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Paw Paw and Heading North ๐Ÿพ

Good morning! Happy Saturday. Today I Head North! Cloudy โ›… and 67 degrees in Canaan Heights, WV. Super mild! There is a south-southeast breeze at 13 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. ๐ŸŒฌ๏ธ That wind is roaring around, unstable weather coming. But I’m heading off the Appalachian Front shortly.

Up at six o’clock taking camp down. ๐Ÿ•” Still quite dark out. To get a jump start on the day and limit pee breaks, ๐Ÿšฝ I hard boiled eggs ๐Ÿฅš last night and will have two eggs for protein with a banana ๐ŸŒ for sugar and some peppers maybe later on. โ˜• If I decide I really need coffee I can get some in Keyser this morning. Took the tent down last night โ›บ and packed and organized as much as I could last night, including writing much of this blog post last night. ๐Ÿ“

Today will likely rain โ˜” , mainly after 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67 at six AM. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 55 degrees. The record high of 78 was set in 1971. 2.0 inches of snow fell back in 1952.โ„

Today it’s off to Paw Paw Tunnel and ultimately Maryland then onward Pennsylvania. ๐Ÿšฒ The tunnel, part of the C – I Canal National Park Trailway looks neat, it’s a canal through a mountain. Sunday’s forecast looks very wet, so I don’t know if I’ll bother to go to Asaph Run in hoping to bike the Pine Creek Rail Trail after a quick overnight camp. โ›บ

It’s possible that I’ll decide to either do my overnight at County Bridge Campground or maybe if time allows, Long Pond State Forest in New York State. ๐Ÿ›ฃ๏ธ The later is free ๐Ÿ†“ and probably more on the route home, plus come Sunday it’s less than 2 hours home from there. If I do the later, I would probably take Interstate 80 from I 99 to I 81.

Or I could possibly overnight at the Paw Paw Campground, I’m just worried about of the drive in one day. ๐Ÿš˜ We’ll over six hours driving Interstate 81 which goes through several big cities like Harrisburg and Scranton versus the relatively quiet I-99. Really don’t want to drive more than four hours a day, with one hour play time and four hours to hike, bicycle or visit parks. ๐Ÿž

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 12:40 pm with sun having an altitude of 34.3ยฐ from the due south horizon (-36.5ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 8.8 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 5:16 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (246ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-southwest (253ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:55 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 2 seconds with dusk around 6:23 pm, which is one minute and 24 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Full ๐ŸŒ Moon in the east-northeast (75ยฐ) at an altitude of 6ยฐ from the horizon, 232,615 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 6:58 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ and temperatures around 63 degrees. The dew point will be 51 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 13 mph. Tomorrow will have 10 hours and 30 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 37 seconds over today.

Yesterday, I hiked 15 miles in Dolly Sods. ๐Ÿšถ Not a bad day but most of the day was grayer then I would have hoped. ๐ŸŒฅ Lot of haze too. Hiked in from the Canaan Valley Wildlife Refuge and along much of the ridge overlooking the wildlife refuge. It was good, I visited some of the more remote places in the wilderness, though still a lot of people exploring there. Sort of hoped to make it across to the top of the Allegheny Front and maybe Bears Rocks ๐Ÿป but time was tight with the early sunset ๐ŸŒ‡, no overnight parking ๐Ÿ…ฟ signs where I was parked and simply the trail I planned to cross the Red Creek with – Dobbins Grade is low water crossng not the case this week. ๐Ÿธ Plus the beaver dam. In the evening around sunset walked the new boardwalk in the wildlife refuge off Freeman Drive. Headed back to camp, had a nice dinner and some beer ๐Ÿป, took down the tent and organized my gear.

I haven’t posted many pictures ๐Ÿ“ธ to either Facebook or the blog due to connection issues here but also because I’m trying to maximize my remaining time here in West Virginia. Time is precious. โŒ› I figure all next week I can go through my photos and start sharing them, bringing back memories of what was on my trip.

Tonight will have mostly cloudy โ˜, with a low of 41 degrees at 6am. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around October 11th. Northwest wind 8 to 13 mph. In 2022, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 29 degrees. The record low of 19 occurred back in 1969.

Sunday will rain starting around dawn. ๐ŸŒง๏ธHigh near 45. Northeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

I’m expecting a wet ending to my vacation both Saturday night and definitely Sunday for the last leg of the trip home. ๐Ÿก It’s fine, it rained โ˜” on the way down here too at least through New York. The colors probably are pretty much gone for the return trip home I would assume. Then it looks to be cold next week once I’m home. Hoping to ride to work a few more times both ways before the time change but I’m not holding out my breath for too many days next week. ๐Ÿšฒ Might even need to turn the heat back on in my apartment. In contrast, it’s been so warm in West Virginia that I only used the propane heater on Sunday evening and Monday morning โ™จ๏ธ, the rest of the week it’s been shut off and locked ๐Ÿ”’ up.

In 1956, Elvis Presley receives a polio vaccination on national TV. ๐Ÿ’‰This single event is credited with raising immunization levels in the United States from 0.6% to over 80% in just six months.

Then next Saturday is Daylight Savings Time Ends ๐Ÿ›ฅ๏ธ when the sun will be setting at 5:46 pm with dusk at 6:14 pm. On that day in 2022, we had sunny, warm and temperatures between 71 and 46 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 54 degrees. We hit a record high of 76 back in 1994.

Already thinking next week about potentially a four day trip out to Madison County. ๐Ÿฎ Probably Stoney Pond and peddle around Cazenovia and the Cazenovia – Chittenango Rail Trail and possibly some of the single track mountain bike trails at Alfred Woodford and Tassel Hill. ๐Ÿšฒ Maybe take off the Monday before Election Day for a four day weekend as far away from politics as possible. Or the following Friday is Armstice Day aka Veterans Day Observed, so if I took off either Thursday or the following Monday, it’s another four day weekend. I want to get away one more time before rifle season ๐ŸฆŒ.

North East

I used to be so burly

And now I’m so tall and lanky compared to that picture on summer vacation three years ago with me wearing that second amendment t-shirt. The thing is the change was worth it, I’ve learned a lot about food and nutrition and I’m so much healthier these days, and my meals are so much filling without the hunger or extreme fullness I used to have.

Good morning! Happy Tuesday. Clouds, wildfire smoke and 69 degrees in Delmar, NY. โ˜๏ธ There is a south-southeast breeze at 5 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 66 degrees. The air quality index is 131, unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Today is the 200th Day of Year. โณOnly 165 days remain. It will be 2024 before you know it, a fact that a lot of people are already a lot more focused on then I am. Maybe because lately the markets have been on such an upswing. ๐Ÿ“ˆ I’m glad because the end of the year last year was so depressing. While there is storm clouds in the distance sometimes the storm breaks up and doesn’t hit and I’m young and I fundamentally believe that the US economy will continue to grow and if it slows too much the politicians will goose it and at least boost the markets. ๐Ÿฆ†

Another hot and humid summer morning with the wildfire smoke ๐ŸŒซ making everything look quite dull. At least there isn’t that acrid smell from the smoke currently like there was around dusk last night when I was riding back from Five Rivers Environmental Education Center. When you smell wildfire smoke it’s really not pleasant, more like smoldering PVC plastic then wood smoke. ๐Ÿคฎ And it kind of burns your lungs. Fortunately that’s not all the time, usually just around dusk when the air settles down.

Moving a bit slowly this morning ๐Ÿ›Œ though I slept surprisingly soundly. I didn’t get out walking until nearly 6:40 AM as I hit the snooze button a few times โฐ and then by the time I got downstairs, did the bathroom thing ๐Ÿšฝ and had some cold coffee โ˜•,  along with a hard-boiled egg I pulled out of the fridge, and a few carrots. ๐Ÿƒ Did my walk, then came home and had some cream of wheat, fresh blueberries and Greek yogurt for breakfast with a side of some red kidney beans with a bit of sugar-free maple syrup. Black beans, farmer market tomato, mushrooms and another hard-boiled egg for lunch. Not sure yet what is for dinner, maybe brown rice and shrimp, though the shrimp is still frozen. Haven’t had that in a while.

Today will have isolated showers before noon, then scattered showers and thunderstorms between noon and 3pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 3pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Widespread haze. Partly sunny ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 84 degrees at 2pm. Typical for today. Maximum dew point of 72 at 4pm. South wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning, which became rain by afternoon. It was very sticky. The high last year was 81 degrees. The record high of 100 was set in 1953.

Payday today. ๐Ÿ’ต Money hasn’t hit my checking account quite yet but I’m sure it will shortly. It better hit relatively soon as I will need it to pay the rent because I don’t have a lot of excess funds due to double paying my credit card ๐Ÿ’ณ and the bicycle ๐Ÿšฒ purchase. At least my bicycle license wasn’t expensive, only a single quarter or 25¢. It looks like they haven’t changed that fee since 1958. Next payday is during summer vacation ๐Ÿ– and it’s a three paycheck month. Good I’ll need it, lol. ๐Ÿ˜‚ Today I made sure to bring deodorant into my office for after climbing the stairs. ๐Ÿ‘ƒ

Electric bus ๐Ÿš โšก downtown is well air conditioned though the way the driver is heading downtown with hard braking and acceleration it can’t be real fuel efficient. He’s pretty much on time but driving very aggressively this morning. ๐Ÿ”‹

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 68.4° from the due south horizon (-2.4° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.4 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:49 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (293°). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (300°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:30 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 20 seconds with dusk around 9:02 pm, which is 44 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent ๐ŸŒ’ Moon in the west-northwest (296°) at an altitude of 6° from the horizon, 251,986 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:46 pm. At sunset, look for rain ๐ŸŒง and thunderstorms ๐ŸŒฉ and temperatures around 73 degrees. The dew point will be 69 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 14 hours and 58 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 37 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have showers and thunderstorms likely before midnight, then isolated showers between midnight and 1am. Patchy fog after 2am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒง, with a low of 62 degrees at 6am. One degree below normal, which is similar to a typical night around July 31st. Maximum dew point of 70 at 7pm. Another muggy evening tonight. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2022, we had light rain in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It was humid. It got down to 71 degrees. The record low of 47 occurred back in 1875.

After riding out to Five Rivers Environmental Education Center ๐Ÿธ and walking ๐Ÿšถ around the preserve I spent some time reading ๐Ÿ“– then rode home around 8:30. Even with the new batteries ๐Ÿ”‹ I was surprised how dim the lights were on my bike. Maybe I need to think about upgrading them eventually along with adding a better more comfortable seat. But I’m going to wait a while on that I’ve spent enough money and time on the bike for now. If the weather is decent tonight I might pick a different local preserve to visit like Norman’s Kill West or Bender Mellon Preserve. Or maybe I’ll just go for an ordinary walk down to the Elm Ave Park ๐Ÿž.

On this day in 1969, Senator Ted Kennedy from Massachusetts drives his car off a bridge and his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, dies. ๐Ÿš˜ And in 1984, there were McDonald’s massacre in San Ysidro, California: In a fast-food restaurant, James Oliver Huberty opens fire, killing 21 people and injuring 19 others before being shot dead by police. ๐Ÿ™ After that, California implemented strict new gun control in that state, and there have been no more mass shootings. ๐Ÿ”ซ Aren’t you glad, the liberal agenda has saved the world.

A picture perfect summer weekend on tap. ๐Ÿ˜Ž Saturday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Maximum dew point of 65 at 10am. Summer humidity but not oppressively hot and humid, especially out in the mountains. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Maximum dew point of 63 at 7pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 84 degrees.

I am pretty sure I’m going to take off Monday and do a three day weekend to swim ๐ŸŠ‍โ™‚๏ธ at Mine Kill Pool and ride the Catskill Scenic Trail. ๐Ÿšฒ Do some camping ๐Ÿ• and get veggies at Shauls. I don’t really need that much time to pack for summer vacation in the Finger Lakes National Forest the following Friday. It’s my best chance to get away in a long time. Who knows what the rest of summer will look like. โ˜€ That said, I do see the weather pattern improving in the coming weeks. Or so I hope.

Looking ahead, there are 2 weeks until August ๐ŸŒป when the sun will be setting at 8:17 pm with dusk at 8:48 pm. On that day in 2022, we had hot, partly sunny and temperatures between 89 and 69 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 84 degrees. We hit a record high of 101 back in 1933.

Looking East

How many quarters do I need to register my bicycle ? ๐Ÿช™

The town fee schedule doesn’t list it. I checked the town code, and it says one quarter. Twenty five cents! Cheaper then a payphone, if you can find one. I thought it used to be 75¢ the last bicycle I registered but that was 15 years ago and my memory could be bad. I’ll bring a handful otherwise the town clerk’s office is just going to have to make change from a five.

Good morning! Monday’s come back around again. Fog ๐ŸŒซ and 66 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. The dew point is 66 degrees. The AQI is only 25 right now, good, but expected to drop into the unhealthy range of 150-200 by afternoon. Look forward to the air burning your lungs and making it hard to breathe with the Cannunks burning their forests. The muggy weather ends Thursday around 2 am. ๐Ÿ˜“

That said, the first thing in my agenda this morning is to register my bicycle ๐Ÿšฒ๐ŸŽซ with the Town Clerk before heading downtown. I have a $70 hardened steel u-lock ๐Ÿ”’ to secure my bicycle should I decide to park it outside, though my plan is to bring it inside the office ๐Ÿข most days. At lunch time I’ll walk ๐Ÿšถ up to the hospital ๐Ÿฅ to visit a friend recovering there. Hopefully at that hour the air pollution won’t be quite as bad. ๐ŸŒ† Yesterday walked 2.5 miles and rode my bike 28 miles including to the Corning Preserve and Five Rivers Environmental Education Center. ๐Ÿธ

Started out my morning with a hard boiled egg ๐Ÿฅš, a good source of protein and not so good saturated fats which I will follow up with cream of wheat, fresh blueberries ๐Ÿซwith a dap of plain non fat Greek yogurt. It’s nice knowing now that should I run low on yogurt or other supplies mid week the grocery store is just a quick ride from home – I figured out a back way involving the rail trail and sprawl roads to avoid Delaware Avenue completely when going to Hannaford. โ˜บ Cold black coffee โ˜• with ice to get me moving.

Once the black beans are done this morning๐Ÿง† I should be done cooking for the week as I’ll have plenty of good things to eat all week either fresh, in the freezer or refrigerator. ๐Ÿ” Have five remaining hard boiled eggs in the fridge, cold kidney beans waiting for maple syrup, cooked chicken and shrimp, couscous with edamine and spinach, brown rice with edamine and lentils along with all the usual suspects – red and sweet onions, tomatoes, hot and regular peppers, cherries, grapes, blueberries and a long list of other good eats. Getting fresh sweet corn at the farmers market on Wednesday and will enjoy with MSG. Lots of lemons and stevia for ice coldy lemonade ๐Ÿ‹ in the evening. Good eating this week.

Today will be widespread haze and wildfire smoke after 10am. ๐Ÿšฌ Think it’s going to be a half pack kind of day outside this afternoon. Otherwise, mostly sunny โ˜€, with a high of 87 degrees at 2pm. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 67 at 7am. Light and variable wind becoming southwest 5 to 8 mph in the morning. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 92 degrees. The record high of 99 was set in 1900.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 68.6° from the due south horizon (-2.2° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.4 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:49 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (294°). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (300°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:31 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 21 seconds with dusk around 9:03 pm, which is 41 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the New ๐ŸŒš Moon in the borthwest (305°) at an altitude of 0° from the horizon, 251,045 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:47 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies ๐ŸŒƒ and temperatures around 79 degrees. The dew point will be 66 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 15 hours of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 33 seconds over yesterday.

This evening ๐ŸŒ† I plan to ride out to Five Rivers Environmental Education Center ๐Ÿธ and some walking out there and read ๐Ÿ“– until 8:15 pm when I’ll head home. I have both a front and rear light installed for safety. My new goal ๐Ÿฅ… is to walk 7.5 miles or ride 15 miles daily or any combination of the two. I figure based on calories that 1.7 ridden equals 1.0 miles walked. That said, it takes me roughly 16 – 20 minutes to walk that equal calorie burn on the bicycle in 8-12 minutes.

Tonight will have scattered showers, mainly after 5am. Widespread wildfire smoke and poor air quality. Partly cloudy ๐ŸŒซ, with a low of 67 degrees at 4am. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 68 at 4am. Southeast wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2022, we had partly cloudy skies in the evening, which became light rain by the early hours of the morning. It became very sticky as the night progressed. It got down to 73 degrees. The record low of 46 occurred back in 1939.

I superglued my boots ๐Ÿ‘ข so I can get a few more weeks out of them, but I do think I’ll need to replace them come vacation. Might want to bring and wear the old ones while camping ๐Ÿ• if the woods is a complete swamp like I fully expect it to be though the Finger Lakes haven’t been quite as wet as locally.

I found I was down to a 36″ waist size for my shorts, ๐Ÿฉณ which I bought another pair on sale this weekend. Amazing thinking I used to get 42″ shorts only a year or two ago, as I liked to have them run big for comfort. They are remarkably comfortable, though very lightweight but that’s good in the heat we’ve had lately.

On this day in 1944, Near the San Francisco Bay, two ships laden with ammunition for the war explode in Port Chicago, California, killing 320. Also on this day, another deadly tragety. ๐Ÿ’ฃ In 1981, A structural failure leads to the collapse of a walkway at the Hyatt Regency in Kansas City, Missouri killing 114 people and injuring more than 200.

A picture perfect summer weekend on tap. ๐Ÿ˜Ž Saturday, a chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 79. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Maximum dew point of 65 at 9am. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Maximum dew point of 62 at 10am. Typical average high for the weekend is 84 degrees.

This weekend I’m definitely heading out of town โ›บ probably take off Friday or maybe Monday for a schedule similar to what I had planned for last weekend bar obviously the auto show. ๐Ÿš˜ Might be fun to do the Catskill Scenic Trail ๐Ÿšฒ and get a lot of swimming ๐ŸŠ in. I feel like with a little practice and my stronger muscles ๐Ÿ’ช I’ll be a good swimmer and great at the diving board. ๐ŸŒฝ Shaul’s is open for lots of good sweet corn and other veggies. ๐Ÿซ‘

A week from Friday is summer vacation ๐Ÿ– and I’m ready for it. I’m hoping for some nice weather, if anything Western NY has been quite dry compared to any place locally. Hopefully that trend continues into early August. ๐ŸŒป Really too far out to know for sure but that’s the week I have off rain or shine. I’m hoping for nice warm weather though for sure.

Looking ahead, there are 5 weeks until World Mosquito Day ๐Ÿž when the sun will be setting at 7:50 pm with dusk at 8:18 pm. On that day in 2022, we had another hot old late summer day – partly sunny and temperatures between 88 and 70 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 82 degrees. We hit a record high of 98 back in 1916.

 Breeze

Stay home, save money ๐Ÿก

That’s one way to look at the weekend. I can’t believe we are going to have yet another cloudy, rainy weekend. I’m not spending the money to drive out to Schoharie in crap weather, especially as I don’t have Blackie, my bicycle yet.

Good morning! Happy Thursday. Foggy ๐ŸŒ and 67 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. The dew point is 66 degrees. The skies will clear around 11 am. Or so I hope. Might rain or thunder some more, but hopefully not during my lunch-time walk, evening commute or evening walk. I’m noticing a theme here.

Out walking this morning. โ˜” What a surprise, between the fog and the weather pattern were stuck in, it’s raining out. And it going to be cloudy and hot Saturday with rain come Sunday. Hey at least not camping saves money! Or so I tell myself. 10 ยพ miles walked yesterday, 42 flights of stairs up and down. I had time, I could have walked ๐Ÿšถ more last night but I was achy and tired, ๐Ÿ› so I got to bed on time but woke up much too early, around 5 AM. But I got in close to 8 hours of sleep last night.

This morning is an oatmeal day. ๐ŸŒ ๐Ÿฅฃ I almost would like oatmeal-banana pancakes, but I want to save the last two bananas I have to bring into my office at work to make it through Friday. Oatmeal with blueberries ๐Ÿ’™ is a quick breakfast, I might throw in some walnuts, as I’ve had them for a few weeks now and don’t want to risk them going bad. I like walnuts, their healthy but a little high in fat My pantry at home is a bit picked over, but I think I still have healthy options left, ๐ŸŒฝ especially after getting sweet corn and tomatoes yesterday at the farmers market. I was hoping I would have had an excuse to go to the store when I picked up Blackie, but not so far this week. ๐Ÿ›’ I have more rice and lentils I can cook up tomorrow, and I took the black beans out of the freezer. I’ll probably have that with sweet corn and tomatoes tonight. And red onions ๐Ÿง… of course.

Today will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, partly sunny ๐ŸŒค๏ธ ๐Ÿคœ ๐ŸŒง, with a high of 89 degrees at 2pm. Five degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 71 at 11am. Light southeast wind becoming south 12 to 17 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 87 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1894.

I’m still waiting for the call about Blackie from the bike shop. ๐Ÿšฒ I might not have been clear what I was asking when I called yesterday but it’s kind of weird to explain – they’re building the bike for me but I haven’t paid for it or even taken the proper size bike for a test ride. So I probably wasn’t clear what I meant about test riding the XXL bike on the phone, that it’s the one they are putting together for me to purchase. ๐Ÿ“ž It was a different salesperson I got yesterday then who I talked to on Friday but I thought when they said it said it would be ready in a few days I would have it by Wednesday. I’m not going to take off time until I know it’s ready, though I will stop by Saturday to follow up. I really want to ask about the rack too fitting the bike. I am pretty sure that’s the bike I want, but I would want to make sure it fits before I lay down the big bucks. Plus Saturday, then is a good time to get groceries, even if it’s a bit crowded. ๐Ÿ ๐Ÿฅฆ

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 69.2ยฐ from the due south horizon (-1.6ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:52 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (294ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (301ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:34 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 23 seconds with dusk around 9:06 pm, which is 33 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:51 pm. At sunset, look for rain ๐ŸŒง and thunderstorms ๐ŸŒฉ and temperatures around 77 degrees. The dew point will be 68 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 10 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 6 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 21 seconds over yesterday.

Finally the farmers market ๐ŸŒฝ ๐Ÿ… had tomatoes and sweet corn that made me happy. ๐Ÿ˜Š The fresh sweet corn was amazing especially with some MSG – I skipped the butter due to the saturated fats. Tomatoes were good though not as exceptionally good as I had hoped. ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐ŸŒพ If I don’t get to Schoharie this weekend it’s not the end of the world. There is farm stands going out on vacation, Sandell’s Farm going up to Piseco-Powley Road, and the best farm stands really are in August and September in the Schoharie Valley, and probably is the best riding of the Catskill Scenic Trail. ๐Ÿšฒ

Tonight will have showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 11pm. Some storms could be severe, with damaging winds and heavy rain. Mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒฉ, with a low of 65 degrees at 5am. Two degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 69 at 6pm. Another night in the swamp. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. That sounds wet. In 2022, we had light rain in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 65 degrees. The record low of 49 occurred back in 1940.

On this day in 1977, the Great 1977 New York City Blackout begins, ๐ŸŒƒ plunging New York into 24 hours of darkness, chaos, and crime. It really was a dark time in the city. This black out mostly effected the city, not upstate so much. Albany has gotten shifty after the pandemic but it’s nothing like New York City, especially in the olden days of the 1970s. ๐Ÿšจ

Not a particularly nice weekend on tap. ๐Ÿ˜ž Saturday, a slight chance of showers before 8am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. South wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 71 at 10am. I’ll watch the radar, maybe I’ll do the town pool in the afternoon. Sunday, a chance of showers, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. High near 82. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Maximum dew point of 74 at 12pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 84 degrees.

If it only was slightly nicer out ๐ŸŒค๏ธand I had the bicycle ๐Ÿšฒ I would reconsider my plans to go to Schoharie. If the shop calls today or tomorrow and I can sneak out of work early and get the bike and groceries, I’ll reconsider my plans. It might be more haze then clouds and maybe it won’t be until late when the showers and Thunderstorms come rolling through. It would be fun to swim ๐ŸŠโ€โ™‚๏ธ and see the auto show ๐Ÿš˜ and it’s going to be a hot one. Otherwise, there is always next weekend – the last one before Summer Vacation. ๐Ÿ–

I am still hopeful that the through we are stuck in breaks up by August ๐ŸŒง๏ธ and we can finally have some nice hot and sunny weather โ˜€ with calm weather. I don’t mind some heat and humidity on vacation or for that matter when I’m at the Potholers in Adirondacks. ๐ŸŠโ€โ™‚๏ธ Often the weekend before Summer Vacation ๐Ÿ“ฆ I like to stay home and pack but I’m not necessarily convinced that is necessary as I pretty much know what I need and will pack only food for the first few days and get fresh food out in the Finger Lakes. ๐Ÿ‡ Next weekend if it’s decent I could do Schoharie or the Potholers, maybe extending the weekend by a day on either side of the weekend.

Looking ahead, next Thursday is Ugly Truck Day ๐Ÿšš when the sun will be setting at 8:29 pm with dusk at 9:01 pm. On that day in 2022, we had hot, humid, mostly sunny, thunderstorm and temperatures between 97 and 72 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 84 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1991.

Driftwood

I’m going to buy a bicycle ๐Ÿšฒ today

I’ve done my research and made peace with what I’m going to spend for either a good quality used or new bicycle preferably from the local shop. Like anything it’s a big purchase and it might get broken, stolen or destroyed two days after purchase and there is depreciation but it’s worth it for a good reliable ride to get me around town potentially for years to come. I’m so much thinner and more responsible then in my twenties.

Good morning! Mostly sunny โ˜€ and 64 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. The dew point is 59 degrees. The air quality remains poor from the wildfire smoke with an AQI around 155 and visual haze around.

Out for the morning walk a bit late ๐Ÿšถ and then I will shower ๐Ÿšฟ and the head to the bicycle store. ๐Ÿšฒ I’m really hopeful that I can find something that will work for me and provide years of reliable service now that I’m in my forties. Then I want to drop the used worn out clothing ๐Ÿ‘š in the recycling โ™ป dumpster, go to the Farmers Market for fresh tomatoes ๐Ÿ… then over to Rennselear County for sparklers ๐ŸŽ‡ and fireworks for next week camping โ›บ. Then get groceries.๐Ÿ›’ A busy day indeed.

Today will have widespread haze from the wildfire smoke. Mostly sunny โ˜€, with a high of 87 degrees at 4pm. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 66 at 12pm. Light south wind increasing to 8 to 13 mph in the morning. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 95 degrees. The record high of 99 was set in 1913.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:00 pm with sun having an altitude of 70.5ยฐ from the due south horizon (-0.3ยฐ vs. 6/21). The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:55 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (296ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (303ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:38 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 27 seconds with dusk around 9:11 pm, which is 7 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Full ๐ŸŒ Moon in the south-southeast (148ยฐ) at an altitude of 13ยฐ from the horizon, 231,656 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:58 pm. At sunset, look for mostly cloudy skies โ˜ and temperatures around 78 degrees. The dew point will be 64 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 18 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 38 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after midnight. Widespread haze before 9pm. Mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒง, with a low of 64 degrees at 5am. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 64 at 6pm. South wind 6 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It became sticky as the night progressed. It got down to 62 degrees. The record low of 40 occurred back in 1978.

On this day in 1963, ZIP codes are introduced for United States mail. If you get a zip code wrong, the best thing that can happen is you have a very scornful postal clerk, and the worst thing that can happen is your mail isn’t delivered. โœ‰ Don’t ask me how I know. Always double check zip codes. Also in 1968, the UAW becomes a seperate entity from AFL-CIO over policy disputes. ๐Ÿš˜ The UAW would rejoin the AFL-CIO 13 years later in 1981.

Looking ahead, there are 2 weeks until Cow Appreciation Day ๐Ÿ‚ when the sun will be setting at 8:33 pm with dusk at 9:05 pm. On that day in 2022, we had mostly sunny and temperatures between 86 and 57 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 84 degrees. We hit a record high of 96 back in 1997.

 NY 421 Bridge Over Bog River Falls

July

July is the hottest month of the summer. It’s the month when the school children are out from school and the legislature has left Albany for the year. Hot and humid, but wonderful summer days upon us, as we enjoy long nights in the summer haze.

Campsite with Views

There won’t be any real cold days in this month. Rainy days are a rarity, although one always to be on the watch for the heavy thunderstorms that often come by afternoon. Humidity will be high, one things warm up by mid-day. Regardless, with long days, one can get up, hike up a mountain, break by early afternoon, and then enjoy nice nights. We will enjoy the wild blueberries and the wild raspberries as spend time outdoors.

Blueberries Along the Trail

July is the month when we celebrate the birth of our nation with Independence Day. Always a long weekend, it will be a nice one. We will enjoy fireworks, both legal and illegal, lighting them off, into the summer skies. We will watch the fireflies as they fill the fields at night with their flickers of light.

It will be an enjoyable month.

The warmest month is upon us, when we celebrate our country's independence and enjoy many delightful summer past-times.

We end June lost in the smoke ๐ŸŒซ

Probably by tomorrow or the day after the air pollution will move on, my eyes and throat will stop burning. At least for a while. The hell of it is we are electrifying things and switching to renewables which will clean the air about the time climate change is polluting the air.

Good morning! Where did June go? The answer my friend is blowing in the wind, or at least is lost in the smoke. I’m getting used to the sore throat when I go outside. It’s kind of like after a hard night drinking and smoking back in the day minus the hang over. Haze and smoke ๐ŸŒซ and 60 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. The dew point is 59 degrees. The air quality index is 114, unhealthy for sensitive individuals due to Cannuks burning their forests. I’m sure the Trumpster would say that.

Lately I’ve been starting my morning with a hard boiled egg ๐Ÿฅš and a cup of black coffee โ˜• before my morning walk ๐Ÿšถ. I appreciating the power of protein in eggs to get me going in the morning. 11 ยฝ miles walked yesterday. 36 floors climbed up and down. I’m really getting to prefer the stairs to the elevator at work. I got to bed ๐Ÿ› before nine o’clock last night and got a good night’s sleep and feel great. After the morning walk it’s pancakes ๐Ÿฅž and strawberries, the pancakes made out of bananas ๐ŸŒ, whole grain oatmeal and water run through the food processor. It’s good.

You’d think you’d need flour and sugar to make good pancakes ๐Ÿฅž but truth be told, since I’ve been milling the whole grain oatmeal and bananas into a slurry in the food processor to make pancake mix I can’t imagine going back as it’s so much better tasting and filling. I’ve been thinking ๐Ÿ’ญ maybe I can tweak the recipe adding raisins and possibly honey ๐Ÿฏ for more stickiness to make oatmeal raisin cookies in the oven minus all unhealthy crap. ๐Ÿช

Today will be widespread haze. Patchy dense fog before 7am. Otherwise, mostly sunny ๐ŸŒ‡, with a high of 86 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 65 at 10am. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the morning. It would be hotter if not for the smoke. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 85 degrees. The record high of 98 was set in 1964.

Yesterday I was noticing how thin I actually look when wearing clothes at actually for myself. ๐Ÿ It’s actually amazing what eating good food plus a little exercise can do. I wonder if I’m actually a healthy weight but I don’t know, I don’t own a scale. Now just to figure out the bicycle ๐Ÿšฒ thing and start riding to work, saving bus fares ๐Ÿš and getting more exercise doing what is otherwise wasted time on the bus.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:00 pm with sun having an altitude of 70.6ยฐ from the due south horizon (-0.3ยฐ vs. 6/21). The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:55 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (296ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (303ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:38 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 27 seconds with dusk around 9:11 pm, which is 6 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Full ๐ŸŒ Moon in the south-southeast (160ยฐ) at an altitude of 20ยฐ from the horizon, 234,231 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:58 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ and temperatures around 80 degrees. The dew point will be 63 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 19 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 35 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be partly cloudy ๐ŸŒƒ, with a low of 62 degrees at 6am. One degree above normal. Maximum dew point of 63 at 8pm. South wind around 7 mph. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It became humid as the night progressed. It got down to 68 degrees. The record low of 45 occurred back in 1978.

On this day in 1971, Ohio ratifies the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, reducing the voting age to 18, thereby putting the amendment into effect. Also in 1934, ๐Ÿ—ณ The Night of the Long Knives, Adolf Hitler’s violent purge of his political rivals in Germany, takes place. Fortunately, we only have obnoxious rhetoric to that impact in our country today. ๐Ÿ—ก That said, I like my big knifes for chopping vegetables. ๐Ÿฅ•

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny โ˜€ ๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 85 degrees at 3pm. Two degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 64 at 10am. South wind 6 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 95 degrees. The record high of 99 was set in 1913.

Tomorrow’s goals are quite simple but important steps forward. ๐Ÿฅ… It is to first and foremost either get a bicycle ๐Ÿšฒ or at least have one ordered and paid for at a bicycle store either new or preferably used. Something good and reliable. Drop off my worn out clothes and boots ๐Ÿ‘ข for recycling โ™ป. Get sparklers ๐ŸŽ‡ and ground fireworks either in Greene or Rennselear County. Go grocery shopping ๐Ÿ›’ for a few supplies. Decide if I want to go out to Schoharie for camping ๐Ÿ• Saturday evening through independence Day. ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ

Looking ahead to Sunday, a chance of showers before 11am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 11am and 2pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, ๐ŸŒฅ with a high near 80. South wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Maximum dew point of 69 at 1pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 83 degrees.

Frankly, Sunday doesn’t look great. ๐ŸŒฆ๏ธ I am inclined to stay in town, maybe get some books at the library ๐Ÿ“š as I’m not crazy about the books I have remaining tonight. But WRGB keeps swearing this weekend won’t be a wash out ๐Ÿ“บ but based on statistical analysis of Nate Silver ๐Ÿ”ข I’m not sure I believe television metrologist over the National Weather Service. But I will keep Schoharie County in my back pocket, for a potential trip with Monday spent fishing ๐ŸŽฃ and swimming at Mine Kill Pool and camping at Burnt Rossman State Forest, hitting up farm stands ๐Ÿ“ on Saturday afternoon.

For Monday a chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. Chance of precipitation is 60%. ๐ŸŒฆ๏ธ Doesn’t sound wonderful. And Independence Day, ๐ŸŽ‡ hot and very humid with a chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. โ˜€ Dewpoints pushing seventy. Sticky. ๐Ÿ˜ฐ Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Maybe independence Day I’ll head to an undisclosed location with a flashlight ๐Ÿ”ฆ to watch July 4th fireworks. ๐ŸŽ‡ And then save the sparklers ๐ŸŒŸ and ground fireworks I get for the following weekend potentially for a trip to the Potholers spent floating on the tube โญ•. Assuming it’s hot and sunny. Or a future ๐Ÿ”ฎ July weekend. I’m planning the last two weekends of July at Finger Lakes National Forest where fireworks are mostly prohibited so I don’t think I’ll bring many there. I actually kind of want sweet corn ๐ŸŒฝ to be out first so I can enjoy that with clams ๐Ÿฆช at the Potholers though.

Looking forward, there are 2 weeks until National Nude Day ๐Ÿ‘ฑ when the sun will be setting at 8:33 pm with dusk at 9:06 pm. What can I say, skinny dipping is fun especially after dark in an Adirondack swimming ๐ŸŠ hole. On that day in 2022, we had partly cloudy and temperatures between 85 and 65 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 84 degrees. We hit a record high of 99 back in 1995.

 Kane Mountain