Balsam Swamp is a sprawling state forest that stretches almost 5.5 miles east-west across 4 towns. The area is very rural, and the landscape surrounding the State Forest is predominantly forested. Balsam Swamp State Forest is comprised of a mix of native hardwood forests, hemlock swamps, and conifer plantations. There are no designated recreational trails on the forest, but there is ample opportunity for self-guided day hikes to explore the diversity of habitats represented on this State Forest. Additionally, the western section of Balsam Swamp State Forest is adjacent to Five Streams State Forest to the south.
The main attraction of this forest is Balsam Pond. The impoundment is approximately 152 acres and is a popular destination for fishing and paddle boat sports. Balsam Pond is a warm water fishery that contains a mix of largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, yellow perch, brown bullhead and sunfish. Tiger muskellunge have been stocked in the past with the last stocking occurring in 1995. However, there have been very few reports of anglers catching any of the adult tiger muskies. A shallow gravel boat launch is suitable for launching small fishing boats.
A small rustic camp ground is also located at Balsam Pond. Camping spaces are available at no cost on a first-come, first-serve basis and there is no running water or electricity. A fire ring, outhouse, and picnic table are provided for each camping space. A sign on Balsam-Tyler Road in Pharsalia designates the entrance to the boat launch and camping facility. This is a carry-in carry-out facility. Please do not litter.
I think it’s reasonable to say this morning feels more like spring time then winter, even if the mercury is a bit below freezing. With the sun it and calm wind it doesn’t feel that cold. Plus no snow to make things feel cold from the evaporation of the snow. Should be a great ride in and will be super nice and mild by mid-day into afternoon.
Good morning! Happy Thursday. Mostly sunny 🌞 and 23 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. Things will start to thaw out at around 9 am. 🌡️
Didn’t get earliest start ever ☕ but I was up by 5:30 or 5:45 AM and got johnnycakes with lots of onions, garlic and spinach cooking up on the griddle 🥞 and lots of coffee. Continuing to play with the derailleurs on my bike — ⚙ sometimes I swear I’m just making things work with my belief that everything should be completely silent and every gear shift should be perfect. 👨🔧Truth is I should make an appointment with my bicycle mechanic to keep is running well. I also should rotate the front and rear tires, especially before I plan to do any mountain biking in the mud and ice.
Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 46 degrees at 3pm. 12 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 18th. Light and variable wind. Super, I’m looking forward to March and especially April. A few nice weeks before the black flies arrive, lol. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 46 degrees. The record high of 52 was set in 1925. 14.0 inches of snow fell back in 1895.❄
Bike’s working good enough to ride in to work, 🚲 despite or may in spite of the fact that I keep tinkering with the gears. Front derailleur is a bit off, because when I adjusted the “B” screw on the rear derailleur it threw off the front derailleur which I re-aligned but maybe not perfectly. Yesterday at lunch time I rode over to the Albany Rural Cemetery ⚰ in Menands. I want to explore the cemetery more at lunch time. Maybe today or maybe tomorrow.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:10 pm with sun having an altitude of 32.3° from the due south horizon (-38.6° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 9.5 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:37 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (243°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (250°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:18 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 5 seconds with dusk around 5:46 pm, which is one minute and 18 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:21 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 43 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 10 hours and 18 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 31 seconds over yesterday.
Four weeks into it, I am getting used to my new job in the suburbs. 🏣 It’s actually a lot of fun to tidy data, and play with SQL for clever tricks. I can often tease a lot of interesting insights out of data using R Studio and the alike. Plus when I ride my bike in there is a lot of fun parks I can go to at lunch time, including the Corning Preserve and Albany Rural Cemetery. Plus there is a fair number of businesses and shops in Menands.
Tonight will be mostly cloudy 😴, with a low of 33 degrees at 5am. 17 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 5th. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the evening. In 2023, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became light rain by the early hours of the morning. A very mild night, I should go out for a walk. It got down to 25 degrees. The record low of -20 occurred back in 1934.
Continued mild but more showers come the weekend. 🌧 Saturday, showers likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52. Light south wind becoming southeast 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 44. Typical average high for the weekend is 35 degrees. I don’t have any big plans for the weekend, but that’s good, I’ve been so busy these days. The following weekend in President’s Day.
Looking ahead, there are 6 weeks until First Day of Spring 💮 when the sun will be setting at 7:10 pm with dusk at 7:37 pm (Daylight Savings Time). I guess that means winter is more then halfway over, though the second half of winter can be kinder but snowier. At least not as cold as for as long, or so I tell myself. On that day in 2023, we had partly sunny and temperatures between 59 and 24 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 47 degrees. We hit a record high of 78 back in 1921.
Running a bit late because I was still tuning my gears plus doing some cooking this morning. t’s nice to see the sun once again, it’s been such a drab few days.
Good morning! What day is it? Hump Day, of course. Partly sunny and 27 degrees at the Stewart’s. There is a north-northwest breeze at 5 mph. 🍃. Things will start to thaw out at around 10 am. 🌡️
Of to work again. 📁It’s been such a busy past few days with work, and I was in the office late last night with a project that I was working on. Ended up riding down Broadway back downtown then walking up the State Street Hill to kill time prior to catching the Route 18 home. 🚌 Had some rice and beans for dinner and was exhausted and headed to bed shortly thereafter. 🛌
Today will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 40 degrees at 3pm. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 28th. North wind 3 to 5 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 40 degrees. The record high of 48 was set in 2005. 12.4 inches of snow fell back in 1983.❄
Going to be a nice day, 😀 and I’m thinking at my lunch break I’ll spend some more time exploring North Albany and Menands. Prior to moving to the suburban office, I really never explored this area much but I’m sure there are some interesting places to explore around this area. I am increasing my confidence in my work at my new position, learning much, and really putting my SQL, AWK, GREP and other Linux command line skills to work. 💻 Riding my bike to work 🚲 I am getting adjusted to the suburban office experience, and with the bike there are many nice preserves only a short ride away. ⏲ Change is hard, and I don’t always adapt easily.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:10 pm with sun having an altitude of 32° from the due south horizon (-38.9° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 9.6 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:36 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (243°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (250°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:16 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 6 seconds with dusk around 5:45 pm, which is one minute and 19 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:19 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 37 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 10 hours and 16 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 30 seconds over yesterday.
Last night wasn’t so cold for the evening walk 🚶♀️ and it was fairly refreshing evening. Enjoyed the bread I baked up 🍞 and once again broke out more of the pea soup from the freezer from a few weeks back. Yes, the one I cooked up with the old stewing beef. Then had a dessert of some shredded apples with some oatmeal and cinnamon ground up in the food processor. 🍏 I tell you, I get a lot of use out of the food processor.
Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌒, with a low of 23 degrees at 6am. Seven degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 5th. Calm wind. In 2023, we had light rain in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 26 degrees. The record low of -16 occurred back in 1950.
This week has just been so busy. 😫 I’ve not been getting up quite so early, because I need every precious minute of sleep, though most days I’m still up before six, often closer to five. ⏰ Nothing really has gone wrong this week, I’m feeling more confident in my work and getting to love the new job, but it’s a lot of work and long days at times. That said, I am getting adjusted to all change and looking forward to getting my new office when the current director retires next month.
Mild but fairly wet this weekend. 💦 Saturday, a chance of showers after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Sunday, mostly cloudy, with a high near 45. Typical average high for the weekend is 35 degrees. Looking forward to a quite and relaxing weekend, maybe do a ride out to Altamont or somewhere around town.
Looking ahead, next Wednesday is Valentines Day ❤️ when the sun will be setting at 5:26 pm with dusk at 5:54 pm. I love the fact that winter is more then halfway over. February can be most depressing month of them all. 😀 But the weather later this week should put a smile on my face. On that day in 2023, we had partly sunny, mild and temperatures between 50 and 30 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 36 degrees. We hit a record high of 63 back in 1946.
But life is complicated. Male embryos die at a much greater rate then female embryos during the first week of pregnancy. But females don’t develop as well in the uterus and are more likely to naturally abort or be stillborn. For every 105 male live births only 100 females are live birthed in America. But as soon as a baby boy is born they face greater risk of morality then a baby girl.
Through age 28, the gender ratio of 105 men to 100 woman remains true. By as men reach there 30s, the weakness of the male gender – higher average morality at a younger age starts to creep in. By age 40, there are only 102 men for 100 women.
By the time a man and women reach the age of 53 in America there are 100 men for 100 women. At age 55, there are only 99 men for 100 women. By age 65 it drops to 93 men for 100 women. Gets worse for men at Age 70, when only 88 men are left for 100 women.
By age 91, there are only 50 men left for 100 women and for the 100 plus age group only 24 men for every 100 women.
Ultimately it balances out American population wise for 98 men to 100 women. But the story of life is complicated – high male embryo morality, then higher female fetus morality and then ultimately it’s the higher male morality that gives females a slight demographic edge throughout their lives. Demographics and the story of life is fascinating.
Riding to work this morning on this beautiful morning. But first I’ve been working on adjusting the gears to make sure they click tightly, though the chain is too loose. I need to figure out how to adjust that. Fortunately I have the internet and tools so I should have everything back to spec soon. I’ll work on adjusting it more in the morning.
Good morning! Sunny and 25 degrees at the Stewart’s. 🌞 There is a north breeze at 8 mph. 🍃. The current wind chill is 14. Things will start to thaw out at around 11 am. 🌡️
Should be a beautiful day for the ride in. 🚲 I don’t have to dress up so I can peddle my way to work. Then sit down at work and do the work thing, and go for a ride at lunch time down to the Corning Preserve. 🏞 I was kind of hoping I could get in early and ride up to the Menand’s exit of the Corning Preserve Trail and not go up Erie Boulevard, but so be it.
Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 37 degrees at 2pm. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 18th. North wind 7 to 9 mph. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 41 degrees. The record high of 55 was set in 1991. 10.8 inches of snow fell back in 1978.❄
Still not quite enough daylight in the evening to ride home 🌆 but with the clear skies, I should be able to get to the old train station 🚂 and catch the bus from there. It’s much better to go through Corning Preserve and take the pedestrain bridge then to ride over Water Street which can be busy at rush hour. 🚘 🚴♀️ I think come President’s Day assuming that it’s not too cold or snowy, I’l be able to ride both ways to work.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:10 pm with sun having an altitude of 31.6° from the due south horizon (-39.2° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 9.7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:34 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (242°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (249°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:15 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 6 seconds with dusk around 5:44 pm, which is one minute and 18 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:18 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 35 degrees. There will be a north breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 10 hours and 13 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 28 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 20 degrees at 6am. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around February 23rd. North wind around 7 mph. In 2023, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 13 degrees. The record low of -18 occurred back in 1995.
Cloudy ⛅but mild this weekend. Saturday, a chance of showers after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Sunday, mostly cloudy, with a high near 46. Typical average high for the weekend is 35 degrees. The plan for this weekend is to stay in town.
Looking ahead, there are 6 weeks until Last Day of Winter 🏂 when the sun will be setting at 7:08 pm with dusk at 7:34 pm (Daylight Savings Time). On that day in 2023, we had partly sunny, snow showers and temperatures between 33 and 22 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 46 degrees. We hit a record high of 78 back in 2012.
I was looking at his Facebook and he was so old looking compared to twenty years ago when I was in college. How fast those days come and go. Good music though, even if I haven’t listened to one of his records in a long time. Always had a bit of a man crush on him, lol. I wish I could be such a cool country boy.
Pretty sure that’s not the proper way to address cows on Facebook as they chew their cud. Dairy farmers get a laugh at how often their posts are blocked on the Facebook as bullying — which to be fair heifers certainly engage in time. It was a great morning for the bike ride out Meads Road before work. Not so cold for a change, more light in the morning too with the earlier sunrise. Plus Mom got me some glove liners, which may have helped with the numbness in the fingers after riding.
Good morning! Monday’s come back around again. Partly sunny and 25 degrees at the Elm Ave Park and Ride. There is a north breeze at 10 mph. 🍃. Things will start to thaw out at around 11 am. 🌡️
It was a nice morning bike ride, 🚲 not so cold relatively speaking with the sun rising earlier each morning. Caught the express downtown, 🚌 and now it’s off to work. Going to be another busy week at work as we continue to transition the database to the new system and QAS the addresses to ensure timely delivery of client and non client mail. Did the usual loop out along Meads Road and Orchard Street 🐮 with the cows and the Mc Mansions and the hills. Derailer seems to have iced up after washing the bike. 🚿 Bus is running a bit late but I’m hopeful that I can catch the shuttle 🚀 in time to the suburban office building. I’m getting adjusted to the change, I hated it first with the acres of cubicles and parking 🅿 as I don’t drive but it’s great for bicycling on non dress up days 🕴🏻plus free coffee ☕ in the office.
Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 38 degrees at 2pm. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 21st. North wind 10 to 13 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 41 degrees. The record high of 59 was set in 1890. 10.4 inches of snow fell back in 2014.❄
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:10 pm with sun having an altitude of 31.3° from the due south horizon (-39.5° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 9.9 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:33 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (242°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (249°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:14 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 7 seconds with dusk around 5:42 pm, which is one minute and 19 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:17 pm. At sunset, look for clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 35 degrees. There will be a north breeze at 13 mph. Today will have 10 hours and 11 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 27 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 20 degrees at 6am. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around February 23rd. Maximum wind chill around 17 at 9pm; North wind 9 to 13 mph. In 2023, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 21 degrees. The record low of -20 occurred back in 1948.
Not so cold this evening 🚶 so I plan to walk. Probably cook up a stir fry tonight I’m thinking. 🥗 Then walk and knead bread. 🍞 Then head to bed 🛏 fairly early as I did not get to work early enough last night.
After a sunny week, maybe cloudy but mild for the weekend. ☁️ Saturday, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Sunday, mostly cloudy, with a high near 47. Typical average high for the weekend is 35 degrees. This is going to be a stay in town weekend most likely, which is fine because I had a good time camping last weekend.
As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Presidents Day 👴 when the sun will be setting at 5:33 pm with dusk at 6:00 pm. On that day in 2023, we had mostly cloudy and temperatures between 47 and 23 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 37 degrees. We hit a record high of 66 back in 1981.
Good morning! Happy Sunday. Mostly sunny and 22 degrees at the Rensselaerville State Forest. 🌞 Deep blue skies with glittering trees with the sunshine. There is a north breeze at 7 mph. 🍃. Things will start to thaw out at Wednesday around 11 am. 🌡️
Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 32 degrees at 3pm. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around January 25th. North wind 7 to 9 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 18 degrees. The record high of 61 was set in 1991. 15.5 inches of snow fell back in 1926.❄
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:11 pm with sun having an altitude of 31.1° from the due south horizon (-39.8° vs. 6/21). Good for solar power. Except for the heavy frost we had last night kind of covering the panel on my truck. A six foot person will cast a 9.9 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:33 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (241°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (249°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:14 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 7 seconds with dusk around 5:43 pm, which is one minute and 19 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:17 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 28 degrees. There will be a north-northwest breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 10 hours and 9 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 25 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌃 , with a low of 15 degrees at 6am. One degree below normal, which is similar to a typical night around February 3rd. Maximum wind chill around 9 at 5am; North wind around 9 mph. In 2023, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 18 degrees. The record low of -15 occurred back in 1918.
Looking ahead, next Sunday is Don’t Cry over Spilled Milk Day 🥛 when the sun will be setting at 5:24 pm with dusk at 5:51 pm. On that day in 2023, we had mostly sunny, snow showers and temperatures between 38 and 23 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 35 degrees. Definitely past the coldest time of the year by then. Heck it might be in the fifties by Friday. We hit a record high of 59 back in 1981.
