Finger Lakes National Forest

Nestled in upstate New York, the Finger Lakes National Forest spans 16,000 acres of diverse terrain, combining lush woodlands with expansive pasture land. Encompassing woodlands, grasslands, and glacial lakes, its picturesque landscapes and well-maintained trails attract outdoor enthusiasts, offering opportunities for hiking, birdwatching, mountain biking, and horseback riding. The forest’s five distinctive trails wind through the scenery, revealing stunning views of gorges, waterfalls, and panoramic vistas. The forest is also home to the celebrated Finger Lakes Trail, a long-distance hiking trail extending over 580 miles. Limited free primitive and roadside camping opportunities along the roads add to the allure, providing a chance to immerse in the natural beauty for longer periods. As the only national forest in New York State, it provides a unique space for relaxation, exploration, and immersion in the captivating landscapes of the Finger Lakes region.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger_Lakes_National_Forest
http://www.fs.usda.gov/fingerlakes
http://www.cnyhiking.com/FingerLakesNationalForest.htm

July 26, 2019 Morning

Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! Five weeks to Labor Day Weekend Begins ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿญ. Mostly sunny and 62 degrees at the Klipnocky State Forest outside of Canasserga in Allegany County. Calm wind. The dew point is 58 degrees. ๐ŸŒป

This is a very good pleasant morning on the Friday before vacation ends, relaxing a bit with some coffee โ˜• and eggs ๐Ÿณ before I take down camp and head down to Allegany State Park. That’s over an hour away, as it’s quite a ways to the west in Cattaraugus County. The far western edge of Allegany County borders Allegany State Park but they’re large counties and Quaker Lake is on the far side of the park, almost in Chautauqua County. ๐ŸŠ

Today will have a chance of showers, mainly after 2pm. Mostly sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 83 degrees at 4pm. Typical for today. Maximum dew point of 60 at 10am. South wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 85 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1963.

I think today for a little while I will shun the blue highway ๐Ÿš™ in favor of the Southern Tier Expressway as the part I’m planning to go on basically bypasses a lot of small towns and the local road parallels it. Plus it will save a lot of time and I’ll have plenty of time to drive through little hick towns in Pennsylvania. ๐Ÿšœ I’m going to continue snapping pictures with my dash cam and will be posting even more pictures with my big camera later on. ๐Ÿ“ท

The sun will set at 8:37 pm with dusk around 9:09 pm, which is 59 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At sunset, look for partly clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ and temperatures around 77 degrees. The dew point will be 63 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 14 hours and 39 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 57 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be mostly clear ๐ŸŒƒ, with a low of 60 degrees at 6am. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around August 14th. Maximum dew point of 63 at 8pm. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph after midnight. 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.

Letchworth State Park was fun โ›ฒ as was seeing many of the small Western NY farm towns. ๐Ÿšœ I forgot about the unique smell of the Genesee Valley – the faint but constant smell of dairy land ๐Ÿฎ – the fermented grasses and silage, the spread manure. ๐Ÿ’ฉ Some farms where on their second cutting of hay at this point so they were fertilizing for the autumn cut. ๐ŸŒพ I didn’t care much for the Harvey Pool at Letchworth ๐ŸŠ – it was only four feet deep and the facilities were old and run down. The central lounge was pretty but the outdoor changing rooms were strange and lacked privacy. It was still nice to poke around the park for about four hours.

Didn’t see any hairy women ๐Ÿšบ camping up in the Klipnocky Woods but it was a pleasant night in a good, very quiet campsite. Lower Gas Springs Road is very rough but Klipnocky Road isn’t too bad. โ›บ The campsite was quite nice but not a lot of trees to hang stuff but I did find a location for my hammock and the stars โœจ were nice.

On this day in 2007, Shambo, a black cow in Wales that had been adopted by the local Hindu community, is slaughtered due to a bovine tuberculosis infection, causing widespread controversy. ๐ŸƒPreventing the spread of bovine TB is probably much more important then some religious tradition. ๐Ÿ‘นAnd in 1948, U.S. President Harry S. Truman signs Executive Order 9981 desegregating the military of the United States. It would be one step in many in protecting the rights of minorities in our country.๐Ÿ‘

Tomorrow will have a chance of showers, mainly after 2pm. Mostly sunny ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 84 degrees at 3pm. Two degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 64 at 11am. Southwest wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. 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.

Looking ahead to Sunday, a chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. West wind 9 to 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 66 at 11am. Typical average high for the weekend is 82 degrees.

One month ๐Ÿ“… from now will be National Dog Day ๐Ÿฉ when the sun will be setting at 7:54 pm with dusk at 8:24 pm. The sun will set even earlier back in Albany compared to the Klipnocky Wilds.

 Wet Firewood