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.
For the first time in a while I sat out back until late into the evening. After a hot day it was a very pleasant evening. Today is more cloudy and humid, a lot of rain is on tap for the next few days.
Good morning! Happy Sunday. Clouds and 70 degrees in Delmar for the morning walk out to Five. ☁ Calm wind. The dew point is 68 degrees. The skies will clear Tuesday around 2 am. But first, 4-6 inches of rain. ☔ Best to get my steps in early. 👣
Walking 🚶 out to Five Rivers Environmental Education Center which may be one of the last times in the near future. Bicycling will be so much quicker, even if I take the long way to avoid traffic and hills. This morning to change it up, heading out Fisher Boulevard and will walk back Delaware Ave, though that way is a bit more narrow. Already when the sun is out I’m feeling the humidity. 😰 Really dripping in that sweat.
Today will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2pm, then rain and thunderstorms likely between 2pm and 5pm, then rain likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 5pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a high of 81 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around June 23rd. Maximum dew point of 72 at 11am. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 80 degrees. The record high of 103 was set in 1936.
After I do my walk 🚶 I’ll probably cook up the chicken 🐔 for the week and lunch. Hot day for turning on the oven but I figure I’ll take a cold shower after cooking and then I’m heading out to the folks house in the evening which with the rain should give time for everything to cool down. 🍲 Home cooked chicken breast are so much healthier than the frozen ones and I can refreeze them. Also will toast the remaining chickpeas I have soaked. 🍘
Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:01 pm with sun having an altitude of 69.8° from the due south horizon (-1.1° vs. 6/21). The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:53 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (295°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (302°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:36 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 25 seconds with dusk around 9:09 pm, which is 25 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:54 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 69 degrees. The dew point will be 69 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 11 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 8 seconds over yesterday.
Yesterday besides getting a bicycle 🚲 and going shopping 🛒 it was a very hot and humid kind of quiet day. Besides the morning walk around the park I ended going back to the town park 🏞 to watch the sun set and went to the library 📚 for a few hours to heat the heat. I thought about plinking down the seven or eight bucks to swim in the town park pool 🏊♂️ but being do hot and humid you never know when a thunderstorm ⛈ would come rolling through. One clap of thunder and the pool closes for a half hour. 💸 I tried making hummus and that was a disaster after buying expensive Tanani sauce. I paid good money for the ingredients, I’m going to have to try again. 😖
Tonight will rain and possibly a thunderstorm before 8pm, then rain and thunderstorms between 8pm and 11pm, then rain and possibly a thunderstorm after 11pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. 🌧 Low of 66 degrees at 12am. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 70 at 6pm. 🏖️ West wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 52 degrees. The record low of 47 occurred back in 1963.
Looking, next Sunday is Last Sunset After 8:30 PM 🌆 with dusk at 9:04 pm. On that day in 2022, we had a rather hot day, that was mostly sunny and temperatures between 88 and 60 degrees. Did I spend it at the Potholers? Yes. Typically, the high temperature is 84 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1900.
To think all these years I used to eat pancakes made out of white flour, sugar and whatever other chemicals that are in grocery store pancake mix compared to just whole grain oatmeal, a banana and some water run through a food processor and fried with a pan with just a little bit of non stickspray. I just have gotten to hate all prepared mixes and recipes you find on the internet and cook books with 20,000 ingredients and steps which all involve cooking using PFOAs topped pans with lard and substitutes, sugar and substitutes, along with a ton of added salt. But maybe my tastes have changed as I’ve lost weight or you care far more about nutrition then taste. I don’t do portion control but I also don’t eat crap anymore that doesn’t fill my stomach with good nutritious food.
At any rate, Good morning! Happy Saturday. Can you believe it’s already the weekend? 😃Mostly cloudy and 71 degrees at the Elm Ave Town Park . ⛅ Calm wind. The dew point is 67 degrees. Going to hot and humid 😰 out later so I figure walk 🚶 now before it gets too ungodly hot out later.
Woke up around 5:15 as a fire truck 🚒🧑🚒came roaring through the neighborhood and I fell asleep pretty early last night, as I cut my evening walk short ⛈ as I was sure it would thunderstorm and pour before I could get home. I also started early after a quick cold dinner of kidney beans with sugar free maple 🍁 syrup. 10 miles on the dot yesterday, I managed to squeeze it out by a quick walk in the Elm Ave Park followed by some laps at Swift Wetland Preserve near where I live then a few laps back inside. Also did 40 flights of stairs up and down at work – two times up and down (morning, lunch, home) to the 18th floor plus four flights in the LOB. Been two weeks of only using the stairs at work. 🧗♂️
I was up early but didn’t start walking 🚶 until 6:45 this morning. Had said pancakes 🥞 first topped with the remaining farmers market blueberries. They were good 🫐 but paying $7 for a pint of fresh blueberries even in these inflationary times seems like highway robbery when you can just as healthy frozen 3 lb for a few more bucks. It’s good to treat yourself once and a while. Plus I didn’t want to go to the store until today. 💸 Truth be told what I really want is fresh tomatoes 🍅 and sweet corn 🌽 from the farmers market.
Today will have scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 86 degrees at 4pm. Two degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 70 at 10am. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 85 degrees. The record high of 100 was set in 1936.
I would like to get in about four 4⃣ miles of walking 🚶 this morning before heading home 🪰 but the deer fly may change my mind first. Doing the nature trail loop at Elm Ave Park that I do most evenings. Then head home. I want to pull out of the freezerthe remaining chicken 🐔 breast I have to thaw in the fridge for cooking in the oven, probably tomorrow morning early and then refreezing cooked portions for future years. I no longer get the precooked strips because they’re loaded with fat and salt to say nothing of preservatives and so much more expensive than what I can prepare myself and freeze. And also cook up the black beans I have as they’re so good cold with red onions, especially in the heat. Also want to try to make hummus out of the chickpeas I soaked earlier in the week and then roast the rest to mix with blueberries, raspberries,, strawberries and walnuts. 🍓🥜🫐
Then I want to go to the library 📚 and briefly study the spec sheets a bit more on the bicycles I’m researching 🔍 before heading over to Steiners Sports in Glenmont to hopefully check out the Trek Marlin 5 or 6 and the Trek Verve 2, and maybe the Dual Sport 2 though I’m leaning towards a mountain bike and the Trek brand due to the local popularity and parts and service availability. Then I’ll head over toMarket32 and Walmart for groceries. 🛒 My current lack of frozen fruit and plain Greek yogurt is kind of a bummer especially knowing how hot it’s expected to be by evening.
If Steiner is a bust for gettinga bicycle 🚲, I’ll head to Downtube in the afternoon to look there. Or if I like what Steiner has but they only have my size in Hudson it will be a road trip. They’re Hudson location is also open on Sunday so I could do that tomorrow too. Who knows how this will go. 🤷♂️
Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:01 pm with sun having an altitude of 69.9° from the due south horizon (-0.9° vs. 6/21). The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:54 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (295°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (302°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:36 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 25 seconds with dusk around 9:09 pm, which is 23 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:55 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 77 degrees. The dew point will be 70 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 12 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 5 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 7pm. Mostly cloudy 🌫️, with a low of 66 degrees at 6am. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 70 at 7pm. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 61 degrees. The record low of 41 occurred back in 1963.
I was so sure I had that dentist appointment next week 🦷but I am wrong it would appear as I haven’t got an appointment reminder. I called and texted the dentist on Friday but it was after they had closed for the day. I do hope to get out of town next weekend, maybe tacking onFriday and or Monday. ⛺ Maybe just Schoharie especially if I have the bicycle for the Catskill Scenic Trail. And practice my swimming 🏊 strokes before vacation, which with my weight loss I should be a much stronger swimmer. If next weekend looks bad there is always the free Nature Bus to Thacher Park. 🚍 I haven’t done the Nature Bus yet this year. 🆓
Looking ahead, next Saturday is Cow Appreciation Day 🐂 when the sun will be setting at 8:33 pm with dusk at 9:05 pm. On that day in 2022, we had mostly sunny and temperatures between 86 and 57 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 84 degrees. Burgers and steak 🍔 are a good treat on occasion and I do like skim milk in coffee ☕ at times, and plain Greek yogurt remains wonderful 🍨 but I admit I’ve cut back a lot due to calories and especially the omega 6 saturated fat in cattle. But they’re such wonderful animals for protecting grass lands while putting the land to use in a sustainable fashion. We hit a record high of 96 back in 1997.
Some more than others. That statement is true on so many levels. I’ve never had air conditioning at home. Maybe this is morning is not a good one to be listening to the Stones’ Paint It Black. Of course the that doesn’t count all the hours lately I’ve been sweating climbing the stairs in the office and out walking, 40 flights including in the LOB and 10 ½ miles again yesterday. And the thing I’m really sweating about these days – funding the perfect bicycle. A nice problem to be sweating a lot about.
Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! A three day work week doesn’t seem so bad after a four day weekend. 🙃 Partly cloudy and 69 degrees in Delmar for the morning walk. ⛅ There is a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 66 degrees. The muggy weather ends next Wednesday around 7 pm. 😓 Or is that just when the weather model ends?
Last night was sticky for sleeping 😴 and the evening walk. 🚶 By any standards it’s bed hot and muggy, I’m starting to see black mold pop up in my apartment again. I better clean that this weekend before it gets worse. I did not sleep well at all last night despite getting to bed 🛏 a little after nine. 9⃣ Mostly because of the heat but also because so much of my life has been consumed by trying to figure out what would be the perfect 👌 bicycle 🚲 for me. More urban commuter or mountain bicycle? 🚵🚴
Today will have showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 5pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. It’s summer, I just hope Piseco-Powley Road doesn’t wash out. Partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 88 degrees at 1pm. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 73 at 12pm. South wind 6 to 8 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 85 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1988.
This morning I decided to do scrambled eggs with red kidney beans run through the food processor to make a paste and fried, with also a sauce of tomatoes and jalapeños made in the food processor. 🍳 Made a good filling meal for two breakfasts 😋 without preservatives or much unhealthy. I wanted something protein rich but limited sugar to help make up for my rough night sleeping. 🦐 Yesterday’s shrimp and rice 🍚 was good for dinner.
All electric bus 🚍 ⚡ that was running on time until we hit the construction 🚧 detour due to them once again trying to fix the on ramp from US 9W to Downtown Albany and 787. Big delays on Southern Boulevard. The air conditioning wasn’t super cranked up on the bus either, though it was reasonably cool but not as refreshing as yesterday morning on bus. I’m going to be late in the office 🏢 but I don’t care, it’s summer and I’m often early. Getting off at the Plaza and will walk in the Concourse as it’s cooler there. Might do the same as lunch time too to beat the heat. 😰
Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:01 pm with sun having an altitude of 70° from the due south horizon (-0.8° vs. 6/21). The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:54 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (295°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (302°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:36 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 26 seconds with dusk around 9:09 pm, which is 20 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:55 pm. At sunset, look out for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 76 degrees. The dew point will be 70 degrees. Sticky There will be a calm wind. Today will have 15 hours and 13 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute over yesterday.
It’s going to be a hot evening so I might delay my evening walk 🚶 for a while to study bicycles some more. 🚲 I need to test ride more but I’m really thinking basic mountain bike especially for puncture resistance and tubed tires for easier repair for inevitable flats. I’m willing to trade up efficiency for commute to work for better gravel and dirt road performance. ⚙ I would rather peddle harder then be off the road waiting for parts.
Tonight will have showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 11pm. Patchy fog after 3am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy 🌃, with a low of 67 degrees at 4am. Five degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 71 at 6pm. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2022, we had partly cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 67 degrees. The record low of 43 occurred back in 1969.
On this day in 1981, U.S. President Ronald Reagan appoints Sandra Day O’Connor 👩🏻⚖️to become the first female member of the Supreme Court of the United States. 🥪 That’s almost as cool as sliced bread, which is sold for the first time by the Chillico the Baking Company in 1921. It’s actually amazing to think it was so long that the Supreme Court was all male, only forty odd years ago was there any women on the court. Now if they could only get come young people on the court and less of the old white bread. 🥐 I haven’t had bread in ages, mostly as it’s a lot of more carbs and while whole grain has more fiber I generally just stick with brown rice as a durable, preservative free form of carbs to use in many meals. 🍴
Tomorrow will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny 🌞 , with a high of 87 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 72 at 12pm. Light and variable wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 85 degrees. The record high of 100 was set in 1936.
I fully concede that this would be the perfect weekend for the Potholers 🏊♂️ or Mine Kill Pool if I wasn’t planning on test riding and hopefully buying a bicycle 🚲 this weekend. I feel like this whole process has dragged on for much too long but it’s taken me a while to figure out that I would be best off with a new rather than used or rebuilt bicycle. Then the trade offs of efficency of a road bicycle vs durability of a mountain bike 🚵 have been in my mind plus what I’m willing to spend. You know I’m the boy that looked at getting a Toyota Prius for cheap, reliable environmentally friendly transportation before settling on a big jacked up truck. I have a feeling my bicycle buying process is going that way, especially as I play through all the disadvantages of riding a bike to work over taking the bus – theft, car crashes, pollution. That air conditioning feels so good on the bus in the sweltering heat.
I will try to leave by 10:30 tomorrow to test ride more bicycles. 🔎🚲. I really want to settle on something this weekend and either take delivery or at least have it on order for next week. I am going to start at Steiner’s Sports in Glenmont, as they have more mountain bikes it seems, and then try Downtube next. If I like what they have at Steiner’s Sports in Glenmont but they don’t have it at their local shop, but I can get it at their main shop in Hudson, I am more then willing to drive down there on Saturday afternoon or Sunday. Downtube wants to charge $50 destination fee on top of the MSRP, which is reasonable but if I can save some money, that’s even more reasonable. I think I finally have a better idea of what I want.
Then the other thing I need is grocery shopping. 🍏 🍄 With the blueberries I got at the farmer’s market on Wednesday I have enough of a grocery haul to make it to the weekend, but things are starting to get a bit low and I want to maintain a nutritious, diverse and tasty diet. 😋 I worry if I let my pantry get too bare then I will start going for less healthy calories.
Looking ahead to Sunday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Mostly cloudy, 🌥 with a high near 79. South wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Maximum dew point of 70 at 12pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 84 degrees.
Looking ahead, next Friday is National Nude Day 👱 when the sun will be setting at 8:33 pm with dusk at 9:06 pm. It’s when my dentist appointment is. 🦷 I’ll wear clothing though when I get my teeth cleaned. At least that’s when I think it is. On that day in 2022, we had partly cloudy and temperatures between 85 and 65 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 84 degrees. We hit a record high of 99 back in 1995.
I am hoping that National Nude Day is one that I can get out of town, for the weekend. Maybe just Schoharie County but I could also see the Potholers 🏊♀️ as it’s been a while since I’ve spent a few nights in the wilderness. Hopefully with a bicycle to ride too. At this point I’m trying to save money, and Schoharie might be better for just two nights, and it would be good to improve my swimming skills. Heading up mid-day on Friday is no guarantee that I’ll get the House Pond Campsite for easy access to the East Canada Creek for floating and walk to the Potholers. I haven’t done the Mine Kill Pool in a long time, I don’t recall if I ever made it out there in 2022 or not.
A person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand.
It was so simple. I decided after comparing the Trek Dual Sport 2 to the FX 2 I was so going to go with the more mild mannered FX 2. It certainly would be more efficient for urban commuting and long distance bicycles.
Then I remembered that other bicycle the shop had me look at a Trek Verve. It turns out that’s the next level up towards a mountain bike, which inevitably lead me to researching a Trek Marlin 5. The more I think about it, the more I might want a decent quality beginner mountain bike rather than a commuter bicycle.
The thing is what I really want a bicycle most for is using up at camp, mostly on dirt roads but also the occasional trail. And then just around town, out to Five Rivers or on the Albany County Rail Trail to visit the Black River Swamp. I am worried that FX 2 really wouldn’t handle well with stones and rocks, especially now knowing it runs tubeless.
Now I’m looking at the Trek Marlin 5 or 6. The base Trek mountain bike. This has tougher 60 TPI tires with inner tubes, a front suspension that is upgradable and wider tires for better grip and stability I the mud and rougher terrain. I think this might be much better suited for State Forest roads and the occasional trail ride but still be decent for around town or an occasional commute to work. And it still fits in my price range. It will be slow and heavy, kind of like Big Red.
I’m really moving away commuting to work daily on a bicycle as while I did that when I was in my twenties, the traffic and the hills worry me more Delaware Ave after learning how Lynne Jackson got struck on her bicycle a few years back. To say nothing of the pollution from autos or riding through seedy neighborhoods, swerving around needles left behind by the heroin addicts. The Albany County Rail Trail is great but problematic to get from the Corning Preserve back up the hill to the Alfred E Smith building. Plus while there is a bike rack behind the office where I work, the more I learn about bike theft and how fast bolt cutters are I really think twice about locking my bike up there without a very good quality lock. I keep seeing how all the homeless people at Capitol Park have wonderful new bicycles. Must be nice to be homeless.
Those lazy, hazy crazy days of summer are here minus maybe the hot dogs, pretzels and beer. Time is marching on the world changes in your forties.
Good morning! Happy Hot Thursday. To be predicted, it’s the hottest time of the year. Mostly sunny 😎with fog 🌫 around and 69 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. The dew point is 67 degrees. The muggy weather ends Wednesday around 7 pm. 😓
Another hot summer day ahead 🏖 though I’ll be spending it my air conditioned office and usually it will be cooling down by evening when I get home. Out for the morning walk before it gets too hot out. 10 1/2 miles walked yesterday, climbed up and down 36 flights of stairs in the office as usual.
Red kidney are cooking down in the kitchen, 🍲 they will be good with maple 🍁 syrup in the evening when it’s hot out. I got fresh blueberries at the farmers market which where $7 which seems much too expensive but inflation. 🔵 I’m running low on food and supplies but I don’t know what I want to buy and eat with the heat. 🛒 Next time I go shopping, I do want to get some freezer bags, as they’re good for freezing rice and also things like black beans for compact carrying while camping. They can be reused a few times too.
This morning I’m thinking just black coffee ☕ cream of wheat with the fresh blueberries for breakfast 🥣. I do need to get milk 🥛 as what I have in the refrigerator has spoiled. But not this morning. I’m also out of cottage cheese and Greek yogurt and frozen fruit.
Yesterday’s meals where too bland. Too much kale and brown rice. 🍚 Easy and healthy but bleh. Makes it easy and healthy but not so easy to keep on the diet going forward. I was really into kale for a while eating multiple pounds of week, but I’m getting tired of it, much like the tofu. Today I am doing chicken, peas, corn, black beans and red peppers for lunch. Pre-cooked shrimp 🦐 are thawing in the fridge, I’m going to mix with the brown rice and tomatoes for dinner and have red kidney beans with maple syrup for dessert. I put chickpeas in the fridge for soaking, I’ll either roast them to toss in with fresh blueberries, strawberries and raspberries with walnuts with a snack. Walnuts are good but loaded with fat, though at least it has a decent ratio of Omega 3. I might also make hummus, which I’ll either need to get tahini or sesame seeds to cook up.
Today will be sunny and hot ☀ , with a high of 91 degrees at 2pm. Seven degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 71 at 9am. Heat index values as high as 95. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 81 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1886.
As I’m back on the Trek FX 2 bicycle as my choice, I might try to get up to the Downtube to talk to them about potentially buying that bicycle 🚲 and doing a test ride. I’m getting tired of studying the pros and cons of bicycles and want to commit sooner than later so I can take delivery of the bike and finally be on the road, both for commuting and getting around town. I want to break the bicycle in well before heading out to the Finger Lakes in three weeks. An additional expense I overlooked was a good quality U-lock that resists bolt cutters ✂️ which is going to add $75-100 go the cost, but I might be better off getting that on the internet rather than at the bike shop. I also want to get a rear luggage rack so I can tie a small milk crate style storage containers for keeping lunch and supplies on me when doing day trips on the bicycle 🚲 in the Finger Lakes. 💸 Looking at around or maybe slightly below $50 for that. Then another under $50 for the combination of buying a very basic digit speedometer / odometers and lights both for safety and do night riding in the National Forest after watching the sun set. 🌇
Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:01 pm with sun having an altitude of 70.1° from the due south horizon (-0.7° vs. 6/21). The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:54 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (296°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (303°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:37 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 26 seconds with dusk around 9:10 pm, which is 19 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:56 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 82 degrees. The dew point will be 69 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 14 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 57 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌃 , with a low of 68 degrees at 6am. Six degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 69 at 7pm. South wind 5 to 7 mph. Another sticky night sleeping 😴 with the fan roaring. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 58 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1979.
On this day in 1947, The AK-47 goes into production in the Soviet Union. Even after almost seven decades, the model and its variants remain the most popular and widely used assault rifles in the world 🪖 because of their substantial reliability under harsh conditions, low production costs compared to contemporary Western weapons, availability in virtually every geographic region and ease of use. ⚔ I bet it would be fun to own one someday, in a freer state when I own my own land. Probably fun for ventilating a burn barrel, lol.
A hot summerweekend ahead. 🏖 Saturday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 86. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 69 at 9am. Sunday, a chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Maximum dew point of 70 at 10am. Typical average high for the weekend is 84 degrees.
That said, maybe not the nicest weekend ever especially Sunday with the clouds. 🤷♂️ One more weekend to decide and acquire a bicycle 🚲 then hopefully get out camping 🏕 the following weekend after my dentist appointment 🦷 assuming that the weather is decent. I’m thinking Schoharie County, the Mine Kill Pool, the Catskill Scenic Trail from Grand Gorge to Stamford it maybe even beyond there. 🚲 Also maybe on the Saturday bike from Old Blenheim Bridge up and over Bear Ladder Road 🐻 then down to Fultonhsm by Shauls to get ice cream. 🍦 If I have the rack on the bicycle by then not only can I carry lunch but also get some veggies. If not both of these things are good for the following week or after summer vacation. 🏖 Pool closes Labor Day but the best bicycling and farm stand finds are certainly in September and October. 🎃
Summer vacation starts Friday July 29th 🏖 with plans to head straight out to the Finger Lakes National Forest and set up camp ⛺ by noon time. Then have all afternoon to unpack and do a nice bicycle 🚲 ride and enjoy the afternoon from the forest maybe with some fishing 🎣 and a sunset 🌇 to a start things off. Watkins Glen on Saturday to paddle and swim 🏊♂️, though I may want to get to the park 🏞 early to ensure parking 🅿.
Looking ahead, there are 2 weeks until Ugly Truck Day 🚚 when the sun will be setting at 8:29 pm with dusk at 9:01 pm. On that day in 2022, we had hot, humid, mostly sunny, thunderstorm and temperatures between 97 and 72 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 84 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1991.
