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.
It might be a fair bit warmer today but with the breeze and clouds it feels pretty cold. I’m taking down camp to head to Hamilton and ultimately Brookfield to camp and explore that forest through Christmas Day. Then maybe on Christmas I’ll head down to Cooperstown and then home. My parents have been sick with a bad cold so it seems likely Christmas will be remote. I’ll still probably head home on Christmas Day though I also have boxing day off.
Good morning! Cloudy and 31 degrees at the Stoney Pond State Forest. ☁ There is a south breeze at 9 mph. 🍃. Things will start to thaw out at around 9 am. 🌡️
Oatmeal pancakes 🥞 for breakfast though I wish I had more bananas 🍌 to use in the mix. They blacken in the cold quickly but they’re still good but I eat them all up yesterday. I’ll have to stop at the Price Chopper in Hamilton. 🚲 Thinking I might ride around the village a bit too though it depends on if it’s raining and the weather. Outdoor activities can be tough in December, the weather kind of sucks.
Dropped my phone 📱 this morning when I was stacking wood and couldn’t find it until I heard the hour chime. ⏰ I was lucky 🍀 I heard that otherwise it would be likely lost. Not that my phone 📞 is worth much – the touch screen is increasingly malfunctioning. But I’m glad I found it.
Today will have a chance of rain and snow showers before 5pm, then a chance of rain showers. Cloudy 🌦, with a high of 37 degrees at 1pm. One degree above normal, which is similar to a typical day around December 21st. South wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which and some light snow in the afternoon. The high last year was 53 degrees. The record high of 64 was set in 1990. 8.8 inches of snow fell back in 1947.❄
Not a real nice day ahead 🌥 which is why I figured it would be a good day to move campsites then I can spend the bulk of Christmas Eve exploring Charles Baker State Forest 🐦 watching birds and hiking when hopefully it will be somewhat nicer. This weekend after looking beautiful has somewhat slid downhill unfortunately. 😔
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 23.7° from the due south horizon (-46.8° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 13.7 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 32 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Full 🌝 Moon in the east (90°) at an altitude of 32° from the horizon, 234,965 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:41 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and snow 🌨 and temperatures around 36 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 4 minutes of daytime, an increase of 5 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will have a chance of rain and snow showers before 1am, then rain showers likely. Cloudy 🌧, with a low of 34 degrees at 6am. 13 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around November 9th. South wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. In 2022, we had light snow in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 7 degrees. The record low of -15 occurred back in 1989.
Yesterday morning got kind of a late start 🥶 because it was so cold out. Plus I wanted to chop wood 🪵🪓 so I’d be ready when I got back to camp ⛺. Then I did a hike at Oxbow Falls County Park 🏞 and looked off the escarpment. A fairly clear day.
Rode 36 miles yesterday from Canastota to East Verona on the Old Erie Canal Trail then back via NY 46 to Oneida, then the Oneida Rail Trail to the Oneida Waterline Trail to Wampsville back to Canastota. 🚲 It was cold this morning so I got a late start, plus I visited Oxbow Falls in the morning, but I hit the trail at noon and returned back at four.
Drove back to camp before dark, made turkey soup 🦃🍅🍲 with lots of delicious vegetables. No bacon 🥓 this meal even though next Saturday is bacon day.
Looking ahead, next Saturday is Bacon Day 🥓 when the sun will be setting at 4:38 pm with dusk at 5:09 pm. On that day in 2022, we had mostly cloudy, mild and temperatures between 57 and 43 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 35 degrees. We hit a record high of 53 back in 1984.
While I was warm and comfortable under the covers in my unheated truck cap last night my toes were cold and stiff. Cold getting up but the heater was warm as was the coffee and eggs with all the fixings. Didn’t get up until after seven as the morning was so cold and dark.
Good morning! Partly sunny and 17 degrees at the Stoney Pond State Forest. There is a south-southeast breeze at 5 mph. 🍃. Things will start to thaw out at around 1 pm. 🌡️
That coffee is good. ☕ Stove is still a bit slow from the plugging to got last time I was camping but it’s working fairly well. The heater is nice and warm. Eggs for breakfast. 🍳 Plus enjoying a grapefruit. 🍊Watching the sun rise this morning, very cold but still.
Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 33 degrees at 2pm. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around January 5th. South wind around 6 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became light snow by afternoon. The high last year was 34 degrees. The record high of 60 was set in 1990. 12.3 inches of snow fell back in 1969.❄
The plan for today is to visit Oxbow Falls County Park then head to Canastota. 🚲 I want to ride the Erie Canalway to Rome as time allows. Should be a good day, hoping it warms up a fair amount by midday. ☀ At least it shouldn’t be cloudy and it looks like the wind will die down.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 23.7° from the due south horizon (-46.8° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 13.7 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 30 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous 🌔 Moon in the east-southeast (104°) at an altitude of 38° from the horizon, 232,306 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:41 pm. At sunset, look for partly sunny skies 🌃 and temperatures around 31 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 4 minutes of daytime, a decrease of over yesterday.
Yesterday when I got to camp it was a mess. 🚯 There had apparently been a party 🍻 at the campsite since I was last here and a ton of broken glass, beer bottles and half burnt pallets everywhere. 🔥 Nails too, I’m a bit worried about getting one in my tires. I tried to pick things up to the best of my ability, at first sorting out as many of the recycling as possible ♻ but ultimately just scooping a lot up into the ever growing ash pile at the edge of the campsite.
Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌃 , with a low of 27 degrees at 6am. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around December 2nd. Maximum wind chill around 23 at 6pm; South wind 6 to 9 mph. Much warmer than yesterday. In 2022, we had light rain in the evening, which and it cleared oytby the early hours of the morning. It got down to 9 degrees. The record low of -12 occurred back in 1955.
Last night 🌃 I had a nice camp fire 🔥 and the moonlight was great but it was cold ❄ with lows in the single digits and a breeze that slackened a bit as the night progressed. 🥓 The bacon I got was good though.
Tomorrow will have a slight chance of showers after 1pm. Mostly cloudy 🌦, with a high of 38 degrees at 2pm. Two degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around December 17th. South wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became light snow by afternoon. The high last year was 53 degrees. The record high of 64 was set in 1990. 8.8 inches of snow fell back in 1947.❄
Looking ahead to Sunday, a chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 39. South wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Typical average high for the weekend is 36 degrees.
I’m kind of a dirty hick no matter how you look at it. I just kind of like the look and feel of dirt and mud, the smells of nature. Cleaning is difficult and I’m not sure how healthy it really is with harsh chemicals and the destruction of healthy bacteria that builds the immune system. Plus it’s often hard to get things cleaned without a lot of hard scrubbing.
It is pretty common on dairies for parents to bring babies out in a stroller and plop them out between the feed aisles so they can breathe in the barnyard air with the breathe of cattle and the pungent smells of silage and manure. The cows mooing are soothing and the natural bacteria healthy. Barnyards are hardly sterile, they are living natural things.
My apartment is dirty as is my truck and my camping gear. I do some cleaning but I’m not particularly worried about a little bit of mud or dirt. Sometimes things smell bad – I do my best to clean them but I’m not perfect. I probably should do more but what is the harm? Living close to nature means living in the dirt.
Cleanliness has its benefits in the city, although it’s hard to argue most cities are particularly clean – people track in mud and dirt and pollution from buses, trucks, cars and factories can make cities quite gross. Cleanliness can help slow the spread of viruses without vaccines like the common cold virus but even that is somewhat over stated. It looks nice and smells better to be clean but it’s debatable if it’s that much healthier.
Just reviewing my packing list and finishing getting ready, doing some cleaning and double checking things.
Good morning! Partly cloudy and 31 degrees in Delmar, NY. ⛅ There is a north-northeast breeze at 13 mph. 🍃. Things will start to thaw out at Saturday around 10 am. 🌡️
Kind of a cool day to start out my trip with the breeze 🌬️ but it will be sunnier later and then a cold night 🌃 is ahead. But my propane tank is full 🏮, I’ll have a good fire 🔥 and enjoy the cold. Winter starts at 10:27 pm. ☃️ Going to be a cold night, I’m not sure if I’ll stay up that late. Maybe.
Today will be partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny 🌞, with a high of 32 degrees at 2pm. Five degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around January 15th. North wind 9 to 14 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 34 degrees. The record high of 62 was set in 2018. 6.6 inches of snow fell back in 2008.❄
Today’s plans are to head out to Stoney Pond State Forest 🏞 and camp there. I’m thinking about stopping at For the Love of Bacon 🥓 to get some of the name sake, and maybe to ride the Chenango Canal Trailway and explore Hamilton NY on my bicycle 🚲 as time allows. That said, the sun sets early this time of year. Looks like it will be a nice day but maybe somewhat cold. But it’s to be expected in December a few days before Christmas.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 11:54 am with sun having an altitude of 23.9° from the due south horizon (-46.9° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 13.5 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 3:40 pm with the sun in the southwest (230°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (238°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:25 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 25 seconds with dusk around 4:56 pm, which is 28 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous 🌔 Moon in the east-southeast (120°) at an altitude of 43° from the horizon, 229,997 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:33 pm. At sunset, look for sunny skies 🌃 and temperatures around 30 degrees. There will be a north breeze at 9 mph. Tomorrow will have 9 hours and 6 minutes of daytime, an increase of one second over today. Days are getting longer.
Working from home 🏡 or in my case the library 💻 was good yesterday, it gave me an opportunity to get packed and get supplies before camping 🏕. I ended up working late as it took longer than I expected at the store midday 🛒 but all was good. Came home made bread and had it ready to bring camping.
Tonight will be clear 🌃, with a low of 12 degrees at 5am. Nine degrees below normal. Maximum wind chill around 9 at 12am; North wind 6 to 8 mph. That’s going to be a cold night for sure. In 2022, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 19 degrees. The record low of -8 occurred back in 1955. At least not that cold.
Clouds for theweekend but warmer. ☁️Saturday, mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. South wind around 7 mph. Sunday, mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. Typical average high for the weekend is 36 degrees.
Looking ahead, next Thursday is 4:30 PM Sunset 🌆 when the sun will be setting at 4:30 pm with dusk at 5:01 pm. A sign of longer days ahead. On that day in 2022, we had partly cloudy and temperatures between 41 and 22 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 35 degrees. We hit a record high of 61 back in 1982.
I am not worried about Donald Trump being re-elected with his anti-Democratic tendencies. He’s a politician and he either will deliver results to his constituencies or quickly become irrelevant.
Part of the reason why Donald Trump is doing so well politically currently is his first term was quite successful in the eyes of conservatives. Behind all the noise, he succeeded in delivering tax relief, and a Supreme Court that is reworking America in a more conservative image especially on social issues like guns and abortion. The conservative rights revolution seems to be well underway.
A self pardon of Donald Trump is likely to be wildly unpopular. Likewise using the government’s prosecuting powers under law to go after political enemies is likely to lead to significant drop in the president’s support. But on the other hand, bringing the justice department to heel and focusing them on conservative priorities is likely to score him points both with the Republican base and his fellow conservative legislators. Using unconventional methods may be unpopular with Democrats but in recent years executive power has been expanding as politics has become more contentious. But the moment that Trump stops delivering for the nation and particular his base, he’s likely to fall out of power.
Using the levers of power isn’t anti-democratic. It is effective. Levers of power aren’t limited to only one party or ideology. If Trump discovers a new lever of power, then the next Democratic candidate to be elected into the White House is also likely to use it too. Or it’s possible that if the public, especially those in the opposing party will find the power grab to be so morally repugnant that they remove that power from the executive by passing new laws reining in the President.
Don’t like Trump? I don’t like him much either. So don’t vote for him. And know he will be gone in four years, and you’ll have yet another candidate better to your liking in the White House. Or Congress in two years.
At the end of December I will be moving to my new position up in North Albany, in a non-descript suburban office building. After years of working in various downtown buildings — One Commence Plaza, 625 Broadway, South Swan Street Building, Legislative Office Building, Alfred E Smith Building — I will be moving back out to the suburbs for work. North Albany maybe not as remote as the Pine Bush or Clifton Park, it will be a transition to move away from working in the hub of the city. But it’s an industrial part of the city, away from bustle and dense urban life of downtown.
I have many different feelings about it. The new office is a typical suburban office complex, with acres of parking. Driving there is relatively easy, it’s not far from the expressway. But I really don’t want to be an auto commuter, after so many years of just taking the bus downtown and getting door to door service. Parking is free at that new office, unlike downtown, but I probably will continue to bus my way to work, transferring to a second bus or taking the shuttle over to the new office in North Albany. The new office is surrounded by industrial sprawl, not a whole lot near it but at least it’s only a block away from the Blue Bus Plus Express service to downtown and a free shuttle back and forth to the Empire Plaza.
Moving to the new office is good for my career. It’s a major leap forward, a big jump in pay and prestige, moving from a Deputy Director position to being a unit Director. The new position taps my unique skills, things I’ve worked over the years so hard to develop. And I can still ride my bike to work, if I so choose, and I won’t have the big State Street hill to climb. Yet, somehow riding in an industrial zone seems even less appealing then riding through the South End and the Madison Avenue Hill.
But alas, in some ways working downtown had grown old. As I get into my forties, I might look forward to the option of easy parking at the new suburban office campus. It will mean if I choose to drive to work, parking is easy and free. I can then choose to buy land and house out in the country, and know I can drive each day right from home to the parking lot right next to my office. I don’t have to deal with all the urban problems, the pan handlers, the dirt and grime of downtown. But still I will miss having the Empire Plaza Concourse to walk in during lunch, the Farmers Market and the ease of a single-bus quick ride back and forth downtown.
