Good evening! Light rain and 40 degrees in North Syracuse. ☔ There is a west breeze at 8 mph. 🍃. Kind of a dreary day but we get a break from it tomorrow. The skies will clear tomorrow around 8 am.

Tonight will have a chance of rain showers before 5am, then a slight chance of rain and snow showers. Cloudy ☔ , with a low of 37 degrees at 4am. One degree above normal. West wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. In 2017, we had light rain and mist in the evening, remaining overcast into the early morning. It got down to 47 degrees. The record low of 20 occurred back in 1969.

Tonight will have a Waning Gibbous Moon 🌖 with 67% illuminated. The moon will set at 1:25 pm. The Last Quarter Moon will be tomorrow with showers. The Beaver Moon 🌝 is on Thursday, November 22nd. The sun will rise at 7:36 am with the first light at 7:07 am, which is one minute and 16 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 13 hours and 37 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 41 seconds over last night. Mornings are so dark these days. When I’m out camping a week and a half from now it will be many mornings getting up in the dark.

Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny 🌞 , with a high of 47 degrees at 2pm. Seven degrees below normal. West wind 6 to 9 mph. A year ago, we had cloudy skies. The high last year was 70 degrees. The record high of 80 was set in 1946. 0.1 inches of snow fell back in 1925.❄

Right now, a split verdict on the GOTV weekend. 😕 Saturday, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 51. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 52. Well, that sounds nice for a change. Typical average high for the weekend is 53 degrees.

Always gets cold and dark fast this time of year. But it will still be nice to be back out in the wilderness in a week and a half.⛺ It seems like with work and the cloudy and rainy autumn, it’s just disappeared so quickly. 🍂

Busy day today at work. But things are getting done that need to get done. 💼 But I’m ready for it to be done, a good job that pays for after careful planning and action. On the blog, I fixed one more issue with the SSL change over, which wasn’t that difficult but still involved addressing many minor issues.

Looking forward not just to my road trip but my many electronics projects I’m planning for the winter. 📺 I’m not a big fan of soldering but I enjoy the coding and building interesting projects that serve my unique needs. I don’t like off the shelf things that don’t really serve my needs. But first some great nights in the wilderness next to the campfire. 🔥

In four weeks on November 26 the sun will be setting at 4:32 pm (Standard Time),🌄 which is one hour, 27 minutes and 23 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2017 on that day, we had rain, drizzle, cloudy skies and temperatures between 46 and 35 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 44 and 29 degrees. The record high of 67 degrees was set back in 1979.

Looking ahead, Veterans Day Observed (Monday) 🇺🇸 is in 2 weeks, Cyber Monday 🛍️ is in 4 weeks, New Years Eve 🎆 is in 9 weeks and 36th Birthday 🎉 is in 3 months.

Nine weeks to New Years Evening. That’s really surprising how fast the year is coming to a close. 🎇 One year closer to my life goals, one more year of saving and investing, working for a better tomorrow. And some great adventures that I enjoyed even if it’s been so wet and cloudy much of the summer.

Good morning! Monday’s come back around again. Two weeks to Veterans Day Observed (Monday) 🇺🇸. Rain showers and 41 degrees in North Syracuse. ☔ There is a west breeze at 5 mph. 🍃. With the late sunrise, dark clouds, and dreary conditions, not a nice morning.

Still some UV light coming through the skies on to my solar panel on the truck creating some voltage, ⬛ but until I install the amp meter on my truck next week, it’s a little hard to know how much power as voltage is only one half of the equation, and but there is enough clearly to maintain the charge on the batteries at 13.1 volts.🔋 The rain takes an intermission tomorrow, with the skies clearing tomorrow around 7 am.

Today will have showers. High of 45 degrees at 1pm. 10 degrees below normal. West wind 5 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies. The high last year was 65 degrees. The record high of 77 was set in 1946. 3.8 inches of snow fell back in 2011.❄ I remember that snow storm, we got closer to a foot at my parents house, it was when I had Big Red and he was brand new. Amazing to think a seven years has passed by since that time. After seven years, the rust is really starting to show up, but I hope to get another 3-5 years out of it, assuming the oil consumption and other minor annoyances don’t get worse.

The sun will set at 5:59 pm with dusk around 6:29 pm, which is one minute and 24 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and 43 degrees. There will be a west breeze at 13 mph. Today will have 10 hours and 23 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 40 seconds over yesterday. Days have really gotten short quickly. They always do this time of year. That said, I kind of like the long nights in the wilderness, especially next to a hot fire and the big buddy heater, having a nice dinner.

Tonight will rain showers likely before 4am, then a chance of rain and snow showers. Cloudy ☔ , with a low of 37 degrees at 4am. One degree above normal. West wind 6 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. In 2017, we had light rain and mist in the evening, remaining overcast into the early morning. It got down to 47 degrees. The record low of 20 occurred back in 1969. Chilly but not as cold as it will be getting in a month ago.

Next Thursday I plan to wire up the shunts and meters to monitoring the voltage and amperage on produced by the solar panel and battery on my truck. 🔋 I don’t expect this to be a big deal, it involves only relocating a handful of ground wires with the shunts, and providing power to the meter itself. For now, I think I may just mount the physical meters in the cab of the truck, although eventually I want to have them back in the cap where I can read them while camping. Probably use like a telephone wire to run power back there. I’ll have to look around to see if I have some telephone wire around, otherwise, I think my best bet may be a dollar store or maybe Wally World.🛍

The plan is on next Thursday, to get packed for the camping trip, check the oil and make other minor adjustments to the truck. 🚛 I will check for loose wires, make sure everything it working, and get all the junk out of my truck after 2 months out here in North Syracuse. Everything is well organized in the attic, so hopefully getting things set up shouldn’t be too hard, although being that it will be mid to late November when I return from my road trip, I should make sure to have plenty of warm stuff, the propane heater ready, etc. I will also want to go shopping, as I probably won’t get by a grocery store for the first few nights camping, although I may visit that new Aldi’s when I’m camping at Stoney Pond in Nelson.

There are 8 days, 12 hours and 52 minutes until the poll close on Election Day in New York. 🗳 It’s creeping closer each day. Tomorrow will be a week out from Election Day. I’ve done my civic duty or whatever you want to call it, filling out the scan-tron slip and mailing it back to Albany, to be counted assuming there is a very close election. 📬 I honestly don’t get all the hubbub about elections, because when it comes down it’s just a slip of paper with a bunch of bubbles filled out on it. I am not convinced that voting makes all that much of a difference in most people’s lives, but it’s a relatively low cost thing for most people — probably around $10-20 when you figure the cost of your time, gas to drive or bus fare to get to the polling place, or postage for the absentee ballot.💰

Probably the only place it really matters is the Town Board, with Maureen Cunningham running for a vacant seat. 🌲I think she will be a good town board person, and I think a Democratic board will be a good thing for the town — somewhat slowing the sprawl, and certainly making Delmar more pedestrian-friendly.🚴 Despite the complaints of rush hour commuters, making Delaware Avenue into a three-lane road with parking and bicycle lanes, will be great for the community, especially if they add more plantings and trees, to absorb some of the noise and pollution. We have to get beyond out dated thinking about urban planning. 🚃

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Veterans Day Observed (Monday) 🇺🇸 when the sun will be setting at 4:43 pm with dusk at 5:13 pm (Standard Time). On that day in 2017, we had mostly sunny skies and temperatures between 44 and 22 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 49 degrees. We hit a record high of 68 back in 1909.

Good evening! Mostly cloudy and damp, 37 degrees in North Syracuse. ☁ Calm wind. The skies will clear next Wednesday around 7 pm. Hah! That’s been the story of my entire autumn here in Northern Onondaga County. But maybe things will change come my vacation which will be starting in two weeks.

Tonight will have a slight chance of rain showers between 10pm and 1am, then a slight chance of snow showers after 1am. Mostly cloudy ☔ , with a low of 34 degrees at 5am. Three degrees below normal. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2017, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 46 degrees. The record low of 20 occurred back in 1952.

Tonight will have a Waning Gibbous Moon 🌖 with 97% illuminated. The moon will set at 9:12 am. The Last Quarter Moon is on Tuesday night with a chance of showers. The Beaver Moon 🌝 is in 4 weeks. The sun will rise at 7:31 am with the first light at 7:02 am, which is one minute and 16 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 13 hours and 27 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 43 seconds over last night. This time of the year the nights are long. Summer is just a memory. It will return eventually. 💤

Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy ☁, with a high of 49 degrees at 3pm. Seven degrees below normal. Light south wind. A year ago, we had mostly cloudy skies. The high last year was 54 degrees. The record high of 78 was set in 1963. There was a dusting of snow in 1997.❄

Not a particularly nice weekend on tap. 🙁 Saturday, rain, mainly after 7am. High near 44. East wind 8 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. Sunday, showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 45. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Typical average high for the weekend is 56 degrees.

At this point I’m more or less watching the long range 8-14 day outlook to see what my road trip will be like weather wise. Looks like it will be mild but potentially quite wet. 😰 This time of year it might prove to be quite bone chillingly cold. But if it’s only a few days of cold and wet, I’ll be fine, I’ll just have my tent and propane heater to make things warm and toasty. ⛺ I’m really looking forward to some nice nights in the wilderness.

The Facebook connection to my blog broke today again as it wasn’t happy that I wasn’t using SSL 🔐 but now I’ve upgraded to that and well it will make my WordPress password more secure by not sending it in clear text and maybe improve my Google Rankings.

I’m continuing to browse AliExpress in search of electronic components to use for projects this winter. 📟 Depending on how cold and snowy it is important might spend quite a bit of time building various things this winter. I have a lot of interesting ideas for projects and I figure I better get in on the cheap shipping before Trump takes that away.

Other than that, it’s been a really busy day at work. 💼 Just lots of mail and so many things going on. But I’m making good progress and it will be over soon, and my road trip will be under way before you know it. ⛺ That egg plant parm🍆 I had for dinner was good but not as good as a good campfire dinner before a long winter night. I look forward to the flags, the lights and the fire. 🔥

I got my absentee ballot 📮and now have to think about who I will vote for the year. I’m leaning towards that libertarian candidate for governor, Larry Sharpe not because I’m thrilled about him or expect him to win but I think it’s good to cast a protest vote. 🏤 Cuomo will be governor come January so my vote doesn’t really matter at any rate. I probably will vote for Tonko, Gillibrand and the usual crew although I could change my mind. In recent years my views have trended more conservative especially with my frustration with the Democratic Party over climate change. I mean if the party can’t be bothered to take action to solve the climate crisis, at least I can vote for one that will advocate for our second amendment rights. I don’t buy this vote for me I’m not as bad as the other side. Besides appointing Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, the whole Trump administration has been a disaster. Hopefully Trump gets spanked in the mid terms. At least that’s my take on politics.

In four weeks on November 22 the sun will be setting at 4:34 pm (Standard Time),🌄 which is one hour, 30 minutes and 46 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2017 on that day, we had rain, cloudy skies and temperatures between 46 and 34 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 45 and 30 degrees. The record high of 70 degrees was set back in 1931.

Looking ahead, November 🥧 is in 1 week, Thanksgiving 🦃 is in 4 weeks and Christmas 🎅 is in 2 months.

I find it hard to believe that November is a week away, Thanksgiving four weeks and Christmas in two months.🎄 Where did 2018 come and go so quickly? The winter is long and bleak in the northeast but at least in a few more weeks I’ll be home and the bus will get me to work even in the worst of weather. And if it’s not that cold and snowy I’m sure I’ll still have plenty of time to get away and spend a few nights camping in the winter. ⛄

Good afternoon! It’s a Monday again. Two more after this before I get to back home. Definitely miss the routine of catching the bus to work. Driving to work is for the dawgs. Three weeks to Veterans Day Observed (Monday) 🇺🇸. Cloudy, damp, and 46 degrees in North Syracuse. ☁ There is a southwest breeze at 7 mph. 🍃.

Not a real nice day for sure. Kind of bitterly cold and damp. Yuck. I guess not every day can be 75 degrees and sunny. It’s tough that this October is more typical then many we have had in recent years. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Thursday around 3 am. ☃️

“Wish I was a Kellogg’s Cornflake
Floatin’ in my bowl takin’ movies,
Relaxin’ awhile, livin’ in style,
Talkin’ to a raisin who ‘caisson’ly plays L.A.”

– Punkey’s Dilema, Simon and Garfunkel.

This afternoon will be mostly cloudy ☁, with a high of 50 degrees at 4pm. Seven degrees below normal. Southwest wind around 8 mph. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies. The high last year was 74 degrees. Back in the bad old days. 👹 Long ago they seem. The record high of 86 was set in 1979. There was a dusting of snow in 2005.❄ Not a real nice day, but you can’t control the weather but you can control your attitude towards it.

The sun will set at 6:09 pm with dusk around 6:38 pm, which is one minute and 32 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for mostly cloudy skies ☁ and 48 degrees. There will be a south-southwest breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 10 hours and 42 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 46 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a chance of sprinkles after 5am. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 41 degrees at 5am. Four degrees above normal. South wind around 5 mph. In 2017, we had mostly cloudy skies, clearing in the early hours of the next day. It got down to 43 degrees. The record low of 20 occurred back in 1969.

Last night when I was heading home, I noticed the accessory battery looked a bit low. 🔋I was a bit concerned as I thought that meant I might have a loose wire or some other problem with the battery. Turns out I had left the starting and accessory batteries connected and forgot about it during the day, and the load of the headlights and unlocking the doors with the engine off made both batteries voltage sag a bit momentarily.

Not it was a problem, but my misreading of the gauges made me a bit worried for a few minutes until I figured out what was really going on. I got to be real careful with that switch when camping, ⏺ making sure it’s in the “I” rather then the “II” position when I’m using camp power. That said, I usually keep a close eye on both the starting and accessory battery voltages when I’m at camp.

Today in 1897, using a filament of carbonized thread, Thomas Edison tests the first practical electric incandescent light bulb (it lasted 13 1/2 hours before burning out). 💡 Talk about some dated technology that had a long life-span, as vacuum tubes filled with various gases continue to light our buildings to this day. That said, light-emitting semiconductors,  have all but certainly replaced that this technology, although for existing fixtures many of the mercury-vapor florescent lights and some tungsten-filament energy hogging bulbs are used in rough-service areas like barns.🐄

I was reading about solar power converters, ⬛ last night, which are used in some multi-panel solar systems to boost or buck current from individual solar panels to increase efficiency. Basically, solar panels put out a wide range of voltages depending on how much power is coming out of them. You need a certain voltage to charge a battery, and if the voltage is too low the battery won’t charge well, while if the voltage is too high, the battery will off-gas and eventually explode. Likewise, solar panels are most efficient if you apply some resistance on them so you get the right balance of amps and voltage. It’s a bit complicated, I don’t fully understand the technology, and it’s hard to explain, but it’s interesting to learn more about it. 📟

Honestly, when I own land and a cabin up in the wilderness, I don’t care about all that fancy technology, and aren’t really that interested in having high-voltage 120 volt, grid-style electricity. 🔌 Maybe use a few small inverters to power a few appliances, but my goal is to use as little electricity as possible, and stay with 12 volts or maybe 24 volts with buck converters. I guess things like water pumps, refrigerators, etc. often require more power, which easier delivered with a higher voltage and lower amperage.

But that’s some time off. I need to continue to save and invest for another decade, as I figure I will need at least a quarter million to pay for relocation costs, land, and a small cabin. Land is expensive, and while a smallish cabin is more affordable, I want something that is well insulated and protected from the rain. 🏠 I don’t mind doing low-voltage electrical stuff and basic maintance, but I want something decent to start out. Oh, and a good job once I relocate. But I think with some saving, careful investing, and planning I can make it a reality sometime after 2030. That seems like a long time away, but it’s really not that far out, and I’ll only be 47 years old at that point, and still lots of my life left.

There are 15 days, 7 hours and 45 minutes until the poll close on Election Day in New York. 🗳 Two weeks tomorrow. Three weeks, my vacation will be well underway, god-willing that is. I am still very carefully watching the North Atlantic Oscillation to see how it will impact my trip. I am hoping the weather won’t be too bitterly cold, snowy or rainy. Who knows though, things can certainly change.

Regardless, it will be nice sipping the cup off coffee in the morning next to the heater ☕ and having a rip-roaring fire at night. 🔥 Cooking some decent food in the camp oven — fresh bread, muffins,  pizza. Yum. Sitting back, feeling the chill at night. Hanging out in the woods with a shotgun, going for a hike, seen the land. Just not rushing around, not so busy lie i’ve been lately. I’ll be glad once that time comes around.

As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until Veterans Day Observed (Monday) 🇺🇸 when the sun will be setting at 4:43 pm with dusk at 5:13 pm (Standard Time). On that day in 2017, we had mostly sunny skies and temperatures between 44 and 22 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 49 degrees. We hit a record high of 68 back in 1909.

Good morning! Happy October 🎃. The most colorful month of the year, as the greens of summer change to red and yellow, then to brown. Honestly though, I’m just looking forward to November. Things will get quiet after the election, then I’ll have sometime to spend enjoying the wilderness with nobody to bug me for a week or so. Thirty five days until election day. But in the meantime, next Monday is Columbus Day 🛥️ or Indigenous People Day 🤠.

Light rain and 54 degrees in North Syracuse. I hope you brought your umbrella. ☔ That said tomorrow is going to the real soaker. There is a north-northeast breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 51 degrees.  i am not complaining, at least it’s not raining ash out of the sky like that time I was in Niagara Falls. Talk about a depressing place.

Today will rain. ☔ High of 56 degrees at 4pm. Nine degrees below normal. North wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Not a real great day, but not as wet as tomorrow will be or so I’m told. 🌧 A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 66 degrees. The record high of 90 was set in 1927. There was a dusting of snow in 1946.❄

I got to say I’m glad that I’m not out camping in the rain, 🏕as pretty as it might be with all the leaves turning in the woods, because autumn camping in the rain tends to be rather wet and chilly — to say nothing of smoky from the campfire fighting the rain. It’s bearable with the big buddy heater, and it’s better then being home I guess, but it’s still kind of muddy and miserable.  That said, on sunny days, autumn camping is fantastic, even with the short days. You just have to make sure to get up early, especially after the time changes.

The sun will set at 6:44 pm with dusk around 7:13 pm, which is one minute and 47 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌆 At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and 55 degrees. The dew point will be 53 degrees. There will be a northeast breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 11 hours and 42 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 55 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be scattered showers, mainly before 3am. Cloudy 🌂, with a low of 55 degrees at 6pm. Nine degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 54 at 11pm. East wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2017, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 39 degrees. The record low of 30 occurred back in 1972.

So I am still thinking about taking off part of Friday to hike Jones Hill, probably in the evening to watch the sunset, although the autumn leaves would be better to see at sunrise. 🍂 I guess we will see how things go. I could do an overnight in hammock, if it’s not too chilly, just backpack the hammock up the hill, bring a flashlight and a light dinner, 🔦 and maybe a blanket. I’m chewing over that. I don’t know though, I probably should be back pretty early in the morning, and I’m thinking I might want to shower before work.

Went to the store and bought more can goods. 🥫Lots of soup, canned pasta, macaroni and cheese, and vegetables.  It’s tough staying where I am in North Syracuse, not having a freezer or stove. I do have a microwave and refrigerator, but still the options are limited, because I am trying to do everything on tight of as budget as possible, and I’m kind of busy. 🍌 I guess I could eat out more, but I really get sick of restaurant food and I don’t like all the wasteful packaging it comes in.👨‍🍳 I guess to be fair, I don’t usually eat canned foot at home, and certainly not at camp for the most part — i rather have things in packaging I can burn up in the woods rather then haul to the transfer station.🥫

I am definitely looking forward to my November Road trip when I can do more cooking, have fires every night, 🔥 be able to sit back every night and relax. I am tired of seeing the suburbs every day, working too many hours, getting home and collapsing. I want a good meal cooked on a fire, then listening to the radio into evening. If it’s cold I can always set up a tent and relax there. I miss seeing the countryside being stuck into the office so  much these days.

As previously noted, next Monday is Columbus Day 🛥️ when the sun will be setting at 6:32 pm with dusk at 7:01 pm. On that day in 2017, we had rain, mist, mostly cloudy skies and temperatures between 80 and 61 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 63 degrees. We hit a record high of 80 back in 2017.