Good evening! Partly cloudy and 63 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest in Hector. ⛅ Calm wind. The dew point is 55 degrees. When you are sitting back it’s a bit chilly.

Third night of vacation but there still six more left but not likely to be as nice as tonight. Could certainly be a bit warmer and clearer though, 🌌 as many of the stars are blocked by the clouds. The moon rise was pretty and hopefully later in the week more chances to view the stars will avail themselves.

Tonight will be partly cloudy ☁, with a low of 60 degrees at 3am. Two degrees below normal. Maximum dew point of 57 at 2am. South wind 3 to 5 mph. In 2017, we had partly cloudy skies, clearing in the early hours of the next day. It got down to 52 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1968.

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of showers before 11am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 11am and 4pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Increasing clouds ⛅, with a high of 76 degrees at 2pm. Six degrees below normal. Maximum dew point of 63 at 6pm. South wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had cloudy skies with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 81 degrees. The record high of 100 was set in 1933.

Tomorrow night will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy ⚡, with a low of 63 degrees at 5am. One degree above normal. Maximum dew point of 63 at 6pm. Southeast wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2017, we had partly cloudy skies, clearing in the early hours of the next day. It got down to 56 degrees. The record low of 49 occurred back in 1978.

So far its been a pretty good vacation, maybe not perfect but I’m really happy with getting the campsite I really like, and now being able to hike back to Foster Pond and look up at stars. I had a neighbor to my campsite but it looks like he left after a while. ⛺ Not only does the campsite have many nice things nearby, it’s well drained for the rain we may get later in the week, has sun for the solar panel, and is quite quiet. A few cars pass by from time to time but not a lot of traffic.

As I noted earlier on the blog, I hiked back about four or five miles along the Finger Lakes Trail from Watkins Glen to Sugar Hill State Forest. Not a lot of great views but still a pleasant hike, in many cases on old carriage roads. 🏃Then I went for a swim and relaxed at the Adirondack Chairs at the pool. Listening to the Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me podcast with Jim Comey was hillarious especially with the news these days.

Tomorrow I’m leaning towards Robert Treman State Park if the swimming area is open. It’s always frigid and muddy, but I want to visit it at least once this year and it may close later in the week due to the thunderstorms which could make the water turbid again. 😎Tuesday and Wednesday don’t look like complete wash outs but I expect I will just hang out at camp those days under a tarp, maybe do a little fishing and relaxing. 🎣

In four weeks on August 26 the sun will be setting here in the Finger Lakes at 7:50 pm,🌄 which is 39 minutes and 19 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2017 on that day, we had patches of fog, partly cloudy skies and temperatures between 73 and 49 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 79 and 59 degrees. The record high of 98 degrees was set back in 1948.

Looking ahead, Last Sunset After 8 Pm in Albany 🌆 is in 2 weeks, Daylight Savings Time Ends 🛥️ is in 14 weeks, Veterans Day (Sunday) 🇺🇸 is in 15 weeks, First Sunday of Advent ✝️ is in 18 weeks and 36th Birthday 🎉 is in 6 months.

At Foster Pond waiting for the moon to rise above the horizon and bathe the landscape with moonlight. Listening to the bull frogs in the lake and the crickets as the eleven o’clock hour rolls around.

Sitting in the hammock at the campsite I like. Plan to stay at this campsite through Sunday most likely. Another fairly cool evening but no fire tonight as I’m going to hike up to Foster Pond come around midnight when the moon rises.