Two years ago tonight, was the day after Primary Day 2020, and I was camping up at Horseshoe Lake, doing remote work during the pandemic, and decided to do a hike up Lows Ledge on the night before my 3-night stay limit expired and I had to move on to a different campsite. It was a nice, still night where I met not a single person on the trail, and it was clear and crisp weather with wonderful views of the lands below.
I believe the radical environmentalists who want to destroy our country are the greatest threat to public lands. We must fight back against those who want to lock them up and close them down and ban public use. Public lands belong to the public not the radicals!
We need multiple use lands and managed forests supported with funding by timber sales, oil and gas production and leased grazing rights. The philosophy should be greatest good for the greatest number over time, as public lands belong to the public.. We should adopt the philosophy of the Gifford Pichot and the US Forest Service.
Lately, the ideology of the radicals has been to find every thing in the forest preserve that is broken, every mud puddle, every filled up parking lot and put it on an 8×11 photograph and post it on the internet and create these reports that they send to the politicians insisting that public lands be closed down and that public access to limited or completely banned. Ignoring the fact that most of the public land isn’t shown on the frame.
If there is a problem with litter, then state should hire more people to remove litter and put out more garbage cans. It used by most parks had garbage cans, and they dumped the garbage in a gravel pit. Not every garbage pit is Love Canal. Is it really necessary for the state to haul every piece of back country litter two hundred miles to a designated landfill when for generations old cans and wrappers were buried in nearby sand burrow pits?
If trails are being worn out, then they should have more staff repairing trails, bring in more gravel, more rock, and make more hardened repairs. The state owns thousands of acres of land which can be used to provide rock, dirt and timber for improving state facilities. Build new trails and parking areas to spread out impacts.
The solution shouldn’t be closing off, locking up and hiring more jack booted thugs every time an area gets heavy use compared to the under-sized, under built infrastructure when the state has so much in natural resources that could be exploited for public benefit.
This is just north of High Point.
Sunday June 20, 2010 — John Boyd Thacher State Park
Use it or loose it as it sometimes come down to vacation. It’s a three day weekend beyond the two I’m taking off. The solitude time away from the internet and radio news will be nice even if more of the weekend will be spent under the tarp by the heater then out swimming 🏊.
Good morning! Happy Thursday. Partly cloudy ⛅ and 57 degrees in Delmar for the morning walk. 🚶 There is a west-northwest breeze at 10 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 54 degrees. The skies will clear around 10 am. Still looks pretty wet to the west.
Out walking 🚶 this morning, I am almost packed for camping 🏕, though I am waiting to load my kayak 🛶 as I don’t want it to fill with rain. While I need to unpack the Cream of Wheat 🌾 I’m thinking that will be breakfast 🥣 with some blueberries. Shower 🚿, double check my list 📃 and then hit the road around 8:30 – 9 o’clock. I want to get more fresh food 🍏 on the way up and some sparklers 🎇.
Today will have a slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4pm. Partly sunny 🌦, with a high of 78 degrees at 4pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around June 11th. Maximum dew point of 58 at 11am. Northwest wind around 10 mph. 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. The high last year was 84 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1988.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:57 pm with sun having an altitude of 70.7° from the due south horizon (-0.1° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:53 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (297°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (304°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:35 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 27 seconds with dusk around 9:09 pm, which is 25 seconds later 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 70 degrees. The dew point will be 56 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 21 minutes of daytime, an increase of 25 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌃 with a low of 54 degrees at 5am. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around June 5th. Maximum dew point of 56 at 6pm. West wind 5 to 9 mph becoming calm after midnight. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 66 degrees. The record low of 40 occurred back in 1961.
On this day in 1967, The People’s Republic of China tests its first hydrogen bomb 🐼/strong>. It would be one of the world’s few powers with access to the devestatingly powerful hydrogen bombs.
As I was noting, the weekend looks wet. 😞 Friday, howers likely, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. High near 70. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Saturday, showers, likely, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after noon. High near 67. North wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. . Maximum dew point of 61 at 11am. Sunday, showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 76. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Maximum dew point of 60 at 10am. Juneteenth, there is a chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Typical average high for the weekend is 80 degrees.
One month 📅 from now will be Cow Appreciation Day 🐂 when the sun will be setting at 8:33 pm with dusk at 9:05 pm. The average high temperature is 34 degrees, with a record high of 61 in 1895.
Last week, the Albany Police 👮closed down Washington Avenue between Dove Street and Eagle Street, ostensibly because of the Poor People’s Campaign protest as the Fort Orange Club, even though the protesters weren’t actually blocking the street.🙈
I liked how the street closure made it easy for pedestrians to cross the street, to get on with the business of the day, visit the bank, businesses and other state offices. 🏢It also seemed to reduce noise and air pollution.🚗🚌🚚 I can understand how the street closure was a pain for motorists and bus riders — it would have been a short walk to Lark or Eagle Street to catch the bus — but it also made Downtown Albany more livable and enjoyable.🚶
I think the city should consider closing down Washington Avenue between Lark Street and Eagle Street during weekdays,😎 especially in the summer, when people are out and about getting lunch and crossing the road conducting their business.💼
Seems like the most appropriate John Prine song for this Flag Day 2023. I was going to post it Memorial Day being the irreverent SOB that I am but whatever. Loving America is also about criticizing it when our leaders are wrong. But what do I care, I’m leaving this town come tomorrow morning for the Adirondacks.
Good morning! What day is it? Flag Day, of course. 🇺🇸 At least in the parts of America that still celebrates such things. You can taste the wood smoke, cow shit and heavy fog 🌫 around 52 degrees in Delmar, NY. It’s kind of nice when you live enough on the outskirts of the city to have the smells of the country. 🐮 Calm wind. The dew point is 51 degrees. The AQI is 43. The skies will clear tomorrow around noontime.
Woke up at 5:30 this morning and had reheated egg quiche 🍰 with coffee ☕. Went out for my morning walk 🚶 and came back home and ran to the bathroom 🚽 and splattered shit all over the toilet and my boxers. They were fun to wash this morning. 💩 I almost thought about tossing them as they don’t really fit anymore. In my rush to get out to the Bike Rescue 🚲 last night I decided to have the last chicken patty I had left in my freezer from before I decided to cut out processed unhealthy food from my diet. 🐔 I think it might have already gone bad or maybe I’m not used processed food, though I had it with plenty of beans, celery, onions and brown rice to supplement it. But it left me hungry and feeling sick 🤮 for the rest of the evening. It had a ton of salt in it and pretty high on fat too. My gut doesn’t like change, I had a similar situation when I first started eating a lot of oatmeal and fiber rich foods. I still don’t feel great but I think I’m past that now all cleaned up and showered. 🛀
Today will have a chance of showers, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after noon. Some of the storms could produce small hail and gusty winds. 🌦 High of 74 degrees at 12pm. Five degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 27th. Maximum dew point of 60 at 2pm. 🏖️ Light southeast wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies. The high last year was 83 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1892.
I drove down to the Trinity Center last night in the South End 🚲, hoping to get some advice on rebuilding the back wheel of my old bicycle.I was still hoping for some advice on the wheel, but when I got there, the door was locked on the Trinity Center and the lights were off. 🚪 I walked around back to see if I missed, then moved my truck a little closer, deciding to double check that nobody was there, ringing the door bell but nobody arrived. Maybe they didn’t have volunteers, that happens, they’ve been closed the past few weeks. 🤷♂️
It’s fine, I decided I’ll bring the rear wheel to the Adirondacks this weekend and play with it some more. I am starting to doubt though that I’ll ever get this bicycle back on the road, 🚳 as I keep discovering new issues. The thing about it was when I was unloading my bicycle I noticed my front wheel is now out of true, among other issues. But I do want to learn how to replace spokes, and learn more about bicycles. 📚 I got two books out of the library about bicycle repair, 👩🔧 and I want to learn more about bicycles before I plunk down money for another used or rebuilt one. I think I will continue to cannibalize parts from this bicycle, and eventually donate it somewhere, but the mean time I can store in the crawl space. But next time I’ll call or email in advance ✉️ before going down there.
It’s fine, I needed to get propane, some supplies from Walmart and fuel for my truck. ⛽ All much too expensive but I wanted to have everything I need for the trip, including an new air pump to inflate my tube or in case of emergency, a little bit of extra rubber cement to patch any leaks, some more kidney beans, olives, and a few other groceries. 🏪 Going to get fresh veggies and fruit on my way up to camp, probably stop in Gloversville at Price Chopper to get those things. Often the quality is better then Walmart, and it will be hopefully more fresh shopping on Thursday. But more expensive. Everything has gotten so darn expensive these days. 🍏
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:56 pm with sun having an altitude of 70.6° from the due south horizon (-0.2° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:52 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (296°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (304°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:35 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 27 seconds with dusk around 9:09 pm, which is 27 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:55 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 63 degrees. The dew point will be 58 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 20 minutes of daytime, an increase of 29 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will have showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 10pm, then a chance of showers. Some of the storms could produce small hail. 🌧 Low of 56 degrees at 3am. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around June 8th. Maximum dew point of 59 at 6pm. 🏖️ South wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2022, we had clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 57 degrees. The record low of 42 occurred back in 1985.
Heading out of town for a Long Weekend starting on Thursday morning. 🏕 I was going to take off Friday and Tuesday, but it looks like the legislature will be back on Tuesday, so I best be back on Juneteenth. Plus Thursday looks like one of the best weather days of the long weekend. Friday looks cold and wet. I am going to bring my propane heater, along with the tarp for sure. It will be nice to be away from it all for some time. My radio doesn’t work, so I will be fully off-grid without cell service. 😎 Hoping for some sun for swimming and to keep hte solar working well so my batteries are good.
Kind of a mixed bag but cool for the long weekend. 🌦️ Thursday, sunny and 78. Friday, best chance of showers on and off all day, high 72. Saturday, showers likely, mainly after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Maximum dew point of 59 at 11am. Sunday, a chance of showers after 8am. Partly sunny, with a high near 76. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Juneteenth, mostly sunny with showers late. High near 78. Maximum dew point of 58 at 10am. Typical average high for the weekend is 80 degrees.
As Looking ahead, next Wednesday is Summer ️⛱️ when the sun will be setting at 8:38 pm with dusk at 9:11 pm. On that day in 2022, we had partly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 70 and 51 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 81 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1938. That means the Mine Kill Pool should be open then 🏊 so if it’s nice that’s a lot of fun. But next weekend is a way off and I want to look at bicycles that weekend first before deciding if I want to go swimming. But also it would be great to get some fresh produce at the farm stands in the Schoharie Valley, do some camping and adventures not so far from home.
