Winter | Maps, Photos, Videos, Aerial Photography, Charts | Page 46

A Break from a Bleak Winter

Andy | January 13, 2014

Today’s weather could be best described as a break from the bleak winter weather of late. The sun is shinning and the forecast is calling for weather that will reach up to 48 degrees. Almost spring weather, with all the mud and muck that goes along with it.

It’s good to have a break from the cold, harsh winter of late. It gives us a chance to pause and think about how much nicer it will be in a few months. I look forward to being able to go on the road, and explore, as it’s really no fun to be stuck in the city and all the indignities of city life.

It's nice that we are getting a break from the rather bleak weather of late.

What Will Be the Coldest Day in Your City This Year?

Andy | January 1, 2014

It gets cold out west a lot earlier then back east.

2013 Concludes

Andy | December 31, 2013

Tonight marks the end of holiday and the year that will forever be known in the history books at 2013. In many ways an uneventful year, I did get to see some pretty interesting places and got to drive across the state at least once this year.

This past year I spent a lot of time exploring state parks. Not that I am a big fan of state parks, but I had a $40 Empire Pass, and figured while I had it, I better use it. Went up to the Adirondacks several times, then took a week to explore the Tug Hill Plateau in the rain, the several more weekend trips, a fall trip to Moose Plains, then that blockbuster trip across the state, that involved seeing many gorges in the beauty of the fall.

Fall came much too fast, as did winter. But that’s just a sign of how fast the calendar comes back around.

Winter is a quiet time for me, but I look forward to the spring time. April is like 91 days away, but I expect the next few months to be pretty busy with work. I will probably spend much of the time hiding away from the cold, working on code, writing, and other projects at home. Go snowshoeing a few times, and maybe take some shorter trips, but I really want to continue focusing on saving so I can get my truck jacked up this springtime.

April will come. I am hoping to take my first adventure of the year that first week or two of April, maybe a couple of days in the Finger Lakes. Melted snow means mud, but its still fun if I can avoid getting stuck in the mud. Early April, while not summer, can still be quite delightful, if you watch out for the sunburn.

I am also looking forward to jacking up my truck in April, assuming I meet my savings goals. I will not jack up my truck until I have at least. It will be fun to see the world from 8.5 inches higher, going from a stock lift to 6″ inches of height plus 35s. Those 4.88 gears will be a lot fun, climbing the hills with ease.

Next summer should be one of many good adventures. I am thinking of taking a trip down south next summer, visiting the Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway, and camping mostly in the backwoods of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests in Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia. Should be a great adventure.

Good night! Happy 2014.

2013 comes to a close, much too quickly. But it was a year of many good adventures, looking forward to the many adventures of next year.

Christmas is History

Andy | December 27, 2013

The calendar reminds us that the darkest days of the year are beyond us, but it seems like we really aren’t making that much progress. The Christmas songs have been taken down from the radio, and the Christmas lights are rapidly being dimmed and extinguished every night, as we proceed towards New Years.

Next comes January. A very cold and dark month, although every day gets a bit longer. Today marked the first twilight at 5 PM in a while, every day will get a bit longer. The weather may still get a bit colder, but we all know what is next in distant future — spring.

I generally am not a fan of the long cold nights of darkness, when I usually stay in town and try to conserve money for next year’s adventures. But it’s part of living in Upstate New York during the long bleak winters.

The lights of Christmas are dimmed, as yet another holiday season transitions to the cold hard realities of January.

And Then Winter Came Back Around on the Calender

Andy | December 11, 2013

It seems like it was just yesterday, and it was April 5^th, the first day on the calender I spend out in the wilderness camping. It was the wilds of Chenango County, camping at Balsam Lake with there still being a fair bit of snow on the ground in parts, and the pond was well frozen. It would be over a month until the leaves returned to the Adirondacks – I would go up to the Adirondacks two times after the 5^th, and there would still be no leaves on the trees and ice still around.

Where did the summer of my 30^th year go so fast? I guess there was many great adventures as my camera and dwindling checking account would suggest. And there would be another year of trips and places and small towns to see on my 31^st year, as soon as the winter relents in April. But in the mean-time there will be be winter. The camping gear has been packed away or is in the process of being packed away, the readily-burnable styrofoam plates and camping cooler have already been locked away in the attic. Christmas lights that kept the campsites cheery over the months, are now hung in the apartment, and inverter in my truck is just doing do light duty, keeping my cellphone charged during shorter road trips.

I thought about getting a snowmobile and spending more time in the back country in the winter, but put it off in favor of doing the lift kit on my truck next April. Winter is cold, and even with a sled, I don’t know how much camping I would do at any rate. Winter nights are long – something I learned on my last camping trip, when there was 15 hours of darkness with the sun setting around 4:15 PM. My snowshoes will work well enough for the occasional winter trip – I think I’d rather save the gasoline for more warm weather trips once the snow melts.

As much as anyone, I am looking forward to April after a few quite, solemn months, where I will spend writing new code for my blog, doing essays, and making up new maps. Winter is a good time to think about the next year’s adventures. Sitting by the warm radiator with a book beats sitting in the cold snow in darkness. April I will get the lift kit and the 35s on my truck, and be out on my first adventure – most likely to the Finger Lakes National Forest. It should be fun.