Mason Lake

Mason Lake, nestled in Speculator, offers a serene escape for outdoor enthusiasts. This picturesque lake presents ample kayaking opportunities, inviting you to paddle through its tranquil waters and savor the surrounding beauty. Beyond the lake, adventure awaits with easy access to the nearby bike trails in Perkins Clearing, providing a chance to explore the lush landscapes on two wheels.

For those seeking a camping retreat, Mason Lake delivers free roadside camping options both near the lake and along Mason Lake Road and Perkins Clearing Road. These convenient camping sites enable you to immerse in nature without compromising comfort. Whether you’re drawn to the water’s edge or prefer a more secluded spot along the roadsides, Mason Lake provides a unique and enriching outdoor experience for those seeking relaxation, exploration, and the joys of both kayaking and biking in the heart of nature.

September 29, 2020 Morning

Good morning! Happy Tuesday. Five weeks to Election Day ๐Ÿ—ณ๏ธ . The passing gear of the week. โš™ Totally unnecessary if you want to burn herculean amounts of fuel like with the power glide. โ›ฝ Mostly cloudy and 67 degrees in Delmar, NY. โ˜ There is a south breeze at 11 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 62 degrees. The skies will clear tomorrow around 1 pm.

Less humid and pleasant this morning. ๐Ÿ˜ฐ It was kind of muggy yesterday but much cooler and nicer for my morning walk ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿป. We ate expected to get much needed rain โ˜” this afternoon. I can see it pushing in from the west. My boots ๐Ÿ‘ข are getting pretty worn out and I should think about replacing them soon.

Today will have showers likely, mainly after 3pm. Mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 74 degrees at 2pm. Seven degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 12th. Maximum dew point of 68 at 2pm. South wind 10 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 69 degrees. The record high of 86 was set in 1921.

Today after the morning rush I’m heading downtown for my Tuesday meetings. ๐Ÿ’ผ Yeah, I got to shave and look a little less like a dirty hick for a few hours. ๐ŸšฟAt least I have a comfortable Jackson mask to wear. ๐Ÿ˜ท I’m not going to John Wolcott house after work today, ๐Ÿ‘€ as he is having eye surgery or at least his pupils dilated and while I can use Google Translate ๐Ÿ” , I doesn’t work well on Old Dutch hand writing. My Dutch is getting better but ain’t fluent at reading it. ๐Ÿ“œ At any rate, I better bring a rain coat going downtown. ๐Ÿงฅ

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 12:46 pm with sun having an altitude of 44.7ยฐ from the due south horizon (-26.1ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 6.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 6:04 pm with the sun in the west (261ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west (267ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 6:41 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 54 seconds with dusk around 7:07 pm, which is one minute and 46 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Full ๐ŸŒ Moon in the east-southeast (113ยฐ) at an altitude of 9ยฐ from the horizon, 248,385 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 7:42 pm. At sunset, look for rain ๐ŸŒง and temperatures around 70 degrees. The dew point will be 65 degrees. There will be a south-southwest breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 11 hours and 48 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 52 seconds over yesterday. We are loosing daylight quickly now.

Tonight will have showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 10pm, then showers between 10pm and 11pm, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 11pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. ๐ŸŒง Low of 59 degrees at 6am. 12 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 2nd. Maximum dew point of 66 at 7pm. ๐Ÿ–๏ธ South wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible. Good. We need it. In 2019, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 50 degrees. The record low of 28 occurred back in 1991.

I heard that tonight is going to be the Presidential debate ๐ŸŽค ๐Ÿง“๐Ÿป between the old geezers, and they are going to broadcast it on WAMC so I made sure my transistor radio ๐Ÿ“ป was fully charged so I can listen to it ๐ŸŽง until I get really bored and watch a video of some dairyman chopping corn for silage ๐ŸŒฝ.

Cool this weekend with temperatures running 6 degrees below normal but otherwise sunny. ๐Ÿ˜ƒ Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 59. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 60. Typical average high for the weekend is 65 degrees.

Not sure what my weekend plans are going to be ๐Ÿก but I’ll probably stay in town. Or just do a day trip somewhere. Next weekend is Columbus Day Weekend ๐Ÿ‚ so I want to avoid the crowds but maybe the next weekend I will head out to Madison County. ๐Ÿฎ โ›บ

Looking ahead, there are 5 weeks until we decide between a Trumpster and a Biden this Time โŽ when the sun will be setting at 4:45 pm with dusk at 5:14 pm (Standard Time). On that day in 2019, we had partly sunny, rain showers and temperatures between 53 and 30 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 53 degrees. We hit a record high of 75 back in 1990.

Roadwork Next 12 Miles Does It Ever Stop

September 28, 2020 Afternoon

Good afternoon! Party sunny and 74 degrees in Delmar, NY.ย โ›… There is a south breeze at 11 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 67 degrees. The skies will clear around 3 pm. With the rain and dampness, it’s increadibly muggy and unpleasant, so I’m not minding being back home although I thought about camping one more night up north and working from the library up there.

This afternoon will be scattered showers, mainly before 1pm. Partly sunny ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 75 degrees at 1pm. Eight degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 10th. Maximum dew point of 67 at 12pm. South wind 11 to 14 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 in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. It became humid as the day progressed. The high last year was 82 degrees. The record high of 83 was set in 2014.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 12:47 pm with sun having an altitude of 45.1ยฐ from the due south horizon (-25.7ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 6 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 6:06 pm with the sun in the west (261ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west (268ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 6:43 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 54 seconds with dusk around 7:09 pm, which is one minute and 46 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Full ๐ŸŒ Moon in the southeast (124ยฐ) at an altitude of 13ยฐ from the horizon, 246,057 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 7:44 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ and temperatures around 74 degrees. The dew point will be 65 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 10 mph. Today will have 11 hours and 51 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 52 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒฅ, with a low of 63 degrees at 4am. 17 degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 65 at 6pm. South wind around 10 mph. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 51 degrees. The record low of 29 occurred back in 2000.

Another beautiful fall weekend coming up, but somewhat cool. ๐Ÿ˜Ž Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 60. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 60. Typical average high for the weekend is 65 degrees. Not sure what my plans are for the weekend, but I am still going to evaluate it. I want to do a Central NY trip, but I’m not sure I’m in a rush to get out camping this weekend. But who knows if the weather is nice.

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Columbus Dayย โ›ต when the sun will be setting at 6:17 pm with dusk at 6:45 pm. On that day in 2019, we had partly sunny skies and temperatures between 66 and 44 degrees. It was nice in Pennsylvania that day, but a bit cloudier. Typically, the high temperature is 61 degrees. We hit a record high of 85 back in 1954.

Wakely 2

September 27, 2020 Morning

Good morning! Happy More Night then Day ๐ŸŒŒ! Dreary start to the darker part of the year with the skies cloudy and gray but it’s supposed to clear later. Next Sunday is Last Sunset After 6:30 PM ๐ŸŒ†. Even darker come October. I better work to get that lantern ๐Ÿฎ up to full brightness again. It was good until it plugged with carbon again Cloudy with a few drops of rain and 59 degrees at the Lake Pleasant. ๐ŸŒง๏ธ There is a south-southwest breeze at 6 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 59 degrees. The skies will clear around noontime.

The leaves have gotten really colorful around camp ๐Ÿ‚and are really starting to fall. With the rain and inevitable wind over the next few days I’m sure most of them will be gone by next weekend although that’s not at all surprising for the Adirondacks. I’m actually a bit surprised at the reports of good color in the Catskills at this point, usually that’s a bit later around Columbus Day Weekend โ›ต.

Today will be cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny โ›…, with a high of 75 degrees at 3pm. Seven degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 10th. Maximum dew point of 60 at 9am. South wind 6 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 72 degrees. The record high of 89 was set in 2017.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 12:49 pm with sun having an altitude of 44.7ยฐ from the due south horizon (-25.3ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 6.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 6:09 pm with the sun in the west (262ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west (268ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 6:47 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 56 seconds with dusk around 7:13 pm, which is one minute and 48 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous ๐ŸŒ” Moon in the southeast (136ยฐ) at an altitude of 16ยฐ from the horizon, 243,384 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 7:49 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ and temperatures around 72 degrees. The dew point will be 60 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 10 mph. Today will have 11 hours and 54 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 56 seconds over yesterday.

I am thinking about hiking Pillsbury Mountain today or going back to Pillsbury Lake โ›ฐ๏ธ but I’m afraid that the firetower will be crowded and no parking up there. I might park at Sled Harbor ๐Ÿ…ฟ and walk from there – the dreary weather might decrease the popularity. The thing is that I don’t know that many very scenic hikes around here that aren’t really popular that I haven’t done a million times before. ๐Ÿ‘ช I just spend a lot of time up here because I have decent cellphone and internet access in this area for work.

Tonight will have a slight chance of showers after 2am. Patchy fog after 2am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒง, with a low of 59 degrees at 5am. 13 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around August 26th. Maximum dew point of 62 at 10pm. South wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2019, we had partly cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 54 degrees. The record low of 24 occurred back in 1947.

Thursday is October 1st so after that I can camp โ›บ at Stoney Pond in Nelson without a camping permit. ๐ŸŽซ I am thinking about a fall trip out to Central NY and I could do Zoom Meetings from either the Cazenovia or Hamilton libraries.๐Ÿ’ป I don’t want to go out there Columbus Day Weekend but if I go too late in October it will be bow season ๐Ÿน and I want to have the woods largely to myself to small game hunt. ๐Ÿ”ซ I also might do some fishing ๐ŸŽฃ at Nelson Swamp off the bridge. Maybe three nights at Stoney Pond and a few at Cherry Ridge ๐Ÿ’ in Brookfield.

As previously noted, next Sunday is Last Sunset After 6:30 PM ๐ŸŒ† when the sun will be setting at 6:32 pm with dusk at 7:01 pm. On that day in 2019, we had partly sunny and temperatures between 59 and 41 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 65 degrees. We hit a record high of 86 back in 1891.

 Dredging The Lake

September 25, 2020 Evening

Happy Weekend! Mostly clear and 67 degrees at the Mason Lake. There is a southwest breeze at 7 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 54 degrees.

A nice day today but busy one. ๐Ÿ’ผ But I did get out for a nice walk ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿป and the leaves were quite pretty. Laying back in the hammock and eventually I’ll get a fire started ๐Ÿ”ฅ once it gets a bit darker.

Tonight will have patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, mostly clear ๐ŸŒƒ, with a low of 50 degrees at 6am. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 21st. Southwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. In 2019, we had partly cloudy skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 53 degrees. The record low of 29 occurred back in 1947.

Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous ๐ŸŒ” Moon with 68% illuminated. At 5 PM, the moon was in the southeast (134ยฐ) at an altitude of 8ยฐ from the horizon, some 237,259 miles away from where you are looking up from the earth. ๐Ÿš€ At the state speed limit of 55 mph, you’ll make it there by March 24th. Buckle up for safety! ๐Ÿ’บ The Hunter ๐Ÿน Moon is on Thursday, October 1. The darkest hour is at 12:50 am, followed by dawn at 6:21 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:50 am in the east (91ยฐ) and last for 2 minutes and 57 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 8 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ The golden hour ends at 7:27 am with sun in the east (97ยฐ). Tonight will have 12 hours and one minute of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 58 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have isolated showers after 2pm. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 77 degrees at 3pm. Nine degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 4th. Maximum dew point of 55 at 11am. Light south wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies. The high last year was 69 degrees. The record high of 90 was set in 2017.

I am thinking that I will get a pretty early start in the morning ๐ŸŒ„ and do some hiking before the crowds. I’m thinking about hiking up and over Watch Hill over Indian Lake. ๐Ÿ—ป I do expect it it will be crowded by midday but I’ll probably head back to camp relatively early.

In four weeks on October 23 the sun will be setting in the west-southwest (254ยฐ) at 6:01 pm,๐ŸŒ„ which is 47 minutes and 55 seconds earlier then today. In 2019 on that day, we had mostly sunny, patches of fog and temperatures between 64 and 38 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 57 and 37 degrees. The record high of 81 degrees was set back in 1947.

Looking ahead, Average High is 65 ๐Ÿ‚ is in 1 weeks, Average Night Below Freezing ๐ŸŒŒ is in 7 weeks, Buy Nothing Day ๐Ÿ›๏ธ is in 9 weeks, Average High is 40 ๐ŸŒจ is in 10 weeks, Bake Cookies Day ๐Ÿช is in 12 weeks, Christmas ๐ŸŽ… is in 3 months, New Years Day 2020 ๐ŸŽ‰ is in 14 weeks, Bubble Bath Day ๐Ÿงผ is in 15 weeks, 5 PM Sunset ๐ŸŒ† is in 4 months and 38th Birthday ๐ŸŽ‰ is in 18 weeks.

A beautiful day