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February 5, 2019 Morning

Good morning! Happy Tuesday. Two weeks to 5:30 PM Sunset 🌆. Cloudy, damp, muddy and 46 degrees in Delmar. ☔ There is a south breeze at 8 mph. 🍃. There are 1.25 inches of snow on the ground. ☃ Temperatures will drop below freezing at around 10 pm. ☃️

One more mild day today. Then February weather returns for the second half of the week, although honestly a bit above average until the weekend when it will be closer to average. 🌞Today will again be relatively busy but still not too insane or so I hope. 💼But maybe I’ll be able to catch the five o’clock home.🚌

I was running late again but fortunately so was the bus ⌚ so I made it with time to spare to the bus stop. 🚏I’ve been trying to get to bed earlier but I’ve been bad at that. I wake up at the normal time but then delay getting out of bed. That and I was planning on wearing the same pants as yesterday but I stopped when I discovered that there was mud on them from just walking around the city streets, kicking it up. I don’t care about mud that much, but I’m supposed to look nice for work. 👔It pays the bills and let’s me save for a better tomorrow, owning my own land in the wilderness. 🗻

Today will have isolated showers before 11am. Mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 53 degrees at 12pm. 21 degrees above normal, which is similiar to a typical day around April 3rd. I’ll take April weather in early February. Not all warm days are a result of climate change I tell myself. South wind 7 to 15 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had cloudy in the morning, which became sunny by afternoon. The high last year was 34 degrees. The record high of 59 was set in 1890. 10.4 inches of snow fell back in 2014.❄

Snow has been doing a lot of melting yesterday, it was quite damp but mild. 💧I’m glad it’s been warm enough to give the heat a break – I’ve left the thermostat at fifty since yesterday and with the solar radiation hitting the building yesterday it was 63 degrees inside by the time I got home.🔥 I’m not going to pay to keep the heat warm when it’s above freezing, I’d much prefer to keep it colder. Money is always tight, my heating bills this year seem a lot steeper than years past. But then again, I don’t hesitate to turn up the heat like I did years ago when I was younger. 💸

The sun will set at 5:14 pm with dusk around 5:44 pm, which is one minute and 19 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 44 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 15 mph with gusts up to 26mph. Today will have 10 hours and 10 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 29 seconds over yesterday. Even longer, getting closer to twelve hours of daylight in a month.

Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌤, with a low of 22 degrees at 6am. Six degrees above normal, which is similiar to a typical night around March 4th. Northwest wind 6 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. In 2018, we had clear in the evening, which became light snow by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 15 degrees. The record low of -20 occurred back in 1948.

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of rain and sleet between 3pm and 4pm, then a chance of rain. Increasing clouds 🌞, with a high of 35 degrees at 1pm. Two degrees above normal, which is similiar to a typical day around February 15th. Light and variable wind becoming southeast 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no sleet accumulation expected. A year ago, we had cloudy in the morning, which became sunny by afternoon. The high last year was 30 degrees. The record high of 55 was set in 1991. 10.8 inches of snow fell back in 1978.❄

Monday wasn’t too bad of a day, work got out around 7:40, I ended up taking the 8:15 bus 🚌 home and having a quick bite to eat before going on my evening walk around the block.🌯 A nice starry night, warm enough that I could walk with just a t-shirt and my vest.👕

I ordered some micro USB cables from AliExpress. I ordered the UGreen brand which if they are anything like the latest ones I ordered are built to be very high quality, durable, heavy while in minimal but professional looking plastic envelopes. 🔌Not a lot of waste.♻ I ordered a 3 meter and two 1.5 meter cables for $10, which if they are like the last two I ordered from them are a very good deal. I know that you can get cheap USB cables from Amazon but they aren’t as nice as the UGreen cables. The 3 meter cable is nine feet long which means that I can reach either microcontroller mounted on the wall from my laptop without moving it from where it sits by my desk.

For simple components, I swear by most of the things I have gotten from AliExpress. Only one or two things have either gotten lost in the mail✉ or been below expectations but most components arrive within two weeks and are all within specs, same quality as if you ordered from a United States retailer.📦

While I was on AliExpress I also bought some 5 volt linear regulators. I am thinking about building a smart switch for the solar panel and the dual batteries so that when I have a lot of sun I can not only top off the accessory battery 🔋but also the starting battery while automatically disconnecting them when there is little sun to avoid the batteries fighting or over discharging. I could use the built-in linear regulator of the Arduino Nano but I fried one last year with the 15.4 volts of the alternator output at times and the summer heat. I’ve 3.3 volt regulators in my toolbox but no 5 volt ones.

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until 5:30 PM Sunset 🌆 when the sun will be setting at 5:32 pm with dusk at 6:01 pm. On that day in 2018, we had rain showers, partly cloudy and temperatures between 44 and 23 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 36 degrees. We hit a record high of 66 back in 1981.

A bit cool but sunny this time weekend. 😎 Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 28. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 31. Typical average high for the weekend is 33 degrees. Should be nice, certainly not frigid. I’ll take it.

I am still chewing over my weekend plans. Maybe I’ll go up to Johnstown or maybe not. It’s still quite a bit of a drive for a relatively small outdoors show and I’m still thinking about heading out of town for Presidents Day Weekend.⛺ Weather depending of course. This weekend doesn’t look that bad but kind of chilly but that’s expected for February. I should see when the Adirondack Ice Races on Lake Algonquin are – if they were this weekend – that would increase my incentive for going north. Of course the other problem is finding a pull off where I can park and hike back to a campsite along route 8 this time of year. Maybe I should just wait and save my mileage and gas expenses until it gets warmer.⛽ Two months from now will be early April after all. But in the mean time, the only weather is expected to moderate a bit…

In four weeks on March 5 the sun will be setting at 5:50 pm,🌄 which is 35 minutes and 39 seconds later then today. In 2018 on that day, we had cloudy, snow showers and temperatures between 38 and 31 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 40 and 22 degrees. The record high of 71 degrees was set back in 1964.

The ants seem to have disappeared from the counter. I’m glad about that. I don’t know if it took a while for the ant bait to work or just spraying the area where they were coming from was enough. It’s been over 24 hours since I saw the last ant so I’m hopeful.🐜 I have this big bottle of spray now so I may use it when and if I see them again. Much like mice and other pests,🐭 they tend to come and go in cycles – you have mice until you catch them all and then they are gone for months if not years.

Looking ahead, 5:30 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 2 weeks, Cinco de Mayo 🤠 is in 3 months, 8:30 PM Sunset ️⛱️ is in 4 months, Dog Days of Summer 🌻 is in 5 months, Last Sunset After 8:30 PM 🌆 is in 23 weeks and Election Day 2020 🗳️ is in 91 weeks.

91 weeks until presidential Election Day! Now you know. I’ll already be thinking my post election November road trip at that point. The bus is almost downtown, it’s off to work. Have a great day for sure on this Tuesday!

December 9, 2018 7 AM Update

Good morning! Happy Earliest Sunset of the Year ⌛️! At least in Albany, I think further west here in Hector the days have already started to get later in the evening. Two weeks to Festivus 🍖. Everybody loves meatloaf and feats of strength. Mostly sunny and 16 degrees in Hector. There is a south-southwest breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. Seems like a bit more of a breeze right now but it might be from the sun rising. Hopefully though things will warm up when the sun starts shining down. Things will start to thaw out at Friday around 9 am. 🌡️

Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 32 degrees at 2pm. Six degrees below normal, which is similiar to a typical day around December 27th. Southwest wind 6 to 11 mph. A year ago, we had cloudy skies. The high last year was 33 degrees. The record high of 62 was set in 1966. 7.3 inches of snow fell back in 2009.❄

The sun will set at 4:34 pm with dusk around 5:05 pm, which is one second later than yesterday. At sunset, look for clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 31 degrees. There will be a southwest breeze at 8 mph. Tomorrow will have 9 hours and 7 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 47 seconds over today.

Tonight will be scattered flurries after 4am. Increasing clouds ☁, with a low of 21 degrees at 12am. Two degrees below normal, which is similiar to a typical night around December 15th. Maximum wind chill around 19 at 6pm; Northwest wind 6 to 8 mph. In 2017, we had light snow and mist in the evening, remaining overcast into the early morning. It got down to 18 degrees. The record low of -4 occurred back in 1902.

Driving out here, it quite a snowy winter wonderland on Interstate 88 which prompted me to take it to the end then take the 13 mile jaunt north to Lisle rather than NY 206 through Greene.❄ There was a ton of salt on the road so nothing stuck but I wanted to avoid hills. Plus 206 followed by 79 to Ithaca can feel like forever with all the small towns and traffic. NY 79 didn’t disappoint with speed traps, traffic and aggressive drivers tailgating and blowing past you for the mortal sin of driving 50 mph in a 45 zone.

Lots of stars last night and it was good camping, although this time of year the nights are long. When I first got here it was a big rush to get things set up but then it wasn’t too bad once every thing was ready to go. I’ll probably make some changes to the campsite set up today but nothing too major. ⛺

Not a half bad night although a few times it got cold and I woke up and turned on the heater. Having a full tank I figured just use it to be comfortable. It should last for the five or six nights I’m out here, it’s not that expensive. ♨Last night was pretty nice but after the wind switched it got a cooler. Plus I kinda was awoken by the sound of the deer hunters closing the doors on their pick up trucks as they headed out in the field well before dawn.

The sun is well up now and I need to go to the facilities, and make breakfast before it gets dark out again. Should be a nice day with the sun and hopefully somewhat warmer temperatures. 😎

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Festivus 🍖 when the sun will be setting at 4:38 pm with dusk at 5:10 pm. On that day in 2017, we had freezing rain and clouds with temperatures between 36 and 25 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 33 degrees. We hit a record high of 64 back in 1990.

December 6, 2018 8 AM Update

Good morning! Happy Saint Nicholas Day 🎅! That’s a holiday that involves wooden shoes that are compostable I believe. A refreshing change from all that plastic and styrofoam. Four weeks to Latest Sunrise of the Winter 🌄. Even while the evenings get longer the mornings will be darker. Snow flurries, gray and 24 degrees in Delmar.❄ There is a south-southwest breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. Things will start to thaw out at around 10 am. 🌡️

Today will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 38 degrees at 4pm. More sun later, or so I hope. Still haven’t fixed the lights in my office, so dark days are so dark. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around December 8th. Southwest wind 6 to 9 mph. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies. The high last year was 53 degrees. The record high of 68 was set in 2001. 12.5 inches of snow fell back in 2003.❄

The sun will set at 4:21 pm with dusk around 4:53 pm, which is 6 seconds earlier than yesterday. Big whoop. 🌇 At sunset, look for mostly cloudy skies ☁ and temperatures around 36 degrees. There will be a southwest breeze at 8 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 10 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 3 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a slight chance of snow showers after 8pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 23 degrees at 6am. Two degrees below normal, which is similiar to a typical night around December 10th. Southwest wind 8 to 10 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2017, we had mostly clear skies with more clouds in the early hours of the next day. It got down to 26 degrees. The record low of -7 occurred back in 1901.

Tonight I’m going to go to Tractor Supply in Glenmont get my propane tank topped off and look at buying a good quality axe. 💨 My propane tank is more than half full but I want make sure I have a full tank that way I won’t have a cold night later next week. Running out of propane is no fun, especially winter camping.

Last night I loaded a bunch of my camping gear into the truck. As I noted yesterday, I tested out the heater and confirmed that id working well.♨ Heater smelled a little like pine sap when I first turned it on, must have gotten some sap on it last year.🌲 But it works well. I didn’t try out each hose, but I feel confident that both are working fine and are dirt-free. I am thinking about ordering another lantern globe from Walmart and picking it up either on Friday or Saturday, just to be safe and m

I am thinking about getting some warm white Christmas lights to decorate the campsite, and I found some non lighted decorations around the apartment. 🎄Long nights this time of year but I figure I can fill them with color. 🎁 Assuming we have as much sun as they are promising, I’m should have plenty of power for the long nights. In the winter, with out shading from the trees, the solar panel really does an awesome job.

Still chewing over what campsite is want to get, a year around plowed road is my strong preference, as is sheltered from the wind. That will keep me safe from an unexpected heavy snow fall, which seems unlikely based on next week’s forecast. Cell service also is nice to pass the time on the long nights. 🌃 I’d also like a good view of the stars from the site and lots of sun for the solar panel. I’m not sure if I can have all those things, and it’s possible certain campsites will be taken by hunters or inaccessible due to snow banks, although I could always shovel them out. But I have some good ones on mind.

One problem I may is getting water during this time of year, as many lakes may be frozen. I am sure there are some springs and ponds I can break to get water though. 🌊 I’ll bring six gallons of water, and then if I can need to get more water, I’ll break the ice or find some open water. I bet Seneca Lake still has open water that I could get from the shoreline, I don’t think that’s frozen yet. This time of year, I will make sure my water bottles are connected to a long rope in case I drop them, and they start to float away in the frigid water, as happened camping in November a few years back, and I almost permanently lost it in the drink.🚰

Looking ahead, there are 4 weeks until Latest Sunrise of the Winter 🌄 when the sun will be setting at 4:34 pm with dusk at 5:06 pm. On that day in 2018, we had rain, drizzle, freezing drizzle, mist, cloudy skies and temperatures between 37 and 31 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 31 degrees. We hit a record high of 61 back in 1913.

I have next week off from work.

I have next week off from work. With the shorter days and cooler weather my plans are less ambitious than what would have happened in November but I expect have a nice trip out in the Finger Lakes late autumn camping under blue skies and starry nights. 🌌

I wanted to call the Forest Service today to see if the road I’m thinking camping on is plowed in the winter in case of snow, although I don’t think there is much snow at all up there based on the forecast. ⛺My tent wouldn’t hold up in the snow at any rate, so I would need to head home if snow was in the forecast. I will bring a snow shovel and a bag of rock salt just in case. I’m not going to park far from the road, I’ll instead bring like 100 ft of power cord to feed power back from the accessory battery to the campsite.

I’m looking at getting a good quality axe for splitting wood. I have a hatchet and a saw but I’m thinking I will need to build up a pretty good wood supply.🔥 That said, I won’t have a fire until dusk at quarter to five o’clock and if it gets cold out I’ll probably retire to the tent for the night, and can warm up next to the heater on low, shutting it off before bed. I’ll make sure to put fresh batteries in the co detector, not that I’ve ever seen it read above “5” and that’s usually from campfire smoke blowing in the tent. I doubt I’ll stay up much past 8 or 9 pm most nights and then wake up each morning before dawn around 7 am so I can start breakfast and have coffee ready and breakfast well underway before the sun rises around 7:30 am. ☕It’s fun watching the sun rise on a crisp morning, sitting out next to the heater. ✉

I got to oil up my guns well so they don’t rust with the moisture. 🔫 I need my back tag, it’s southern zone. I got to bring my good knives too. I need to find all the tarps and bungees I have so I can build a wind block.💨 I don’t expect a ton of wind but even a light breeze can make it cold this time of year. I need to test out the heater and lantern either on Wednesday or Thursday to make sure they are working. Don’t expect problems but it’s better to be safe. 💡

I want to park the truck where I am not only close to the road but also have good southerly exposure for the solar panel. 🔲 I expect with the bright sunny skies I should have plenty of sun to fully charge the accessory battery and freshen up the starting battery without ever having to start the engine although I’ll probably still idle the truck for ten minutes if I’m there for multiple days to be safe. I’m figuring the accessory battery when fully charged in the cold conditions will have 40 amp hours at 12 volts each night or 480 watt hours. It’s a 105 amp hour battery but the low voltage relay disconnects the load once it falls below 12.1 volts or 50%. It actually cuts out a bit earlier than that due to line drop but it’s keeping the battery really healthy. I should be good for power as long as I limit my consumption to reasonable amounts – and there is plenty of sun hitting the panel each day.😎 Certainly when I have an off grid cabin I’d want a bigger system but for now my system works great, ever since I added the panel.

I got some books from the library and I am looking at some others to pack from home or get through interlibrary loan. 📚 Long nights mean a lot of reading, which will be good especially with the gas lantern and maybe electric lights. I also plan to listen a lot to the radio and podcasts. 📻 Where I’m camping might not have really good cell service from the campsite itself but that’s fine, I spend too much time on social media at any rate. I will check in though from time to time.

I’m working on the packing list. Lots of long underwear, insulated overalls, wool socks, boots, face mask, hats and gloves. Usual winter stuff. I might bring skis as there might be cross country skiing opportunities. I don’t know for sure though. I’ll have plenty to stay warm and if I need additional things Walmart isn’t that far away.

Also working on a menu for supplies. Higher calorie foods in the cold are good. 🍛 Been reading a lot lately about stews one can make easily on a cold night in the wilderness using common ingredients. Plan to make a lot of rolls and muffins, soup and pizza. The camp oven will be put to good use. I really should pick a few different recipes to try out for the first time as I have a lot of time at night. I’m not worried about cooking after dark with all the lights and listening to the radio or music – few animals are bold enough to raid a campsite like that. I’ll have my shotgun around if animals need a louder bang to get the message to take off. 🍪 Don’t expect I’ll need to buy much ice during the week.

Mostly will stay near camp, hunting and hiking the nearby woods. ⛺ One day or two might visit a few other state parks and forests and maybe head down to the Watkins Glen library one day and see the lights in town at dusk – probably when I need supplies. I’ll have to go to Ithaca though if I run out of propane. Not planning to do a lot of traveling on this trip.🚗 I lack a set return date – I took the full week off from work but I’m really thinking 4-5 nights but maybe longer if the weather is good and I’m having a good time. I don’t have a set schedule.

Snow camping or no camping!

I have been looking at the snow depth charts for the North Country and doubt I’ll be doing any snow camping anytime soon. They say there is over two feet of snow along the East Branch of the Sacandaga River, meaning that the snow banks are likely in excess of four feet high in many places. Last weekend there was much less snow up there, I think I missed my opportunity to get up there before the heavy snow came.

Now the question becomes what is next? Maybe a night or two of snow camping. There are local favorites like drag my tent on a sled back to Cole Hill State Forest. I’ve done that the past two winters. It’s relatively easy but still kind of work set up and take down and I so miss the colorful lights from truck cap camping.

NY 8 along the East Branch isn’t a bad thing if I can get several snow free, not so cold, not so snowy days up north there. But that’s easier said than done in the winter. If I plan early enough I can dig out a parking spot, drag my gear back. It’s kind of noisy with the traffic but it’s nice to get away.

I’ve always had my eye on going to Balsam Swamp State Forest in Chenango County as that campground road is maintained and plowed all winter for ice fishing so it would mean all I would have to do is dig out a campsite and I could camp and fish there.

I’ve also had a lot of interest in the Finger Lakes National Forest as I believe Potomac and Picnic Area Roads are plowed year around. Again I’d have to dig out the campsite but it’s very doable. I’d probably hot tent but I’d also have the solar from the truck to keep things fully charged.

It looked like one year Brown Road was plowed to the old school house but I don’t know if Brookfield does that every year and how often they plow. It’s also still a bit of a distance from the road to the campsites at Cherry Ridge but if we got a heat wave and some rain the lake effect snow could disappear in December. Latest models offer little hope for this but as warm weather saturates the mid west some could push east, and warm things up here.

Most other locations are difficult to access if the snow is deep.
Honestly even when I pitch a tent, I like having my truck nearby for power and ease of loading and unloading gear. Sure I can drag gear back but it’s a lot of work, especially if the snow is deep.

No snow camping for now

I have been looking at the snow depth charts for the North Country and doubt I’ll be doing any snow camping anytime soon. They say there is over two feet of snow along the East Branch of the Sacandaga River, meaning that the snow banks are likely in excess of four feet high in many places. Last weekend there was much less snow up there, I think I missed my opportunity to get up there before the heavy snow came.

Now the question becomes what is next? Maybe a night or two of snow camping. There are local favorites like drag my tent on a sled back to Cole Hill State Forest. I’ve done that the past two winters. It’s relatively easy but still kind of work set up and take down and I so miss the colorful lights from truck cap camping.

NY 8 along the East Branch isn’t a bad thing if I can get several sunny, not so cold, not so snowy days up north there. But that’s easier said than done in the winter. If I plan early enough I can dig out a parking spot, drag my gear back. It’s kind of noisy with the traffic but it’s nice to get away.

It looked like one year Brown Road was plowed to the old school house but I don’t know if Brookfield does that every year and how often they plow. It’s also still a bit of a distance from the road to the campsites at Cherry Ridge but if we got a heat wave and some rain the lake effect snow could disappear in December. Latest models offer little hope for this but as warm weather saturates the mid west some could push east, and warm things up here.

Most other locations are difficult to access if the snow is deep. Honestly even when I pitch a tent, I like having my truck nearby for power and ease of loading and unloading gear. Sure I can drag gear back but it’s a lot of work, especially if the snow is deep.

I went for a nice little walk this evening, heading out on the Albany County Rail Trail to Tygert Road and back on foot.

I went for a nice little walk this evening, heading out on the Albany County Rail Trail to Tygert Road and back on foot. I’ve been trying to do more walking lately, as I need to get in better shape, as when I was stuck running the office in North Syracuse I spent too many hours in front of a desk. I did way too much motoring when I was out in North Syracuse, I really enjoy hoofing it around town, seeing more from the sidewalk then from the wheel of an automobile.

It was a pretty hike but it makes me crave being in the wilderness or out in the back country. Some of those farm field scenes with the background of the Heldebergs really stir my soul. Still a bunch of corn standing there, drying out before harvest. I was hoping to get down and see more of Allegany County, Cattaraugus County and more of deep rural New York. It’s beautiful country out there. I’ve spent some time down there in years past but then lake effect snow, work and other constraints got in the way.

I seriously thought about going up to the Adirondacks this weekend but honestly I thought it would be a long trip, dragging a lot of gear back to the campsite only to take down tomorrow as I have to be back to work on Tuesday, and the fact they’re predicting snow on Tuesday up north. I do regret not going up there with the beautiful evening, although it still would have been a pain pitching a tent and doing a lot of shoveling of snow for one night at camp. My work boots leak so my feet would probably be wet… I have my hunting boots but I won’t wear them lest I get them all smokey or much less burnt on the tips like I usually end up doing with my work boots.

Regardless, it was a good day.

Andy Arthur.org

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