Search Results for: photo somewhat icy trail

That moon to rising at nine o’clock essentially over South Hill in Ithaca last night was amazing. ๐ŸŒ•

Maybe we are day past the official full moon but turning onto Potomac Road from Searsburg Road, the moon rise was most impressive and so large looming over the pasture lands. Not sure if it’s a super moon but it certainly was super from the angle I was viewing it high from the Hector Backbone looking down towards Cayuga Lake.

Good morning! What day is it? Hump Day, of course. Mostly sunny and 62 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. There is a south breeze at 5 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 53 degrees. Cool start to the morning, I got chilled through wearing shorts and t-shirt, had to get my hoodie on to warm up. The cold is delaying my start this morning but I want to leave fairly soon as today is the calmest forecasted day of the week and I want to go paddling ๐Ÿ›ถ and swimming ๐ŸŠ on Seneca Lake before the wind picks up later.

Today will be sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 76 degrees at 4pm. Eight degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 11th. Maximum dew point of 53 at 9am. South wind 3 to 5 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 89 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1975.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:14 pm with sun having an altitude of 65.3ยฐ from the due south horizon (-5.5ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.8 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:48 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (289ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (295ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:28 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 12 seconds with dusk around 8:58 pm, which is one minute and 10 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:39 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ and temperatures around 69 degrees. The dew point will be 54 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 29 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 12 seconds over yesterday.

Long day yesterday, I didn’t get back to camp โ›บ until nearly 9:15 pm as I was in Geneva until after 8 pm and stopped in search of clams, Greek yogurt and milk at Tops in Waterloo. ๐Ÿช But still the sunset is pretty late in the Finger Lakes but by the time I was past Ovid heading into Lodi it was definitely approaching dusk. ๐ŸŒ† That said the open landscape helped a lot keeping things from being too dark as I drove back to camp. But regardless I was tired ๐Ÿ˜ด. I was so fortunate to see last night’s moon rise.

Rode from Seneca Lake to Kueka Lake yesterday via the Kueka Outlet Trail. ๐Ÿšฒ Touched both lakes with the wheel of my bicycle. It’s a lot quicker of a ride then when I walked it. Poked around Dresden and Penn Yan for a while ๐Ÿซ I was very impressed with the Downtown on Penn Yann, it was largely untouched by urban renewal ๐Ÿ—๏ธ and still had many vibrant small businesses and shops. ๐Ÿฌ

I ended up driving ๐Ÿš˜ back to Penn Yan after getting Frozen Custard ๐Ÿฆat the Spotted Duck ๐Ÿฆ† because I decided I had to visit the Penn Yan old fashioned bulk candy shop. I was going to get fudge but ended up getting black chocolate ๐Ÿซ peanut ๐Ÿฅœ brittle that I’m saving for a future day. That place is a throwback not many places like that anymore, especially on Main Street. Reminded me of the old Blue Churn in South Westerlo I used to go to as a kid before it burned down. Spotted duck blueberry Blue Fluer custard was good, the Carmelt caramel custard was amazing. ๐Ÿฆ Maybe it’s vacation FOMO but who knows when I’ll ever get back to Penn Yan again.

The ice cream was wonderful ๐Ÿฆ and the two scoups – duck egg ๐Ÿฅš sized each, wasn’t too much but the sugar fueled a full out anxiety attack in my mind and kept me roaring with crazy ๐Ÿคช energy well into the evening though by 11 pm enough sugar burned off I was okay. Truth is I’ve been having a wonderful vacation โ˜บ but every time I consume any quantity of non natural sugar I get so sick ๐Ÿคฎ. But I’ll probably get a small ice cream at Glen Dairy Bar again tonight and remember the crazy thoughts in my head are just that. But not a mega large dish ๐Ÿจlike on Sunday. Go for the quality not the portion. I don’t know if it’s my fear ๐Ÿ˜ฑ of the calories and getting fat, knowing how bad sugar is for you, or something else but my mental health is so much better the farther I stay away from added sugar. I’m fine eating delicious fruit all day long ๐Ÿ‡ ๐Ÿ ๐Ÿ‘ but give me ice cream and a few minutes later I’m super wound up.

With all that energy, I drove up to Seneca Lake State Park in Geneva, ๐ŸŠโ€โ™‚๏ธ hoping to get a swim in the lake and a shower ๐Ÿšฟ the later I did but I had forgotten they a few years back had replaced the life guarded beach ๐Ÿ– with a kids splash pad due to the pollution on the lake from blue green algea. Hell of it is, this part of state has been cool and relatively dry so not a lot of water pollution this year compared to many years. But I also wangtted to do the Cayuga – Seneca Bike Path ๐Ÿšฒ from Geneva to Waterloo, as much to say I did it. And to use time up. ๐ŸŒฝ Not a lot of exciting view along it, some view of both the Old Erie Canal and the modern barge canal, lot of marshland, corn and soybean fields. Poked around Waterloo for a while ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ and visited the Civil War monument. ๐Ÿฆณ Ended up going to Tops in Waterloo on Mound Road, you know the one next to Seneca Meadows landfill and getting milk, plain non fat yogurt not Greek as they’re out, and a small two servings bag of salmon. Made it back to camp by nine o’clock, wasn’t super dark out at that point and had a fire ๐Ÿ”ฅ until eleven.

Tonight will be partly cloudy ๐ŸŒƒ, with a low of 60 degrees at 6am. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around August 20th. Maximum dew point of 54 at 8pm. South wind 7 to 14 mph. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 64 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1976.

Cool this weekend with temperatures running 9 degrees below normal but otherwise sunny. ๐Ÿ˜ƒ Then again it’s always cooler in the Finger Lakes compared to Albany records. Good for bike riding, maybe not so great for swimming ๐ŸŠ. Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 73. Maximum dew point of 59 at 8am. Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 75. Maximum dew point of 59 at 7pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 83 degrees.

Looking ahead, there are 4 weeks until Average High Falls To 79 ๏ธDegrees โ›ฑ๏ธ๏ธ๏ธ when the sun will be setting at 7:46 pm with dusk at 8:14 pm. On that day in 2022, we had rain and temperatures between 90 and 66 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 80 degrees. We hit a record high of 98 back in 1953.

Mooreville Range

When the ice cream makes you sick ๐Ÿจ๐Ÿ˜”

Getting those large maple walnut sundaes at the Glen Dairy Bar is quite a tradition for me. But maybe not so much in my forties. All that sugar made me feel so sick and kept me up half the night. I might get ice cream later in the week but it won’t be a large portion for sure! I still feel kind of sick today from all that sugar. Soft ice cream has so much.

Good morning! Where did July go? Lost to vacationland I guess. Today is Ithaca day, exploring the city and the gorges on my bicycle. Beautiful day, partly sunny and 72 degrees at the Cass Park ๐Ÿž on Cayuga Lake. There is a northwest breeze at 9 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 58 degrees. Big day ahead. Monday, Monday on vacation. ๐Ÿ– It really doesn’t seem too bad.

As I noted, Today is Ithaca Day, that is I plan to do Ithaca is Gorges. Start out at Stewart Park ๐Ÿž this time starting closer to 9 am then 11:30 am. I need to stop and get ice on the way back to camp, the Enfield Dandy’s should be good for that. Mostly for the coolers but I’ll also fill one of the water bottles with ice so as it melts down in the evening I can use it for lemonade with Stevia. ๐Ÿ‹

I don’t have cell service up at camp so I’ve been slow at uploading photos to the blog ๐Ÿ“ธ as it requires a lot of data, and even when I bike or hike where I have good service ๐Ÿ“ถ it seems like it’s still pretty weak up on the backbone and in parts of Watkins Glen. Ithaca today I should have better service but too much blogging ๐Ÿ“ takes time away from adventures. ๐Ÿง—โ€โ™‚๏ธ Ain’t got no time for that!

Today will have a chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Partly sunny , with a high of 77 degrees at 4pm. Seven degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 8th. Maximum dew point of 59 at 12pm. Northwest wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 86 degrees. The record high of 98 was set in 1917.

That sugar from the ice cream was so bad. ๐Ÿคฎ I thought I was going to have the runs all night spraying poop ๐Ÿ’ฉ off the tailgate of my pickup, having to shovel it come the morning. Wasn’t that bad but I was bouncing off the walls well after midnight, riding the Forest Service roads after dark on my mountain bike ๐Ÿšต,, hanging out at Foster Pond well into the moonlit hours of Monday early hours with no desire to sleep. Sugar is a narcotic when your not used to eating it. Hell of it was I was still a bit hungry when I got back to camp but frying up an onion ๐Ÿง… with some fresh spinach more than filled me up fine. No alcohol yesterday, and only other thing I eat all day was a banana ๐ŸŒ or two, the remainder of pancake ๐Ÿฅž mix and sausage I had bought last winter. But they’re done now and I’m done with that chapter of my life in the thirties. I’m forty now.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:13 pm with sun having an altitude of 65.8ยฐ from the due south horizon (-5ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:48 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (289ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (296ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:29 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 13 seconds with dusk around 8:59 pm, which is one minute and 7 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Full ๐ŸŒ Moon in the southeast (133ยฐ) at an altitude of 6ยฐ from the horizon, 227,253 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:41 pm. At sunset, look for rain ๐ŸŒง and thunderstorms ๐ŸŒฉ and temperatures around 69 degrees. The dew point will be 58 degrees. There will be a north-northwest breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 33 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 8 seconds over yesterday.

This morning I avoided anything with sugar and instead fried up spring onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers with a bunch of spinach and an egg or two. ๐Ÿณ Added some parm cheese ๐Ÿง€ and MSG plus pepper. It was good. No desire for anything sweet at this point. ๐Ÿคฎ My stomach still is rumbling from the sugar. I also hard boiled eggs ๐Ÿฅš for protein later. Probably eat dinner on the run this evening.

Swimming ๐ŸŠ in Cayuta Lake at Taughannock, Buttermilk Falls swimming and Enfield Glen swimming are open until seven. That is after exploring the Casacadilla Glen at Cornell University and other bike ๐Ÿšฒ paths and trails in the city. Figuring a light snacky dinner when I get back, probably sugar free syrup plus kidney beans, or maybe I’ll cut into the watermelon ๐Ÿ‰ I got on Friday. That should be good but I know as soon as I cut into the watermelon the clock will be ticking โณand I’ll be eating a lot of water melon. Just like if I get clams ๐Ÿฆช later in the week. Eat eat eat! Just hopefully not get sick like all that ice cream.

Tonight will have a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Partly cloudy ๐ŸŒƒ with a low of 54 degrees at 5am. Eight degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 12th. Maximum dew point of 58 at 6pm. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2022, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 69 degrees. The record low of 46 occurred back in 1964.

Yesterday besides my adventures in eating and ice cream sickness it was a busy day, bicycled ๐Ÿšฒ 30 miles, hiked 4 ยฝ, ๐Ÿšถ swam for about a half hour. ๐ŸŠโ€โ™‚๏ธ Did all of the Catharine Valley Trail from Watkins Glen to Montour Falls to the end outside of Horsesheads in Pine Valley at the Mark Twain Golf Course โ›ณ. Rode in the evening along Rock Dam Road, you can really fly down there on a mountain bike. ๐Ÿšต Then along Airport Road ๐Ÿ›ฌ at the Catharine Valley WMA to Boat ๐Ÿ›ฅ Launch Lane, then over through the village to the Watkins Glen pier on Seneca Lake. Walked out on the pier, it was colorful evening ๐ŸŒƒ but the sunset was kind of blocked by clouds that came in late. Went back through Clute Park then rode back to my truck around dusk disappointed by the lack of a classic sunset. On the whole it was a beautiful day!

Going to close out vacation next weekend with good swimming weather. ๐ŸŠโ€โ™‚๏ธ Saturday, partly sunny, with a high near 79. Maximum dew point of 66 at 11am. Maybe paddle Seneca Lake then swim at the Watkins Glen pool. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Maximum dew point of 64 at 11am. Swimming in Cayuga Lake? Then head home around 4 pm or so to be home by dark? ๐Ÿก That’s a long way off, no need to think about it. Typical average high for the weekend is 83 degrees.

Looking ahead, there are 3 weeks until World Mosquito Day ๐Ÿž when the sun will be setting at 8:00 pm with dusk at 8:28 pm. Bugs seem worse this year then normal but no so bad now that the front came through and cooler. On that day in 2022, we had hot, 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.

Pines Along Cedar River Flow

A slow and warm day for setting up camp for the next five days in the Finger Lakes ๐Ÿฎ

Finally made it to the Finger Lakes National Forest which is exactly my reaction when I pulled to the roadside desperately to piss in my wheel well as all day I’ve been peeing. I didn’t think I drank too much coffee this morning but those peaches and other farm fresh produce I was snacking on my ways to the Finger Lakes National Forest kept my bladder full and looking for trees, rest rooms and stops. Didn’t help I got stuck in bad traffic in Ithaca with construction and a tourist bus that used the back bumper of a flatbed trailer to stop and oh, yeah no power in East Ithaca or working traffic lights. Plus besides all the bathroom breaks, shopping at Walmart in Oneonta and an amazing farm stand in Caroline that made me wish I hadn’t gotten so much in Oneonta. Regardless, lots of good eating over the next few days.

Good evening! Partly clear and 79 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. There is a west-northwest breeze at 6 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 66 degrees. The muggy weather ends tomorrow around 11 pm. ๐Ÿ˜“ Kind of buggy with the heat and humidity, though I expect things to improve come tomorrow. The real question is how wet will tomorrow be. Not sure, the Finger Lakes this year haven’t been as wet as Albany but not quitgy dry spell like Western New York. Seasonably wet you might say.

Got the big ol campsite โ›บ I wanted on Potomac Road. I admit I kind of raced the last two miles up here after a leisurely drive as I wanted to ensure I got the site I really wanted including swerving to dodge a pothole on the road and maybe even cutting off a driver a bit in determination to get the site though I doubt they were looking to camp here. I did see a camper van who was obviously looking for this site around 4 or 5 pm but I was here by 1:45 and it’s first come first serve. I took Friday morning off for a reason, lol. I really like this site as it’s farther off the road, well shaded but also where my truck is parked in a sunny field. No cell service at camp ๐Ÿ”• but I look at that as a benefit because I like the quiet ๐Ÿคซ. And my radio ๐Ÿ“ป is broke so no endless hours of talking heads ๐Ÿ‘ฅ discussing Jason Aldean’s Try that in a Small Town. I don’t need that crap or the endless stream of emails ๐Ÿ“ง and notifications on vacation. ๐Ÿ–

Spent the balance of the afternoon unpacking, organizing and setting up camp ๐Ÿ’ผ so everything will be perfect ๐Ÿ‘Œ for the next nine days. Did a lot of cooking – chicken, potatoes, onions, peppers and other things for lunch, then a similar thing with frozen samon for dinner. ๐Ÿ  I have so much good food to eat it’s hard to know where to start. Diet, lol. ๐Ÿ˜‚ Actually truth be told, I don’t have any cookies or junk food, just solid quality minimal whole fruits and vegetables ๐Ÿ that I’m cooking and eating this week. Had a beer ๐Ÿป but only one and no more then two each day if that all. Had some fresh squeezed lemonade ๐Ÿ‹ with stevia and used the rest of the lemon with the salmon. Yum, I’m eating good. ๐Ÿ˜‹

Tonight will be mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒƒ , with a low of 67 degrees at 6am. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 67 at 9pm. Northwest wind around 7 mph becoming south in the evening. In 2022, we had partly cloudy skies. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 68 degrees. The record low of 47 occurred back in 1987.

My phone shows a chance of rain โ˜” late this evening, so I’ll put away anything I don’t want to get wet before bed like my hammock and store my clean clothes in the cab of my truck to ensure they stay dry. I have a tent ๐ŸŽช set up for the dirty clothes, boxes and other camp supplies I’m not immediately using, mostly for organizational purposes. I think I need to get some crates for storing food, like I use on the back of my bicycle ๐Ÿšฒ especially as I have so much fresh stuff that I am not keeping in the cooler as I don’t have the space and I don’t think it strictly necessary but I worry about bruising and disorder in the reusable shopping bags ๐Ÿ›.

Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous ๐ŸŒ” Moon with 82% illuminated. At 8 PM, the moon was in the south-southeast (158ยฐ) at an altitude of 17ยฐ from the horizon, some 233,176 miles away from where you are looking up from the earth. ๐Ÿš€ At the state speed limit of 55 mph, you’ll make it there by January 21st. Buckle up for safety! ๐Ÿ’บ The Strugeon ๐Ÿก Moon is on Tuesday, August 1. The darkest hour is at 1:14 am, followed by dawn at 5:23 am, and sun starting to rise at 5:56 am in the east-northeast (63ยฐ) and last for 3 minutes and 15 seconds. Sunrise is 59 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ The golden hour ends at 6:36 am with sun in the east-northeast (70ยฐ). Tonight will have 9 hours and 21 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 3 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 3pm. ๐ŸŒฆ High of 73 degrees at 12pm. Nine degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 14th. Maximum dew point of 71 at 12pm. ๐Ÿ–๏ธ West wind 9 to 15 mph becoming north in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning, which became mostly sunny by afternoon. It was sticky. The high last year was 89 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1894.

I am not expecting a real nice day tomorrow ๐ŸŒง๏ธ but I got books to read ๐Ÿ“– and podcasts to listen to and I’ll spend a relaxed day around camp doing some good cooking ๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿณ healthy ingredients from the bounty I got at Walmart and that farmers market. ๐ŸŒฝ I have a ton of delicious Vadella onions ๐Ÿง…and lemons, ๐Ÿ‹ and so much else from grapes ๐Ÿ‡ to strawberries ๐Ÿ“ that I won’t go hungry and if I do I have more salmon, fresh spinach, rice ๐Ÿš beans ๐Ÿฑ and hot peppers ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ. Nice days I’ll head into town or other activities, ๐ŸŠโ€โ™‚๏ธ rainier stormy days, I’ll tool around the National Forest with Blackie my mountain bike ๐Ÿšต, hike into the back country and do some fishing ๐ŸŽฃ.

In four weeks on August 25 the sun will be setting in the west-northwest (286ยฐ) at 7:55 pm,๐ŸŒ„ which is 38 minutes and 26 seconds earlier then today. In 2022 on that day, we had hot, humid, mostly sunny, rain showers and temperatures between 87 and 60 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 81 and 60 degrees. The record high of 99 degrees was set back in 1947. Too soon, I’m not willing to think about summer coming to an end on vacation, lol.

Looking ahead, Average High 70 ๐ŸŽ‘ is in 5 weeks, September ๐ŸŽ is in 5 weeks, Labor Day Weekend Begins ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿญ is in 5 weeks, Autumn ๐Ÿ‚ is in 8 weeks, Buy Nothing Day ๐Ÿ›๏ธ is in 17 weeks, December ๐ŸŽ„ is in 18 weeks, Bill of Rights Day ๐Ÿ“œ is in 20 weeks, Days are Getting Longer โ˜€๏ธ is in 21 weeks and 4:30 PM Sunset ๐ŸŒ† is in 5 months.

Summer day

Finally a beautiful Saturday out in Schoharie and Delaware County after so many crappy weekends ๐Ÿšต๐ŸŠ๐Ÿ•๏ธ

After such a run of wet and bad weather we finally got a break and I got away from town. Awesome, although I will say that the pool is cold with the low dew point and the breeze. But it was great for hiking Platts Rocks then riding 26 miles round trip or the Catskill Scenic Trail. That said, I’m beat after all that bicycling, I barely want to hit the pool. But it’s fine, I got a shower and some pool time in and it will be closing for a bit and then be time to head up to camp.

Good evening! It’s been a pleasant day. Mostly sunny and 78 degrees at the Mine Kill State Park. There is a northwest breeze at 9 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 55 degrees.

Lol where to start! ๐Ÿ˜‚ Last night turned out much better than forecasted so I ended up deciding to ride out to the Bender Mellon Preserve ๐Ÿ‰ and hiking around that for nearly an hour, exploring the outside parameter trail and taking a bunch of pictures after deciding ๐Ÿ“ธ the trail wasn’t so wet yesterday and the skies were interesting. Then I decided to ride out to Voorheesville, down Main Street then out past the Voorheesville High School and library then down the rail trail to Adams Place then snaked through the subdivisions back home. ๐Ÿ By then it was late for packing for camp but I got some done like filling the water container and some other things but won’t say that I didn’t stay up late sitting out back and still had a bunch to do in the morning contributing to me not leaving until 9:30 am.

On my way out I realized I forgot toilet paper ๐Ÿšฝ and paper towels. Both are good for camping. What I ended up doing was going to Tops in Greenville and buying paper towels for both purposes. They’ll be good for both. Then I took NY 81 out to Oak Hill which is still closed west of there.

With the detour I ended up deciding to head over to Prattville and checking out Pratts Rock. What a beautiful day. ๐Ÿž Finally got to the Catskill Scenic Trail in Grand Gorge at 12 noon, rode until 1:45 when I got to Hobart at 1:40 pm when I stopped at the park for a while ๐Ÿšฒ and headed south almost to South Kortwright but turned back as I wanted to be back to my truck as close as possible to 4 pm so I could shower ๐Ÿšฟ and cool down in the pool. ๐ŸŠโ€โ™‚๏ธ Then off to camp at Betty Brook most likely though if the campsite on West Kill Road is open I might stay there.

Tonight will be mostly clear ๐ŸŒƒ, with a low of 54 degrees at 5am. Nine degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 12th. Maximum dew point of 56 at 7pm. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm in the evening. Going to be a cool evening especially here in the mountains. In 2022, we had partly cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 65 degrees. The record low of 45 occurred back in 1981.

Tonight will have a Waxing Crescent ๐ŸŒ’ Moon with 22% illuminated. At 5 PM, the moon was in the south (185ยฐ) at an altitude of 51ยฐ from the horizon, some 249,518 miles away from where you are looking up from the earth. ๐Ÿš€ At the state speed limit of 55 mph, you’ll make it there by January 28th. Buckle up for safety! ๐Ÿ’บ The moon will set in the west (273ยฐ) at 11:05 pm. The Strugeon ๐Ÿก Moon is on Tuesday, August 1. The darkest hour is at 1:05 am, followed by dawn at 5:08 am, and sun starting to rise at 5:41 am in the east-northeast (61ยฐ) and last for 3 minutes and 17 seconds. Sunrise is 56 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ The golden hour ends at 6:22 am with sun in the east-northeast (68ยฐ). Tonight will have 9 hours and 9 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 48 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 83 degrees at 5pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around August 3rd. Maximum dew point of 60 at 5pm. Calm 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 97 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1955.

I’m undecided about my plans for tomorrow. ๐Ÿ’ญ I still want to get to the farm stands of the Schoharie Valley ๐ŸŒฝ ๐Ÿ… but I also kind of want to set up camp โ›บ and not have to secure it or take it down tomorrow. Plus I don’t love driving that rough Betty Brook Road, it’s tough on Big Reds aging suspension. ๐Ÿšฒ That said it could be a fun filled day. I might cycle from the Rest Area to Middleburgh, then poke around the village, get ice cream ๐Ÿฆ then hike Vromans Nose ๐Ÿ‘ƒ and turn hit up the farm stands, head back to Mine Kill Pool and swim some more before camp. Monday I will park in Stamford, ride down to Bloomfield and maybe hike not drive Utsaythana followed by a swim at Mine Kill before going out to see the folks before vacation which starts Friday.

In four weeks on August 19 the sun will be setting in the west-northwest (288ยฐ) at 7:55 pm,๐ŸŒ„ which is 34 minutes and 33 seconds earlier then today. In 2022 on that day, we had hot, mostly sunny and temperatures between 89 and 58 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 82 and 61 degrees. The record high of 92 degrees was set back in 1899.

Looking ahead, Work Like a Dog Day ๐Ÿฉ is Next Saturday (not likely to happen on vacation), Last Sunset After 8 PM ๐ŸŒ† is in 3 weeks, National Dog Day ๐Ÿฉ is in 5 weeks, Autumn ๐Ÿ‚ is in 2 months, Daylight Savings Time Ends ๐Ÿ›ฅ๏ธ is in 15 weeks, Veterans Day ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ is in 16 weeks, Regular Deer Season in Southern Zone ๐ŸฆŒ is in 17 weeks, Small Business Saturday ๐Ÿ›๏ธ is in 18 weeks, Average High is 40 ๐ŸŒจ is in 20 weeks, Earliest Sunset of the Year โŒ›๏ธ is in 20 weeks, Tea Party Day ๐Ÿ is in 21 weeks, Days are Getting Longer โ˜€๏ธ is in 5 months, Festivus ๐Ÿ– is in 22 weeks, Bacon Day ๐Ÿฅ“ is in 23 weeks and Bacon Day ๐Ÿฅ“ is in 23 weeks.

Fields

Totally agree that walking in that thunderstorm last night wasn’t a great idea โ›ˆ

I didn’t think it would be nice enough to go out walking last night but then I stepped outside it seemed okay, the wind blowing the opposite direction of the clouds to the west. It risk of thunder seemed pretty low, and I wanted to get at least 8 miles in for the day. But the time I was farthest from home the lightening was too close for comfort and five minutes from home the sky opened up. Ultimately I did get in 8 miles for the day, not the ten I normally walk and didn’t make it to the park, but that’s fine.

Good morning! With a few loud cracks of rain and thunder it’s morning. The sun is is rising, the skies are clearing somewhat and let’s call it 66 โ…” degrees at the 6:30 for the morning walk in the land of the Delmartian. โ›… Calm wind. The dew point is 64 degrees.

Last night I got home ๐Ÿก from work glad that I didn’t get soaked and figured that the evening walk ๐Ÿšถ was off the agenda. Then at 6:30 I stepped outside and looked at the radar and decided it would be okay. And it was for a while until the wind shifted and thunder โšก pushed closer. In the end it was fine, though I got a bit wet and went to bed early. ๐Ÿ› Walked 8 miles for the day plus 39 flights of stairs up and down. I was asleep by around 8 pm and up around 5 am.

As it was still raining out when I awoke ๐Ÿณ I decided to have breakfast before walking which was cold black coffee โ˜• with cold eggs and spinach from the other day. I also had a half of banana ๐ŸŒ from last night. At lunch time yesterday I walked up to Market 32 in Albany and got a bunch of bananas to hold my pantry over until Saturday when I can do a bigger shop ๐Ÿช. Cold lunch today with black beans, mushrooms, chopped farmers market tomatoes, peppers. Avoids the line for the microwave at work, though I’ve figured out the technique is to cook lunch at 12:50 PM before the 1 PM rush.

Today will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 5pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒง, with a high of 83 degrees at 2pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around July 4th. Independence Day! Maximum dew point of 71 at 2pm. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 85 degrees. The record high of 99 was set in 1995.

I’ll have to keep that Market 32 in Albany in mind ๐Ÿ›’ for when I need stocking up of a few ingredients downtown. Much better than the old Ghetto Chopper and really only a few blocks away from work if I take South Swan to Elm Street. They don’t have much in household supplies – I was hoping to get super glue to fix my boots ๐Ÿ‘ข – but the fresh fruits and vegetables looked good. It’s small so a fast shop. Probably can’t get frozen things there and I decided to skip getting plain non fat Greek yogurt just because of the hot day walking back to the office and the bus ride home but in the winter I think that’s an option.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 69.1ยฐ from the due south horizon (-1.7ยฐ 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 7:51 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 8:33 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 22 seconds with dusk around 9:06 pm, which is 36 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:50 pm. At sunset, look for rain ๐ŸŒง and thunderstorms ๐ŸŒฉ and temperatures around 74 degrees. The dew point will be 70 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 5 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 25 seconds over yesterday.

Six months into healthy eating ๐ŸŽI am finally starting to notice how much thinner I am. I have a feeling that my BMI is now below 25 though I don’t have a scale so I don’t know but I know I have lost weight since the last time I visited the doctor at the end of May when I was 209 lb and needed to get to 194 lb to be a healthy weight at 6′ 2.5″ though most others say I’m 6′ 4″ or 6′ 5″ with the boots on. My love handles have virtually disappeared and my stomach is much smaller, and I’m pretty sure that size 36 pants ๐Ÿ‘– are now the proper size, the smallest since probably I’ve been since elementary school. The problem is finding clothes in my closet that don’t make me look like a clown. ๐Ÿคก Still have a little more belly fat I’d look to loose, not just because of the look but because outer fat is associated with inner muscle fat, especially in the heart ๐Ÿ’– which is rather bad. But I feel like I am starting to get in great shape, mostly from eating a nutritious diet but also because I’ve kept up with the walking and stairs. And hopefully cycling too. Steiner, you are biting me with this bicycle thing. ๐Ÿ˜ 

Tonight will have showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before midnight. Mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒง, with a low of 66 degrees at 5am. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 70 at 6pm. Southeast wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 57 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1950.

I need to think about getting new boots before vacation. ๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Or at least rugged sneakers, something I can use for mountain biking and maybe jogging which I tell myself that I’m thinking ๐Ÿ’ญ about taking up ๐Ÿƒ maybe half seriously since becoming thinner. Around camp and certainly st the swimming pools and holes the knock off crocks are fun but they’re not appropriate for much else. They have no ankle support, get my feet muddy, and worse of all let in any stones and sticks into my foot ๐Ÿ‘ฃ where I can step on them.

On this day in 1969, the $500, $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 bills are officially withdrawn from circulation. ๐Ÿ’ต After this date, if you wanted to buy a large purchase in cash, you needed a lot of hundred dollars in bills. ๐Ÿ’ฐThey had last been printed in 1945, and were finally dropped from circulation in 1969, in part as an effort to reduce corruption and money scams. Nowadays a hundred ๐Ÿ’ฏ dollars seems almost a paltry amount with inflation not that I ever carry anything bigger than $5 bills because it’s just easier to use the credit card ๐Ÿ’ณ for anything bigger.

Tomorrow will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Partly sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 87 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 72 at 11am. Muggy, swamp weather. South wind 3 to 7 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 partly cloudy skies. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 86 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1997.

Tomorrow I will walk ๐Ÿšถ early to best the heat. ๐Ÿ˜ฐ Then it’s those oatmeal banana pancakes ๐ŸŒ ๐Ÿฅž love with blueberries and maybe some sugar free maple syrup and cold black coffee. So good! Then it’s off to Steiners to check on the status of the bicycle ๐Ÿšฒ they promise to be assembling for me. They don’t have it, I’ll test ride the XXL of the Marlin 5 and order and pay for the Marlin 6 as long as they can give me a set date for delivery. ๐Ÿšš Otherwise I will order online with another shop. This purchase needs to be closed down this weekend.

Then the next thing to do is get grocery shopping ๐Ÿ›’. I want to get more red kidney beans for maple syrup ๐Ÿ˜ next week and get them soaking to be cooked come Sunday morning. Plus all the usual, more Greek yogurt, ๐Ÿฎ frozen fruit ๐Ÿ“, peppers ๐Ÿซ‘๐ŸŒถ๏ธ, mushrooms ๐Ÿ„ and the usuals. I also need shampoo and extra deodorant the later this keep in the office ๐Ÿข after climbing the stairs. Then I’m not totally sure. ๐ŸŠ If it’s hot and looks like thunderstorms will stay away, maybe go to the town pool. I would have to register though to get a pool fob, maybe I should do that and it’s $5.25 to enter. ๐Ÿ˜• And you have to do that in advance. Seems like a pain. If I get the bike, ๐Ÿšต ride out to Voorheesville and probably the Black Creek Marsh. If it’s hot and I don’t want to spend money, go to the library for a while ๐Ÿ’ป with my computer, then come home, sit by the fan and get through some more of the stack of library books I have at home. ๐Ÿ“š

Looking ahead to Sunday, showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. High near 83. โ›ˆ๏ธ South wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. Not just a few passing showers. Maximum dew point of 74 at 12pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 84 degrees.

And so is the weekend forecast. ๐Ÿ˜– But if I can get this damn bicycle ๐Ÿšฒ thing closed down, I’ll be happy. I am thinking about taking off at least one day next week, where and what to do is to be decided but I need to get a few things ready for my vacation, I’ve taken fewer days off this summer than expected. Maybe it will be to get the rack on the bicycle, break it in or pick it up. ๐Ÿ›  Maybe the Potholers or Schoharie the second half of the week. ๐ŸŠ

Two weeks from now, God willing, ๐Ÿ– I will be well on my way to the Finger Lakes. I really want to leave by eight AM on that Friday to get the campsite I want in the National Forest โ›บ and then have the afternoon to set up and relax. ๐ŸŽฃ Do some fishing, a nice bicycle ๐Ÿšฒ ride and maybe watch a Finger Lakes sunset ๐ŸŒ‡ across a cow pasture in the National Forest.

After vacation, August 11th I have a dentist appointment at 10:15 AM ๐Ÿฆท which I will follow up probably with a long weekend. Maybe Schoharie or the Adirondacks. Have to be strategic at this point as there are only three weeks left in August at that point before Labor Day Weekend, and I want to have at least a few more long weekends before summer is done. ๐ŸŠ ๐Ÿ›ถ That said, except for the Mine Kill Pool there is no reason I can’t take lots of long weekends come September and October. ๐Ÿ I am not doing a West Virginia trip — or even a week-long trip at this point this autumn, so that leaves other days to allocate. I would like to do some kayaking, fishing, hunting, and bike riding this autumn. Charles Baker State Forest roads probably would be wonderful for autumn bike riding, as would the Chenango Canal Trail and others.

Looking ahead, there are 7 weeks until September 1st ๐Ÿ‚ when the sun will be setting at 7:31 pm with dusk at 7:59 pm. That’s the start of Labor Day Weekend. On that day in 2022, we had mostly sunny skies with rain showers and temperatures between 73 and 55 degrees. Cool day. The average high is 79 degrees. We hit a record high of 96 back in 1953. I might do Spectulator that weekend, especially if they have fire tower lighting that I could observe from I don’t know, Watch Hill (?). ๐Ÿ• Some of those truck trails through the Conservation Easement might be nice on the mountain bike, as would be camping up on Hardwood Hill, looking at the stars, lighting off ground fireworks and sparklers. ๐ŸŽ†

Back Out on Open Lake

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

At times I can be so impatient ๐Ÿšฒ

Like waiting to pick up my mountain bike, Blackie, from the store or any time Big Red is in the shop which hopefully isn’t anytime soon though I still need to do that passenger seat air bag recall later this summer. The General keeps reminding me about the recall, but I rarely have passengers in my truck, so it’s not a top priority of mine, especially as it’s pain to take Red to dealership.

Good morning! What day is it? We’re climbing the Hump Day, of course. I’m also impatient for the weekend. Mostly sunny โ˜€ with some light fog and 66 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. The dew point is 63 degrees.

Nice morning today, lots of runners ๐Ÿƒ ๐Ÿถ and dog walkers out this morning including all the usual’s though both aren’t exclusive groups. It’s funny how when you do the same walk every day you see the same people and commuters driving to work every day. Now that I’ve gotten in better shape ๐ŸฆตI’ve thought about maybe adding some jogging to my exercise program but I’d probably want to wear the sneakers ๐Ÿ‘Ÿ I have in my closet, along with learning more about pacing and posture. Kind of had to run down to the bus stop ๐Ÿšfor the express bus ๐Ÿš yesterday that never came as apparently the driver pulled too far off the shoulder and got stuck in the mud letting a passenger on. I got a ride in with one of the other passengers. ๐Ÿš˜ Happens, it’s been wet, โšก and those electric buses they’ve been running on the Voorheesville Route are mad heavy compared to the normal buses.

11 3/4 miles walked and 40 flights of stairs up and down yesterday. ๐Ÿšถ 2 1/2 weeks of doing the stairs at work. I told one of my colleagues I’m now doing the stairs at work, and I got this look of you work on the 18th floor. Yesterday was cream of wheat, frozen blueberries and a dap of Greek yogurt for breakfast. So good but for a change eggs with spinach, mushroom, tomatoes and onions today. ๐Ÿณ It should make two breakfasts, maybe I’ll save it for Friday or Saturday might be good if I’m leaving early Saturday to head out of town. ๐Ÿšฒ Black beans, peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms for lunch – cold lunches are good in the heat. ๐Ÿฑ Dinner was the remaining red kidney beans with sugar free maple syrup, plus a little of the mackerel – spinach/kale pasta salad, though I’m trying to limit that as it’s a bit greasy and is high in carbs from the pasta. ๐Ÿฒ

Today will have isolated showers, then scattered showers and thunderstorms after 11am. I am pretty sure thats just template text for summer. Mostly sunny โ˜€, with a high of 85 degrees at 3pm. One degree above normal. Maximum dew point of 68 at 10am. Calm wind becoming northwest 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 40%. 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. It became sticky as the day progressed. The high last year was 91 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1935.

Today I want to get to the farmers market on the Plaza ๐ŸŒฝ ๐Ÿ… mostly in search ๐Ÿ”Ž of tomatoes and sweet corn, basically in that order. I could almost kill for a fresh tomatoes but also sweet corn would be good. I know Stantons has both but they’re not convenient for me to get to, I’d have to drive out there. ๐Ÿซ Maybe more of the overpriced blueberries, they were good but I have frozen ones already in my freezer. I tend to prefer frozen fruits and vegetables at home while reserving good fresh ones for camping ๐Ÿ• not just as I lack freezer capacity but it gives me something to look forward to at camp, replacing the cookies ๐Ÿช and junk food of the past. Maybe I can get fruits and vegetables in the Schoharie Valley this weekend. I should take an early lunch to ensure that I can get the best fruits and vegetables today, remembering to bring my reusable bag.

Accidentally double paid my credit card ๐Ÿ’ณ bill though it’s okay as I wanted to retire any outstanding debt before getting the bicycle ๐Ÿšฒ and then also before vacation ๐Ÿ– just so I had a safe margin in case of emergency on vacation. I’ll use the statement credit to cover it. Money is going to be a bit tight through next pay day on Tuesday but if I have to dip into rainy day for a few days not the end of the world. ๐Ÿ’ต

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 69.4ยฐ from the due south horizon (-1.4ยฐ 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 (295ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (302ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:34 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 23 seconds with dusk around 9:07 pm, which is 31 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:52 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies ๐ŸŒƒ and temperatures around 76 degrees. The dew point will be 68 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 7 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 18 seconds over yesterday.

Today I will phone the bike shop ๐Ÿ“ž to see how progress is going on building my bike if they don’t call by one or so. If it’s ready, I’ll try to sneak out of work at 4 pm with permission of course, get home get my truck and hurry over to the shop. I would like to start to breaking it in ๐Ÿšฒ even if I don’t have all the accessories I want before the weekend. ๐ŸŒ‡ With the earlier sunsets, I would like to be able to bicycle out to Voorheesville or Five Rivers in evening, and then spend the evening out before riding home. I thought about walking to Five Rivers last night ๐Ÿธ but it’s a lot of walking in the sprawl either on Fisher Boulevard or the narrow NY 443, and I’d rather spend more time in the woods. But the bicycle could let me speed through that boring crap.

Honestly, the question most biting into my mind is will the Borranger MIK Rack fit on the XXL version of the Trek Marlin 6, ๐Ÿ˜• which the internet doesn’t seem to have a good answer for or the cost since the recent inflationary increases. โš™ I guess worse comes to worse, there are other rack systems you get online like the AVS and RackSystem, but I want something with a quick release for adding and removing the milk crate / storage basket I want to mount on there for hauling gear but be able to take off when the bike is in transit or I’m on narrow trails or otherwise don’t need the weight of the carrying container on the back. Getting adapters and quick release connectors on a generic bike rack might end up costing more ๐Ÿ’ฐ so I’d rather stick with MIK as it seems like if I get it built in the rack, then I can get just get the plate I need for the milk crate.

Tonight will have scattered thunderstorms, mainly before 7pm. Mostly cloudy โ˜๏ธ, with a low of 64 degrees at 6am. One degree above normal. Maximum dew point of 68 at 8pm. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 62 degrees. The record low of 45 occurred back in 1939.

On this day in 1967, the Newark Riots begin with over six days of rioting, looting, and destruction leaving 26 dead. We really are fortunate that despite living troubled times, there has been no rioting in our cities this year. ๐ŸŒ† 2020 with all it’s disorder seems like a one shot deal, though I swear downtown is a lot rougher than it used to be before the pandemic but maybe I forgot after two years of remote work.

A very summer like weekend. ๐Ÿ– Saturday, showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Maximum dew point of 72 at 4pm. Sunday, 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%. Maximum dew point of 73 at 11am. Typical average high for the weekend is 84 degrees.

As of now I’m still on track for going out to Schoharie โ›บ ๐Ÿšฒ but things could change in the mean time. I’m watching the Sunday forecast closely. I’d really like to get two days of swimming ๐ŸŠ in the pool under my belt to prepare for summer vacation but not if Sunday is going to be bad weather. The auto show at the Power Authority would be fun, as riding the Catskill Scenic Trail.

One month ๐Ÿ“… from now will be Last Sunset After 8 PM ๐ŸŒ† with dusk at 8:32 pm. Come August due to earth wobble we loose a lot of evening daylight though morning daylight declines slower.

 Out On Lilly Lake