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Down to a single cooler 🧊

That’s always a sign that summer vacation is coming to a close. With all the various things I cooked up with the clams last night I was able to use up enough food that today I’m down to a single cooler and even that’s pretty empty post the scrambled eggs I had for breakfast the last of which I’m currently boiling as a protein source for today and tomorrow. Hoping if I can get some fresh farm stand peaches today I’ll be good on food until I get home Sunday, yet not bring much extra food home. The only thing that ultimately expired while camping was the black beans I cooked prior to camping, the fire got them last night, I eat everything else. And obviously Glen Dairy Bar ice cream tonight.

Good morning! Partly cloudy ⛅ and 63 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. ⛅ Final morning before I take down camp tomorrow. There is a west-northwest breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 62 degrees. I think a rain stop came through briefly this morning but it looks like this has been a largely rain free week except for last Saturday afternoon and a brief shower on Monday when I was out hiking at Beebe Pond at Cornell University.

Today will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 74 degrees at 3pm. Nine degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 17th. Maximum dew point of 63 at 9am. North wind 6 to 10 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. It was sticky. The high last year was 93 degrees. It looks like we might actually get some hot weather come mid to late August, that’s good, I’ll plan my next long weekend for the Potholers then. The record high of 99 was set in 1955.

Today’s plans call for visiting Sugar Hill State Forest 🐴 and riding and hiking some of the trails there. 🚵 Most of the horse trails there are open to mountain bikes and while I don’t plan to ride any of the real rough and muddy trails. Then head back to Watkins Glen, float on my tube ⭕ in Seneca Lake, ride down through Rock Cabin Road, Montour Falls, Catharine WMA, 🐦 Glen Dairy Bar, 🍦 Seneca Harbor ⚓ and watch the sunset 🌇 before returning to camp ⛺ one last time around nine.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:14 pm with sun having an altitude of 64.4° from the due south horizon (-6.3° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.9 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:44 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (288°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (294°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:24 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 11 seconds with dusk around 8:54 pm, which is one minute and 15 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:35 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 65 degrees. The dew point will be 55 degrees. There will be a north breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 22 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 18 seconds over yesterday.

Yesterday I started my day at the Queen’s Castle on Caywood Point Seneca Lake. 🏰 The morning started out quite gray ☁️ but then cleared out and was hot. I wouldn’t be surprised if today isn’t a similar kind of day. Then I headed across the northern part of the National Forest to Trumansburg 🚲 and rode from the top of the Taughannock Gorge parking 🅿 area along the Black Diamond Trail to Ithaca then rode along the Cayuga Inlet for a while before doing the 9 mile 450 ft climb back to Taughannock, and then rode Taughannock Falls Road to the overlook 🚲 and then up to NY 96 in Trumansburg. 🏊‍♂️ Drove down to the Main Park area and swam and did the beach 🏖 thing in Cayuga Lake until 5 pm when I headed back to camp ⛺ – early – for onions, peppers, mushroom clams and sweet corn cooked in beer and clam broth 🌽 before bicycling along the dirt roads, up to Parameter Road up towards the north end of the National Forest before riding the Interloken Trail through the woods and then Horton Pasture, covering my mountain bike with cow manure and mud. 🐮 Damn cows didn’t want to move off the trail.

Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌃, with a low of 54 degrees at 6am. Eight degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 12th. Not surprising, it’s cooler in the Finger Lakes especially on Hector’s backbone. Maximum dew point of 56 at 6pm. North wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It was very sticky. It got down to 70 degrees. The record low of 45 occurred back in 1994.

Looking ahead, next Saturday is Last Sunset After 8 PM in Albany 🌆 but when the sun will be setting at 8:15 pm with dusk at 8:44 pm in the Finger Lakes. On that day in 2022, we had partly sunny and temperatures between 79 and 60 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 83 degrees. We hit a record high of 99 back in 1944.

A slow and warm day for setting up camp for the next five days in the Finger Lakes 🐮

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. 🍃. The dew point is 66 degrees. The muggy weather ends tomorrow around 11 pm. 😓 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 ⛺ 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 🔕 but I look at that as a benefit because I like the quiet 🤫. And my radio 📻 is broke so no endless hours of talking heads 👥 discussing Jason Aldean’s Try that in a Small Town. I don’t need that crap or the endless stream of emails 📧 and notifications on vacation. 🏖

Spent the balance of the afternoon unpacking, organizing and setting up camp 💼 so everything will be perfect 👌 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. 🐠 I have so much good food to eat it’s hard to know where to start. Diet, lol. 😂 Actually truth be told, I don’t have any cookies or junk food, just solid quality minimal whole fruits and vegetables 🍏 that I’m cooking and eating this week. Had a beer 🍻 but only one and no more then two each day if that all. Had some fresh squeezed lemonade 🍋 with stevia and used the rest of the lemon with the salmon. Yum, I’m eating good. 😋

Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌃 , 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 ☔ 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 🎪 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 🚲 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 🛍.

Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous 🌔 Moon with 82% illuminated. At 8 PM, the moon was in the south-southeast (158°) at an altitude of 17° from the horizon, some 233,176 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 January 21^st. Buckle up for safety! 💺 The Strugeon 🐡 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 (63°) and last for 3 minutes and 15 seconds. Sunrise is 59 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 6:36 am with sun in the east-northeast (70°). 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. 🌦 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. 🏖️ 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 🌧️ but I got books to read 📖 and podcasts to listen to and I’ll spend a relaxed day around camp doing some good cooking 🧑‍🍳 healthy ingredients from the bounty I got at Walmart and that farmers market. 🌽 I have a ton of delicious Vadella onions 🧅and lemons, 🍋 and so much else from grapes 🍇 to strawberries 🍓 that I won’t go hungry and if I do I have more salmon, fresh spinach, rice 🍚 beans 🍱 and hot peppers 🌶️. Nice days I’ll head into town or other activities, 🏊‍♂️ rainier stormy days, I’ll tool around the National Forest with Blackie my mountain bike 🚵, hike into the back country and do some fishing 🎣.

In four weeks on August 25 the sun will be setting in the west-northwest (286°) at 7:55 pm,🌄 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 🎑 is in 5 weeks, September 🍎 is in 5 weeks, Labor Day Weekend Begins 👨‍🏭 is in 5 weeks, Autumn 🍂 is in 8 weeks, Buy Nothing Day 🛍️ is in 17 weeks, December 🎄 is in 18 weeks, Bill of Rights Day 📜 is in 20 weeks, Days are Getting Longer ☀️ is in 21 weeks and 4:30 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 5 months.

A very pleasant summer morning 🌅

Cool enough this morning to be reminded of what fall feels like without the humidity and wildfire smoke mugging you the moment you step outside. That said, autumn is just around the corner as is August. It will come quickly come August 8th when I’m back from summer vacation, and I loose all the sunlight in the evening as I’ll be back farther east.

Good morning! Mostly clear 🌅 and 61 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. The dew point is 56 degrees.

Out walking 🚶 at 6:15 am which probably isn’t good idea as I didn’t get to bed until much too late after the late return from the hike last night, which I followed by sitting out back for a while and then running inside, taking a shower 🚿 and checking carefully for ticks before bed 🛏. A hard boiled egg 🥚 and some grapes 🍇 for protein and sugar before the morning walk. Whole grain oatmeal with fresh blueberries and black berries with more black coffee after the morning walk.🫐🍓 Plus maybe some carrots 🥕 for a fiber boost.

Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 85 degrees at 4pm. One degree above normal. Maximum dew point of 61 at 10am. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. It was sticky. The high last year was 97 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1991.

Finally finished my bike build. 🚲 I’m much happier with Blackie now that I got all the accessories installed except the heavy gauge u-lock holder 🔒 because I’m debating if I should mountain on the frame or on the rack, for better balance center and axle wise versus blocking the location for future additional water storage unit under bike lights for safer nighttime riding for finding potholes and rough terrain on the trail. The waterproof phone holder is great with the Zeopoxa Cycling app which not only tells me my speed but also distanced traveled and provides a map of my route. And every mile it barks out how many miles traveled, average speed and calories burnt. 🗣️

That said, I think the feature I like the most about my bicycle is the 13×15 crate I have mounted on my bike rack, now with a MIK adapter for quick release so I can load the box when it’s not on the bicycle or take off for transit on the bus or in my truck. 🧺 Or what riding in real rough country or greater efficiency. It’s great, you just throw whatever gear you want in it and go. Hammock, backpack, water, lunch, tools, etc. Also makes a good grocery carrier for heading home from the store. 🏪 Detach the crate, load in the store and I never have to worry buying too much groceries to haul home. Probably use it tonight for that purpose. Toss in the Bluetooth speaker 🔊 and have tunes 🎶 and podcasts to listen to plenty loud over the roar of traffic. Ended up using six plastic cable zip ties to secure the basket to the MIK adapter, it just worked better than bolts and washee with my particular crate. The crate is the weakest link, not the twist ties but I feel confident it could safely carry 20-30 lb of supplies or groceries. 🍏 While the rack is rated for 30 kg or 66 lb, the mount is 20 kg or 44 lb, I think the lightweight crate I installed probably couldn’t handle that much. But I don’t often get juice or milk at the grocery store — milk but usually at Stewarts where I walk, and only a gallon at most of the time. Bicycle water bottle holders are inexpensive, but I’m not sure the advantage over just tossing the water in the back. Maybe for long trips I’d want additional water closer to the front axle.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 68.1° from the due south horizon (-2.7° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.4 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:47 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (293°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (300°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:29 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 19 seconds with dusk around 9:01 pm, which is 48 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent 🌒 Moon in the west (275°) at an altitude of 15° from the horizon, 251,882 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:44 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 76 degrees. The dew point will be 62 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 14 hours and 55 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 43 seconds over yesterday.

Well that certainly was an interesting evening hiking in the Norman’s Kill Ravine Preserve. 🚶 The loop trail was just longer than I expected and the terrain was more rugged then I would expect for suburban Delmar. Not even all that exciting, just a lot of ridges and swamps along a flatwater, very muddy from the recent rain ☔. I think the trails are a bit rougher than I would want to take my new mountain bike on but might walk them again come the autumn when things are colorful and the views are better. 🍂

Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 67 degrees at 4am. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 64 at 4am. South wind 3 to 7 mph. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It became very sticky as the night progressed. It got down to 72 degrees. The record low of 45 occurred back in 1974.

I am thinking tonight maybe of checking out another nature preserve along the Normans Kill, the Normans Kill Preserve behind the Justice Center on Normans Kill Boulevard next to Delaware Plaza. This preserve looks much more interesting then Normans Kill Ravines Preserve, and is much smaller / quicker hike, though a slightly longer bus ride. I was thinking I could go there and then go grocery shopping for the weekend thereafter, all using my bicycle.

On this day in 1969, Apollo 11’s crew successfully makes the first landing on the Moon 🌕 in the Sea of Tranquility. Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon, well at least in England. Us Americans would get to watch it the next day. 📺 Funny how time zones work. The world conquered the moon, returned a half dozen times or so and got bored and gave up visiting the moon only three years later. 🌎 Worldly problems like Vietnam, pollution and inflation somehow seemed more important than visiting the moon. I guess they were, but to give up so quickly after a goal 🥅 was reached seems like a major societal cop out.

Continues to be a nice weekend on tap. ☺ That said, the muggers will return after the rain tonight into tomorrow. Saturday, isolated showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. West wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Maximum dew point of 63 at 8am. Sunday, sunny, with a high near 84. Maximum dew point of 63 at 7pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 84 degrees.

The plan continues to be to head out of town for the weekend. I am thinking early Saturday morning through mid-day Monday, after the rain stops. I am leaning towards Catskill Scenic Trail on Saturday morning from Grand Gorge to Stamford, then swim in Mine Kill State Park, then Sunday maybe mountain bike around Burnt-Rossman Hills State Forest truck trails. I do want to get Shaul’s too, I haven’t decided if that will be Saturday or Sunday. Probably Sunday as Shaul’s closes at 5 PM. Maybe that could be another pool and bicycle day. Biking along NY 30 from the Blenhiem Bridge and maybe doing another afternoon at Mine Kill Pool could be good for Sunday, even though I’d rather hang out at camp for the day and not have to take down camp or at least lock things up, and then have the fun of getting out of that rough site and the bumpy roads. But whatever. Then maybe more of the Catskill Scenic Trail on Monday morning, such as Stamford south to Bloomville. And another swim before heading out to the folks house. Truth is I don’t want to get home too late on Monday as I need to pack for summer vacation like the next day.

Looking ahead, there are 2 weeks until Campfire Day 🔥 when the sun will be setting at 8:15 pm with dusk at 8:45 pm. On that day in 2022, we had hot, mostly sunny and temperatures between 90 and 64 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 83 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1975.

Totally agree that walking in that thunderstorm last night wasn’t a great idea ⛈

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 ⅔ degrees at the 6:30 for the morning walk in the land of the Delmartian. ⛅ Calm wind. The dew point is 64 degrees.

Last night I got home 🏡 from work glad that I didn’t get soaked and figured that the evening walk 🚶 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 ⚡ pushed closer. In the end it was fine, though I got a bit wet and went to bed early. 🛏 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 🍳 I decided to have breakfast before walking which was cold black coffee ☕ with cold eggs and spinach from the other day. I also had a half of banana 🍌 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 🏪. 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 🌧, 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 🛒 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 👢 – 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 🌞 is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 69.1° from the due south horizon (-1.7° 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 7:51 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 8:33 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 22 seconds with dusk around 9:06 pm, which is 36 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:50 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 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 🍎I 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 👖 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. 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 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. 😠

Tonight will have showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before midnight. Mostly cloudy 🌧, 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. 👟 Or at least rugged sneakers, something I can use for mountain biking and maybe jogging which I tell myself that I’m thinking 💭 about taking up 🏃 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 👣 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. 💵 After this date, if you wanted to buy a large purchase in cash, you needed a lot of hundred dollars in bills. 💰They 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 💯 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 💳 for anything bigger.

Tomorrow will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Partly sunny 🌞, 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 🚶 early to best the heat. 😰 Then it’s those oatmeal banana pancakes 🍌 🥞 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 🚲 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. 🚚 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 🛒. I want to get more red kidney beans for maple syrup 🍘 next week and get them soaking to be cooked come Sunday morning. Plus all the usual, more Greek yogurt, 🐮 frozen fruit 🍓, peppers 🫑🌶️, mushrooms 🍄 and the usuals. I also need shampoo and extra deodorant the later this keep in the office 🏢 after climbing the stairs. Then I’m not totally sure. 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. And you have to do that in advance. Seems like a pain. If I get the bike, 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 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.

Looking ahead to Sunday, showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. High near 83. ⛈️ 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. 😖 But if I can get this damn bicycle 🚲 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. Maybe the Potholers or Schoharie the second half of the week.

Two weeks from now, God willing, 🏖 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 ⛺ and then have the afternoon to set up and relax. 🎣 Do some fishing, a nice bicycle 🚲 ride and maybe watch a Finger Lakes sunset 🌇 across a cow pasture in the National Forest.

After vacation, August 11th I have a dentist appointment at 10:15 AM 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. That said, except for the Mine Kill Pool there is no reason I can’t take lots of long weekends come September and October. 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 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 (?). 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.

Second day of summer 🏖

Honest I’m up and going this morning, though I’m still in still in quite a haze this morning despite making sure to be in bed by nine o’clock last night.

Good morning! Happy Thursday. Partly sunny 🌞 and 54 degrees in Delmar, NY. ⛅ Calm wind. The dew point is 52 degrees.

Out for the morning walk 🚶 and I’m not feeling it today. 7 ¾ miles yesterday. I got to bed 🛏 on tike last night but I think I’m still half asleep despite sleeping in to six. The sun ☀ in sky helps a lot.

Hoping to walk down to the Park and Ride this morning, 🚍 as I’m running close to on time this morning and I have an extra lunch in the office 🏢 as I got home early enough last night to eat at home. Not a session day, they’re gone, so no shirts to iron.

Today will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 75 degrees at 2pm. Six degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 31st. Maximum dew point of 56 at 6pm. Calm wind becoming southeast 5 to 7 mph in the morning. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 67 degrees. The record high of 95 was set in 1954.

I think I’m good on groceries 🍏 through Friday night though I think tomorrow in the evening I’ll go shopping 🛒 after the store is restocked. I think I want to get more shorts and especially boxers and under shirts as my current ones are much too large and my boxers at times are slipping off. With warmer weather coming I should continue to think about quick cold meals that don’t require much cooking. Beans and rice are a once a week thing so they don’t require too much heat and can be eaten cold. 🥘

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:58 pm with sun having an altitude of 70.8° from the due south horizon (-0° vs. 6/21). The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:55 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (297°). 📸 The sunset is in the borthwest (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 12 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the First Quarter 🌓 Moon in the west (266°) at an altitude of 30° from the horizon, 252,135 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:58 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and temperatures around 68 degrees. The dew point will be 57 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 22 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 seconds over yesterday.

Looking at my pay stub 🎫 person it looks like I didn’t get my federal deduction quite right so I’m going to have to talk to the pay roll office about fixing that today. State taxes are good. So I guess that’s a step forward. 👣 I’ll have to talk to the Payroll office to get that straightened out.

Tonight will be scattered showers, mainly between 11pm and 3am. Cloudy 🌧, with a low of 60 degrees at 6am. Typical for tonight. Maximum dew point of 60 at 6am. Southeast 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 possible. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became light rain by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 60 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1940.

Humid with thunderstorms this weekend. 🌩 Saturday, a chance of showers before 11am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 11am and 2pm, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. High near 82. South wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 71 at 1pm. Sunday, showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Maximum dew point of 70 at 10am. Typical average high for the weekend is 82 degrees.

This weekend, I still want to look at bicycles. 🚲 I would really like to be able to start commuting to work as soon as next week on a bicycle. I am going to part out my existing bicycle, but I’ve come to the conclusion that it would be better to start out fresh with a good used or new bicycle, something more designed for road riding then a hybrid bicycle. Then keep it in good maintance, especially keeping that back tire well inflated. Bicycle tires should be checked weekly for pressure based on the bicycle repair manual I’ve been reading. Every day I delay, it’s costing me a bus fare 🚒 to say nothing of the health benefits of riding back and forth to work. Or how handy it would be able to set up camp and then ride to trail heads, especially in more spread out areas like Piseco-Powley Road or even Moose River Plains. 🚵‍♀️

I am also thinking about going to visit John Wolcott on Saturday and then do an afternoon hike in the Pine Bush. 🌲🌲🦋 I doubt I’ll see as many Karner Blues at this point, as we are a few weeks past the lupine bloom but it’s always a nice hike in the Albany Pine Bush, especially as dusk approaches. Plus I am sure I will end up forgetting to get groceries at the store on Friday and will end up stopping at Market32 in Guilderland, although based on the affordable surprisingly affordable prices at Hannaford in Voorheesville 🏬 maybe that’s where I should be going.

I am hoping the following weekend — Independence Day Weekend 🎆 to get out of town. A lot depends if they give us that Monday July 3rd off as a state holiday. It could happen. The issue is camping four nights straight — I’ll need a permit or have to move mid-weekend. I worry about things filling up, especially if it’s nice. I could do the Green Mountain National Forest, though I guess your not supposed to be lighting off fireworks in the National Forest, though I doubt locally they do much enforcement on the 4th of July unless it’s very dry. Plus, I want to get fireworks on my way out there. Piseco-Powley would be fun again that weekend, but I don’t know if I will be able to get a campsite, though maybe I could leave early on Friday.

Looking ahead, there are 4 weeks until Ugly Truck Day 🚚 when the sun will be setting at 8:29 pm with dusk at 9:01 pm. On that day in 2022, we had hot and humid weather, mostly sunny skies and the inevitable thunderstorm and temperatures between 97 and 72 degrees. I think I was out camping in Finger Lakes National Forest that week. Or 4 weeks, was that week before and I was in the office? I don’t remember. I should think about summer vacation and what week I want to take off. Typically, the high temperature is 84 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1991.

April 9, 2023 Night

To imagine I was angry that I forgot to buy tofu this week while shopping. 🛒

I realized how much I’ve changed in my forties. I’ve always been a bit on the dour side of things but I can’t imagine half the ways I’ve changed in my forties. The world is changing quickly but so am I too.

Good evening! Clear 🌃 and 49 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. Just saw a shooting star 🌟.

That shooting star was bright as it burned on up in the atmosphere. 💫 Things are changing in the world today 🌎, although not all things are bad like the preservation of the lands off Cheese Hill Road as forever wild as an addition to Rennselearville State Forest. Found some more ticks on me after exploring more of the Hillcross Farm Parcel but I think I got them all off. 🐜

Tonight will be clear 🌃, with a low of 28 degrees at 5am. Seven degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 23rd. Calm wind. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 36 degrees. The record low of 21 occurred back in 1974.

I was thinking once it warms up and gets green out, I want to hammock camp ⛺ at the Hillcross Farm Parcel, now that it’s state land and sit down by the pond one summer evening and look at the stars over the Catskill Mountains.

Tonight will have a Waining Gibbous 🌖 Moon with 84% illuminated. The moon will rise at 11:48 pm. The Pink 🌸 Moon is on Wednesday, April 26. The darkest hour is at 12:58 am, followed by dawn at 5:56 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:25 am in the east (79°) and last for 2 minutes and 57 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 41 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 7:03 am with sun in the east (85°). Tonight will have 10 hours and 49 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 49 seconds over last night.

Going to be a very mild week coming up, 🌸 first real preview of spring. Should be nice, so excited about sleeping with the windows open but not until tomorrow night. 🔳 Now that the evenings are longer it will be nice in the park, 🏞 to say nothing about sitting out back.

Tomorrow will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 65 degrees at 4pm. Eight degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 27th. Calm wind becoming northwest around 6 mph in the morning. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. The high last year was 49 degrees. The record high of 86 was set in 1922. 5.7 inches of snow fell back in 1961.❄

Tomorrow my truck gets serviced 🔧 with a whole bunch of stuff due for 100k. It’s running decently well this year and I want to get more years out of it if at all possible. 🛻 Going to paint or at least prime over the really rusted parts of the undercarriage and wheel wells probably next weekend.

Already giving a little thought about my next vehicle, once again thinking about a small car or Prisus for easier parking 🅿 and saving money on longer trips but mostly because I don’t want to spend a fortune on a new vehicle and may want to switch over to more tent camping and backpacking as my health improves. 🏕 Big trucks are so expenses these days, or maybe I’ve just grown more cost sensitive in my advanced age. Priorities in your forties are different and a decade really is just a blink of an eye 👁‍🗨.

In four weeks on May 7 the sun will be setting in the west-northwest (294°) at 8:03 pm,🌄 which is 31 minutes and 48 seconds later then tonight. In 2022 on that day, we had mostly cloudy and temperatures between 59 and 45 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 69 and 45 degrees. The record high of 92 degrees was set back in 1930.

Looking ahead, Average High is 60 🌷 is Next Sunday, 8 PM Sunset 🌇 is in 4 weeks, Mothers Day 👩‍ is in 5 weeks, Fathers Day 👨 is in 9 weeks, Last Sunset After 8:30 PM 🌆 is in 14 weeks, 6:30 Sunrise 🌇 is in 22 weeks, Constitution Day 📜 is in 23 weeks, October 🎃 is in 25 weeks, Average High is 65 🍂 is in 26 weeks, Average High is 40 🌨 is in 8 months, Earliest Sunset of the Year ⌛️ is in 8 months, 7:15 AM Sunrise ⌛️ is in 35 weeks and Christmas Eve 🎅 is in 37 weeks.

February 20, 2023 Morning

Good morning! Cloudy and 36 degrees at the Moscow Hill Camping Area. 🌥 There is a south-southwest breeze at 9 mph. 🍃. Temperatures will drop below freezing at around 5 pm. ☃️

The past few days I’ve decided to take a break from social media and the blog 📜 so I can spend more time in the woods hiking and thinking, 👂 listening to podcasts and drinking 🍻 beer and being away from it all. Two nights is never enough, especially since I got used to remote work from camp. I could have taken tomorrow off but rain is coming.

I was on the fence about where to this long weekend ⛺ but settled on Brookfield as there was more trails I wanted to explore and the forecast while cloudy for Sunday and today looked less wet. I had been at Rennselearville State Forest three weekends ago and wanted to mix things up especially so I didn’t burn up too much firewood. Plus I like the rural landscape 🚜 heading out to Brookfield. Longer drive though but a pleasant one.

Saturday I walked around Glimmerglass State Park 🏞 and it was cold by the lake but in the woods with the wind 🍃 blocked by the mountains it wasn’t so bad. I didn’t stick around very long as such. Deep blue skies and a pretty sunset 🌇. Got to Moscow Hill Horse Camp 🐴 and set up camp then hiked over to Elmer’s Place and then bushwhacked over Grassy Hill trying to find a good view which didn’t exist but I did flush out a ton of grouse. 🕊

By the time I got back to camp it was 6:10 and nearly pitch black but I had previously gathered firewood, set up the lights and propane, 🏮 had everything ready to go so it was a pleasant night. Had a big fire 🔥 though it was smokey at times due to all the wet wood, wet stuff in the burnables as I’ve been eating healthier. Heard a local fire station whistle go of 🚒🧑‍🚒 and thought I might have some unplanned visitors but no it was some other call. This place isn’t as remote as some places I camp. ⛺ Forgot to buy lighter fluid but once I got the somewhat damp and frozen wood going it burned well but was sparky until the wind died out. Saturday was a star filled night ✨ and very mild which was nice.

Sunday was cloudy and breezy at times 🌬️ especially up on the hills. I hiked the bulk of the day, visiting most of the outer truck trails at Charles Baker State Forest 🌲🌳🌲 as I didn’t want to hike muddy horse trails. Checked out the Elmer Spring Campsite which is remote but accessible by vehicle and is really nice and private. ⛺ Hiked the Ledges Trail which was kind of interesting as was Truck Trail 7 which is cut into a ledge on the side of the mountain ⛰️. Icy in spots especially on the road but cold enough even the horse 🐴 trails weren’t too icy.

For today, Washington’s Birthday will have showers likely, mainly before 11am. Cloudy 🌦, with a high of 40 degrees at 11am. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 28th. Not bad for the high country in in. Just wearing the vest. Southwest wind 9 to 13 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. 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, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 28 degrees. The record high of 66 was set in 1930. 11.2 inches of snow fell back in 1977.❄

While it hasn’t been sunny ☁️ the mid weather has been nice. Not having to deal with frozen water 💦, frozen food like milk 🥛 or eggs 🥚 is good for a change. The batteries are healthy and happy 😊 in my truck 🔋, I haven’t had to start the truck all weekend long. Used the propane heater ♨ a lot less than I have in recent trips, no icy propane lines to deal with. But it’s been cold enough that things have remained generally frozen in the ground, keeping the trails from being too muddy.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:16 pm with sun having an altitude of 36.2° from the due south horizon (-34.4° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 8.2 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 5:01 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (249°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (256°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:40 pm after setting for 3 minutes with dusk around 6:07 pm, which is one minute and 17 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent 🌒 Moon in the west-southwest (253°) at an altitude of 2° from the horizon, 228,419 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:41 pm. At sunset, look for mostly cloudy skies ☁ and temperatures around 34 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 10 mph. Today will have 10 hours and 50 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 47 seconds over yesterday.

Today I decided to hike back and explore a few more ponds 🐸 in the northern part of the state forest. Then midday head back home. I figure enjoy and explore as much of the land while I’m here. Then I’ll have to head home. I thought about taking Tuesday off but it looks like rain ☔ and maybe snow here.

Tonight will have a slight chance of snow showers after 4am. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 23 degrees at 2am. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 5th. Maximum wind chill around 17 at 4am; Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 13 degrees. The record low of -10 occurred back in 2015.

Planning to go out and see the folks 👪 when I get home, that is after showering 🚿 and unpacking. Then I want to run to the car wash 🚙 and then Walmart for fruit and vegetables for the upcoming week. 🍏

Brookfield looks cold and snowy for next weekend. 🌨 But I got my fun in. Saturday, a chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 25. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Sunday, a chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Typical average high for the weekend is 39 degrees.

I don’t necessarily plan on being back to Brookfield anytime soon though I might do my April trip to Cazenovia rather than the Adirondacks East Branch Sacandaga River for a change. 🗻 Easter is late this year and depending on how mild the spring is things could be greening up by then. Probably few black flies up north 🐜 but I’ve been itching to do the Gorge Rail Trail is Cazenovia – Canestota for some time again. March maybe a camping trip ⛺ to Rennselearville State Forest again or Burnt Rossman. Depends on how much snow. It will be after the time change at this point.

Looking ahead, there are 7 weeks until 8 PM Dusk 🌆 when the sun will be setting at 7:39 pm with dusk at 8:06 pm (Daylight Savings Time) in Brookfield. Earlier back in Albany. On that day in 2022, we had partly cloudy, warm and temperatures between 74 and 49 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 57 degrees. Thinking spring thoughts 💭 on this cloudy but mild morning. We hit a record high of 86 back in 1922.

Andy Arthur.org

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