Search Results for: photo clearing 8

This past year I spent 37 nights camping in the wilderness 🏕

This past year I spent 37 nights camping in the wilderness 🏕

Places I Camped in 2021

While this was less then the 63 nights I did in 2020, with remote work winding down and more in-person meetings and events happening in Albany, I ended up not getting out as much as I did the previous year. Still 37 nights camping is still a lot of time in wilderness.

It was a lot rainier then some summers, so that also made it harder to get out of town for long weekends. When I did go camping, and I wasn’t remote working, I tried to make it a priority to find more-remote areas without cell service, so I could get solitude without the constant buzz of the phone. Plus I tended to stay in one campsite for two or three days, to avoid the hassles of taking down and setting up camp.

Saturday/Sunday April 24-25: Two Nights on East Branch

I started out my travels in late April on the East Branch Sacandaga River along NY 8, near Fox Lair. On Saturday, before arriving to camp, I hiked along Hope Falls Road and back to lower and upper Tenant Creek Falls. Sunday, I hiked around Fox Lair, sat down by the river for a while, did some fishing. Had a big ol’ fire. It was cold but also kind of spring-like.

Sunday was kind of cloudy but not to wet

Monday April 26: One Night on Sacandaga River/Speculator Tree Farm

Monday I drove up to Speculator to do remote work at the library and the town park/beach with my laptop. I set up camp at Campsite 17 and in the evening after work, I hiked along Old NY Route 8B, spending some time along Austin Falls and heading back to camp before it got too dark. Tuesday I worked up in Speculator, before heading home. Things were still very brown and gray in the Adirondacks, although I ended up stopping along the Mohawk River in Rotterdam and hiking on the bike trail before dark, and it was much greener down there.

Thursday to Saturday May 13-15: Three Nights on Sacandaga River/Speculator Tree Farm

Thursday morning I got up early and drove up to Speculator before 9 AM to work remotely. I worked until lunch time in Spectulator when I drove down to Campsite 17 and set up camp and worked from there. Worked all day on Friday from camp, mostly sending emails from the hammock although I also edited a report I was working on with my laptop at the table, and grabbed some files a colleague needed off the server over the VPN. Knocked over the lantern, smashing the glass and breaking the the neck on it. On Saturday I hiked back along Robb Mill Road and some of the side trails in the Conservation Easement. Sunday, I drove up to Watch Hill on Indian Lake, hiked that, while there was a constant threat of thunderstorms, so I did it fairly quickly.

Sacandaga River below Austin Falls

Sunday May 16: One Night Camping Near Mason Lake

After hiking Watch Hill I ended up camping at Mason Lake. I also spent some time walking around the Indian Lake/Lewey Campground, just seeing what was there I was hoping being a Sunday I could get a campsite near Mason Lakke, but no such luck. Ended up camping at Campsite 5, a ways from the lake, although in the evening I did walk down to the lake. I did have cell service where I was camping, but it was spotty, so come Monday morning, I headed back to Speculator for work. The black flies were bad camping there, until well after dark I spent most of the afternoon hiding under the screen tent. In the morning, once the sun was up and the tent was down, I was booking out there because the black flies were intense.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday June 17-19: Three nights Camping at House Pond Campsite

Junteenth Weekend, a new state holiday. Piseco-Powley Road was rebuilt, and I spent a lot of time down at the swimming hole there. I was working remote on Thursday, but I left home after work and drove north before dusk. Spent a lot of time cooling off in East Branch by the campsite, laying in the hammock and relaxing. Saturday I spent kayaking at Lily Lake, but none of the lilies were out. Sunday I spent the balance of the day the potholers.

Reading ?

Friday, Saturday, Sunday July 8-10: Three nights camping on Hope Falls Road

After quite a run of rainy weather, we had part of weekend that wasn’t super wet. Also, many weeks in the summer, I preferred to just stay close to home, and catch the Nature Bus and spend Saturdays exploring Thacher Park for free. Friday was a personal day – I had a eye doctors appointment. Then I went north and set up camp at Hope Falls Road. Saturday, I hiked back to Ferris Lake and Tenant Creek Falls. Sunday, partially in the rain, I hiked back to both lower and upper Tenant Creek Falls. Sunday evening back at camp, it absolutely poured. I was originally planning to work remote on Monday and maybe Tuesday in Speculator but the weather was so wet, I decided against that.

Friday July 23: Overnight at Cherry Ridge

Heading out to the Finger Lakes, I overnighted at Cherry Ridge at Charles Baker State Forest in Madison County. It was a stop over after leaving home after work. Noticed how much sway there was in front end of the truck, and the tires were getting loud as they were warn and cupped, grew concerned that I might have issues later on. Eventually in December I replaced the tires, the worn rear shock bushing. and bad sway links. I was dealing with some real anxiety issues at that point. But I had a little fire, then retired early to bed and then took camp down early in the morning and headed west to Montezuma Wildlife Refuge and the state Audubon Preserve.

Saturday July 24: One night Tent Camping Along Backbone Horse Trail at Finger Lakes National Forest

I knew arriving at the Finger Lakes National Forest on a Saturday would mean many campsites would be taken, including the site I wanted. I ended up tent camping at one of the primitive sites off Potomac Road. It was a one night deal as I prefer camping in the truck shell and I saw the people in the campsite I wanted leave, so I quickly grabbed that campsite in the morning. Ended up breaking one of the elastic straps in one of the tent poles, I still need to repair it.

Sunday-Saturday July 25-31: Six Nights Truck Cap Camping Along Backbone Horse Trail at Finger Lakes National Forest

My summer vacation was the Finger Lakes National Forest. I decided to stick close to camp for much summer vacation, not rushing too much from place to place, spending a lot of afternoons at the Watkins Glen Pool, doing some paddling in Seneca Lake and Cayuta Lake, hiking in Texas Hollow and Sugar Hill State Forests. Did a lot of reading and laying back in the hammock. The campsite I stayed at didn’t have cell service, so it gave me a much needed to respite from the internet for a few days. Had some nice fires, drank some beer, and got away from it all.

Summer Vacation Seems So Distant Now

Thursday, Friday, Saturday August 12-15: Three nights at House Pond Campsite with Clams and Sweet Corn

After summer vacation, I decided to take a long weekend — four days — up to Potholers, namely the House Pond campsite with lots of sweet corn, clams and beer. I can still taste the clams and beer, and I had plenty of them to eat over the weekend — they were breakfast, lunch and diner. But it was nice laying back in the hammock and swimming in the swimming hole by that campsite. I also hiked along old Edick Road and to Edick Road Campsite 1, which is way off from the main road, and then down to the ledge. Hiked back to House Pond, which was difficult as there was a lot of blow down from a storm earlier in the summer. Spent much of Sunday at the Potholers and then watched the sun set from the Kane Mountain Firetower. Didn’t bring the kayak this time.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday August 26-28: Three nights (again) at House Pond Campsite

With another warm week ahead, I decided to take off Friday and Monday off for one more week up at House Pond. This time I spent more time at Potholers, walking up there each afternoon, besides spending a lot of time at the swimming hole near this campsite. Did some fishing up House Pond, and a lot of drinking and reading from the hammock. Read yet another book about writing code in Python and Kristen Kimbell’s Dirty Life about farm life. I bought a large truck intertube for floating, but once I got to camp and started to setting up I realized I didn’t have an air pump with me, so I couldn’t use it while camping.

East Canada Creek Below Edick Road Ledge

Friday, Saturday, Sunday September 3-5: Three nights at Hardwood Hill at Perkins Clearing

Friday, September 3rd was the final day of remote work – Labor Day Weekend. I got up early, drove to Speculator before 9 AM. I started working from Speculator Library but with my phone having hotspot service and cell service, mid-day I drove up to Hardwood Hill. This time I made sure to inflate my intertube before heading up north, and I spent Saturday evening until well after dusk floating in the Jessup River off of Jessup River. Then I drove to Sled Harbor after dark, hoping to catch a glimpse the illuminated Wakely Hill Firetower, but I could not see it as it I couldn’t find the good views of the tower from the road after dark.

Saturday September 11: One night at Betty Brook

Decided to do a weekend trip out to Schoharie County to hike the Catskill Scenic Trail south of Grand Gorge through the deep notch where NY 30 runs. Hiked down to Hubbell’s Corners from Grand Gorge then went for a very cold swim at Mine Kill State Park. Mine Kill pool was open late this year due to opening late at the beginning of summer. Water temperature was 58 degrees. Sunday I also went for a quick swim at Mine Kill Pool again. Still very cold.

Into the Notch

Saturday September 18: One Night at House Pond

On September 18th, I drove up to Piseco-Powley Road to camp for three nights, four days. Spent one night at the House Pond Campsite, which I set up in the pouring rain, and spent time floating in the my new rubber intertube. It was a nice day once he rain stopped but the water was very cold. But it was nice laying back in the hammock that evening, although prior to dusk there was a lot of deer flies around and biting.

Sunday/Monday September 19 & 20: Two Nights at Powley Place

On Sunday afternoon I drove further up Piseco-Powley Road to Powley Place to do some camping and paddling on the East Canada Creek. Monday I hiked back to Goldstream Falls then carried my kayak down to the East Canada Creek and paddled down to the first rapids, portaged past that to the second main rapids. The beaver dams were relatively low this time, due to water levels being higher then other times when I’ve paddled the East Canada Creek. Laid back in the hammock, did some reading and looking out over the campsite on these mild, starry nights. Also did some floating down the East Canada Creek

Friday, Saturday, Sunday October 8-10: Three nights camping at Betty Brook

I took off the Friday before Columbus Day Weekend to hike Bear Pen Mountain in the Western Catskills. It was the start to a very colorful weekend. Betty Brook was nice, but it was good I got there relatively early — around 4 PM on Friday as the other campsites were quickly taken. On Saturday, I drove down to Stamford and hiked more of the Catskill Scenic Trail from Stamford for Bloomville then visited a friend in Summit. Sunday I hiked along Betty Brook Road to the snowmobile trail up Burnt Hill, then hiked over the dirt roads on Burnt and Rossman Hills, enjoying the leaves and wildlife. Hiked back  to camp and laid back into the hammock well into the evening, which was quite mild. Sunday I hiked from Grand Gorge to Stamford on the Catskill Scenic Trail.

Saturday, November 6: Camping at County Bridge Campground Pennsylvania

Originally I was planning to get new tires put on my truck prior to going to West Virginia,  trip that was postponed multiple times. Ultimately I decided it wouldn’t be a bad idea to just wear out the tires and go for the trip. I hadn’t decided on where I was going to go until I was on the road, and ended up going to Binghamton, then down to Pennsylvania for my first night camping. It was a cold first night — got down to 14 degrees.

Sunday/Monday November 7-8: Camp Run West Virginia

The first two nights I spent at Camp Run Primitive Campground at Miles, West Virginia which is located in a wash on the backside of Shenandoah Mountain. On Monday of that week I hiked up over Shenandoah Mountain, and watched the sun rise over Camp Run Lake. Tuesday morning I drove over through Judy Gap then up Spruce Mountain and hiked up that. In the afternoon I hiked up Seneca Rocks, something that had long been on my bucket list to do.

Quiet Walk Along Camp Run Road

Tuesday, November 9: Camping at Canaan Heights

On Tuesday night I camped up in Canaan Heights / Table Rock outside of Thomas WV. I was going to stay multiple days but hearing a lot of wheel bearing noise in my truck, I decided it best to head north on Wednesday and see if I could either make it home or get the truck fixed. The wheel bearing burned up by the time I got up to Lock Haven but was able to get it fixed that day and head north to County Bridge.

Wednesday, November 10: Camping at County Bridge Pennsylvania

The second time camping at County Bridge it wasn’t as cold.  I had a fire and retired to bed fairly early. But come the morning, neither the camp stove or the heater was working. I thought I might have have run out of propane. Then packed up in the morning on Veterans Day and headed north to Chenango Forks State Park, which I wanted to explore. I then stopped at Price Chopper, got some groceries and headed up to Long Pond State Forest for two kind of cold and chilly, damp nights.

Thursday/Friday, November 11-12: Camping at Long Pond State Forest

After spending the balance of Veterans Day, Thursday at Chenango Forks State Park, I camped for two nights at Long Pond State Forest. I was still having problems with my camp stove and heater, so it was kind of cold but I was able to find enough firewood to make do, and had some quiet evenings listening to the radio and just hanging out. Friday was pretty rainy, but I made due — beat having going back home. The fires were smokey but they were warm enough. And it beat being home.

Dusk in November

Monday/Tuesday December 20-21: Camping at Stoney Pond State Forest

I thought about getting out of town after Thanksgiving but the weather did not cooperate. Then my truck’s repairs and tires got dragged out to mid-December. I decided to take he week off before Christmas to go camping. I was thinking about Central New York and then the Finger Lakes, but ultimately made it no farther then the Finger Lakes. Saturday was pouring rain, and then Sunday was bitterly cold. And my camp heater and stove were malfunctioning. But ultimately I was able to get it working, after much fiddling at camp. I camped two nights at Stoney Pond, spending Tuesday poking around Cazenovia. Tuesday was very gray, and Wednesday was snowy. Wednesday I drove to Hamilton and hiked part of the Chenango Canal Trail.

Wednesday, December 22: Camping at Moscow Hill Assembly Area

My final night camping in 2021 was the Moscow Hill Assembly Area at the Charles Baker State Forest. I decided to camp there as it was more sheltered from the wind and snow, and in case we got more snow, I figured I wouldn’t have to worry about the snow, as the county highway isn’t that far away. They were expecting high winds and low windchills, but it turned out not to be too bad. I thought about staying another night on Thursday, but the weather for Thursday looked sunny, and wanted to do some hiking, plus I wanted to be home for Christmas Eve for a family Christmas Party.

July 12, 2021 Morning

Good morning! Monday’s come back around again. Rain and 67 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☔ Calm wind. The dew point is 65 degrees. I drove back home in the rain this morning, as it was pretty wet up camping along Hope Falls Road.

I was going to do Piseco-Powely Road 🏕 but on my way up there decided on Pumpkin Hollow Road, but the sites are no longer officially designated, and I didn’t want to get drunk and then get yelled at up and told I had to camp somewhere else. Not that it was likely to happen, but the bugs seemed particularly bad on Pumpkin Hollow, so plans changed. 🎃 I was hoping to camp on that recently restored site on Creek Road, but that was taken. So I ended up camping on site on Hope Falls Road, the one nearest to parking area for Tenant Creek Falls, 🌊 and hiking back to the falls a couple of times during the weekend and then also hiking to Wilcox Lake..

Today will rain before noon, then a chance of showers, mainly between noon and 5pm. Cloudy 🌧, with a high of 73 degrees at 3pm. 11 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 23rd. Maximum dew point of 69 at 2pm. Light north wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 90 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1935.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 69.3° from the due south horizon (-1.5° 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 🏅 starts at 7:52 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (294°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (301°) 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 32 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent 🌒 Moon in the west (280°) at an altitude of 16° from the horizon, 238,791 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:51 pm. At sunset, watch for thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 72 degrees. The dew point will be 68 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 15 hours and 4 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 19 seconds over yesterday.

This evening I need to run to store and get a few supplies, 👜 including toilet paper and some food. 🚽 I also said I would swing over to a friend’s house and help them with a project in Glenmont. I think I also want to clean off some of the mud from the truck to hopefully slow the rust. I really need to paint those few rust spots that are bare metal these days before winter.

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 7pm. Cloudy 🌧, with a low of 66 degrees at 6am. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 68 at 6pm. Light southeast wind. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2020, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 68 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. 🤯 There have been some crazy times lately but nothing like the late 1960s.

Hot this weekend, possibly with thunderstorms. 🌩 Saturday, showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Maximum dew point of 74 at 12pm. Sunday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 83. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Maximum dew point of 70 at 11am. Typical average high for the weekend is 84 degrees.

I think it’s a wait and see for the weekend. 🏊‍♀️ I am toying with the idea of going out to Schoharie County, but a lot depends on the weather. I might take off Friday or might not. If it’s going to be hot out Friday, I could spend it at Mine Kill State Park Pool. I might meet a friend out there in Schoharie County. Not sure though. It would be nice to hit up the farm stands, do some fishing and camp up in Burnt Rossman. 🏕 But who knows, in a week from now, it will be summer vacation.

One month 📅 from now will be Last Sunset After 8 PM 🌆 when the sun will be setting at 8:01 pm with dusk at 8:31 pm.

East on a Hazy Day

July 1, 2021 Morning

Good morning! Happy July 🏊🏿! Two weeks to Cow Appreciation Day 🐂. Cloudy, humid and 70 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁️ Calm wind. The dew point is 67 degrees. The skies will clear Saturday around 10 pm.

While the heat is not what it was yesterday, it still is a really humid morning 💧 with rain expected later. I will have to make sure to bring my rain coat when I head into the office is a bit as it should be raining later based on the forecast. 🏢 The morning walk 🚶🏻 is what to be expected, I made coffee ☕ first so it wouldn’t be so hot when breakfast happened and I could ice it down with ice cubes.

Today will have a chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11am. Cloudy 🌦, with a high of 79 degrees at 3pm. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around June 15th. Maximum dew point of 67 at 7am. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had rain in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 83 degrees. The record high of 99 was set in 1913.

I have a busy day on tap. 📞 I need to call my psycho analyst and cancel the next session, renew my AAA auto club membership, 🚘 add money to my Navigator bus card 💳, go back to the more basic cellphone plan for next month now that library is re-openned 📱, and adjust some of my investments 💰.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:00 pm with sun having an altitude of 70.5° from the due south horizon (-0.4° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:55 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (296°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (303°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:38 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 26 seconds with dusk around 9:11 pm, which is 8 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:57 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 73 degrees. The dew point will be 67 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 15 hours and 15 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 39 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy 🌧, with a low of 64 degrees at 4am. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 67 at 7pm. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. In 2020, we had mostly clear skies. It became humid as the night progressed. It got down to 63 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. Always double check zip codes. Also in 1968, the UAW becomes a seperate entity from AFL-CIO over policy disputes. 🤜🏻 The UAW would rejoin the AFL-CIO 13 years later in 1981.

Weekend forecast is sliding down hill again. ⛈️Saturday, a chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66. North wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 59 at 11am. Sunday, Independence Day, a chance of showers between 8am and 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Chance of precipitation is 30%. And for Monday, more typical nice summer weather that will be sunny , with a high near 84. Typical average high for the weekend is 83 degrees.

While not a complete wash out, 🌦️this weekend is still going to pretty cool and wet especially up north so I will probably stay in town with hope for better weather the next week. If the forecast for a week from Friday improves, I might reschedule my eye appointment 👀 for the next week.

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Cow Appreciation Day 🐂 when the sun will be setting at 8:31 pm with dusk at 9:04 pm. On that day in 2020, we had partly sunny, patches of fog and temperatures between 86 and 65 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 84 degrees. We hit a record high of 96 back in 1997.

Loons

June 26, 2021 10 AM Update

Good morning! Happy Saturday. Finally the weekend! Four weeks to Strugeon Moon 🌕 . Partly cloudy and 74 degrees at the Five Rivers Environmental Education Center. 🌥 There is a south breeze at 15 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 67 degrees. The skies will clear around 8 pm.

Hot day with the humidity 😰 although truth be told, tomorrow will be even hotter. Waiting for the bus 🚍 up to Thacher Park after walking 🚶🏻 out to Five Rivers. 🐦. 😷 Not wearing the mask much lately, I forgot it and had to run home. I can’t believe how hot it is out already.

Today will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a high of 84 degrees at 3pm. Two degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 67 at 10am. South wind 15 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 85 degrees. The record high of 99 was set in 1952.

The plan is to catch the next bus 🚍 to Thacher Park 🏞 and then go for a, walk 🚶🏻 up to Thompsons Lake, swim and cool off 🏊🏻‍♂️ – already getting hot. Then back to Thacher Park and lay back in the hammock. A lot of people already at Five Rivers, I like the quiet – maybe it will be quieter 🤫 in the evening when all the kids 👧🏻 go home for dinner. Probably do an evening walk there too.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:59 pm with sun having an altitude of 70.7° from the due south horizon (-0.1° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:55 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (297°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (304°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:38 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 28 seconds with dusk around 9:12 pm, which is 2 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:58 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 77 degrees. The dew point will be 67 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 13 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 17 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 21 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 71 degrees at 4am. 10 degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 68 at 11pm. South wind 10 to 13 mph. In 2020, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became light rain by the early hours of the morning. It became somewhat humid as the night progressed. It got down to 61 degrees. The record low of 45 occurred back in 1970.

I suspect that this will be a tough night for sleeping 😴 so I’ll have to use the fan although Sunday and Monday will worse. I might end up going to the office 🏢 the first half of the week just to beat the heat and get more in person hours in to keep the other directors happy 😊. So much pressure to get people back in the office now that COVID is over 😷 👾 💉 but the thing is everybody likes remote work 💻 and things are getting done whether it’s from camp or a bedroom. 👂🏻 It falls on deaf ears.

Last night was cooler 😎 but I still needed the fan. ⚛ I was out at the Town Park last night watching the wildlife and noticing that the deer 🦌 already starting to get good sized numbs as their antlers grow in. Autumn is rapidly approaching. All the farms are cutting hay 🌾, you can smell the manure being applied to the fields now as the first cutting get racked and baled.

On this day in 1963, U.S. President John F. Kennedy gave his “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech, 🎤 underlining the support of the United States for democratic West Germany shortly after Soviet-supported East Germany erected the Berlin Wall. 🇩🇪 Also, The Universal Product Code is scanned for the first time in 1974 to sell a package of Wrigley’s chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio. 🍬

Yesterday was my counseling session and it went well, 👨🏻‍⚕️and I was feeling great after it until I realized how it was kind of a bummer. I really don’t like how my counselor keeps telling me that my problems are silly, and that because I’m not doing anything likely to cause significant harm ⚠ I shouldn’t worry so much about my pyromanania. 🔥 You want to move out to the country, have a burn barrel 🛢, livestock 🐮, four wheelers 🏍️and lots of guns 🔫 more power to you. Liking fire or being a conservative doesn’t make you mentally ill. Not harming any one, if your safe and not smoking out your neighbors.

I guess he’s right but I wanted to be pressured to have my views challenged and change. 💭 I guess ethically he can’t tell me to be an urban liberal Democrat who drives a Prisus, 🚘 doesn’t eat meat 🥩, advocates for gun control 🔫, and recycles rather than burns his garbage ♻. I so wanted to be told I was terribly wrong, but I guess that’s not what a he can do. But I wish he would listen to me more and talk less. 🔕 While I get that I’m paying for his advice I also feel that he should listen more and talk less.

He seems to want to move on to discussing my sometimes contrarian attitude 🙄 but at this point I don’t know how much farther I want to continue. I’m $125 in the hole 🕳 with co-pay now, and I feel like I’ve discussed all my deepist secrets. 🤫 I’ve learned some things, reevaluated parts of my life. 👩🏻‍🌾 Started to think about girl friends and settling down a bit. I’ve learned additional techniques to deal with my anxiety 😯 and as winter became summer. 🏖 I think I want to cancel my next session and reevaluate come autumn although I’ve scheduled an appointment a week from Friday but I could cancel as I’d rather be in the Adirondacks.

Looking ahead, there are 4 weeks until Strugeon Moon 🌕 when the sun will be setting at 8:24 pm with dusk at 8:56 pm. On that day in 2020, we had humid, partly sunny and temperatures between 82 and 65 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 84 degrees. We hit a record high of 96 back in 1941.

Branch Pond Road

June 22, 2021 Morning

Good morning! Happy Tuesday, Primary Day. At least in the big cities, there are no primaries locally in Bethlehem at least. All of the polling places are closed, confirming what I already knew. Four weeks to Ugly Truck Day 🚚. Rain and 63 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☔ There is a northwest breeze at 7 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 58 degrees. The skies will clear around 8 pm.

I was thinking it was one year ago today, 🏕 👨‍💻 that I was camping and doing remote work from Horsehoe Lake and Lows Lake in the Adirondacks. What a blast for sure, it was pretty wild. I don’t know why I haven’t done that again, although part of issue is that there is really only one campsite and also down by the lake that has really good internet up there, and it’s a long ways north — plus I kind of got busy doing other things with more in-person sessions in Albany. 🎑 Those photos I took from Lows Ledge though a pretty amazing. Maybe I should do a real vacation up in Horseshoe again this year, and maybe even tent camp on Lows Lake. 😎 A bit of a trip but it’s nice.

I didn’t get a real early start this morning with the clouds, 🌦 which meant by the time I was out walking, the rain was coming down. Really picked up about the time I got home, but that’s fine I got milk 🐮 to and are taking a shower shortly. 🚿 The good news is today is a lot less humid then yesterday – it was really a dog day yesterday. 🐶

I worked from home yesterday, 😅 mainly because I didn’t want to face masking up in the heat and going into the air conditioned office. I put the big box fan right on me ☢ and worked at my computer for a while before laying back in bed with the fan and following email and hopping up to make calls. ☎️ It really wasn’t a pleasant day, and I skipped my evening walk because it was so humid and nasty out. Just moving a lot made you sweat like a pig. 🐷 I kind of wish I found a way to work from the Adirondacks yesterday, although it was pretty wet up there in Speculator yesterday, so I would have been huddled in my truck, trying to stay out of the rain.

Today will have showers likely, mainly before 1pm. Cloudy 🌦, with a high of 67 degrees at 4pm. 14 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 3rd. Maximum dew point of 58 at 8am. Northwest wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 95 degrees. The record high of 95 was set in 1954.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:58 pm with sun having an altitude of 70.8° from the due south horizon (-0° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:55 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (297°). 📸 The sunset is in the northwest (304°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:38 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 28 seconds with dusk around 9:11 pm, which is 10 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇

At dusk you’ll see the Full 🌝 Moon in the south-southeast (148°) at an altitude of 19° from the horizon, 226,522 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:58 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 60 degrees. The dew point will be 49 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 18 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 6 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear ☁, with a low of 48 degrees at 4am. 12 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 16th. Northwest wind 5 to 9 mph becoming light after midnight. In 2020, we had mostly clear skies. It was humid. It got down to 75 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1940.

I was glad I was able to quickly fix the bum connection 🔋 on the exciter wire to main battery relay. It turned out it was the just the butt connector that I noticed was loose was bad, as soon as I cut it and found voltage, ✂️ I was able to patch the cable together with a new butt connector as I left extra wire slack, and things were working again. ⚡

Hot, humid with showers this weekend. 🌩 Saturday, a chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Maximum dew point of 67 at 11am. Sunday, a chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 83. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Maximum dew point of 70 at 10am. Typical average high for the weekend is 82 degrees.

I am thinking Saturday, catch the Nature Bus 🚌 to Thacher Park, hike up to Thompson Lake, go for a brief swim, 🏊‍♀️ do some nature observation, 🐦 and then head back to Thacher Park and do some reading. Also, going to bring may back up battery for my phone 🔋, so I don’t have to worry about charge, especially if I end up sitting by the escarpment doing some blogging or even watching a Youtube. 📱 I figure it will be cool by escarpment. The following weekend — Independence Day Weekend — it will either be to the Adirondacks or maybe Schoharie backcountry to camp. But it might rain. Who knows. I do want to do a long weekend at the Potholers once it gets hot out again. 😎

Looking ahead, there are 4 weeks until Ugly Truck Day 🚚 when the sun will be setting at 8:27 pm with dusk at 9:00 pm. On that day in 2020, we had hot, humid, mostly sunny and temperatures between 87 and 69 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 84 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1991.

Along the Lake

June 20, 2021 Evening

Good evening! Partly clear and 82 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a south breeze at 8 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 62 degrees. Back home again, as John Denver once sung. 🎶 Remarkably hot, especially now that I am back home after having a nice Sunday dinner at the folks house. 👕 Slowly unpacking my gear from camping, taking steps to drink and cool down.

Well, happy summer folks. ☺ The next ten weeks through Labor Day Weekend are considered real summer when the state parks pools are open and the days are relatively long. 🏖 Nice hot summer days to spend at the pool or swimming hole. 🏊🏻‍♂️ Do some fishing 🎣 late into the night.

It was a beautiful trip back across the Mohawk Valley and through the Schoharie Valley. Everything was very green and lush.  It was a nice weekend up north, although Friday night was very wet. ☔ It drizzled for a while and then when I went for a good walk up to the Potholers it poured and I got completely soaked. 💦 It was decent all three days up north although I have to say that today was the best of the week. That said, much too short. 🐇 Time flies, especially when it’s rare that I am not out of town for four or more nights, in the era of remote work. But I decided I should come home tonight, because I need to at minimum move to a new campsite.

It was three nights up in the wilderness, 🏕 camping up at House Pond, spending much of Friday during the day drinking, 🍺 reading, 📕 writing, ✍ and hanging down at the Swimming Hole by the House Pond Campsite. 🏊‍♀️ It was nice but the water was a bit cold to say the least. 🛶 Saturday, was kayaking from Stewart Landing up to Lily Lake. I didn’t go much into West Lake because I wanted to be close to back to Stewart Landing by 2 pm as they were threatening severe storms by afternoon, which never materialized. Instead, I spent the evening reading, and then down at the same swimming hole on the East Canada Creek. 🏊‍♀️ Most of Sunday was spent slowly taking down camp after a nice breakfast 🥞 then the majority of the day the Potholers. I forgot how much nicer the Potholers are with the flowing water and potholes compared to any ordinary swimming hole on a nice summer day. It’s good to be back there!

Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 69 degrees at 5am. 10 degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 66 at 3am. South wind around 8 mph. Probably need the fan on all evening. In 2020, we had mostly clear skies. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 69 degrees. The record low of 41 occurred back in 1970.

I thought about staying over the folks house, 👪 but I was tired and wanted to get home. It has been a nice weekend, but alas I should get ready for the work week and get my camping gear put away. I also want to get the volt meter out before dark, and try to figure out why the relay isn’t closing between the starting and accessory batteries when the engine is on or the solar is outputting enough to top off both batteries. 🔋 That was annoying that wasn’t working this weekend.

Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous 🌔 Moon with 81% illuminated. At 7 PM, the moon was in the southeast (139°) at an altitude of 26° from the horizon, some 226,818 miles away from where you are looking up from the earth. 🚀 At the state speed limit of 55 mph, you’ll make it there by December 9th. Buckle up for safety! 💺 The Strawberry 🍓 Moon is on Thursday, June 24. The darkest hour is at 12:58 am, followed by dawn at 4:43 am, and sun starting to rise at 5:18 am in the east-northeast (57°) and last for 3 minutes and 28 seconds. Sunrise is 11 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 6:01 am with sun in the east-northeast (64°). Tonight will have 8 hours and 41 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4pm. Some of the storms could produce small hail, gusty winds, and heavy rain. Mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 89 degrees at 3pm. Eight degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 71 at 11am. South wind 10 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 29 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 in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 92 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1938.

Friday turned out to be a very late start heading north. 🚍 I decided not to drive downtown as I’m out of practice with parallel parking and I hate dealing with rush hour traffic. 🚙 So I took the bus home and packed the coolers but ended up having to run to the grocery store to get all the things I didn’t previously pack. But at least the nights are long, and I had plenty of time to get set up, gather some firewood 🔥 and get things going.

The relay that connects the alternator – starting battery 🔋 to the accessory batteries quit working on the way up to camp. Not sure if it’s the exciter wire that broke or the relay is seized. It was fine, I had lots of sun ☀ for the solar so all was good. I stopped on Friday to try to get figure out the issue but nothing obvious. I’ll test this evening or tomorrow with the volt meter. ⚡ It’s possible that the big old can relay failed from the occasional clatter of the relay when clouds appear on a sunny day, although I think I have mostly arrested that by adjusting settings on the voltage control. I am betting the wire is just broken.

In four weeks on July 18 the sun will be setting in the west-northwest (300°) at 8:29 pm,🌄 which is 7 minutes and 24 seconds earlier then today. In 2020 on that day, we had hot and sunny weather with shallow fog in the morning and temperatures between 87 and 59 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 84 and 63 degrees. The record high of 100 degrees was set back in 1953.

By then, I hope to be on my summer vacation. 😎 I am thinking the Finger Lakes National Forest and the state parks circuit I normally do, finding new places to hike or explore. I kind of like that campsite I stayed at last year without cell service, because I find do a lot more reading and thinking if I’m camping somewhere without cell service, 🤫 the quiet with no Facebook quite nice. 📱 I admit I am a bit of social media addict, even if my own postings to social media are a bit more asinine as I hate all the creepy commercial advertising that follows you around the internet, especially the green schemes.

Looking ahead, Independence Day 🇺🇸 is Next Sunday, World Population Day 👩‍👩‍👧‍👧 is in 3 weeks, Ugly Truck Day 🚚 is a month away, August 🌻 is in 6 weeks, Buck Moon 🌕 is in 9 weeks, Halloween 🎃 is in 19 weeks, Average High is 50 🍂 is in 21 weeks, Regular Deer Season in Southern Zone 🦌 is in 5 months, Repeal of Prohibition Day 🍺 is in 24 weeks, Cold Moon 🌕 is in 26 weeks and Boxing Day 🥊 is in 27 weeks.

Yesterday On Lake Pleasant

June 9, 2021 Morning

Good morning! What day is it? Hump Day, of course. Back in the ALB which is kind of like the USSR but the office buildings have tail fins. Five weeks to National Nude Day 👱. That said with today’s weather it’s probably good weather for skinny dipping. Fog, humid around 69 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. The dew point is 68 degrees. The skies will clear around 10 am.

It was dark and wet 💦 on the trip back from Adirondacks. But alas with the hybrid model it means some days you have to put the muzzle 😷 and head back into the office 🏢. Not every day can you have the pleasantness of writing memos and reports from the banks of Lake Pleasant.

Funny how the nostologia makes you forget the black flies, 🐜 the humidity 😰, the heavy rain ☔ and mud 🐽 of yesterday. But yesterday’s dead as Cat Stevens 🙀 once sung. Even in Spectulator it was a swamp yesterday. I can’t imagine how bad it was back in the ALB. All I will say is I will be glad to be back in the office 🏢 and even the bus where it will be air conditioned. hopefully.

Today will have isolated showers, then scattered showers and thunderstorms after 8am. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, partly sunny 🌧, with a high of 88 degrees at 1pm. 10 degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 70 at 10am. Calm wind becoming northwest around 6 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 88 degrees. The record high of 100 was set in 1933.

I expect a long day in the office 🏢. Definitely packing a lunch and dinner for today. 🍲 Fortunately only two more session days and then it’s back to 9-5 but probably then less opportunities for remote work 💻. But summer is nice. 🏖 Black fly season is winding down. Thinking the Potholers for the Juneteenth long weekend. 🏊🏻‍♂️

Tomorrow is the solar eclipse 🌙 which I have my solar glasses 👓 ready for 5:30 tomorrow morning. As long as I wake up and it’s not too cloudy I’m thinking I’ll drive out to Five Rivers Environmental Education Center to watch the partial eclipse. It is going to be an early morning after a late night but think it’s worth it to be sleep deprived for a few days.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:56 pm with sun having an altitude of 70.3° from the due south horizon (-0.5° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:50 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (296°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (303°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:33 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 27 seconds with dusk around 9:06 pm, which is 35 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:52 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 78 degrees. The dew point will be 68 degrees. There will be a north-northwest breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 14 minutes of daytime, an increase of 47 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌤, with a low of 61 degrees at 6am. Five degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around June 27th. Maximum dew point of 69 at 6pm. North wind around 5 mph. In 2020, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 59 degrees. The record low of 36 occurred back in 1975.

On this day in 1972, severe rainfall causes a dam in the Black Hills of South Dakota to burst, 💦 creating a flood that kills 238 people and causes $160 million in damage.

Sunny and fairly typical June warmth for a nice weekend. 😎 Saturday, a chance of showers, mainly before 8am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 56 at 8pm. Sunday, scattered showers, mainly after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 80. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 58 at 7pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 79 degrees.

Looking ahead, there are 5 weeks until National Nude Day 👱 when the sun will be setting at 8:31 pm with dusk at 9:05 pm. On that day in 2020, we had mostly sunny, thunderstorm and temperatures between 84 and 67 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 84 degrees. We hit a record high of 99 back in 1995.