Good morning! Monday’s come back around again. Hardly a bummer during summer vacation. I’m hiking the Finger Lakes Trail this morning 🚶🏽, getting nice and hot and sweaty before going to the swimming pool 🏊🏻‍♂️ later. Two weeks to until the Average High Falls To 79 ️Degrees ⛱️️️. But you won’t think that today. Partly sunny and 87 degrees at the Watkins Glen State Park. There is a southwest breeze at 5 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 69 degrees. The muggy weather ends Wednesday around 7 pm. 😓

Yeah, it doesn’t get much hotter in the Finger Lakes. 💥 It’s a hot one for sure. But I’m enjoying my hike up past the Upper Reservoirs and Group Camp on Glen Falls and I might even hike as far west as Sugar Hill State Forest. One consideration with the heat though is I better not get to th pool too late lest thunderstorms ⛈ come rolling through and they close.

Absolutely stunningly beautiful day ☀ but it’s already hot.🌡️Already quite hazy and the air conditioning in Big Red is pissing moisture like a cow pisses. 🐄💦But it’s cool up here at the park 🏞 and camping up on backbone. 🗻 Fixed my dash cam so hopefully I won’t be getting a ton of pictures of the sky today. 🌞

Well I got a bit of a late start due to sleeping 😴 in as I as I ended up staying up late last night, laying back in the hammock after my walk to Foster Pond🌌. Still can’t believe how many people were camping 🏕 up that way. Honestly, I don’t mind not having cell service at camp 📶 and having

Regardless, I made it to Watkins Glen by a little after 10am and was able to get parking by the pool 🅿 even during the pandemic.👾 I was worried they’d be limiting parking and it would be closed if I got there after 10. Pools open at eleven in the Finger Lakes. I have my bandana on and are flipping it up as necessary as a mask. 😷 I’m staying out of the gorge as I think that would more difficult to maintain social distancing there. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦➡️👱🏼‍♂️Bought some crackers and cheese 🧀 to snack on for lunch.

I really wanted to get goggles as my old ones broke and needed to be replaced so my eyes 👀 don’t get irritated by the chlorine.👁️‍🗨️ But after trying two stores they’re gone for the year. It might be 90 degrees out but all they’re selling is Halloween Candy 🍬 and Thanksgiving Turkey. 🦃

Today will have scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 5pm. Mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 90 degrees at 3pm. Nine degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 69 at 10am. That’s a cooker for the Finger Lakes. 🌡️People must be roasting back in Albany. Southwest wind 5 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 in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 76 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1949.

This afternoon I plan to spend most of my time at the pool 🏊🏻‍♂️ and then get ice cream 🍦at Glen Dairy Bar and groceries at Tops. Then I’ll sit at Clute Park and fish 🐠 and watch as the sun starts to drop. 🌇

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:14 pm with sun having an altitude of 63° from the due south horizon (-7.9° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:38 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (285°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (292°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:17 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 7 seconds with dusk around 8:45 pm, which is one minute and 21 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:25 pm. Not sure if I’ll hike back to Foster Pond this evening 🌃 but I will probably spend some time at Clute Park fishing 🎣 before heading back to camp. At sunset, look for thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 81 degrees. The dew point will be 68 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 5 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 25 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have isolated showers and thunderstorms before 9pm. Mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 69 degrees at 6am. Eight degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 68 at 6pm. South wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 54 degrees. The record low of 46 occurred back in 1941.

Saturday may not be the greatest day ever. 😞 Saturday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Maximum dew point of 67 at 8am. Sunday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Maximum dew point of 65 at 7am. Typical average high for the weekend is 81 degrees.

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Average High Falls To 79 ️Degrees ⛱️️️ when the sun will be setting at 7:54 pm with dusk at 8:23 pm. On that day in 2019, we had partly sunny and temperatures between 75 and 53 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 79 degrees. We hit a record high of 95 back in 1947.

Good morning! Happy Sunday. Six weeks to Average High 70 🎑 . Sunny and 71 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. Tree🌲🌞 Calm wind. The dew point is 64 degrees.

Went for a walk 🚶 again this morning on the Interlaken Trail and to Foster Pond. Definitely a nice morning, 🌞 lots of sun and wildflowers. 🌻Had a nice pan of corned beef hash and cheese for breakfast. 🍳 Some eggs 🥚 would be nice but I’ll have to get them today.

Wildflowers are definitely better this time of year 🌻🌼🦋🐝 compared to earlier in the summer when I often take my vacation. It just makes my vacation a little more enjoyable seeing the road sides in bloom, the butterflies and bees. And yes, all that field corn 🌽 is getting tall.

Been quite busy up here 👩‍👩‍👦‍👦👨‍👨‍👧, with so many things closed during the pandemic based on the number of cars 🚘 I’ve seen on the road. Fortunately, my campsite is quite remote and quiet 🤫 so nobody is bothering me. Seen more equestrians 🐴 than normal – in part because the Upper Assembly Area is closed at Sugar Hill. 🔐

Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 82 degrees at 4pm. Typical for today. Maximum dew point of 66 at 6pm. Light and variable wind becoming west 5 to 8 mph in the morning. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 81 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 2001.

Kind of breezy up here on the backbone 🗻 but I’m hoping the breeze will die down later and I can get out on Seneca Lake and the Montour Canal later. 🛶 I’m excited about all the wildlife I might see there. 🐦🦆🕊️🐸🐢🦎🐟 I just don’t want to go on Seneca Lake if it’s at all breezy 🚣🏻‍♂️ because it’s a big lake and can be very choppy. 🌊

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:13 pm with sun having an altitude of 63.1° from the due south horizon (-7.6° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:38 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (286°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (292°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:17 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 8 seconds with dusk around 8:46 pm, which is one minute and 21 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:26 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 77 degrees. The dew point will be 67 degrees. There will be a west breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 8 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 25 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌤, with a low of 68 degrees at 5am. Seven degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 67 at 7pm. Southwest wind 3 to 5 mph. In 2019, we had light rain in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 57 degrees. The record low of 48 occurred back in 1955.

Been reading 📖 more of the Real Goods Solar Living Handbook. Half marketing catalog, half pseudo green living for rich folk, it sure seems like it’s gotten real dated fast. 🌎 Still an interesting read even if it’s more ideological and about marketing over-priced organic crap and green products for the landfill 🗑 then practical realities of providing for one’s self and obeying the laws of nature.

I was noticing how much of the forest along Potomac Road was ash trees. 🌳It’s only a matter of time before much of the forest is going to be dying than gone. I see they have an Emerald Ash Boerer trap on the road to detect the invaders but I doubt they’ll treat all of the trees. Already as little as 50 miles south of here in Wellsboro you can see the devestation of the forests from EAB. 🐛 Forests are always in a state of decline – thats entropy – but they’re always changing with the land and introduced species.

One week from now I’ll be taking down camp and heading back to Albany. 🏡 Or at least heading closer to that direction. But there is a lot more reading 📖, hiking 🚶 and paddling to do before then. Vacation really is just beginning – today is my first full day in the Finger Lakes.

I am still thinking I want to go the way I came 🤔 although I would want to avoid that rough seasonal use only road. If it’s really nice a week from Sunday I might overnight at Cherry Ridge 🍒 and then head back home through Madison County. I like seeing the rough dairy country. 🐮 The hills, the cows, the rundown shacks and hollows. 🗻

I really like the wild country 🐏 and wish I could live out here full time. Somehow I like it even better than the Adirondacks. Redneck country life is fun, even if at times it’s dirty and smelly. 💩 But alas I’m making good money at my job 💵 and are able to save a lot of it for a better tomorrow. It’s nice having some professional success in life and knowing it will lead to a better tomorrow, especially as I try to live frugally as possible. Some days I’ll live in a small town, have land and be able to listen 👂 to the moos of cattle full time. 🐄

Looking ahead, there are 6 weeks until Average High 70 🎑 when the sun will be setting at 7:06 pm with dusk at 7:34 pm. On that day in 2019, we had partly sunny, patches of fog and temperatures between 79 and 42 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 71 degrees. We hit a record high of 90 back in 1946.