Seneca Lake

Seneca Lake stands as the largest among the glacial Finger Lakes within the state of New York. Renowned for its substantial size and depth, it remains entirely contained within the state’s borders. The lake has earned distinction as the preeminent locale for lake trout angling, exemplified by its role as the host of the esteemed National Lake Trout Derby. Positioned at the northern terminus of Seneca Lake, the city of Geneva, New York, commands attention, serving as the domicile for Hobart and William Smith Colleges, along with housing the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, a constituent entity of Cornell University. Conversely, the village of Watkins Glen, situated at the southern extremity of the lake, boasts a notable reputation due to its association with motorsport, primarily due to the presence of Watkins Glen International racetrack, as well as its picturesque cascades.

Seneca Lake possesses an uncommon macroclimate that has bestowed it with the distinction of nurturing over 50 wineries, predominantly characterized as farm wineries. Its geographical attributes have led to the designation of the Seneca Lake American Viticultural Area (AVA), solidifying its reputation within oenophilic circles.

In terms of dimensions, Seneca Lake stretches across a length of approximately 38 miles, securing its position as the second longest Finger Lake. Remarkably voluminous, it is estimated to contain an impressive 3.81 cubic miles (15.9 kmΒ³) of water, accounting for nearly half of the cumulative water volume across all the Finger Lakes. The lake’s profundity is notable, averaging 291 feet, while plunging to a maximum depth of 618 feet. The expansive water body covers a surface area of approximately 66.9 square miles (173 kmΒ²).

December 11, 2018 Morning

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Good morning! Happy Tuesday. Two weeks to Christmas 🎅. Ho. Ho. Ho. Cloudy and 22 degrees in Hector. ☁ There is a southwest breeze at 8 mph. 🍃. Things will start to thaw out at Thursday around 1 pm. 🌡️ LOL!

Today will be cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny β›…, with a high of 30 degrees at 3pm. Seven degrees below normal. Kind of cold, some sun at least would be nice. Things have actually been warmer in the cooler, less frozen than things outside of it. Southwest wind around 9 mph. I don’t like that so much as it means an occasional gust of wind blows into the tent. A year ago, we had mostly cloudy skies. The high last year was 34 degrees. The record high of 61 was set in 1952. 4.3 inches of snow fell back in 1970.❄

I made blueberry muffins for breakfast and have kind of been hiding out in the tent as it’s nice and warm here. β˜• Less warm outside, especially at at quarter of six when I had to run outside for a while. 💩 I think it was frozen before it hit the bucket.

The sun will set at 4:34 pm with dusk around 5:06 pm, which is 6 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies ☁ and temperatures around 30 degrees. There will be a west-southwest breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 6 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 44 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a chance of flurries between 8pm and 10pm, then a chance of snow showers after 10pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 23 degrees at 5am. Typical for tonight. Maximum wind chill around 18 at 6pm; West wind 10 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. In 2017, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 22 degrees. The record low of -12 occurred back in 1988.

Last night was pizza 🍕 followed by fresh baked cookies 🍪 and hot chocolate β˜•. Not a half bad meal, certainly better than the stew, something I’ll have to revisit in the future. Had another nice campfire but in the cold burned through quite a bit of wood. 🔥

Yesterday I went down to Trumansburg and the Taughannock Gorge which was nice but kind of cold. 🏃I planned to get gas but none of the gas pumps were working at the station.β›½ I didn’t realize until after I swiped my card but I was told nothing was read because all of the pumps were off. I’ll get it straightened out.

Today I was originally planning to stick around camp maybe go for a walk or hunt but now I’m leaning towards heading to Watkins Glen especially if it’s going to stay gray and cold and I’ll need to charge up the batteries. 🔋But first I’ll need to gather up some firewood and get cleaned up and gear secured. Probably also go to the library for a bit to use the internet on my laptop.💻

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Christmas 🎅 when the sun will be setting at 4:39 pm with dusk at 5:11 pm. On that day in 2017, we had snow and partly cloudy skies and temperatures between 33 and 17 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 33 degrees. We hit a record high of 66 back in 1889.

Chimney near Watch Hill

As people smarter than me say, wood warms you in two different ways… When you chop it and split it, and when you burn it.

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As people smarter than me say, wood warms you in two different ways… When you chop it and split it, and when you burn it. In this weather I actually really like chopping wood because it’s so warming burning all those calories. Feel cold? Chop wood, you’ll be warm in a few seconds. Worked well for me. Plus with an axe I can chop and split a lot more wood quickly then with a hatchet and saw.

Now, I get a $25 basic 3 1/2 lb axe from Tractor Supply with a synthetic aka plastic handle isn’t the greatest axe in the world but it works pretty good for camping purposes. I’m sure it was no more than a $20 mark up. Lol. It’s what I could get though quickly as I wanted something more efficient then my hatchet for a week mid December camping. That said I think I’d want something maybe a little heavier with a good wood handle if we’re chopping wood for heating a house or a cabin but this is just occasional use here.

That said when I own land and a house I’d probably seriously consider getting a hydraulic splitter just because it would make quick work out of firewood processing. All things considered they aren’t that expensive. But I’d also look to having a modern, efficient EPA stove even if they aren’t perfect, they do burn a lot less wood. And have a house that is small and well insulated as that would further conserve wood. Insulation is really an important thing that saves a lot of energy.

It’s not to say that the woods doesn’t produce a lot of dead and down wood but you know it’s not unlimited and no sense wasting a limited resource or producing unnecessary carbon dioxide and unnecessary work.

Cedar River Off Wakely Dam

December 10, 2018 Morning

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Good morning! Happy 7:15 AM Sunrise βŒ›οΈ! Lol, maybe back in Albany. On a cloudy day like today it was pretty dark until 7:45. Three weeks to New Years Eve 🎆. Cloudy and 24 degrees in Hector. ☁ There is a northwest breeze at 9 mph. 🍃. Definitely a winter day, not good for sitting around. Things will start to thaw out at Friday around 10 am. 🌡️

Today will be cloudy ☁, with a high of 27 degrees at 1pm. 11 degrees below normal. North wind 7 to 9 mph. Kind of a cold winter day although when you’re gathering firewood doesn’t seem so cold. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies with more clouds in the afternoon. The high last year was 36 degrees. The record high of 64 was set in 1966. A few decades ago I might say. 6.1 inches of snow fell back in 2014.❄

The sun will set at 4:34 pm with dusk around 5:05 pm, which is 4 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for cloudy skies ☁ and temperatures around 26 degrees. There will be a north breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 7 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 47 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 20 degrees at 5am. Three degrees below normal, which is similiar to a typical night around December 18th. Maximum wind chill around 11 at 3am; Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 9 mph after midnight. In 2017, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 24 degrees. The record low of -8 occurred back in 1988.

Bisquick biscuits for breakfast with cheese. A big pot of coffee. While it’s cloudy and occasional snow flurries I don’t think it’s that cold out compared to yesterday but maybe I’m just moving more. The best way to get warm is head out in the woods and chop wood. Much more fun than being home. 😎 Looking forward to seeing more sun though tomorrow. If it’s nice I might go up to Montezuma and Seneca Falls, that’s to be decided. It’s a bit of a drive and I’m not sure I want to drive after dark.

Yesterday I made stew for lunch and dinner and fixed up campsite a bit more. Had a good supply of wood, so I had a nice fire. 🔥 Stew was okay but I think I’d want to use other spices and maybe flour rather than Bisquick next time. Beef stewed up nicely although the pot was black from the stove operating at low with the stoichiometric ratio off causing a lot of soot. Usually propane is a very clean fuel but it can burn dirty if things are not working properly.

A lot of people were out hoping for a good final day of regular deer season 🔫 but I saw nobody dragging a deer out of the woods. Noisy though as people headed out loading shotgun shells in their guns, clinking the action especially when the one big group went out yesterday. Saw one black powder guy today but he was comparatively much quieter.

Thinking about going down to Trumansburg today just because it’s relatively close and I want to charge up the batteries and drive the truck at highway speed to make sure things are better lubricated and charged compared to idling. I probably top off the gas and also go for a walk at Taughannock Falls as I’m curious what it looks like in the winter. 🗻

It’s been a good trip so far. Cold and dark yes, but it’s December and that’s to be expected. But I have lights and heat and the long nights have improved my sleep, as I climb under the covers after shutting off the heat in my toasty warm tent. β›Ί I often have trouble sleeping in the late autumn, although the red lights in my room have improved that but I still wake up a lot at home st night. But at camp I seem to sleep much better. 💤

As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until New Years Eve 🎆 when the sun will be setting at 4:44 pm with dusk at 5:16 pm. On that day in 2017, we had snow, mostly cloudy skies and temperatures between 8 and -2 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 32 degrees. We hit a record high of 61 back in 1895.

Sun Through the Trees