Salmon River Reservoir

The Salmon River arises in north central New York State on the Tug Hill Plateau to the east of Lake Ontario. It flows 44 miles (71 km) westward off the plateau and there is a hydroelectric dam near Little America to create the Salmon River Reservoir. Both the Salmon River and Salmon River Reservoir are heavily visited destinations for fishermen during peak season. Below the dam it continues westward for about a mile eventually creating Salmon River Falls which is a large 100-foot (30 m) drop as the river continues its westward progress towards yet another dam and the Lower Salmon River Reservoir. It continues westward through the village of Altmar through Pulaski to Lake Ontario. The inlet is referred to as Port Ontario, though it is no longer an active commercial port. The watershed drains 285 square miles (740 km2).[1]

The river is noted for its recreational salmon fishery today. The fishery is possible due to the efforts of the Salmon River Fish Hatchery that is located north of Altmar on a tributary to the Salmon River called Beaver Dam Brook. The hatchery stocks over 3.5 million trout and salmon each year in the surrounding areas.[2] In early history this was Atlantic salmon, but now these have been mostly replaced by stocked coho, chinook, and steelhead which make spawning runs upriver from Lake Ontario in autumn.

The river has become a popular location for kayaking and river rafting during parts of the year when the dam is released, with several companies making excursions to the river.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmon_River_%28New_York%29
http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/60775.html
http://www.quietkayaking.webs.com/qknyssalmonriver.html

It never rains in Upstate NY 🐮

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Tell that to the people trying to turn winter wheat and early spring grasses into cow chow. Maybe it will grow intensely when it finally turns hot after all this rain as is most certain to happen the second half of the month.

Good morning! Happy Thursday. It’s not raining this morning, but the heavy rain returns for Friday. That might actually be the only day I don’t ride to work – – and that was the day I was planning to take off to head out to Schoharie. Mostly cloudy around 56 degrees here in Delmar. 🌥 Light breeze from the west.

It seems funny to be thinking about the second half of May already, 🗓 but I actually rain the label job for work for the second half of the month on Tuesday and sent it along to the print shop. I am trying to plan out the second half of the month now for weekends – – the first half as been shit with the rain each weekend, but things might improve come next weekend. Hell of it is Saturdays have been quite nice, ☀ it’s just by Sunday it turns to rain. Same thing this upcoming weekend.

Today will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a high of 67 degrees at 6am. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 3rd. North wind 9 to 11 mph. Not much rain expected though, which is good for a break before the rain comes back on Friday. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with sunny skies in the afternoon. The high last year was 75 degrees. The record high of 93 was set in 1979. 1.6 inches of snow fell back in 1977.❄

Breakfast this morning was home fries 🥔 with eggs 🥚 and lots of veggies. Including a big sweet onion, 🧅some garlic, broccoli 🥦 and spinach. I know that yellow potatoes are mostly a starch but they’re good for a treat. Plus I might ride in the long way to work to burn off some extra energy, 🚲 as it’s not a terrible morning and last night it poured and then rained on and and off so I didn’t get out after the Save the Pine Bush conference call.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:53 pm with sun having an altitude of 64.9° from the due south horizon (-5.9° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.8 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:25 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (289°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (295°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:05 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 11 seconds with dusk around 8:36 pm, which is one minute and 5 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent 🌒 Moon in the west-northwest (290°) at an altitude of 18° from the horizon, 235,905 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:16 pm. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 14 hours and 29 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 15 seconds over yesterday.

Last night broke my record of getting out to Five Rivers each night 🐸 but I had that conference call, 📞 and despite the weather man’s promises of better weather for the evening, it actually started to rain shortly after I got home – – I had to run out during the conference call and grab my bike, lest it get soaked with my backpack and junk mail sitting into the back. 🔥 Now if the weather could only get nice enough to have a fire to burn that all up, lol. 😂

Tonight will have showers likely, mainly after 2am. Cloudy 🌧, with a low of 48 degrees at 6am. Two degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 14th. North wind around 9 mph becoming east after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. In 2023, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 39 degrees. The record low of 28 occurred back in 1958.

Not a particularly nice weekend on tap. 😞 Saturday, a chance of showers, mainly after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 61. Southeast wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Maximum dew point of at 6am. Sunday, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 59. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Typical average high for the weekend is 70 degrees.

Doesn’t seem like a complete wash out – – much like last weekend, ☔ but both ends of the weekend look like they will be touched by clouds, cold and rain. I think I will stay in town, I have some coding and other projects to work on at home. 🖥 Bike is running well, I could go out to Voorheesville and or Altamont on Saturday, especially if they are still banging at the unit next door. 🚪

One month 📅 from now will be the start of the Gas Up 🚜 when the sun will be setting at 8:33 pm with dusk at 9:06 pm. I will probably go one weekend with Dad, and possibly the other weekend hammock camp up in Schoharie and spend the day myself, when I can spend more time exploring and enjoying the festival myself. 🥕 Maybe stop by the Carrot Barn and get some fresh produce and carrots too.

Cheney Pond Outlet

Sticking Your Head Into the Sand Over Oil

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There is a popular Internet meme that goes along these lines:

“I am poor. So when I hear my car making a noise,
rather then taking it to the repair shop, I just turn up the radio.”

This kind of reminds me of the hype over fracking for oil and gas. It was a good distraction for a while — and indeed the United States got a big boost in it’s oil production for a while — it seems like as fast as the oil glut came it is now going away. A booming global economy has expanded the world’s thirst for this economy, and with Middle East production on a decline, it seems like it’s only a matter of time that we remember the serious energy crisis our world faces in the future. ⛽

There are politicians all over that like to believe we live in a sea of oil, and that suburbia will last forever. Indeed, a good portion of the green minded people think that once we switch over to electric plug-in cars powered by distant solar cells, motoring can go on care free, with no concerns about the resources being consumed or emissions being produced away from the tailpipe. But at some point, no matter how long you stick year head into the ground, our long term habit of expanding the population and feeling richer by burning more oil each year, will come to bite us. 🐲

Nobody knows when the global oil crisis will truly bite us. High oil prices once again may spur conservation and innovation like new fracking techniques 🛢 but the truth is the oil fueled party can’t go on forever. I like my big jacked up truck, but I’m not stupid — I know the world of ever growing demand for oil is going to be confronted by reality at some point. And the next result isn’t going to be pretty. Climate change, expensive energy, massive reductions in consumption are going to be the future. While there may be some benefit to some, the next effect will be serious impacts to millions who are forced to make dramatic changes in how they live and go through life.

Happy Hump Day! ⛈

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This morning started out pretty wet, with some good crashes of thunder and pouring rain but the rain stopped before it was time to ride into work, and it wasn’t bad bad a few sprinkles and clouds. By evening the sun will return and it should be a nice evening.

Good morning! What day is it? Hump Day, of course. Cloudy ☁️ and 57 degrees in Delmar, NY. 5 mph north-west breeze.

This morning started out with Johnny cakes 🥞 and cottage cheese. You know the usual base of a sweet onion 🧅, shredded broccoli 🥦 and spinach. This time added some garlic. A fairly healthy and tasty breakfast.

Today will have showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 11am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 11am and 1pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high of 79 degrees at 3pm. 10 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around June 12th. Southeast wind 9 to 16 mph becoming northwest 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, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 65 degrees. The record high of 91 was set in 1936. There was a dusting of snow in 2020.❄

The past few evenings have been nice at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center 🐸, I stay there until dusk then ride back home 🏡 after dark with my bike lights, sometimes taking the long way home through the suburban neighborhoods. 🚲 It’s been nice at Five Rivers the past few days. Only day since Thursday I didn’t get there was Sunday.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:53 pm with sun having an altitude of 64.6° from the due south horizon (-6.2° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.8 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:24 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (288°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (295°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:04 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 10 seconds with dusk around 8:35 pm, which is one minute and 6 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent 🌒 Moon in the west-northwest (296°) at an altitude of 7° from the horizon, 233,154 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:15 pm. At sunset, look for clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 14 hours and 26 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 19 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Partly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 52 degrees. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 27th. West wind 9 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2023, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 35 degrees. The record low of 27 occurred back in 1956.

I have a Pine Bush Zoom Meeting tonight, 📹 but maybe or during the meeting I’ll get down to the Town Park 🏞 for a while and read 📖 until it’s really dark. The past few nights I’ve been going to Five Rivers Environmental Education Center on my bike to watch nature and read 📖 e-books.

Right now, a split verdict on the weekend. 😕 Saturday, a chance of showers after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 61. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of at 9am. Sunday, showers likely, mainly after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Typical average high for the weekend is 70 degrees.

I think this weekend I’ll be staying in town 🏡 just because I have a bunch of projects to around the apartment and I want to write 📝 some code for the blog. ☔ I was hoping this would be the weekend to get out to Schoharie and ride the Catskill Scenic Trail but it looks like shit. 💩 I can’t believe how much rain is in the forecast. I guess it’s good I’m riding in today, I think it’s the last time of the week.

Looking ahead, there are 4 weeks until 8:30 PM Sunset ️⛱️ with dusk at 9:04 pm. On that day in 2023, we had mostly sunny and temperatures between 77 and 47 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 77 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1925.

Img 9811

Finding Peaks …

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Finding Peaks …

Algonquin Peak

After studying the methods quite a bit, I’ve determined there is no real easy way to find peaks on mountains and report their exact elevation in QGIS. The best method I could come up with was to figure out the median point in the elevation for the map, then use that to isolate “mountains” and from there polygonize, create zonal statistics for each polygon, crop the DEM layer to each polygon then select the pixel that matched the peak. This can be done, but I couldn’t figure out how to automate it easily using the Graphical Modeler, so I would have to write a full plugin to do it. I decided it wasn’t worth the effort. In most cases, I didn’t care about the exact peak, and it would just be easier to add peaks to my maps on a case-by-case basis using a point layer with labels queried against the DEM layer.

Seventy eight and sunny ☀

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Even this morning is remarkably nice as I fuel up on carrot pancakes and frozen cherries. Enjoy it now, the nice weather ain’t expected to last.

Good morning! Sunny and 59 degrees in Delmar. 🌞 Calm wind. Nice day for riding in.

Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 78. Eight degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around June 1st. Calm wind becoming northwest 5 to 8 mph in the morning. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 59 degrees. The record high of 92 was set in 1930. 0.2 inches of snow fell back in 1967.❄

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:53 pm with sun having an altitude of 64.4° from the due south horizon (-6.5° art 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.9 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:23 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (288°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (294°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:03 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 11 seconds with dusk around 8:34 pm, which is one minute and 7 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:13 pm. At sunset, look for clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 14 hours and 24 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 20 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly after 5am. Increasing clouds 🌧, with a low of 52 degrees. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 27th. Light northwest wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2023, we had partly cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 41 degrees. The record low of 26 occurred back in 1968.

Not a particularly nice weekend on tap. 😞 Saturday, a chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 60. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Sunday, showers likely. Partly sunny, with a high near 63. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Maximum dew point of at 7am. Typical average high for the weekend is 70 degrees.

Looking ahead, there are 6 weeks until Primary Day 🗳️ when the sun will be setting at 8:37 pm with dusk at 9:11 pm. On that day in 2023, we had mostly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 67 and 52 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 80 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 2018.

Red, Yellow, White Tulip

Why I unplug my microwave when it’s not in use

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It might seem silly but I always unplug my microwave when it’s not in use.

A while back, I plugged my microwave into my Kill-a-Watt meter and found it was using 2 1/2 watts per hour, when the microwave was off to power the clock and controls 24-7. 60 watt hours a day, doesn’t sound like a lot but there are 365 days a year, and that works out to be nearly 22 kW/h a year.

At 15 cents a kilowatt hour, that’s $3.30 a year. Not a real big expense, but every little thing adds up. Not to mention the carbon emissions, the pollution from the extraction of coal, uranium and natural gas to spin the turbines.

Not a lot, but electricity isn’t free and unplugging the microwave isn’t a lot of work.