Balsam Swamp State Forest

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.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/8261.html

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David Crosby, the “young rock n’ roller”, in words of Pete Seeger, who through the Byrds made Ecclesiastics 3 famous passed away recently

David Crosby, the “young rock n’ roller”, in words of Pete Seeger, who through the Byrds made Ecclesiastics 3 famous passed away recently.

Eccelesiastics 3 has a word in it you might not be familiar with — “to rend”.

Rend is a word that has fallen out of popularity since the 1960s, but it means to violently tear apart something like a country, often in a sorrowful fashion.

You might say the “American Civil War rend the United States”.

January 20, 2023 Evening

Good evening! Made it through another work week. Clouds and 36 degrees for the evening walk here in Delmar. โ˜๏ธ I was going to go down to the library but in the days of unlimited data on my phone and since the pandemic my habits have changed. I’d rather just do my walk ๐Ÿšถ and retire to bed ๐Ÿ› early.

Truth is I’ve been listening to the Byrds Turn, Turn, Turn a lot today. ๐ŸŽธ I’m a bit saddened by the death of David Crosby but so died Chris Hillman or was it Roger McGuinn not all that long ago? They were the past generation but still a good song more than half a century later. We need more change and new ideas. Mr. Crosby was a character, Crosby Stills and Nash had some good songs and in many ways those album covers are life goals.

Tonight will have a slight chance of rain and snow showers before 1am, then a slight chance of snow showers between 1am and 2am. Cloudy ๐ŸŒง, with a low of 28 degrees at 4am. 13 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 21st. Northwest wind 8 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became light snow by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 14 degrees. The record low of -18 occurred back in 1994.

I don’t think it was a bad week ๐Ÿข with memories of Madison County and the trip the was. Days go by quickly with things so busy. I’m glad I’ve remained healthy with so many out sick. Masks help as do avoiding the crowds. ๐Ÿ‘ช After spending the weekend winter camping I truly did feel like a husky in the heat of the indoors. ๐Ÿถ

Tonight will have a New ๐ŸŒš Moon with 1% illuminated. The Snow โ„ Moon is on Sunday, February 5. The darkest hour is at 12:07 am, followed by dawn at 6:50 am, and sun starting to rise at 7:21 am in the east-southeast (117ยฐ) and last for 3 minutes and 16 seconds. Sunrise is 38 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ The golden hour ends at 8:04 am with sun in the southeast (125ยฐ). Tonight will have 14 hours and 22 minutes of darkness, a decrease of one minute and 54 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒฅ, with a high of 35 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 9th. Northwest wind around 7 mph. A year ago, we had snow in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 31 degrees. The record high of 61 was set in 2006. 7.2 inches of snow fell back in 1990.โ„

Sounds like it will be a good day to hike out to Five Rivers. ๐Ÿฆ Maybe a bit sloppy but if I stay on the reinforced trails I think ๐Ÿค” I should be good. Nice thing is now is with the days getting longer I have more time in the afternoon and the Fisher Trail with the sidewalks avoids the narrow shoulders at dusk.

In four weeks on February 17 the sun will be setting in the west-southwest (255ยฐ) at 5:30 pm,๐ŸŒ„ which is 36 minutes and 17 seconds later then tonight. In 2021 on that day, we had partly sunny, snow showers and temperatures between 24 and 13 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 36 and 18 degrees. The record high of 60 degrees was set back in 1981.

Looking ahead, Clean Your Computer Day ๐Ÿงน is in 3 weeks, 5:30 PM Sunset ๐ŸŒ‡ is in 4 weeks, Presidents Day ๐Ÿ‘ด is a month away, St. Patrick’s Day ๐Ÿ€ is in 8 weeks, 7:30 PM Sunset ๐ŸŒ‡ is in 11 weeks, Cinco de Mayo ๐Ÿค  is in 15 weeks, Primary Day ๐Ÿ—ณ๏ธ is in 5 months, National Nude Day ๐Ÿ‘ฑ is in 25 weeks, Ugly Truck Day ๐Ÿšš is in 6 months, Average High 70 ๐ŸŽ‘ is in 32 weeks, September ๐ŸŽ is in 32 weeks, Labor Day Weekend Begins ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿญ is in 32 weeks, Autumn ๐Ÿ‚ is in 35 weeks, Buy Nothing Day ๐Ÿ›๏ธ is in 44 weeks, December ๐ŸŽ„ is in 45 weeks, Bill of Rights Day ๐Ÿ“œ is in 47 weeks and Days are Getting Longer โ˜€๏ธ is in 48 weeks.

Ice Slope

January 20, 2023 10 AM Update

Average Temperatures

This table shows the average high, median, and low temperatures for the next year. Previous year values are shown in parenthesis. The sun angle is the maximum sun angle at solar noon for the day.

Icy Trail

Week Date Sun Angle High Median Low
3 February 9 32.7° 35 (24) 25 (16) 16 (8)
5 February 28 39.4° 40 (41) 30 (34) 21 (26)
7 March 15 45.2° 45 (30) 35 (21) 26 (11)
9 March 27 49.9° 50 (54) 40 (46) 30 (38)
10 April 6 53.8° 55 (63) 44 (49) 33 (34)
12 April 16 57.4° 60 (44) 48 (37) 37 (30)
13 April 27 61.2° 65 (63) 53 (50) 42 (36)
15 May 10 65° 70 (58) 58 (50) 46 (42)
18 May 28 68.8° 75 (51) 63 (45) 52 (38)
21 June 16 70.7° 80 (69) 69 (60) 58 (50)
31 August 28 57.1° 80 (70) 70 (65) 59 (59)
33 September 14 50.9° 75 (73) 64 (62) 53 (50)
35 September 26 46.2° 70 (67) 59 (58) 49 (49)
37 October 7 41.9° 65 (73) 55 (62) 44 (51)
38 October 19 37.5° 60 (65) 50 (53) 40 (41)
40 November 1 33° 55 (57) 46 (47) 36 (37)
42 November 13 29.5° 50 (51) 41 (42) 32 (32)
44 November 25 26.7° 45 (40) 37 (33) 29 (25)
46 December 9 24.6° 40 (33) 32 (29) 25 (25)
48 December 26 24° 35 (42) 28 (38) 20 (34)

January 20, 2023 Morning

Good morning on this rather sloppy Friday here in Delmar! ๐ŸŒง๏ธ Not a lot of snow or ice locally but a ton of slush. 33 degrees and rain.

Out for the morning walk and it’s pretty wet. โ˜” But it’s not pouring out and my boots ๐Ÿ‘ข are waterproof. Not at all icy locally. Sloppy though.

Looking at a high of 40 degrees around 2 pm with the rain tapering off as the day progresses. Some sleet and snow ๐ŸŒจ could mix in throughout the day but if anything it will just make more slop rather than freeze up with well a salted areas just wet.

I tell you, I am sure glad I’ve been wearing my muzzle. ๐Ÿ‘ฉ‍โš•๏ธEverybody lately has been getting sick around this place, but so far I’ve been good. I also try to be better at hand washing ๐Ÿ‘ and avoiding too many crowded places. Getting sick certainly doesn’t seem fun, especially how healthy I’ve been since the start of the pandemic. I don’t get why people don’t want to get vaccinated or stay healthy.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 12:07 pm with sun having an altitude of 27.2° from the due south horizon (-43.6° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 11.7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 4:10 pm with the sun in the southwest (236°). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-southwest (243°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:53 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 16 seconds with dusk around 5:23 pm, which is one minute and 14 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 5:59 pm. At sunset, look for skies and temperatures around degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 9 hours and 36 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 52 seconds over yesterday.

I wanted to take the express bus in this morning, ๐ŸšŒ but that was not to be due to me leaving my laptop at home. So I had to turn around and get my laptop and there wasn’t time to catch anything but the local to work. ๐Ÿš It got me there regardless. Not an electric bus this week. ๐Ÿ”Œ Probably for the best, it wouldn’t have been a pleasant walk down to the express bus today. Haven’t used the express bus much this week, because of the weather and session days.

Things will clear out ๐ŸŒƒ as the night progresses, and freeze will occur around six pm, which could really ice up the sidewalks and untreated surfaces. Looking at a low of 28 degrees by 5 AM, prior to daybreak then warming up to the mid-30s by Saturday with clearing skies.

Tomorrow I’m thinking of walking out to Five Rivers ๐Ÿธ probably in the afternoon but it depends on the weather. The trails might be sloppy after all of the rain and slush, though I could just walk out there to watch the birds ๐Ÿฆ and get my steps in via Mead’s Lane. ๐Ÿ‘ฃ Always a nice winter walk out that way.

Looking ahead, there are 3 weeks until Clean Your Computer Day ๐Ÿงน when the sun will be setting at 5:21 pm with dusk at 5:49 pm. On that day in 2022, we had partly cloudy, snow showers and temperatures between 25 and 12 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 35 degrees. We hit a record high of 53 back in 1955.

 Conclusion

January 19, 2023 Night

Good evening! Rain showers and 33 degrees in Delmar, NY. ๐ŸŒง๏ธ There is a southeast breeze at 6 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. Going to warm up as the night progresses.

The best way to describe the weather this evening is sloppy ๐ŸŒง๏ธ with a lot of slush around. Just wet not icy locally and it’s only going to warm up as the night progresses. Wasn’t raining hard, so I went for my evening walk ๐Ÿšถ in my waterproof boots. ๐Ÿ‘ข

It was a pretty ordinary day, ๐Ÿข fairly busy as expected and sloppy in the evening but I did my walk. I don’t have much to complain about. Tomorrow is Friday. ๐Ÿ˜ฒ

Tonight will rain and snow before 4am, then a slight chance of snow between 4am and 5am, then a chance of rain and snow after 5am. ๐ŸŒง Low of 33 degrees at 8pm. 18 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 5th. Saves on the heat. Southeast wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. In 2022, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became snow by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 14 degrees. The record low of -22 occurred back in 1970.

I think tomorrow will be wet and sloppy โ˜” though things could freeze up but I have my doubts. I’ll try to do my morning walk ๐Ÿšถ in the morning. I’m not convinced that there will be a lot of snow come the weekend locally. I’m more concerned about Sunday and visiting the folks but maybe it will be okay earlier in the day.

Tonight will have a Waining Crescent ๐ŸŒ˜ Moon with 4% illuminated. The Snow โ„ Moon is on Saturday, February 4. The darkest hour is at 12:07 am, followed by dawn at 6:50 am, and sun starting to rise at 7:21 am in the east-southeast (118ยฐ) and last for 3 minutes and 16 seconds. Sunrise is 36 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ The golden hour ends at 8:05 am with sun in the southeast (125ยฐ). Tonight will have 14 hours and 24 minutes of darkness, a decrease of one minute and 51 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will rain and snow showers before 2pm, then a slight chance of rain showers between 2pm and 3pm, then a slight chance of rain and snow showers after 3pm. ๐ŸŒง High of 39 degrees at 2pm. Seven degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 25th. South wind 5 to 11 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. A year ago, we had light snow in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 30 degrees. The record high of 53 was set in 2006. 10.4 inches of snow fell back in 2019.โ„

In four weeks on February 16 the sun will be setting in the west-southwest (254ยฐ) at 5:29 pm,๐ŸŒ„ which is 36 minutes and 15 seconds later then tonight. In 2021 on that day, we had freezing rain and temperatures between 34 and 21 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 36 and 18 degrees. The record high of 61 degrees was set back in 2006.

Looking ahead, Ground Hog Day ๐Ÿป is in two weeks, Average High is 35 โ˜€๏ธ is in 3 weeks, Read Across America Day ๐Ÿ“š is in 6 weeks, Last Day of Winter ๐Ÿ‚ is in 2 months, Arbor Day ๐ŸŒณ is in 14 weeks, 8:30 PM Dusk ๐ŸŒ† is in 15 weeks, 8 PM Sunset ๐ŸŒ‡ is in 15 weeks, 9 PM Dusk ๐ŸŒ† is in 19 weeks, June ๐Ÿน is in 19 weeks, 8:30 PM Sunset ๐ŸŒ‡ is in 20 weeks, Average High is 80 ๐Ÿ– is in 5 months, Ugly Truck Day ๐Ÿšš is in 26 weeks, Campfire Day ๐Ÿ”ฅ is in 28 weeks, Columbus Day โ›ต is in 38 weeks, Average High is 60 ๐Ÿ‚ is in 9 months, Thanksgiving ๐Ÿฆƒ is in 44 weeks, First Day of Winter โ˜ƒ๏ธ is in 48 weeks and 4:30 PM Sunset ๐ŸŒ† is in 49 weeks.

Frozen Lake

January 19, 2023 Morning

Good morning! Happy Thursday. Fiery red skies to the east and 32 degrees in Delmar, NY. ๐ŸŒ… Calm wind. The skies will clear Monday around 4 pm.

One more morning to the weekend. โ˜บ Just out doing my morning walk ๐Ÿšถ watching the sun rise and getting ready for what is likely to be another busy day at work, especially come the afternoon and the Wednesday memos start hitting my desk. ๐Ÿ“„ Fortunately, with some code I’ve at least partially automated the process.

Today will rain and snow, possibly mixed with sleet before 3pm, then rain, snow, and freezing rain between 3pm and 5pm, then rain and snow after 5pm. ๐ŸŒจ High of 34 degrees at 10am. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 9th. Light and variable wind becoming east around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. Total daytime snow and sleet accumulation of less than one inch possible. A year ago, we had light snow in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 35 degrees. The record high of 62 was set in 1929. 8.5 inches of snow fell back in 1886.โ„

Going to need the lamp on my desk on this morning. ๐Ÿ›‹ It’s another dark and dreary day. I will try to get in 8,000 steps this morning so I can easily hit 10,000 by lunch time walk. That way if the weather is bad this evening, I will have my steps in. I don’t mind walking in the snow — that can be nice but I think it might be rain or it could be ice. ๐ŸŒจ I am glad I’m still wearing my muzzle ๐Ÿ˜ท as so many people are out sick lately, but I’ve been healthy. Muzzles really do make a difference.

The guy who is very proud of his red socks ๐Ÿงฆ is on the express bus again. I haven’t seen him in years, he is an occasional eccentric who from time to time rides the express bus. Always well dressed, looks like a state worker but it’s weird, he always introduces himself and shows you his socks. Seems like a jolly old fellow, reminds me a bit of Warren Buffet, maybe I should spend some more time listening beyond saying Good morning, those are nice socks, and dipping my head into my phone, trying my best to ignore the non-sensible things he says to himself. ๐Ÿ“ฑ

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 12:07 pm with sun having an altitude of 27° from the due south horizon (-43.8° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 11.8 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 4:08 pm with the sun in the southwest (235°). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-southwest (243°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:52 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 16 seconds with dusk around 5:22 pm, which is one minute and 13 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 5:57 pm. At sunset, look for rain ๐ŸŒง and snow ๐ŸŒจ and freezing rain ๐ŸŒง and temperatures around 32 degrees. There will be a east-southeast breeze at 5 mph. Tomorrow will have 9 hours and 36 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 52 seconds over today.

Tonight will rain, snow, freezing rain, and sleet before 2am, then rain likely, possibly mixed with snow showers. ๐ŸŒง Low of 32 degrees at 6pm. 17 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 2nd. East wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible. In 2022, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became snow by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 14 degrees. The record low of -22 occurred back in 1970.

Not a particularly nice weekend on tap. ๐Ÿ˜ž Saturday, mostly cloudy, with a high near 34. North wind around 7 mph. Sunday, a chance of rain and snow after 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 37. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Typical average high for the weekend is 32 degrees.

I think this will be a weekend to stay home. ๐Ÿก I am thinking Saturday I will walk out to Five Rivers for a few hours. Maybe do a morning hike there and then go down to the library. Or maybe I’ll go to the library Friday night and then out to Five Rivers on Saturday afternoon. A lot depends on how much snow we ultimately get, or how icy things are. I still think it’s going to be more rain and wet slop locally but only time will tell.

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Ground Hog Day ๐Ÿป when the sun will be setting at 5:11 pm with dusk at 5:39 pm. On that day in 2022, we had snow, mostly cloudy and temperatures between 27 and 20 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 33 degrees. We hit a record high of 53 back in 1981.

Dirt Path Up Hill

January 18, 2023 Evening

Good evening! Mostly cloudy and 39 degrees for the evening walk here in Delmar. โ˜ Breezy, ๏ธ16 mph breeze from the northwest ๐ŸŒฌ with gusts up to 26 mph ๐Ÿ’จ๐Ÿ’จ๐Ÿ’จ. That wind is a bit cold now that I’m out in the open but earlier didn’t feel real cold. Temperatures will drop below freezing around 2 am. โ˜ƒ๏ธ With the shit ton of salt on the sidewalks things should be good. If they only had been out earlier I could have done my morning walk ๐Ÿšถ and actually gotten my steps in.

What can I say, the first half of the week is done. ๐Ÿซ It’s nice when it’s a Monday and your out in Madison County. Why can’t all of life be like last weekend? โ›บ Its been a pretty busy week at work ๐Ÿข but I’ve been keeping things moving along. Closed out a bunch of projects ๐Ÿ“„ and I only screwed one up today. Soon it will be time for bed ๐Ÿ›.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒƒ , with a low of 29 degrees at 5am. 14 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 24th. Northwest wind 6 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. In 2022, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became light snow by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 20 degrees. The record low of -28 occurred back in 1971.

Tonight will have a Waining Crescent ๐ŸŒ˜ Moon with 10% illuminated. The Snow โ„ Moon is on Friday, February 3. The darkest hour is at 12:06 am, followed by dawn at 6:51 am, and sun starting to rise at 7:22 am in the east-southeast (118ยฐ) and last for 3 minutes and 16 seconds. Sunrise is 34 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ The golden hour ends at 8:06 am with sun in the southeast (125ยฐ). Tonight will have 14 hours and 26 minutes of darkness, a decrease of one minute and 48 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will snow, possibly mixed with rain before 5pm, then rain, snow, and sleet. ๐ŸŒฅ High of 34 degrees at 2pm. Two degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 4th. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 35 degrees. The record high of 62 was set in 1929. 8.5 inches of snow fell back in 1886.โ„

With weather like that expected I’m kind of glad I live in the city. ๐ŸŒƒ Not that we ever get much snow in the city but the buses run regardless of the weather. ๐Ÿš I have to admit I’m pretty inexperienced when it comes to winter driving at this point after all these years in the city. I mean I have a big jacked up truck ๐Ÿ›ป but I try to avoid driving it as much as possible in the winter months. That said, it’s mostly just rains in the city, especially as it has warmed so much in the past decade.

In four weeks on February 15 the sun will be setting in the west-southwest (254ยฐ) at 5:28 pm,๐ŸŒ„ which is 36 minutes and 10 seconds later then tonight. In 2021 on that day, we had snow showers, partly cloudy and temperatures between 23 and 17 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 36 and 18 degrees. The record high of 55 degrees was set back in 2006.

Looking ahead, 5 PM Sunset ๐ŸŒ‡ is Next Wednesday, 6 PM Dusk ๐ŸŒ† is a month away, National Drink Wine Day ๐Ÿท is a month away, March ๐ŸŒจ is in 6 weeks, Ides of March โœ is in 8 weeks, Average High is 70 ๐Ÿฎ is in 16 weeks, Pack Rat Day ๐Ÿ€ is in 17 weeks, Summer ๏ธโ›ฑ๏ธ is in 22 weeks, Hottest Time of the Year ๐Ÿ˜… is in 24 weeks, Dog Days of Summer ๐ŸŒป is in 24 weeks, Average High Falls To 79 ๏ธDegrees โ›ฑ๏ธ๏ธ๏ธ is in 32 weeks, 7 PM Sunset ๐ŸŒ† is in 8 months, More Night then Day ๐ŸŒŒ is in 36 weeks, Last Sunset After 6:30 PM ๐ŸŒ† is in 37 weeks, Average High is 55 ๐Ÿ‚ is in 41 weeks, November ๐Ÿฅง is in 41 weeks, Day After Election Day ๐Ÿ›€ is in 42 weeks, Regular Deer Season in Southern Zone ๐ŸฆŒ is in 10 months, Saint Nicholas Day ๐ŸŽ… is in 46 weeks and Bake Cookies Day ๐Ÿช is in 11 months.

Hillside