John Boyd Thacher State Park, is situated along the Helderberg Escarpment, one of the richest fossil-bearing formations in the world. Even as it safeguards six miles of limestone cliff-face, rock-strewn slopes, woodland and open fields, the park provides a marvelous panorama of the Hudson-Mohawk Valleys and the Adirondack and Green Mountains. The park has volleyball courts, playgrounds, ball fields and numerous picnic areas with nine reservable shelters. Interpretive programs are offered year-round, including guided tours of the famous Indian Ladder Trail. There are over 25 additional miles of trails for summer hiking and mountain biking, and winter cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, and snowmobiling.
Often it seems like people cite Trump as being bad as the reason they’re supporting Biden. I would argue that’s not a good reason to support a candidate for president. Instead, one should look at the merits of each candidate, what they would do positive for our country.
I like how Biden has been pushing forward energy efficency standards, electric cars and efforts to reduce climate emissions. I would argue that’s an actual good reason to support Biden in his reelection effort. It’s important we keep moving the country forward.
I bet a lot of people who incorrectly cast coordinates in Eastern NY as a integer rather then a floating point number will end up in a field north of Leggs Mills Road in Saugerties.
After five nights of camping, three nights here at Charles Baker State Forest I’m taking down camp and finishing up packing my truck. I want to get home fairly early so I can do my wash at the laundromat and possibly wash my truck though that gives me pause as come Friday I might be heading back out to the wilderness for a NYE trip though the start of 2024 on Monday morning.
Good morning! Mostly cloudy and 38 degrees at the Moscow Hill Camping Area. ☁ There is a south breeze at 9 mph. 🍃. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Friday around 9 pm. ☃️
Last night was pleasant and not too cold under the full moon 🌕 as I sat by the campfire until around 9:30 pm. It didn’t get below freezing until well into the night 🌃. It followed a nice but rather muddy day 🚲 riding truck trails on my mountain bike at Charles Baker. The roads were muddy with all the melting ice on them.
Today will have a chance of rain, mainly after 4pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a high of 46 degrees at 2pm. 11 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around November 24th. South wind around 10 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. The high last year was 30 degrees. The record high of 59 was set in 1895. 13.9 inches of snow fell back in 1969.❄
Laundromat and unpacking first when I get home 👚 and then I’ll also shower 🚿 as I’m quite dirty and then go to the grocery store 🛒. Pretty low on groceries at this point. 🍏 Fortunately it’s just a short work week. Undecided about going to the car wash 🛻, I should get the salt off my truck but if I’m planning on heading out of town on Friday or Saturday for NYE washing my truck at this point would be silly. 🧼
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:03 pm with sun having an altitude of 23.8° from the due south horizon (-46.8° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 13.6 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 3:48 pm with the sun in the southwest (230°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (238°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:34 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 26 seconds with dusk around 5:05 pm, which is 38 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Full 🌝 Moon in the east-northeast (60°) at an altitude of 9° from the horizon, 243,682 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:42 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and temperatures around 44 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 5 minutes of daytime, an increase of 17 seconds over yesterday.
Ad revenue has really dried up lately on the blog 💸 but that’s to be expected this time of year with less traffic. I guess I could do more aggressive ads but I feel like it’s enough advertising as it is for my taste. Traffic will come back come next summer when people are looking for maps and stories about camping. That $164 check I got last Friday was kind of nice, but with the drop of revenue this time of year I doubt I’ll get another payment until the third week of March, and that will probably only be slightly more then that check. But I do expect looking at historical blog traffic things should pick up.
Tonight will rain likely, mainly after 3am. Cloudy 🌧, with a low of 41 degrees at 6am. 21 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around October 17th. South wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. In 2022, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 22 degrees. The record low of -18 occurred back in 1914.
Cloudy with snow showers likely in Madison County for NYE weekend in Madison County. 🌨 Maybe more sun and somewhat warmer back in the Albany area. Saturday, a chance of snow showers before 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 30. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New Years Eve, mostly cloudy, with a high near 34. New Years Day, party sunny and 35. Typical average high for the weekend is 35 degrees.
After a rather misty, wet but mild Christmas Eve the sun is starting to peak through the clouds. It’s good, I decided I’ll stay an extra night as my family’s holiday party was canceled or more like postponed a week due to the cold that is going around. It’s fine, it’s going to be a fairly nice day to enjoy Christmas walking through the woods, enjoying the birds, wildlife and silence.
Good morning! Mostly cloudy and 37 degrees at the Moscow Hill Camping Area. ☁ There is a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Friday around 5 pm. ☃️
I’m enjoying the sun ☀ as it’s peaking through the clouds. My Christmas camping trip has been extended by another night after the family Christmas party was postponed. I’m not that disappointed with the nice weather expected today. Even the breeze will be good as it should help dry things out after the misty and muddy mess that was yesterday.
Christmas Day will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 45 degrees at 2pm. Nine degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around November 27th. South wind 6 to 10 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 27 degrees. The record high of 66 was set in 1889. 19.2 inches of snow fell back in 2002.❄
It should be a great day for Christmas 🤶 even if the snow is largely gone. I haven’t decided if I will ride some of the truck trails or just hike, the horse 🐴 trails are closed to mountain bikes for the season 🚵 but the signs are fairly clear that the hardened roads are fine though might be a bit icy. That said, I can always lock up the bike if I want to head off the truck trails.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 23.8° from the due south horizon (-46.8° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 13.6 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 3:47 pm with the sun in the southwest (230°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (238°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:33 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 26 seconds with dusk around 5:04 pm, which is 37 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Full 🌝 Moon in the east-northeast (68°) at an altitude of 17° from the horizon, 240,803 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:41 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 43 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 5 minutes of daytime, an increase of 14 seconds over yesterday.
Breakfast is done 🥚 and I’m feeling better after the Charlie Horse I had on my leg earlier in the morning. I might have been dehydrated, I drank a bunch of water. 💦 Gathered firewood for the night 🪵, mostly smaller stuff stacked high in hope the sun and breeze will help to dry things out. Last night the fire 🔥 was really smokey due to the wood being so wet. I actually retired to bed 🛏 on Christmas Eve a little after 8 pm as the fire was struggling and I was just kind of tired. Yesterday’s weather was a bit of a let down.
Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌃 , with a low of 34 degrees at 3am. 14 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around November 9th. South wind 8 to 10 mph. In 2022, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 16 degrees. The record low of -17 occurred back in 1914.
Lookingahead to New Years Weekend 2024. 🎇 Saturday, a chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 32. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 34. New Years Day, 35 degrees and sunny. Typical average high for the weekend is 35 degrees.
One week until New Years Eve, might actually be cold and snowy for that. But foggy, damp and everything is kind of mush for this Christmas Eve up in the wilds of Madison County.
Good morning on this somewhat damp Christmas Eve ! 🎄 Cloudy, damp, foggy and 35 degrees at the Moscow Hill Camping Area. 🌥 There is a south breeze at 9 mph. 🍃. There is a dusting of snow on the ground. ☃ Temperatures will drop below freezing at Friday around 3 am. ☃️
It was drizzle when I first awoke 🌧️ after heading to bed 🛏 early last night due to the rain. It tapered off early this morning but left everything a damp slushy mess. Eggs for breakfast were good, I’ve been poking around camp ⛺ sitting by the heater and slowly gathering firewood and chopping it up for the night ahead. 🪵🪓
Today will have a chance of showers, mainly before 3pm. Cloudy 🌦, with a high of 39 degrees at 5pm. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around December 14th. South wind 5 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 15 degrees. The record high of 72 was set in 2015. 13.0 inches of snow fell back in 1966.❄
I swear there are two types of winter days when camping. 🌬️☃️ Bitterly cold but sunny and rainy and damp. Today is the later. It’s fine but the forecast was so much more optimistic a few days back. I was hoping for sun ☀ today for a nice walk 🚶 in the woods and some Christmas Eve bird 🐦 watching. Tomorrow, Christmas might be slightly better but I have my doubts. It’s still nice to be away and it’s not real cold.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 23.8° from the due south horizon (-46.8° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 13.6 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 3:47 pm with the sun in the southwest (230°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (238°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:33 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 26 seconds with dusk around 5:04 pm, which is 34 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Full 🌝 Moon in the east-northeast (78°) at an altitude of 25° from the horizon, 237,846 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:41 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and temperatures around 37 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 5 minutes of daytime, an increase of 9 seconds over yesterday.
Christmas Eve will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 33 degrees at 6am. 13 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around November 12th. Light south wind. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 11 degrees. The record low of -22 occurred back in 1969.
Yesterday I went down to Hamilton.🦆It was chilly at Woodman Pond and the Old Chenango Canal so I didn’t stay long or spend much time poking around the village. Instead I went to Price Chopper got a few extra groceries and headed over to Moscow Hill to set up camp ⛺, have a nice lunch and gather firewood for the night to come. Drizzled a bit midday then snow and sleet in the evening and rain around 8 pm.
The corn fields for the most part have been chopped, manure spread. Roads are heavily covered with sand which then covers the cars. The farms and dirt roads are muddy from the lack of snow and relatively mild temperatures. Cows just do their thing with their hooves tearing up their exercise yards. Really the gray skies and the melting piles of snow just accented how brown and gray the land is really, dorimant, waiting for a new growing year to be upon us.
