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.
Mostly cloudy and 49 degrees in Delmar, NY. 🌦️ There is a south breeze at 13 mph. 🍃. Temperatures will drop below freezing at tomorrow around 6 am. ☃️
It was raining ☔ hard when I first got up but stopped around 7:30 and I’m out and walking around 8:15. I was up at six o’clock but delayed walking due to the rain. Often on Saturday I delay getting an earlier start because I don’t have to but I don’t like to stay in bed too late.
Planning fairly typical Saturday, 📚 though probably no Five Rivers today as it’s going to be possibly quite wet later ☔ with thunderstorms ⛈ later. Thinking about going to the library later on.
I’m out walking though not as early as I often do as I slept well but was a bit slow rising as it was a bit cold with the heat off. I probably should have turned it on but it’s going to warm up as it’s essentially April.
Good morning! So yeap, on this Friday March isalmost done. Partly cloudy and 25 degrees in Delmar, NY. ⛅ Calm wind.Things will start to thaw out at around 8 am. 🌡️
Cold for the morning walk 🚶 but I’m getting it done. It certainly was colder in the winter but it’s good to get in as many steps as possible early as I think it’s going to rain later on. My ankle was bothering me last night for a while but I got my 7 1/2 miles in and it feels better today.
Today will rain, mainly after 2pm. 🌧️ High of 47 degrees at 1pm. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 24th. Light southeast wind becoming south 6 to 11 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. The high last year was 60 degrees. The record high of 89 was set in 1998. 14.6 inches of snow fell back in 1997.❄
Yesterday, I missed the express downtown 🐰 🚏 as the bus was running like 5 minutes early, and the Real Time Bus Info was down. Heck of it is if I caught the bus at the traffic light at Delaware and Cherry I’d be good but I decided to walk down to the other bus stop so I wouldn’t have to deal with the pesky traffic light walk signal 🚦 which at times can be quick, but also can be incredibly slow at other times. Plus I wanted to get more steps in. It wasn’t that much of a delay, and the local got me to work a little after 9, which is still before most folks.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:00 pm with sun having an altitude of 51.5° from the due south horizon (-19.3° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 4.8 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 6:43 pm with the sun in the west (270°). 📸
The sunset is in the west (277°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:20 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 55 seconds with dusk around 7:48 pm, which is one minute and 9 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous 🌔 Moon in the southeast (128°) at an altitude of 61° from the horizon, 252,252 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:22 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and temperatures around 41 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 11 mph with gusts up to 23mph. Today will have 12 hours and 46 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 53 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will rain before midnight, then a chance of drizzle between midnight and 5am, then rain with a chance of drizzle after 5am. 🌧 Low of 41 degrees at 7pm. 10 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 25th. South wind 7 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 36 degrees. The record low of 9 occurred back in 1923.
Tomorrow will rain before 2pm, then a slight chance of showers after 3pm. 🌦 High of 70 degrees at 3pm. 18 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 10th. Maximum dew point of 54 at 11am. 🏖️ South wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. The high last year was 53 degrees. The record high of 77 was set in 1986. 5 inches of snow fell back in 1924.❄
Looking ahead to Sunday, sunny, with a high near 44. Breezy, with a northwest wind 17 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. Typical average high for the weekend is 52 degrees.
As previously noted, next Friday is 7:30 PM Sunset 🌇 when the sun will be setting at 7:29 pm with dusk at 7:56 pm. On that day in 2022, we had rain and temperatures between 51 and 45 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 55 degrees. We hit a record high of 87 back in 2010.
We are grooving our ways through the March, with April scheduled to start on Saturday but I’ll believe it when I see it. But I like getting out at five and taking the express home.
Partly sunny and 25 degrees for the morning walk on this Thursday in Delmar. 🌄Breezy, ️16 mph breeze from the northwest 🌬 . The current wind chill is 12. Honestly I don’t think it’s that cold out but maybe in the city with all those big buildings the wind is whipping around. Things will start to thaw out at around 11 am. 🌡️
Cold day ahead but warm enough to not need the heat, ♨️ as it will be above freezing and I’ll be at work all day.
Today will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 41 degrees at 5pm. 10 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 5th. Northwest wind around 16 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 44 degrees. The record high of 86 was set in 1986. 4 inches of snow fell back in 1911.❄
Doesn’t seem like it’s going to be a particularly warm day today 🌬️ but I figure I’ll be in the office 🏢 most of the day and the sun shining on my desk is always nice. Been a relatively quiet week but know one of these days I’ll have a bunch of projects hitting my desk.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:01 pm with sun having an altitude of 51.1° from the due south horizon (-19.7° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 4.8 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 6:42 pm with the sun in the west (270°). 📸
The sunset is in the west (276°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:19 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 55 seconds with dusk around 7:47 pm, which is one minute and 9 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous 🌔 Moon in the southeast (144°) at an altitude of 69° from the horizon, 252,079 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:21 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 35 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 10 mph. Tomorrow will have 12 hours and 43 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 53 seconds over today.
Yesterday like usual I walked down to the park 🚶 and got my 7.5 miles in for the day. Cooked up a big pan of rice, beans and lentils in the morning which I had with broiled salmon 🐠 and veggies which was pretty good. Got home, had some cherries 🍒 and went to bed 🛏. Woke up during the night and listened to a while to a podcast on the Central Limits Therom.
Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌤, with a low of 23 degrees at 2am. Eight degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 7th. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm in the evening. In 2022, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 39 degrees. The record low of 12 occurred back in 1923.
Still wet for April Fools Day. 😕 Saturday, rain before 2pm, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. High near 68. Breezy, with a south wind 16 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Maximum dew point of 53 at 11am. Sunday, sunny, with a high near 44. Breezy. Typical average high for the weekend is 52 degrees.
After calling around I found a doctor 🧑⚕️ that was taking new patients for my physical but not until the end of May. But I didn’t want to have to go into the city and this place is within walking distance from home which is good. It just seems wrong to drive to a doctor’s visit, kind of like smoking a cigarette the doctor gave you. 🚬 Gives me more time to get in shape and improve my health 🩺 and I’m not in that much of a rush.
Also made the appointment for my truck to be serviced on April 10th. 🔧 I wanted to have that done before I’m doing a lot more driving as I’m overdue for some fluid changes and with inflation trying to maximize use of my truck. 🛻
Looking ahead, there are 4 weeks until Arbor Day 🌳 when the sun will be setting at 7:52 pm with dusk at 8:20 pm. On that day in 2022, we had mostly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 51 and 39 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 65 degrees. We hit a record high of 91 back in 1962.
