights has been taken down.
Stunningly beautiful morning like so many this past week. Mostly sunny and 68 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. 
There is a southeast breeze at 6 mph. 
. The dew point is 57 degrees. I heard the seven o’clock chime 
on my phone and it was followed by the eight, nine and ten o’clock chimes on my phone about five minutes later as I took down camp, carefully packing things for the return trip to Albany.
This morning was a delightful breakfast 
of cream of wheat, freshly squeezed lemon, a bit of stevia to make it sweet plus chia seeds 
for fiber and the remaining Greek yogurt I had so it wouldn’t go bad without ice. I also had the last hard boiled egg 
a little while after for additional protein and as I wasn’t sure if it would survive to mid day without any more ice in the cooler. Plus two cups of cold black coffee 
not that I really needed it as I made sure to get my eight hours of sleep yesterday for the long drive home.
Today will be sunny 
, with a high of 79 degrees at 4pm. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 1st. Maximum dew point of 62 at 5pm. East wind around 7 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. It was very sticky. The high last year was 93 degrees. The record high of 98 was set in 1900.
I told myself that I should leave Ithaca by 4 pm to ensure my arrival home by 7 pm, well before dark and so I have time to unpack and run to the laundromat and grocery store before bed 
at 9 pm. I’d like to get back into the habit of rising at 6 am for the morning walk 
and to bed nightly at nine, as I find that’s the most natural sleep pattern for me. Of course if I ride my bike 
to work I can get a later start as I won’t need to do a morning walk before catching the express downtown. 
Do plan to resume doing the stairs to the 18th floor twice a day at work 
at least when I’m working downtown for that extra push of intensive cardio each day. Truth be told, I really should plan on leaving Ithaca at 3 pm knowing I’ll inevitably be running late, 
stopping at farm stands 
and pee breaks 
, parks and scenic vistas. 
Solar noon is at 1:14 pm with sun having an altitude of 64.2° from the due south horizon (-6.5° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.9 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 
starts at 7:43 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (287°). The sunset is in the west-northwest (294°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:23 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 9 seconds with dusk around 8:52 pm, which is one minute and 16 seconds earlier than yesterday. 
The best time to look at the stars is after 9:33 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 
and temperatures around 73 degrees. The dew point will be 63 degrees. There will be a east-southeast breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 20 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 20 seconds over yesterday.
Thinking 
today I’ll go to Buttermilk Falls State Park 
and hike the gorge and swim. 
I don’t love the idea of parking 
in that tight little parking lot so I might find a city park to park at or on street, and ride some of the Ithaca bike trails to get there, bypassing delays at the toll booth to boot not that it matters as I have an Empire Passport 
.
Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 1am and 5am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5am. Increasing clouds 
, with a low of 66 degrees at 6am. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 66 at 5am. South wind 6 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was very sticky. It got down to 76 degrees. The record low of 46 occurred back in 1994.
Yesterday I mountain biked riding both gravel and trails at Sugar Hill State Forest. Posted many pictures to Facebook some on the blog. About a fifteen mile loop. Swam at Watkins Glen pool but didn’t ultimately go floating on my tube 
on Seneca Lake as it was too cool and the lake choppy 
by afternoon. Rode another ten miles down Rock Cabin Road, along old Airport Road at Catharine Valley WMA, then down to Montour Falls. Rode over to Glen Dairy Bar 
via the Catharine Valley Trail and the Watkins Glen High School 
and had a great hot apple pie 
sundae with vanilla soft ice cream. Rode over to the Watkins Glen Pier and watched the sun set 
and then through Clute Park back to my truck and back to camp by nine. Dinner was sweet corn , peppers and peaches 
that I got at the Burdett Exchange 
along with a hard boiled egg . Night rode over to Foster Pond, sat and looked at the stars 
for a while but didn’t see any shooting stars but I didn’t stay that long as it was chilly and I wanted to get back to camp as it was after 10:30 PM for a small campfire to warm up 
before lights out.
Looking ahead, there are 5 weeks until 6:30 Sunrise when the sun will be setting at 7:27 pm with dusk at 7:54 pm. On that day in 2022, we had mostly sunny, patches of fog and temperatures between 83 and 56 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 77 degrees. We hit a record high of 96 back in 1931.
Down to a single cooler 
That’s always a sign that summer vacation is coming to a close. With all the various things I cooked up with the clams last night I was able to use up enough food that today I’m down to a single cooler and even that’s pretty empty post the scrambled eggs I had for breakfast the last of which I’m currently boiling as a protein source for today and tomorrow. Hoping if I can get some fresh farm stand peaches today I’ll be good on food until I get home Sunday, yet not bring much extra food home. The only thing that ultimately expired while camping was the black beans I cooked prior to camping, the fire got them last night, I eat everything else. And obviously Glen Dairy Bar ice cream tonight.
Good morning! Partly cloudy 
and 63 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. Final morning before I take down camp tomorrow. There is a west-northwest breeze at 6 mph. . The dew point is 62 degrees. I think a rain stop came through briefly this morning but it looks like this has been a largely rain free week except for last Saturday afternoon and a brief shower on Monday when I was out hiking at Beebe Pond at Cornell University.
Today will be partly sunny , with a high of 74 degrees at 3pm. Nine degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 17th. Maximum dew point of 63 at 9am. North wind 6 to 10 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. It was sticky. The high last year was 93 degrees. It looks like we might actually get some hot weather come mid to late August, that’s good, I’ll plan my next long weekend for the Potholers then. The record high of 99 was set in 1955.
Today’s plans call for visiting Sugar Hill State Forest 
and riding and hiking some of the trails there. Most of the horse trails there are open to mountain bikes and while I don’t plan to ride any of the real rough and muddy trails. Then head back to Watkins Glen, float on my tube in Seneca Lake, ride down through Rock Cabin Road, Montour Falls, Catharine WMA, 
Glen Dairy Bar, Seneca Harbor 
and watch the sunset before returning to camp one last time around nine.
Solar noon is at 1:14 pm with sun having an altitude of 64.4° from the due south horizon (-6.3° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.9 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour starts at 7:44 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (288°). The sunset is in the west-northwest (294°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:24 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 11 seconds with dusk around 8:54 pm, which is one minute and 15 seconds earlier than yesterday. The best time to look at the stars is after 9:35 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies and temperatures around 65 degrees. The dew point will be 55 degrees. There will be a north breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 22 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 18 seconds over yesterday.
Yesterday I started my day at the Queen’s Castle on Caywood Point Seneca Lake. 
The morning started out quite gray 
but then cleared out and was hot. I wouldn’t be surprised if today isn’t a similar kind of day. Then I headed across the northern part of the National Forest to Trumansburg and rode from the top of the Taughannock Gorge parking area along the Black Diamond Trail to Ithaca then rode along the Cayuga Inlet for a while before doing the 9 mile 450 ft climb back to Taughannock, and then rode Taughannock Falls Road to the overlook and then up to NY 96 in Trumansburg. Drove down to the Main Park area and swam and did the beach 
thing in Cayuga Lake until 5 pm when I headed back to camp – early – for onions, peppers, mushroom clams and sweet corn cooked in beer and clam broth before bicycling along the dirt roads, up to Parameter Road up towards the north end of the National Forest before riding the Interloken Trail through the woods and then Horton Pasture, covering my mountain bike with cow manure and mud. 
Damn cows didn’t want to move off the trail.
Tonight will be partly cloudy , with a low of 54 degrees at 6am. Eight degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 12th. Not surprising, it’s cooler in the Finger Lakes especially on Hector’s backbone. Maximum dew point of 56 at 6pm. North wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It was very sticky. It got down to 70 degrees. The record low of 45 occurred back in 1994.
Looking ahead, next Saturday is Last Sunset After 8 PM in Albany 
but when the sun will be setting at 8:15 pm with dusk at 8:44 pm in the Finger Lakes. On that day in 2022, we had partly sunny and temperatures between 79 and 60 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 83 degrees. We hit a record high of 99 back in 1944.
How fast a week comes and goes on vacation
Good morning! Already been a week since I left for vacation! 
Enjoy yourself, it’s later then you think as that old Guy Lombardo record plays. Sunday 4 pm when I make the slog home will be sooner than I think. Partly cloudy and 67 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. There is a southwest breeze at 10 mph. . The dew point is 63 degrees. Muggers are going to be around for a while longer but then midday we’re expecting some violent thunderstorms and rain but it will leave us with a cool and sunny weekend, though warming up nicely come Sunday.
Woke up around 6 o’clock, had coffee and some cream of wheat 
with lemon juice, stevia and yogurt with a few a strawberries 
tossed in for good measure. Yesterday I got a pound of clams at Wegmans in Ithaca 
which I boiled about a third of them with beer 
and a little bit of everything I had in the coolers and food basket including peppers, mushrooms, pearl onions, and zucchini. And some sweet corn . Hot peppers made it spicy. 
I was in bed by 10:15 pm and I made it back to camp before 9 pm last night but mostly just by a minute or two because the corn stand I was planning on stopping at was out for the night. I had two ears of sweet corn which was fine.
Today will have showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly between 2pm and 4pm. 
Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Partly sunny
, with a high of 78 degrees at 1pm. Five degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 5th. Maximum dew point of 66 at 1pm. Southwest wind 10 to 13 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became thunderstorm by afternoon. It was very sticky. The high last year was 99 degrees. The record high of 98 was set in 1955.
Plans for today start with visiting Caywood Point and the Queen’s Castle . Then take it from there. I would like some time at camp to enjoy more clams and beer and reading 
but if the storms hold off maybe I’ll try to squeeze in an exploration of some of the northern part of the Finger Lakes National Forest or even the Black Diamond Trail which I didn’t get to yesterday. I’d also wouldn’t mind going for a swim a Cayuga Lake. But I want to be back in camp by five or so and have a relaxed dinner, as I’m tired of getting back at nine o’clock each night. Plus I need to organize things as before you know it will be Sunday and I’ll be taking down camp .
Solar noon is at 1:14 pm with sun having an altitude of 64.7° from the due south horizon (-6° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.8 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour starts at 7:46 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (288°). The sunset is in the west-northwest (295°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:25 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 11 seconds with dusk around 8:55 pm, which is one minute and 13 seconds earlier than yesterday. The best time to look at the stars is after 9:36 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies 
and temperatures around 69 degrees. The dew point will be 64 degrees. There will be a north breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 25 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 16 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 7pm. Partly cloudy 
, with a low of 60 degrees at 6am. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around August 20th. Maximum dew point of 64 at 6pm. North wind around 6 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It was very sticky. It got down to 71 degrees. The record low of 43 occurred back in 1972.
Tomorrow will be mostly sunny , with a high of 74 degrees at 5pm. Nine degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 17th. Maximum dew point of 63 at 11am. North wind 5 to 10 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became thunderstorm by afternoon. It was very sticky. The high last year was 93 degrees. The record high of 99 was set in 1955.
Looking ahead to Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Southeast wind around 6 mph. Maximum dew point of 62 at 8pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 83 degrees.
Looking ahead, there are 4 weeks until Average High 70 
when the sun will be setting at 7:43 pm with dusk at 8:11 pm. On that day in 2022, we had mostly sunny, rain showers and temperatures between 73 and 55 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 79 degrees. We hit a record high of 96 back in 1953.
Done
Always love watching a good Finger Lakes Sunset over Seneca Lake.
Saturday August 8, 2020 — Finger Lakes National Forest