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December 25, 2016 Evening

I hope you had a good Christmas. It was nice seeing my niece and sister today for breakfast. Lots of fresh fruits and waffles with cream. Gifts were exchanged with each other and it was nice.  You most likely saw some of the photos from my hike at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center this morning. It was very quiet there. Seeing that big doe up close was neat. 

I hadn’t really hadn’t decided what my afternoon and evening plans were going to be until around 1 pm, but I ended up deciding to go up to Cole Hill State Forest, build a Christmas Campfire and set up a tent and enjoy a nice evening in the wilderness next to the fire. 
Tonight is going to be fairly cold with a low around 12, but that’s to be expected for Christmas which occurs in the coldest time of year. I’m not worried about the cold because I brought ample sleeping bags and the propane heater so I can reach over and turn the heater on from time to time and take the chill off the tent. 

Right now we are around 21 degrees under very starry skies. The clear skies will allow the mercury to drop to 12 degrees on the hills around Berne. Six degrees below normal. A bit cool but it is Christmas and I’m up I’m the mountains and it’s colder here then I’m the city.  Northeast wind 3 to 8 mph. About four inches of snow where I’m camping but dragging the gear up to camp sometime I was dragging the gear through the mud on the plastic sled. As the breeze is light and because I’m dressed in layers next to the fire and the Big Buddy Heater, it’s not that cold. I got the long johns on, coat, sweater and wool socks. Times in the past when it’s been windy, I’ve been much colder in the woods. 

Last year on Christmas I was camping at Cherry Ridge at Charles Baker State Forest in Madison County. There was no snow them. In 2015, it got down to 34 degrees under mostly cloudy skies. The record low of -17 occurred back in 1914.

Waning Crescent Moon tonight with 19% illuminated. The moon will rise around 3:27 am. The New Moon is on Wednesday night with chance of snow showers. 

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of snow, freezing rain, and sleet before noon, then a chance of freezing rain between noon and 5pm, then a chance of rain or freezing rain after 5pm. Increasing clouds, with a high of 35 degrees at 6pm. Four degrees above normal. South wind 7 to 12 mph increasing to 13 to 18 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Little or no snow and sleet accumulation expected. A year ago, we had mostly cloudy skies and a high of 49 degrees. The record high of 59 was set in 1895. 13.9 inches of snow fell back in 1969. The sun will rise at 7:25 am with the first light at 6:53 am, which is 20 seconds later then yesterday.

I didn’t pack at camp stove or breakfast, because I plan to tear down the camp first thing and head home. It’s only a 25 minute drive home and I didn’t want to bother with the camp stove. I will have to take down the tent and make several trips back to the truck to bring all the sleep bags and gear back to the truck. The nice thing is it’s down hill to the truck. I hope to be home by 9 or 10 tomorrow. I want to avoid the freezing rain that is expected later in the day. If the weather is okay, I may go down to the laundromat and was up my smokey clothing so the smoke smell doesn’t sit into it all week. I didn’t wear my new coat because I didn’t want to get it dirty or smoky. 

Found out why the dash cam and cellphone charger wasn’t getting power in my truck. Ground wire had pulled out of solar charger which provides current to those devices, from the accessory battery. It was just a simple reinserting of the wire and screwing in a screw. Easy. Now I don’t have to worry about forgetting to shut off the dash camera and running down the starting battery. I like leaving the camera running while parked too in case my truck is hit in the parking lot. 

I’m also experimenting with dash board camera settings to see if I can improve image quality. It should be interesting to find out what happens. I think I have found the best compression for uploading to YouTube but there are still a lot resolutions, frame rates, and HDR vs no HDR enhancement. It will be interesting to see what happens. 

Looking ahead, New Years Day is Next Sunday, My 34th Birthday is in 5 weeks, Daylight Savings Time is in 11 weeks, Palm Sunday is in 15 weeks, Easter is in 16 weeks, Mother’s Day is in 20 weeks and Father’s Day is in 25 weeks.

December 13, 2016 Night

Well, good evening. How was your day? Mine was good, I had dinner at the Asian Tea House bistro with the parents then went out to Capital Lights in the Park. Definitely got a lot more lights there in the park then years past. Makes me want to walk over to the park and down to the Lake House and walk around the lake to photograph them.

Cloudy and 36 degrees now in Delmar. Light breeze from the south. Went for my evening walk around the block and it’s not a bad evening out there. Full cold moon is not visible behind the clouds. Shoveled around the driveway to clean up a bit around my truck, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the landlord had plowed the driveway. A low around 27 is expected tonight. Much colder tomorrow night, so I’m glad I did my evening walk today. 

I was hoping to tape the PBS Newshour but that was not to be, as the power strip that the DTV converter box was plugged in was unplugged. Tomorrow I’ll catch the News Hour. Tonight I’ll just listen to the BBC News as I go to bed on New England Public Radio. 

If we are lucky with the sun by 1 pm tomorrow, we may reach 30. But otherwise look for a cold temperature with that arctic blast coming in with temperatures dropping to 15 by evening. Sunrise tomorrow is at 7:17 AM in Albany. 

A few special days to look forward to in the coming weeks include Valentines Day is in 9 weeks, Spring is in 14 weeks, Average High is 50 is in 15 weeks, Tax Day is in 18 weeks, Average High is 70 is in 22 weeks and Independence Day is in 29 weeks.

December 12, 2016 Evening

Good evening! Heavy rain and 41 degrees in City of Albany. There is a west-southwest breeze at 11 mph. Made it onto the bus just in time to miss the rain. I suspect that the rain will be done by the time I get home. Enough rain to make the roads a bit slick and slow up traffic a bit. Bus is kind of banging through the gears. Old NOVA bus tonight. 

Tonight will be partly cloudy, with a low of 28 degrees at 6am. Six degrees above normal. Watch out for black ice after 8 pm as the roads may still be wet when the mercury drops below freezing.  West wind 8 to 14 mph. In 2015, it got down to 43 degrees with periods of rain. The record low of -6 occurred back in 1988.

Waxing Gibbous Moon tonight with 94% illuminated. The moon will set around 8:20 am. The Full “Cold” Moon is on Wednesday night with chance of snow showers then mostly cloudy skies expected and chance of snow showers.

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of snow showers after 4pm. Partly sunny, with a high of 37 degrees at 1pm. Typical for Tomorrow. West wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had rain and a high of 52 degrees. The record high of 58 was set in 1984. 14 inches of snow fell back in 1915. The sun will rise at 7:16 am with the first light at 6:44 am, which is 46 seconds later then yesterday.

We got to watch the weekend weather at this point. Not expecting a lot of snow this weekend but sleet and a few inches may make the roads hazardous. I wasn’t really planning on getting out of town this weekend, as my parents are having a Christmas party, and I left my Big Buddy Heater at my parents house so they could use it in their garage. I’m hoping we have decent weather for Christmas Day, as I have that Monday off and may try to get up to the Adirondacks to camp.

Looking ahead, Martin Luther King Day is in 5 weeks, Presidents Day is in 10 weeks, Daylight Savings Time is in 3 months, Patriots Day is in 18 weeks, May Day is in 20 weeks and Memorial Day is in 24 weeks. Those 24 weeks will come and go quickly I hope. 

I’ve been feeling better today but still feel a bit achy at times. A lot of people are getting sick around the office, and I’m not ready to say I’ve dodged a bullet yet on getting sick.. 

Fixed the Facebook bug, so now photos are posting to Facebook once again. I also fixed some miscellaneous bugs and improvements to the Facebook connector. 

Got a battery for my remote control, so now I will automatically tape the PBS Newshour. Now I won’t have to stay up to 10 pm to watch it, as I tape it daily at 6:30. I’m glad because lately I’ve been trying to get to bed by 10, to ensure adequate sleep. 

Got the second charger for my laptop. It’s a genuine HP charger, so hopefully it will hold up. Now that I have a charger at home and work, I don’t have to worry about not having a charge wherever I am. It was only $25 including free shipping from Ebay. 

December 7, 2016 9 AM Update

Good morning! Today marks two weeks to First Day of Winter. Globby rain and 34 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. About an inch of wet globby snow on the grass and pavement. The skies will clear tomorrow around 5 pm. Almost perfect timing for the bus this morning, and it is a brand new bus that I’m taking downtown.

Today will have a chance of rain between 9am and noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high of 43 degrees at 1pm. Four degrees above normal. South wind around 7 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. A year ago, we had fog and a high of 48 degrees. The record high of 65 was set in 1998. 5.5 inches of snow fell back in 2003.

Discovered a rip in the shirt I was going to wear to work today. I guess I will be retiring that one to rag pile. I might actually use it for a rag as it’s torn in the elbo, or I might donate it to the shirt recycling bin. i try to get rid of worn clothing soon after it’s ripped, because otherwise it just accumulates and keeps me from finding actually usable clothing for work and casual use.

It certainly looks like it will generally be a cold and damp December day. Just clouds tomorrow but cold for Saturday. The high for Saturday is 33 degrees and even colder for the Adirondacks.  Sunday will snow, with an inch expected by afternoon. Not a lot of snow, but certainly enough to make the roads slick with the lower temperatures expected. I was hoping to get up north with their sunny skies on Saturday but now it looks like it will be winder then earlier expected. It’s possible that I will instead go down to Kaaterskill Falls and the rail trail on Saturday. Depends how cold it is. Or I could stay local and maybe just go for a walk along the rail trail to the South End.

The sun will set at 4:21 pm with dusk around 4:53 pm, which is 3 seconds earlier than yesterday. Pretty much the earliest sunset of the year. Today will have 9 hours and 9 minutes of daylight, a decrease of 58 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy, with a low of 27 degrees at 6am. Three degrees above normal. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight. In 2015, it got down to 26 degrees with periods of fog. The record low of -3 occurred back in 1902.

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until First Day of Winter when the sun will be setting at 4:25 pm with dusk at 4:57 pm. Four minutes later than today.  On that day in 2015, we had rain and temperatures between 48 and 33 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 34 degrees. We hit a record high for the first day of winter of 59 back in 1957.

Yesterday, I got notice from the Comptroller’s office that starting within the next three months, I’ll have 10 years of state service in. That means I won’t any longer have to contribute with a payroll deduction for my pension. Which is nice because it frees the money up for me to invest elsewheres. I can’t believe ten years has come and gone so quickly, but then again, in a few weeks it will be 2017. Before you know it, will be 2020. If I stay with the state and continue for another 22 years, I’ll be able to retire at age 55 with a full pension. But I doubt I’ll do it, but who knows.

Today in 1941, was the World War II Attack on Pearl Harbor. The Imperial Japanese Navy carries out a surprise attack on the United States Pacific Fleet and its defending Army and Marine air forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

In 1972, Apollo 17, the last Apollo moon mission, is launched. The crew takes the photograph known as The Blue Marble as they leave the Earth. There was a time before remote sensing and the earth imagery that has now become common place and widely accepted with technologies like Google Maps and Orthophotograhpy.

 

November 16, 2016 6 PM Update

Good evening! Today was a dreary day, kind of a cold, wet miserable day to be traveling, taking down  and setting up camp. Rain showers and 47 degrees in Chautauqua Gorge State Forest. There is a west breeze at 14 mph. The skies will clear tomorrow around noontime.

Camping tonight at Chautauqua Gorge, which is much less scenic and impressive then you might think but I wanted to visit Chautauqua County as its been years since I’ve been out here. The shelters and especially campsite eight is quite nice. It should be quite pretty tomorrow. 

Checked out Cattaraugus State Forest, including one of the designated campsites, which really isn’t that impressive. But it chewed up some time as the cold rain came down. Then drove part of the Cattaraugus Amish Trail down to Cherry Creek. It was kind of interesting to see all the Amish farms, although they really are all over rural New York. Then Waze took me on a rather lengthy and crazy route to Chautauqua Gorge, running me up to Fredonia. Rain and fog didn’t give me much of a view as I traversed the vast countryside of Northern Chautauqua County. 

I misplaced my card reader, so I am unable to upload most of my photos. I  think I’d rather upload higher resolution photos then the Instagram ones. I usually like to take them on my stand alone camera then transfer them to the phone or upload them to the blog directly. 

So the next few days will likely be very text heavy with few new photo or map posts… 

I bought a second MicroSD card for the dashboard camera, as I was low on space and the first part of vacation drive was starting get overwritten on the card. While I won’t keep all the hours of dash cam video, I want to keep and share on YouTube the most scenic parts of the trip. It would be fun to look back at my drive and the memories of the trip. Often it’s hard to get photos  of the most scenic and interesting parts of the trip but I still want to revisit the trip later on. 

Tonight will have patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy with occasional showers, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low of 39 degrees at 5am. The stars are starting to come out. Eight degrees above normal. A bit breezy with a west  wind 8 to 13 mph becoming light northwest after midnight. One year ago, mostly clear with a low around 26. The record low of 7 occurred back in 1972.

Waning Gibbous Moon tonight with 80% illuminated. The moon will rise around 6:22 pm. The Last Quarter Moon is on Sunday night with chance of snow showers expected. The Full “Cold” Moon is in 4 weeks. I’m sure it will be cold. 

Tomorrow will have patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high of 56 degrees at 1pm. Nine degrees above normal. Should be a nice day. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Last year, mostly sunny with a high around 48. The record high of 73 was set in 1928. There was 2.8 inches of snow back in 1992.

Tomorrow I think I will explore a few places in Chautauqua County, maybe Chautauqua Lake, some of the state forests, maybe go up to Lake Erie. I was originally going to spend two nights camping here, but being that I want to be fairly far east come Saturday morning so I can avoid accumulating snow 

Friday might reach 70 degrees under sunny skies. I will probably be in Pennsylvania on Friday. I’m thinking about but aren’t certain about going down to the Elk Country in Pennsylvania to see the elk. They are probably out grazing with the coming bad weather. I could camp at the Austin Dam Campground. Or maybe I could camp at the campground in Wellsboro. Both are $10 and get me halfway across the state. I wouldn’t mind a good walk along the Pine Creek rail trail. That would be less driving. I could overnight in New York State but I’d rather not be in the woods the night before Big Game season. 

Then the weather goes down hill for the weekend. Saturday, showers likely, mainly after 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53. Windy. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. I will probably head home on Saturday, leaving early in the morning. Probably will truck cap camp rather than setting up a hot tent so I can get an early start. 

Sunday, snow showers or possibly snow. Some models show 6-8 inches of snow. I certainly don’t want to deal with that in the back country. High near 35. Windy. Chance of precipitation is 80%. I think that weather is best spent at home. Plus I have a lot of dirty gear to clean and put away. 

Typical average high for the weekend is 47 degrees.

Then Monday it’s back to work at my old job in Albany. I will enjoy taking the bus downtown in the morning and the time it gives me to think and blog. I have a great view of the Capitol and downtown from my office. I do need to shave. I haven’t shaved since I left last week and I have a pretty good beard at this point. Right now it looks pretty outlaw like with thick stubble on my face. 

In four weeks on December 14 the sun will be setting at 4:47 pm, which is 8 minutes earlier then tonight. The average high is 36 degrees, and the record for that date is 63 degrees was set back in 1901.

November 9, 2016 Evening

Good evening! Fairly heavy rain and 47 degrees in Delmar. There is a north-northwest breeze at 11 mph. The skies will clear around 11 pm. It’s good to be back home. Friday I will be back on the road but this time it will be for a road trip camping, hiking, hunting and photographing the wilds of Western NY and Pennsylvania. 

A lot of traffic heading downtown. Back in the big city, the buildings are a lot bigger and the city here in Albany is much more diverse and urban then North Syracuse. I do like not driving my big jacked up truck everywhere and be able to have a few drinks before heading home. 

Heading downtown on the bus for the after election party. I have to say I really missed riding the bus to and from work, as it always gives me some quiet time to contemplate my day, the weather and my weekend plan. I’ve been taking the bus back and forth to work for nearly a decade. With the smartphone, it’s so much more compact than bringing my laptop as in years past. 

Times certainly change. I’m not totally shocked about the presidential election. Things ended badly for the Democrats in 1968 when they ignored the primarily results and chose Hubert Humphrey. Richard Nixon implemented some controversial policies and troublesome speeches, but given a progressive congress, was often prodded to create some really good laws like the Clean Water Act. 

Waxing Gibbous Moon tonight with 68% illuminated. The moon will set around 3:55 am. The Full “Beaver” Moon is on Sunday night with mostly cloudy skies expected.

Tonight will have patchy drizzle with isolated showers before 7pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low of 34 degrees at 6am. One degree above normal. Northwest wind 7 to 10 mph. One year ago, mostly cloudy with a low around 36. The record low of 16 occurred back in 1965.

A nice weekend coming up with seasonable temperatures. Saturday, sunny, with a high near 44. Sunday, sunny, with a high near 53. Maximum dew point of 32 at 12pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 49 degrees. Going to be a nice start to my trip, although the weather may foul for the second half but no snow expected at this time. 

In four weeks on December 7 the sun will be setting at 4:21 pm, which is 15 minutes earlier then tonight. The average high is 39 degrees, and the record for that date is 65 degrees was set back in 1998. It’s remarkable to think we will basically be in the second week of December in one month. Shortest days of year, although the Christmas lights along the streets offset the dark nights. 

October 27, 2016 Night

Good evening! Light rain and 38 degrees in North Syracuse. Not a terrible Thursday but such a dreary day. There is a southeast breeze at 11 mph. 0.2 inches of rain is expected before it ends tomorrow around noontime.

Got dinner tonight at Moe’s Mexican Grill. First time doing online ordering. I really like online ordering as it lets you think about what you want and have the food ready when you get there. Plus you pay online so you know the price. 

Driving home I started to fish tail when I turned too quickly onto South Bay Road. The traction control quickly kicked in and while it was abrupt, I maintained control. A few scary oh shit moments. Definitely be careful out on the roads tonight as they are slick with the rain and leaves. 

Got the hard drive pulled from my dead laptop. Hopeful tomorrow that I will get it up and running in the USB enclosure. I do have most of my photos backed up prior to mid September backed up but I really don’t want to loose the other data on my dead laptop’s hard drive including the code I use to make maps. I also want to be able to upload my Chittenango Falls photos once I get my files back. 

Tonight will have showers likely, mainly before 10pm. Patchy fog before 3am. Low of 37 degrees at 6am. One degrees above normal. Southeast wind 8 to 13 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. One year ago, cloudy with a low around 37. The record low of 18 occurred back in 1974.

Waning Crescent Moon tonight with 16% illuminated. The moon will rise around 4:24 am. The New Moon is on Saturday night with mostly cloudy skies expected. The Full “Beaver” Moon is on Sunday, November 27th. After Thanksgiving. Might be on a road or camping trip then. I wouldn’t mind a nice trip during that long weekend, assuming there ain’t a ton of snow blocking off the back roads. 

Tomorrow will be scattered showers before noon, then a chance of sprinkles between noon and 1pm. Mostly cloudy and pretty cool. High of 46 degrees at 2pm. Nine degrees below normal. Northwest wind around 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Last year, cloudy with a high around 56. The record high of 78 was set in 1971. There was 2 inches of snow back in 1952.

Not a particularly nice weekend on tap. Saturday, a chance of showers, mainly after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60. Southeast wind around 8 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Maximum dew point of 53 at 6pm. Sunday, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 51. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Maximum dew point of 49 at 6am. Typical average high for the weekend is 55 degrees. Probably staying in town this weekend. 

In four weeks on Thanksgiving which is November 24 this year, the sun will be setting at 4:33 pm (Standard Time), which is 1 hour and 28 minutes earlier then tonight. The average high is 44 degrees, and the record for that date is 70 degrees was set back in 2014. Cooler that time of year but it can still be fun camping up in the wilderness. 

There are 11 days and 15 minutes until the polls close in NY State on Election Day. The time is rapidly passing by. I’ll be glad when things are over. The presidential election has been so angry and awful. I don’t think things will be better after Election Day, I think having a woman president will be such a step forward for women, especially young women in our country. Barack Obama was so inspirational for minorities in our country and I expect Hillary to be the same way for women. 

I also do look forward to sleeping in my own bed, and being able to camp and travel again.