As we head into late August, the sun sets progressively earlier.🌄 I don’t mind the change, I kind of like the cooler weather, and I think it’s good that we have longer nights.
The cooler weather often brings lower humidity, nice crisp days.🍂 Some are warm some cool. After months of heat and humidity, nothing beats a crystal clear day with a sweater on next to the fire. Small game hunting season starts on September 1st.
Good morning! Already it’s Friday! Two more days before I take down camp and head back to Albany. It’s been a very cloudy week but relatively rain free, at least compared to the previous week or even last year. With the end of vacation coming up on Sunday, we will already be in August, today marks three weeks to Average High Falls To 79 ️Degrees ⛱️️️.
The rain had stopped, but now it’s restarted and around 69 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest in Hector. ☁ There is a south breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 66 degrees. The second half of this week has been quite muggy and cloudy although each day we’ve had a bit of clearing skies. The cowboys, or a guess graizers or farmers are out on the pasture across the street rounding up cows using four wheelers on this somewhat wet morning. 🐂🐃🐄
Today will have showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Cloudy ☔ , with a high of 74 degrees at 2pm. Seven degrees below normal. Maximum dew point of 67 at 6pm. South wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies. It was humid. The high last year was 86 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1975.
Today’s plans will be similar to Wednesday, probably head into Watkins Glen later to get on the internet and then for a hike in the gorge and a swim in the pool. 🏊 I’m hoping for more sun later, but I’ll take it hour by hour. I need paper towels, matches and gasoline too. ⛽This morning, I’ll probably hang out at camp for a while, laying in the hammock listening to the radio, maybe going for a short walk later on.
Tonight in the Finger Lakes, the sun will set at 8:24 pm with dusk around 8:55 pm, which is one minute and 13 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for clouds ☁with a chance of thunderstorms ⚡ and 70 degrees. The dew point will be 67 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 21 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 15 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Mostly cloudy ☔ , with a low of 66 degrees at 6am. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 67 at 6pm. South wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2017, we had mostly cloudy skies. It was sticky. It got down to 70 degrees. The record low of 46 occurred back in 1966.
As I brought my kayak all the way out to Watkins Glen, I really should put it to use at least once. 🚣 Especially as Saturday will be one of the most beautiful days of vacation. One option I’ve been thinking about is backtracking to Montezuma for a day and paddling along the Seneca Canal. That’s about an hour each way. Another option, is to put in on Seneca Lake in Watkins Glen and paddle the Montour Falls Canal, assuming that the lake isn’t too choppy and the canal isn’t flooding and mucky from today’s rain. After I did that I could hit up the Watkins Glen pool and deck one last time to soak up the rays before its done as far as I’m concerned for the year. Then obviously, one last hit of the Glen Dairy Bar.🍦🍧🍨 Another fall back is paddle and fish Lamoka Lake after visiting the Sugar Hill Firetower. Going to be such a beautiful and hot day on Saturday.
Come Sunday it’s the tear down that campsite day. ⛺ Yeap, vacation is coming to an end and I’ll have to head back to the old Albany to make more money, 🏢 so I can continue to invest in my future. 💰Going to be such a nice day, I’m thinking maybe I should get an early start taking down camp on Sunday, maybe hike Enfield Glen before eleven,🏊 then go swimming in the Gorge pool until 12:30 or one, then be back to Albany NY by four. 🕔
Despite the lack of sun, it’s been a good vacation. 😥I’m sure I will probably have a few more opportunities for weekend trips this summer, and I look forward to hunting season and my November road trip, which I’m thinking will have a day or two in the Finger Lakes, although the focus will be primarily more on the Western New York and probably Pennsylvania. West Virginia remains a possibility but not a certainty at this point, I’m still evaluating my options. 🗻
I love being out in the wilderness, and look forward to owning my own land and living off grid in a low tax high freedom state. 🔥🔫🐂 I wish everyday could be as much fun as my camping adventures, and not just be the daily grind in the city, with the toilet and refrigerator I’m always struggling with at home, or all the restrictions that come with living in the city. The rural landscapes and the hills and valleys really stir my soul and remind me there are things to life beyond that dirty, rundown apartment in the city that the rent keeps going up on.
When I get back home, I have to schedule an oil change for Big Red and I have an eye appointment on Thursday.👀 I have a coupon from the General for a $50 synthetic oil change and tire rotation, which is a good deal but it does mean having to bring it all the way back up to DeNoyer in Colonie.🚗 But then I shouldn’t need an oil change until late winter or early spring, and I’ll have contacts for the year.
I am going to create a new Facebook Page for my blog over the next few weeks. 📰 The new changes to Facebook API makes it impossible to automatically post from my blog to my Facebook profile, but if I have a page I can continue to easily post all my posts and photos to Facebook. I’ll probably share some of what I post on blog and Facebook Page to my personal profile but looking at the tools and options available for Facebook Pages, I think I make the switch sooner rather than later.
As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until Average High Falls To 79 ️Degrees ⛱️️️ when the sun will be setting at 7:54 pm with dusk at 8:23 pm in the Finger Lakes. Figure about 15 minutes earlier back in Albany. On that day in 2017, we had partly cloudy skies and temperatures between 75 and 56 degrees. We hit a record high of 95 back in 1947.
Good evening! Mostly clear and 65 degrees in Delmar, NY. 🌌 There is a north breeze at 8 mph. 🍃. But chilly this evening with the breeze. The dew point is 54 degrees. I guess it’s better than a really muggy night.
Definitely a fairly starry evening although I wish my neighbor would turn off his pointless flood lights 💡so I could enjoy my flickering lights on the trees. At least the coal tar on the driveway is less stinky at this point. More fireflies continue to pop up around. 🐝
Today I got my hair cut and went up to visit my niece in Saratoga County with the parents. 👦 I had gotten so shaggy, and really needed a hair cut. Not a half bad day, I thought about going to the river to go fishing this evening but I was afraid it would be buggy and I don’t like driving home after dark. 🎣I just do catch and release in the river, it’s more about losing tackle and enjoying sitting by the river with a beer as the sunsets than actual food to eat. I also don’t really like having to drive around the city more than necessary. Bad for my truck and it causes air pollution. 📱Instead I walked down to the park with my laptop and uploaded some photos and videos.
Stayed down at the park until nine. Sat on the uncomfortable park bench rather than laying on the grass because I’m tired of having deer and dog tickets climb all over my bare skin, especially with shorts on. Maybe that’s why I feel so achy tonight, not because I was with my germy niece. Little kids touch everything. I’m not much better with rubbing my nose and eyes, to say nothing of putting pens in my mouth. I do try to wash my hands more often and carefully now though.
Tonight will be partly cloudy ☁, with a low of 56 degrees at 5am. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 54 at 10pm. North wind 5 to 8 mph becoming east after midnight. In 2017, we had partly cloudy skies. It got down to 45 degrees. The record low of 36 occurred back in 1986.
Tonight will have a Waning Gibbous Moon 🌖 with 82% illuminated. The moon will set at 9:35 am. The Last Quarter Moon is on Tuesday night with mostly cloudy skies. The Strawberry Moon 🌝 is on Wednesday, June 27th. The sun will rise at 5:19 am with the first light at 4:45 am, which is 26 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 8 hours and 51 minutes of darkness, a decrease of one minute and 9 seconds over last night.
Tomorrow will be mostly sunny 🌞 , with a high of 73 degrees at 3pm. One degree below normal. Maximum dew point of 50 at 1pm. A bit cool but clear. Southeast wind around 9 mph. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies. The high last year was 72 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1925.
Not sure what my plans are for tomorrow, maybe hiking Bennett Hill. Not too far away, and it’s been a while since I’ve been up it. The new clearings up top makes for interesting views. 🗻I thought about loading the kayak on my truck and going for a paddle but I don’t know. Going to be kind of cold. But I do need to adjust the racks on my kayak. Maybe also do some shore fishing at Lawson Lake. 🎣
Once again fixed the display I built in my bedroom after breaking it with some other changes. I cut the data transfer speed to it which was problematic I think with the long lines. 💻It works really well now, provides a great time waster in my bedroom. I just another set of those modules in green from China, I’m going to build a second one for use either in my kitchen or maybe the office. The small display I built in my office is no longer cutting it I must admit. It’s just something fun to duck around with when the weather is crappy.
In four weeks on June 30 the sun will be setting at 8:37 pm,🌄 which is 9 minutes and 24 seconds later then tonight. In 2017 on that day, we had thunderstorm, thunderstorm rain, rain, patches of fog, mist, partly cloudy skies and temperatures between 84 and 70 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 81 and 60 degrees. The record high of 98 degrees was set back in 1964. Amazing to think how fast July will be upon us. Monday will mark one month until the Fourth of July which really ain’t a holiday because it falls mid week. Ducking horseshit that the fourth is on a Wednesday. I’m blaming Trump, just because this my blog and I can do that.
I am thinking of taking off the last week of July for my vacation but I really need to talk to my supervisor about what is the best week. I usually like that last week but we will see. 🏖️ That last week of July is now seven weeks away per the display in my bedroom.
For a while I’ve been thinking about taking off next Friday and making it a three day trip, ⛺ although lately the forecast has slid down hill at least for Friday. Might still be a nice weekend trip. Where to go is to be decided but Pisceo Powley Road and Madison County top the list. I like that Cherry Ridge Campground, especially as it has cell service but I don’t know I’d rather have more of a wilderness experience next weekend back on a dirt road where I can enjoy my music late into the night. I’m tired of the packed in city experience every day and night. I mean Cherry Ridge is larger than any commercial or state campground and half the sites will be empty but I still rather have a mile between me and the next group of campers. I’m going to monitor the weather some more before deciding. I need my space.
Looking ahead, First Sunday of Advent ✝️ is in 6 months. Fantastic.
I really have had enough of this past winter. Winter is great, and I like cross-country skiing, but I’ve had enough with tromping through the cold icy snow and winds. 🌨
Sure winter makes the landscape all glittery ☃️ and perfect.
And provides a nice winter’s evening glow. 🌅
But I’ve had enough. I’m ready for camping. 🏕
Nice evenings next to the campfire. 🔥
Bringing a book 📚 down to the park.
Along with late summer 🍹 evenings.
March 2016 was quite mild with a record breaking 81 degrees on March 9th. It was followed by a nice, warm sunny weekend which I spent in Schoharie County camping along the Betty Brook at Burnt-Rossman State Forest.🔥
Somebody built this bridge during hunting season over the Betty Brook. 🦌 It didn’t last until the next summer though, burnt for firewood. Probably the DEC wasn’t pleased about the bridge 🌉 over this stream either.
It was a mild night, but still rather long, even though the time changed the next day. 🌃
Nice to wake up ⏰ in the wilderness 🌳 in the morning.
On Saturday, I visted Franklinton Vlaie. 🏞
Then later on, I hiked down to Mine Kill Falls. It was really roaring. 💦
The next day I climbed Vromans Nose 🚶 and looked down into Schoharie Valley.
I don’t really celebrate Christmas these days. Sure I will go out to my parents house for Christmas dinner, but I don’t decorate or do much special for the holiday season. I don’t have any decorations in my apartment and I don’t hang up lights. I’m not really all that much into Christmas music or the hustle bustle of the stores. It’s just not a holiday that does much for me, especially not being a particularly religious person.
I think I would rather just spend Christmas in the wilderness, looking at the trees glimmering in the snow, enjoying a long night by the campfire. With the snow I usually can’t camp with the power from my truck to run the colorful Christmas lights, but I can have lots of candlelights, and the lantern works well. The Big Buddy heater will help to keep my chair warm and my tent toasty. Listen to some Christmas music and maybe some podcasts, enjoy the stars and God’s beauty, then retire to the tent for a nice warm night in cozy sleeping bags.
Good evening! Partly cloudy and 26 degrees off of the East Branch of the Sacanadaga River near Bakers Mills. Calm wind. A bit cool but still pretty nice. I decided that I wouldn’t pitch a tent, because I decided it wasn’t that bad cold, but I do have plenty of propane that if I need the heater and the tent, I certainly could put it up. But for now it’s fine by the fire. Maybe it will prove to be a mistqake at 5 AM when I’m freezing, but honestly under the covers in my truck is pretty comfortable.
Today was a nice day out on Thomas and Cat Mountain. The Thomas Mountain cabin that currently is open to the public is so nice. It’s really disappoiting that they’ve proposed to demolish it to comply with the rules set forth in the Adirondack Park. The only thing it’s msising is the wood stove, which was removed what appears to be fairly recently. I don’t know, if they allow intensive use campgrounds in the Adirondack Park, they should allow the legacy cabin to remain. I figure its good to see it before it’s demolished. If they want to continue the state’s prohibition on closed camps on state forest preserve (which I think is silly, but so is the whole forest preserve concept), they should just remove the front wall, and make a really nice two-story leean-to. I think my dream house would be a lot like that cabin, although I would want some kind of hot running water and shower, so I could get clean in the winter. I like camping, but not having regular showers is probably the biggest disadvantage of being out in the woods. That’s one of the things I like about the Finger Lakes National Forest and visiting the state parks in the summer — the nice showers before and after swimming.
Tonight will have increasing clouds, with a low of 20 degrees at 1am. Six degrees below normal. Calm wind. In 2016, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 35 degrees. The record low of -1 occurred back in 1976. That’s the Albany record, I’m sure it’s gotten even colder up north here. I mean, we are already in December.
While tomorrow officially is the Cold Moon, December’s Supermoon, for all purposes the moon is nearly full. The sun will rise at 7:11 am with the first light at 6:39 am, which is one minute and 4 seconds later than yesterday. Tonight will have 14 hours and 52 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 20 seconds over last night. Nights are really long this time of year, but then again around the first day of summer, you can go walking at Moose River Plains at 9:45 PM, and there still is a little light leftin the atmosphere. I like camping year round, but those warm summer nights are still so delightufl.
Tomorrow will be partly sunny, with a high of 37 degrees at 1pm. Four degrees below normal. Calm wind. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 42 degrees. The record high of 63 was set in 2009. 5.2 inches of snow fell back in 1893.
My toes are a bit cold from the boots getting wet, despite changing my socks. I’ll chanage them once again before bed. I finslly got out the propane heater, and I’ve had it next to my chair warming up my behind. I am glad I got propane, because I had only about 2.94 lb left. With the heater, camp stove, and latern, that would leave me dangerously low by morning.
But I really don’t have an execuse for not having enough propane going up to the Adirondacks. Tractor Supply in Clifton Park is only a short distance from the Northway and tanks don’t have to be totally empty to be filled, and they only charge you for the amount of propane you need. In other words, they charge by the gallon, $2.99. Which is better then the Delmar hardware store where it’s a flat fee no matter how empty your tank is. Which is a good markup from bulk propane delivery, but it takes specially trained staff time to operate the filling machine. The lumber mill in Wevertown also fills propane tanks, but I’m sure they are more expensive and probably aren’t open the long hours as Tractor Supply.
I am very much still in shock that it’s already December. It just got cold so quickly, and summer faded away before you knew it. Been listening to Christmas music while Iam, and that Cold Moon is quite beautiful. I am pretty sure this will be the last night in the wilderness at least truck cap camping for the year, but I might pitch a hot tent later on in December. Fire is roaring away now. While I bought a bag of wood at Stewarts, I’ve been almost entirely just burning wood that I found in the woods. I’ll save the wood for a future trip. The nice thing about the kiln-dried wood is it can be legally brought across state lands and is easy to ignite — and for $8 you still get a pretty good amount of wood — some places it’s cheaper too. Having a cozy campfire is well worth paying for and knowing you have a security of not getting stuck in the dark trying to scrounge up some wood.
Thomas and Cat Mountain are a nice hike. While there are a handful of modestly steep cliffs that the trail between them goes over, most of the trails are old woods roads. Cat has some pretty impressive secenery, and the Thomas Cabin is really nice. I was slow and took a lengthy stop on both moutains, but if you do both, you can enjoy a nice 7 mile loop that I was able to turn into a five hour hike. There is a good amount of elevation gain, but it’s hardly strenous compared some of the hikes I’ve done elsewhere in both the Adirondacks and Catskills. I will post lots of photos when I return home.
In four weeks on December 30 the sun will be setting at 4:29 pm, which is 8 minutes and 50 seconds later then tonight. It remarkable to think that 2017 is coming to aclose to so quickly. I wonder if I will get a chance to get out camping once again before the end of the year. I guess it depends a lot on the weather — will we get a lot of snow, and how old it will be. I keep telling me a New Years Eve camping trip would be fun, but that never happens. One year I did welcome in the New Year Eve on Overlook Mountain. That was cool but I don’t think I made it quite to the top by when the ball dropped, and it was a bit scary driving down the snow covered Overlook Mountain Road in the morning. Camping I wouldn’t have to worry though about bad roads or drunks on the highway. In 2016 on that day, we had snow, mist, mostly cloudy skies and temperatures between 35 and 24 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 32 and 16 degrees. The record high of 53 degrees was set back in 1984.
Looking ahead, Ground Hog Day is in 2 months and The Day the Music Died is in 9 weeks. Bye, bye,Ms. American Pie.
I may listen to another podcast, then I will likely retire to bed in the bed of my pickup truck on last time this year. Good night.