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August 13, 2020 Evening

Good evening! Clear and 72 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. ๐ŸŒƒ There is a north-northeast breeze at 5 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 58 degrees.

It was a nice day ๐Ÿ‘ to explore part of the Finger Lakes I had never been to before. The Kueka Outlet Trail is pretty darn neat winding through a gorge past numerous ruins of old mills. ๐Ÿค One thing that surprised me that there was enough water power to run all those mills – when I was there the water was flowing but hardly a torrent. It might be different in the spring or after a heavy rain storm โ˜” – it’s been a pretty dry summer in the Finger Lakes although nothing like 2015.

Hiked ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿฝ from Penn Yan to Dresden a total of 13 miles round trip. While this is not a strenuous hike by any means – it’s a 200 feet ascent heading west over 6 1/2 miles it was still an all afternoon hike and I was tired ๐Ÿ˜ด with the heat. I did do a short walk around downtown Penn Yan ๐Ÿ™ which still has a fairly intact main street then visited the village park overlooking the lake. Ironically, when you are at one of the tips or Keuka Lake you really don’t get that scenic of a vista as all you see is the tine of the fork ๐Ÿดand big hill in the center.

Came back and got ice at Dandy Mart. Forgot to buy coffee โ˜• again for the morning. Spent a little time down at Clute Park but I was tired ๐Ÿ’ค and didn’t want to drive to camp in the dark so I left before sunset ๐ŸŒ‡. Came back and had hot dogs and beer ๐ŸŒญ๐Ÿบ, I’m definitely ready for bed now.

I thought about hiking to Foster Pond but after a few beers ๐Ÿป and all the walking ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿฝ I did today, I decided it’s not advisable. I’m just super tired. I find it hard to get as good of night sleep in the woods as I do at home, especially if I stay up late and then wake up when the sun โ˜€ is pouring in my window. โฌœ

I have a bunch of pictures to upload ๐Ÿ—บ๏ธ but I’ll wait until tomorrow when I head into town. I wanted to process them a bit more on my phone before uploading. I also have some pictures I want to get off my dash cam to upload.

Tonight will be mostly clear ๐ŸŒƒ, with a low of 64 degrees at 5am. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 60 at 1am. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 66 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1941.

Tonight will have a Waining Crescent ๐ŸŒ˜ Moon with 28% illuminated. The darkest hour is at 1:13 am, followed by dawn at 5:43 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:14 am in the east-northeast (69ยฐ) and last for 3 minutes and 4 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 4 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ The golden hour ends at 6:53 am with sun in the east-northeast (76ยฐ). Tonight will have 10 hours and 3 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 29 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 87 degrees at 3pm. Six degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 63 at 9am. Calm wind becoming northeast 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning, which became thunderstorm by afternoon. It was sticky. The high last year was 84 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1988.

Going to be another hot and sunny day tomorrow. ๐ŸŠ๐Ÿปโ€โ™‚๏ธ I think it would be a good day to spend one more day at the Watkins Glen State Park pool on a relatively quiet weekday. and maybe hike more of the Catharine Valley Rail Trail, maybe south of Montour Falls this time. ๐Ÿš‚ And maybe one last ice cream cone at Glen Dairy Bar. ๐ŸฆSaturday I will probably stay in the National Forest for social distancing purposes but I’m thinking of doing some fishing ๐ŸŽฃ and swimming of Caywood Point and maybe if it seems like the water is calm, paddling from Watkins Glen to Hector Point. Sunday I probably will hang out at camp for a while then maybe go for a hike around the rim of Taughannock and then head home around 1 pm, probably via NY 23.๐Ÿ›ฃ๏ธ

It seems odd that this trip I haven’t visited the Taughannock Gorge so far ๐Ÿ•‹ or Enfield Glen. While I like those places a lot they tend to be crowded and I have little interest in visiting any crowded places during the pandemic. I am trying to keep this trip simple and relaxing plus visiting new places in the Finger Lakes that I’ve not spent a lot of time in the past. Gorges are great but I am really truly hard to maintain social distancing. ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ‘ฆโ€๐Ÿ‘ฆWhile COVID-19 doesn’t have me hiding all the time in my home, I really try to avoid places where maintaining social distancing is impossible.๐Ÿ—ฃ๏ธ

Before hiking today I sprayed heavily my hammock with another coat of Martin’s Permethrin. ๐Ÿœ Bugs haven’t been bad camping but I figured it’s a nice low humidity, non windy day so it should soak in good as some time in the future might be buggy again. Permethrin has a bit of a funny smell at first but it dissappears after airing out. ๐Ÿ‘ƒ

In four weeks on September 10 the sun will be setting in the west (277ยฐ) at 7:25 pm,๐ŸŒ„ which is 45 minutes and 37 seconds earlier then today. In 2019 on that day, we had mostly sunny and temperatures between 77 and 52 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 75 and 54 degrees. The record high of 96 degrees was set back in 1931.

Looking ahead, 6:30 Sunrise ๐ŸŒ‡ is in 4 weeks, Constitution Day ๐Ÿ“œ is in 5 weeks, October ๐Ÿ›ฅ and Harvest Moon ๐ŸŒ• is in 7 weeks, Average High is 60 ๐Ÿ‚ is in 9 weeks, Average Night Below Freezing ๐ŸŒŒ is in 3 months, Thanksgiving ๐Ÿฆƒ is in 15 weeks, 7:15 AM Sunrise โŒ›๏ธ is in 17 weeks, Christmas Eve ๐ŸŽ… is in 19 weeks, New Years Eve ๐ŸŽ† is in 20 weeks, Make Your Dream Come True Day ๐Ÿก is in 5 months, Coldest Week of the Year ๐ŸŒฌ is in 22 weeks, Wolf Moon ๐ŸŒ• is in 24 weeks, Don’t Cry over Spilled Milk Day ๐Ÿฅ› is in 26 weeks and National Drink Wine Day ๐Ÿท is in 27 weeks.

Eli Navigates

July 8, 2019 Night

Good evening! Clear and 73 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. ๐ŸŒŸ The dew point is 56 degrees. Pleasant summer evening, sat out back for a while with a book.

I could have gone for my evening walk but I was tired and lazy. ๐ŸšถI did get the camping gear put back in the crawl space so I won’t be tripping on it come the morning. I’ll will want to get the cooler out for Saturday when I do the overnight in Schoharie County. It might be fun to check out the not so Old Blenheim Bridge then besides all the other activities I mentioned earlier.

Tonight will be clear ๐ŸŒƒ, with a low of 57 degrees at 5am. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around June 18th. Maximum dew point of 56 at 9pm. Calm wind. In 2018, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 61 degrees. The record low of 41 occurred back in 1963.

Tonight will have a First Quarter with 57% illuminated with the moon setting at 12:43 am. The moon will set at 1:00 am. The First Quarter Moon will be tonight with partly cloudy skies. The Buck Moon ๐ŸŒ is next Monday. The sun will rise at 5:26 am with the first light at 4:51 am, which is 43 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ Tonight will have 8 hours and 51 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 7 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 86 degrees at 3pm. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 57 at 8am. Should be another nice day. Light northwest wind. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 92 degrees. The record high of 103 was set in 1936.

Busy day at work. ๐Ÿข But I’m getting caught up on things and I’m figuring it will make the week go fast. Two nights of Pine Bush events coming up followed by me going to John Wolcott house ๐Ÿก for more Albany history files. ๐Ÿ“‚ Almost done with the project, maybe I’ll end up doing Schenectady next although I don’t know its been a laborous process.

Ordered another, actually two burners for the camp stove ๐Ÿ”ฅ although I only need to replace one now – oddly enough the one that gets the least use. I figured save on shipping and have the part handy. The old one just rusted through probably from all the liquids boiling over and causing rust plus I may have applied pressure to it causing the rust to lead to cracks. If one fails the second won’t be far away.

In four weeks on August 5 the sun will be setting at 8:10 pm,๐ŸŒ„ which is 24 minutes and 24 seconds earlier then tonight. Summer vacation will just be a distant memory then. In 2018 on that day, we had hot, humid, sunny, patches of fog and temperatures between 90 and 63 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 82 and 61 degrees. The record high of 99 degrees was set back in 1955.

My summer vacation is in two weeks. โ›บ Finger Lakes for the first half of the week then I want to camp in Allegany County in the state forest were the Harry Women of Canasserga hang out, do a day trip to Letchworth State Forest,โ›ฒ camp at Rock City then Allegany State Park and then down to the Alleghany National Forest. ๐ŸŠ

I am thinking about the week before Columbus Day this year for my autumn trip to Pennsylvania and West Virginia. ๐Ÿ‚This year the focus will be on those states, no trips to Virginia, but I’ll probably head farther south in West Virginia to see the big New River Gorge bridge ๐ŸŒ‰ on the West Virginia coin. Plus maybe a few overnights in Dolly Sods. Maybe too early for peak color in places but who knows, Dolly Sods is quite high elevation.

Looking ahead, Cow Appreciation Day ๐Ÿ‚ is in 1 weeks, Work Like a Dog Day ๐Ÿฉ is in 4 weeks, Last Sunset After 8 PM ๐ŸŒ† is in 5 weeks, National Dog Day ๐Ÿฉ is in 7 weeks, Labor Day ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿญ is in 8 weeks and Columbus Day ๐Ÿ›ฅ๏ธ is in 13 weeks.

Edge of Barnum Pond

July 3, 2019 Morning

Good morning! What day is it? Get Away Day before Independence Day, of course. Four weeks to Teeth Cleaning Day ๐Ÿ˜ƒ. I figure that way I’ll remember the appointment. Partly sunny and 68 degrees at the Elm Ave Park & Ride – CDTA. That said, the driver ain’t waiting, she left the station ๐Ÿš‰ a minute early, dropped the hammer ๐Ÿ”จ at the green light ๐Ÿšฆ and has powered through at least one red light. Must be her last trip of the day. Calm wind. The dew point is 64 degrees. Hot and humid.

That said maybe she was flying โœˆ because she knew how bad the traffic would be in the Empire State Plaza. ๐Ÿš•๐Ÿš“๐Ÿš—๐Ÿš๐ŸšŒ Things are so pokey this morning. With the traffic delays going through I’m kind of glad I didn’t drive in, as it’s a lot more fun to be blogging on my phone, sitting on the air conditioned bus then wrangling my way through bumper to bumper traffic. I’m sure I’ll have my share to deal with this afternoon.

Things are packed except for the cooler and the propane but I’ll get those things after work and be off by six or maybe earlier if they close the office down early. ๐Ÿข I expect a slow commute for the first half hour but the air conditioning works well in the truck and it’s not like it gets real dark until like 9:15 pm or later in the Adirondacks this time of year. Google Maps estimates with traffic, I’ll be to Wakely Dam by 8:40. ๐ŸŒ„

I expect it will be a nice weekend at Moose River Plains, but certainly a hot one too. I heard it was going to be buggy, ๐Ÿœso I bought a container of DEET, Picardin and Oil of Eucalyptus insect repellents. All but the Picardin came in plastic spray bottles, which is handy for when they run out — don’t have to save and bring to transfer station. Hopefully that will control the bugs well.

I am bringing the kayak, as one night I’ll probably take it out on Helldiver Pond for some evening fishing and enjoying the sunset. ๐ŸŽฃ I doubt I’ll go out on Cedar River Flow this year, but my mind could change. Or maybe I’ll take it out on one of Chain Lakes or even Moss Lake. I’m thinking of on Saturday doing the Stillwater Firetower — or maybe Sunday, it depends on what the weather looks like come Saturday and how soon the front come through.๐Ÿšถ

Today will be mostly sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 89 degrees at 4pm. Seven degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 64 at 8am. Light north wind. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. It was humid. The high last year was 94 degrees. The record high of 102 was set in 1911. The real humidity builds on after I’m up in the Adirondacks.

The sun will set at 8:36 pm with dusk around 9:11 pm, which is 13 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At sunset, look for mostly clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ and temperatures around 81 degrees. The dew point will be 62 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 15 hours and 13 minutes of daytime, an increase of 48 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be mostly clear ๐ŸŒƒ, with a low of 63 degrees at 5am. Two degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 62 at 8pm. Calm wind. In 2018, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It became very sticky as the night progressed. It got down to 71 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1971.

On this day in 1886, the New-York Tribune becomes the first newspaper to use a linotype machine, ๐Ÿ’ป eliminating typesetting by hand โœ‹. I am pretty sure that like a computer only a little bit more primative. Now they probably use computers but not at Tribune because they don’t exist any more.

Independence Day will be sunny and hot, with a high near 91. โ˜€ Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. Muggy as duck with dew points approaching or exceeding seventy. Even in Pennsylvania you can get a ticket for going that fast. I’m glad I’ll be up in the Adirondacks sipping and ice cold beer. ๐Ÿป I just hope that I won’t run out beer but they probably sell that in Inlet.

Friday starts the dog days of summer. ๐Ÿถ Hot and muggy. Scattered showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. โ˜€ Partly sunny, with a high near 89. South wind 7 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Summer weather, with the muggers in full force.

Saturday looks pretty unstable but Sunday will be absolutely beautiful. ๐Ÿ˜• Saturday, showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 8am, then showers likely between 8am and noon, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after noon. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Maximum dew point of 72 at 10am.

Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Maximum dew point of 60 at 6am. Typical average high for the weekend is 82 degrees. Sunday will be really nice, I should try to maximize the most of the day. I might do some hiking on one of the shorter trails along NY 28 south of Old Forge, as that’s the way I plan to come home.

Looking ahead, there are 4 weeks until *MY* Teeth Cleaning Day ๐Ÿ˜ƒ when the sun will be setting at 8:16 pm with dusk at 8:48 pm. On that day in 2018, we had partly sunny and temperatures between 86 and 67 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 82 degrees. We hit a record high of 98 back in 1917.

Saturday night

April 8, 2019 Morning

Good morning! Monday’s come back around again. The problem is all inside your head she said to me. The answer is simple if you take it logically. Next Monday is Tax Day ๐Ÿ’ฐ. Happy poverty day next week. Cloudy, damp, but no rain right now around 52 degrees in the land of the Delmaritian. โ˜” There is a light south-southeast breeze. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 46 degrees. I’m thinking ๐Ÿ’ญ the rain should start greening up the grass in city. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Thursday around 1 am. โ˜ƒ๏ธ

Hop on the bus Gus, don’t need to discuss much. With the dark skies โ˜ it was had to get going this morning and I sprinted down to the bus stop ๐Ÿšas the bus approached. It’s a Monday but I’m hoping this won’t be too ungodly of a week at work. ๐ŸฆTaking a regular 40 foot bus downtown, Gillig 4175. I had a bit of a headache this morning, which made it tough to get out of bed early.

Today will have a chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11am. Mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 67 degrees at 5pm. 12 degrees above normal, which is similiar to a typical day around May 6th. Maximum dew point of 51 at 2pm. South wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had partly cloudy in the morning, which became mostly sunny by afternoon. The high last year was 39 degrees. The record high of 88 was set in 1929. 4.5 inches of snow fell back in 1907.โ„

Back to work today. Not a pay day today but one next week. I’m fine with that as next Monday is tax day when I pay the state and then the following Tuesday the state pays me a paycheck. ๐Ÿ”„ It’s called recycling. It’s what you do Earth Day that is for the cans and others things that don’t burn well. Granted I always try to do good work for my paycheck, I can’t say the opposite is true. I think I’m signed up for defensive driving that day, I’ll have to check my schedule and take the appropriate day off from work.

I can’t complain that much about the rain โ˜” as things were getting kind of dried out yesterday and there was a brush fire ๐Ÿ”ฅ yesterday up by Tommells Feedlot ๐Ÿฎ or maybe the Clarksville dump and transfer station. While one can say Pete Grannis’ open burning regulations are retarded, you can see the sensibility of the regulations in Virginia that ban burning before six PM when the humidity increases. You can always compost brush or buy a trash can to store trash until it gets wetter out. And keep a hose handy and an eye on whatever you are burning.

At least it was warm enough to leave the windows open all night which made for good sleeping. ๐Ÿ”ฒ 68 degrees in the bedroom when I fell asleep, 61 degrees by morning when I got out of bed. It got up to 74 degrees in my bedroom by afternoon yesterday. Sure beats struggling to keep the heat in the mid 50s in the winter. โ„ I really enjoy the fresh air in them morning. ๐Ÿƒ It’s even better when it’s summer and I’m camping up in the wilderness.

The sun will set at 7:29 pm with dusk around 7:58 pm, which is one minute and 9 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies ๐ŸŒƒ and temperatures around 63 degrees. The dew point will be 48 degrees. There will be a west breeze at 10 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 5 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 51 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒฅ, with a low of 45 degrees at 5am. 10 degrees above normal, which is similiar to a typical night around May 8th. West wind 5 to 9 mph. In 2018, we had mostly clear in the evening, which became mostly sunny by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 23 degrees. The record low of 16 occurred back in 1977.

Tomorrow will have a chance of showers, mainly after noon. Partly sunny ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 59 degrees at 2pm. Four degrees above normal, which is similiar to a typical day around April 16th. Light and variable wind becoming west 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy in the morning, which became mostly sunny by afternoon. The high last year was 44 degrees. The record high of 77 was set in 1991. 13.3 inches of snow fell back in 2000.โ„

Yesterday was kind of a gray day, kind of hazy with thicker clouds in the afternoon. I wouldn’t say it was a bad day, although I hate hazy spring days with the light so defuse it kind of gives me a headache and makes it a bit hard to see as everything is kind of gray. โ˜ I didn’t feel all that great either. Not sick but not well either.

Needless to say, I didnโ€™t go to the Catskills to hike although I did go for a short walk on the rail trail up to Font Grove before turning around and heading home because I was tired of nearly tripping over the dog walkers ๐Ÿถ and getting run over by the cyclist ๐Ÿšด. I don’t go for a walk or out in nature be surrounded by a million people. If I wanted to be in crowds I’d just go downtown like I do for work.

My parents cooked steak and the fixings on the grill for Sunday dinner. ๐Ÿ– It was a nice dinner and they made brownies for desert. Made it home before dark tonight. ๐ŸŒ… That’s good because last night was so dark driving home and there was a shit ton of deer along the road looking to hand out $250 collision deductibles. Fortunately I made it home safely, then hung my clothes in the closet in preparation for the work week.

Did some cleaning on the bathroom ๐Ÿšฝ after buying a new plastic brush and some toilet cleaner. I’ve tried laundry soap but I have better luck with the toilet cleaner. Also cleaned out the shower ๐Ÿšฟ, it was kind of a mess with soap scum. The soap dissolving acid works well. I could probably do a lot more scrubbing throughout my apartment but cleaning really ain’t my fortay. I kind of like my rundown apartment, that’s why I’ve lived here nearly 12 years.

I went for my evening walk and it was warm enough to sit out back for an hour and listen to the spring peepers. ๐Ÿธ Not really loud tonight but they’re singing ๐ŸŽถ their song. No stars โœจ as it was cloudy with the rain pushing in. I thought about buying a case of beer ๐Ÿป for drinking out back but I really don’t like the expense or health consequences of drinking alcohol anymore. Alcohol not only gets you intoxicated and leaves you with a hang over, it’s a carcinogen. ๐Ÿšฌ Plus you get drinking and the next thing you want is a drag on a cigarette and that’s even worse.

As previously noted, next Monday is Tax Day ๐Ÿ’ฐ when the sun will be setting at 7:37 pm with dusk at 8:06 pm. On that day in 2018, we had freezing rain showers, cold, mostly cloudy and temperatures between 36 and 28 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 58 degrees. We hit a record high of 86 back in 2003.

A picture perfect weekend on tap. ๐Ÿ˜Ž Saturday, partly sunny, with a high near 60. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 55. Typical average high for the weekend is 57 degrees.

This next weekend the plan is to take the bottles and cans to the transfer station, โ™ป after cleaning out the refrigerator and searching the bathroom for recyclable cans and bottles. Then I’ll repack my truck for camping โ›บ. I also want to get that new brake switch installed โญ• and hopefully have the cruise control working again on the truck. I don’t know if I will go camping during the following Easter weekend ๐Ÿฐ as the weather currently doesn’t look that great and there is a lot of snow up north but I could change my mind. ๐Ÿ˜€

I am glad that it appears that I can fix the cruise control and problems with getting the truck out of park ๐Ÿ…ฟ by replacing the sub $20 brake switch next weekend. Probability on Saturday if I can get up to GM to buy another switch this week. I like things that are simple and easy to fix.๐Ÿ”ง I hate not having cruise control, as I’m so used to driving with it on all the time as it keeps my truck going at a lawful speed. ๐Ÿš™I’m willing to pay to get it fixed, if replacing the switch doesn’t fix it because having it working is cheaper than a ticket ๐ŸŽซ. The truck is easy to speed in with the highway gearing that makes it want to go faster than is lawful.

I saw yet another cop ๐Ÿ‘ฎ on 32 coming home from my parents tonight. They must be working overtime to pay for the governor’s million dollar pay raise. Must be nice to have a job that you are virtually guaranteed to get million dollars ๐Ÿ’ต after four years. I’d take if offered, invest virtually all of it, buy land out in the country after my first four years as governor and basically retire. I save whatever I can these days and I work hard at my job but I’m not making any million dollars every four years. ๐Ÿ’ฐ

Earth Day is a week from Monday ๐ŸŒŽ so I’ll working that day but maybe the previous day I’ll be up in the wilderness. At least I’ll be riding public transportation to get to work ๐ŸšŒand I always try to avoid waste wherever possible in my own life as money spent on things today is stolen from my future. It annoys me when people talk about how green they are, but consume 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity each month for their 5,000 square foot house, and always have a full trash can each week, even though they wash out their cans and eat organic food, half of which ends up in their composter because it rots before they eat it.

Tonight is the public hearing the county legislature is holding on taxing paper bags. ๐Ÿ“„Liberals think it’s the best thing since sliced bread ๐Ÿž as they have never seen a tax that they don’t like, even though the only benefit of the tax is it means that the county gets a few cents to buy filmsy woven plastic bags with County Executive Dan McCoy’s name to remind people of the importance of the re-election of incumbents.๐Ÿ“ฎ I wrote my legislature, I am not going to waste my time at a public hearing that’s going to be packed with the greenies who already know the legislature will enact this law.

Certainly PAUSE loves the tax, because apparently banning paper bags gives them a bigger boner ๐Ÿ†than saving the Pine Bush from yet another development. I’m just cranky that my county legislator who I didn’t vote for didn’t reply back to my email on this topic. I guess it doesn’t matter that much, I’m planning on using plastic milk crates for bringing home my groceries when the bags are finally banned.๐Ÿ“ฆI think the crates are a much easier way to keep organized and clean for bringing home groceries.

Definitely all and all a good weekend. ๐Ÿ‘I can look in despair at the direction of our country both at the local and federal level, but ultimately each day I’m saving more money ๐Ÿ’ต and taking care of my future even as our world ๐ŸŒ falls apart. I can’t change the world but I can better myself and my future. Plus I’m looking forward to camping โ›บ and traveling in a few weeks. Snow won’t last that much longer up north.

In four weeks on May 6 the sun will be setting at 8:01 pm,๐ŸŒ„ which is 31 minutes and 42 seconds later then today. In 2018 on that day, we had rain showers, partly sunny and temperatures between 65 and 54 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 67 and 44 degrees. The record high of 89 degrees was set back in 1930.

Looking ahead, Tax Day ๐Ÿ’ฐ is in 1 weeks, Earth Day ๐ŸŒŽ is in 2 weeks, Memorial Day ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ is in 7 weeks, Latest Sunset ๐ŸŒ† is in 11 weeks, July ๐ŸŠ๐Ÿฟ is in 12 weeks, Cow Appreciation Day ๐Ÿ‚ is in 14 weeks, Last Sunset After 8 PM ๐ŸŒ† is in 18 weeks, Labor Day ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿญ is in 21 weeks and Columbus Day ๐Ÿ›ฅ๏ธ is in 26 weeks.

 Main Street

WINONA STATE FOREST UMP

Senior Forester Ed Sykes
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Region 6
7327 State Route 812
Lowville, NY 13367

July 15, 2013

Dear Mr. Sykes:

ย RE: WINONA STATE FOREST UMP

The Draft Winona State Forest UMP appears to be incorrect as it relates to the Facilities Inventory, subsection โ€œDesignated Campsitesโ€ on page 24:

There are three designated campsites on Winona, and their locations are as follows:

ย โ€ข Co. Rte. 90, 0.1 mile east of the intersection of Brown and Co Rt. 90;

โ€ข On Bargy Rd., 0.3 mile south of CCC Camp;

โ€ข On Tucker Rd., 0.4 mile east of the intersection of Bargy and Tucker Road

Based on my casual inspection of these locations, I was unable to locate these campsites. It is possible that these sites have not been mowed, reverted to woods, and/or do not have the required โ€œCamp Hereโ€ disks pursuant to NYCRR 6 Part 190.

There is however, one relatively well-used campsite near GPS location N 43.69528 W 75.97681. This site is located roughly 300 feet south of the intersection of Bargy Road and Dog Leg Trail. It is indicated by a โ€œCamp Hereโ€ disk, and is consists of a stone fire ring, and a hardened-with-gravel camping pad.

Many traveling New Yorkers enjoy having drive-to, โ€œroad-side campsitesโ€, that provide minimal facilitiesย  but allow one to camp there with a pickup truck with a camper top, or a small-tow along camper, such a pop-up or tear-drop camper. Likewise, people with families appreciate being able to pull into a campsite, set up a tent, without having to carry it back to the woods. In the western Tug Hill Plateau, this is the only location that offers this essentially primitive-style camping.

The DEC should designate five (5) roadside campsites along the various roads in Winona State Forest.

The Next Morning

ย These campsites should follow the design of roadside campsites in the Adirondack Park, e.g.

all campsites should be at least a quarter mile apart (at least out of eye-shot/ear-shot each other),

  • be properly designated with โ€œCamp Hereโ€ disks,
  • set back at least 150 ft from water, trails, and other facilities; and
  • consist of a gravel-hardened pull off with shading from the road, and a small stone-fire ring.
  • No other facilities should be a provided, except for outhouses, as decided based on usage.

Standard policies under NYCRR 6 Part 190, such as requiring a camping permit for stays longer then 3 nights, should apply.

DEC operations staff should be instructed to occasionally maintain the campsites, such as mowing and litter removal, similar to what is currently done along roadsides and in parking/assembly areas. DEC Forest Rangers and law enforcement should also occasionally patrol the area, especially on Friday evenings in May and June, to discourage littering and abuse by young adults during the end of school year.

Finally, the DEC Forester should GPS the location of such campsites. and provide such data to the centralized DEC Maintenance Management System (MMS) in Albany, and provide campsite locations on maps and informational kiosks.

Winona Forest CCC Camp

Many people choose roadside camping over state and private campgrounds, or primitive camping the backcountry on undesigned and undeveloped sites. Many like the privacy of roadside camping, the social nature of it, the ability to listen to music without disturbing others in the close-proximity conditions that exist in state campgrounds. By expanding roadside camping opportunities on this state land, it will expand the use of these lands in summer months.

Winona State Forest offers a lot to the visitor, including miles of hiking, mountain biking, and horse trails. The miles of roads provide scenic driving, and access to the interior forest for hunting and nature observation. The forest is a short drive to Salmon River Reservoir and Lakeview Marsh WMA which offer fishing, boating, and other opportunities. Expanding camping opportunities will enhance the publicโ€™s use of this area.

Thank you for reviewing these comments. I look forward to reviewing the revised draft Winona UMP.

Sincerely,

Andy Arthur

Winona Recreation Area

The Winona Recreation Area, aka the Winona and Jefferson State Forests has a series of informal campsites throughout it’s miles and truck trails, that are also used by ATVs and snowmobiles based on the time of the year. Known for the large amount of snow the area gets, it’s one of the most vast state parcels in the Tug Hill Plateau.

In the past I’ve camped on an undesignated site with a firepit on Bargby Road. There are other sites around, but I don’t know the area that well, and the sites ar not listed online. You might consider contacting the local Forest Ranger about getting a permit and some other ideas.

Be careful driving around here, as many of the truck trails are very rough and muddy, and you will be sharing them with ATVs in the summer season. They are real fun if you want to get some mud on your pickup truck. It’s by far one of the best places to find rough and muddy state truck trails in NY State, and tons of snow in the winter. I camped there in April 2004 (no snow), but it was cold. โ€” Andy

“Over the past years, many different groups have enjoyed the use of these trails, but this has made for some difficulty in how to designate which trails would be used and for what purpose. The Western Edge Recreational Association was developed around 1995 to bring together all the users: skiers, snowmobilers, dog sledders, horse owners, hunters, bikers, and orienteering people.”

“With the melding of ideas, resources and manpower, Winona State Forest has become one of New York State’s best venues for recreation, and at the same time, provides valuable timber resources.”

“In 2005, DEC began developing a unit management plan (UMP) for Winona State Forest. A UMP must be completed before significant new recreational facilities, such as trails, camping sites, and parking areas can be constructed. The plans involve an extensive analysis of the natural features of an area and the ability of the land to accommodate public use. The DEC has primary responsibility for developing management plans for the State-owned lands. Draft plans are widely distributed for public comment and review prior to being finalized by DEC.”

โ€” NYSDEC Winona State Forest.

“The Winona Forest Recreation Association (WFRA) maintains approximately 70 miles of trails in the Winona Forest and Jefferson County Forest Preserve. Both are located in the Tug Hill region of New York State. WFRA, which began as the Tug Hill Ski Club, has reorganized as the Winona Forest Recreation Association in order to include all user groups of the forest. WFRA membership consists of skiers, snowmobilers, atv riders, equestrians, mushers,snowshoers, bikers, hikers and many other outdoor sports enthusiasts. We’re not just an ordinary club!

“Winona Forest is one of the snowiest places east of the Rockies with an average snow fall of 250 inches per year! In winter, the prevailing westerly winds move cold winter air over the warm water of Lake Ontario producing massive lake effect snow falls on the Winona Forest in the Tug Hill area.”

โ€” Winona Forest Recreation Association.

Barby Road 2
Tucker Road 1

Summer afternoon

Hiking at Thacher Park/OSI Parcel, Sept ’09

Notes on the Re-Run for Monday, September 13th.

Two years ago, I went for a hike up at Thacher Park’s OSI Parcel. As a kid, I never was a big fan of Thacher Park, but I’ve fallen in love with the more wild areas, where one can go up and explore for free. Manicured parks, roamed by jack-booted thugs, aren’t my thing but the views from the OSI Parcel are amazing.

— Andy

I went out hiking with my dog on this Sunday afternoon. I parked at the Carrick Road Old Querry. There where several other cars parked there. Here is a map of the Thacher Park OSI Parcel with all of the many different trails that criss-cross these lands. You can click on this map to download it for printing.

Artificial fireflies

By September 20th, there where a few early signs of color, including this somewhat sickly looking Sugar Maple about a quarter mile from the query.

One Percent - A Visualization

From High Point on the Thacher Park Cliff it was as clear out there as it gets in the summer.

2022 Governor\'s Race in Albany County

With the cattle corn ready to harvest…

More Corn

A toad sat out sunning on the rocks of High Point.

Toad on Edge

As a horse show was going on down at the Altamont Fairgrounds.

Horse Show

And Albany sat in mild haze, below the Taconic Range, with Berlin Mountain towering above, from Hang Gliders Cliff.

Albany in July

Looking at Horseshoe Clove and all that lies beyond in the distance. A little bit of fall color, but still a bit to go.

Physiographic divisions of NY

Walking along the Yellow Trail out to Whipple Road. A few signs of color along here.

Filling in Meadow

The Yellow Trail is a snowmobile trail in the winter. This sign was installed by the local snowmobile club, and is kind of unusual for a hiking trail.

Twisty Trail

The Beaver Dam in the pond off the Red Trail from Whipple Road to Carrick Road.

Beaver Dam

… Thacher Park is not the Adirondacks or Green Mountains. It’s not the most remote parcel in the world, but it is close to Albany, offers some excellent views of the escarpment, and if you explore the OSI parcel to the north of main portion of park, it’s free to park and undeveloped and beautiful lands.