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February 16, 2023 Evening

Good evening! Clouds, damp and 47 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁️ Calm wind. Mild tonight but cold later. Temperatures will drop below freezing at tomorrow around 5 pm. ☃️

It’s nice to be able to walk 🚶 for one more night without any more than a vest. Tomorrow though the heat will probably have to come for a few more days. Like so many days that threaten to rain, turned out to be just a few showers.

Tonight will have showers likely, mainly after 5am. Cloudy 🌧, with a low of 46 degrees at 12am. 28 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 8th. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. 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 -16 occurred back in 1973.

Another busy day came and went at work. 🏢 But it made the time go by quickly. I’m doing good at eating up all the fruit and vegetables I bought on Sunday. 🍏 I swear I’ve noticed some small changes since I’ve started my calorie reduction program. I’m just not nearly as hungry when I always have an apple or orange in my mouth. And I’ve done good with the steps every day.

Tonight will have a Waining Crescent 🌘 Moon with 14% illuminated. The Worm 🐛 Moon is on Saturday, March 4. The darkest hour is at 12:10 am, followed by dawn at 6:23 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:52 am in the east-southeast (106°) and last for 3 minutes and 1 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 24 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 7:32 am with sun in the east-southeast (113°). Tonight will have 13 hours and 18 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 43 seconds over last night.

Did some cleaning this evening 🧹around the apartment after making macaroni and cheese 🧀 with a ton of veggies and real cheese, eat only one bowl and froze the rest for future meals. Getting milk 🥛 for the first time in over a week, a big drop from drinking two gallons a week. I also am skipping apple juice, the bottle I have left I bought in January. I’m spending less on groceries even if I am buying more and more fruits and vegetables which haven’t been impacted by inflation nearly as much.

Tomorrow will rain showers before 4pm, then a chance of rain and snow showers. 🌧️ Temperature rising to near 52 by 9am, then falling to around 33 during the remainder of the day. South wind 10 to 18 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. A year ago, we had mist. The high last year was 24 degrees. The record high of 60 was set in 1981. 11.9 inches of snow fell back in 2003.❄

In four weeks on March 16 the sun will be setting in the west (269°) at 7:03 pm (Daylight Savings Time),🌄 which is one hour, 34 minutes and 21 seconds later then tonight. In 2021 on that day, we had cold, mostly cloudy and temperatures between 33 and 13 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 45 and 26 degrees. The record high of 82 degrees was set back in 1990.

Looking ahead, Read Across America Day 📚 is in two weeks, Average High is 60 🌷 is in 2 months, Arbor Day 🌳 is in 10 weeks, 8:30 PM Dusk 🌆 is in 11 weeks, 8 PM Sunset 🌇 is in 11 weeks, 9 PM Dusk 🌆 is in 15 weeks, June 🍹 is in 15 weeks, 8:30 PM Sunset 🌇 is in 16 weeks, Last Sunset After 8:30 PM 🌆 is in 5 months, Ugly Truck Day 🚚 is in 22 weeks, Campfire Day 🔥 is in 24 weeks, Columbus Day 🛥️ is in 34 weeks, Average High is 60 🍂 is in 35 weeks, Thanksgiving 🦃 is in 40 weeks, Tea Party Day 🐍 is in 10 months, First Day of Winter ☃️ is in 44 weeks and 4:30 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 45 weeks.

One Mile to Hunter Fire Tower

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.

Good Evening – August 15, 2021

Good evening! Sitting on the Kane Firetower waiting for the sun to set 🗼

Partly clear and 69 degrees at the Kane Mountain Firetower. Light breeze. The dew point is 51 degrees. A very clear evening 🌃 for sure, good for watching the sunset. With the low dew point I can easily see the other side of the Mohawk Valley including some of the silos on the Schoharie side. Also the wind turbines on the ridge outside of the Adirondack Park.

It’s been a nice weekend up north, ☺ with way too many beer boiled clams, sausage and sweet corn 🦪🍻🌽 and swimming 🏊🏻‍♂️ holes and about 25 miles of hiking – well over 15 miles was today alone. Camped at the House Pond Campsite 2 again. Today I hiked from Seeley Road in Knapville to Dexter Lake and then to Spectacle Lake and then to Waters Mill Pond. Then about two hours in the evening cooling off in the Potholers, followed by a sunset hike up Kane Mountain. Now to drive home by 10 pm.

Yesterday, I hiked back to House Pond which had a lot of blow down over parts of the trail. 🎋 There was a bad thunderstorm ⛈ in July that I remember seeing on the news 📰 that caused some big trees to come down, but at least it didn’t wash out the road much or if it did Stratford had already fixed it. Looks like they had to saw and remove multiple trees off Piseco-Powley Road that had came down it and I could hear them cutting downed trees at the hunting camp down the road and I saw them leaving with several pickup trucks full of wood.

Also yesterday I hiked along the Edick Road Snowmobile Trail and then back to Edick Road Campsite #1 out along the ledge overlooking the East Canada Creek, spotting a photographing a doe up close. 🦌 I climbed down the gorge wall and watched the various birds 🐦 in the grass lands along that grassy part of the river. Then more clams, corn and sausage. And back to Potholers.

Friday was even more lazy — it was fairly hot. Many hours reading and learning more about Python, 🐍 and then I hiked to Potholers. 🏊‍♀️ Then after I got back to camp, I swam at the swimming hole across the road from House Pond Campsite 2 until dusk, listening to a podcast, started a fire 🔥 had more clams, 🕹 laid back in hammock until it started to pour 🌧 and then hung out under the tarp as it rained some more listening to podcasts until 11 PM.

Thursday, was a rather late start because it was so humid and I was on vacation and was lazy. I screwed up and didn’t get my turn signal on time for Sandell Farm’s to get sweet corn, and ended up going to Rogers Orchard to get sweet corn and blueberries. 🍎 Then I ended up running to Wally World and forgetting the main reason I wanted to go there — to get coffee. ☕ I like the large coffee containers they have there not just because they are inexpensive on a per pound basis, they make great containers for making ice in for camping. Or “donating” to the state to put toilet paper in the outhouses, to keep the racoons from shredding it. 🚽 I was hoping to check out Willie Marsh 🐸 but I got on the wrong road, so I didn’t go by there. I finally got camp around 12:30, set things up, made my first batch of clams, 🕹 and they were good. Swam in the swimming hole across the way from House Pond Campsite, 🏊‍♀️ which might not be the potholers, but it’s right next door. Sat back in the hammock for a while listening to some music 🎼 and the news 📻, then had a fire. 🔥 The wood sure was wet that first night, and it was a bit smokey until I got it going well.

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

August 15, 2020 Evening

Good evening! Cloudy and 70 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. ☁️ There is a south-southeast breeze at 9 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 64 degrees. The skies will clear tomorrow around 5 am.

Final night of summer vacation. 🌃 All things have to come to an end. It’s been a very unusual year with the pandemic smoldering all around the world 🌎 but in some ways it inspired me to find new places to visit and new forms of socially distant recreation. 😷 Without the pandemic I might not have explored the Keuka Outlet Trail or the Catherine Valley Rail Trail or the Catherine Swamp WMA 🐸 and missed some really beautiful and wild country.

I don’t know how I had never driven or walked 🤔 Rock Cabin Road in Watkins Glen but it sure is beautiful. I wish I hadn’t left my binoculars in the truck as the marsh was full of wildlife 🦆 I wish I could have seen up close. It looks like there are some good paddling possibilities from the marsh but I didn’t have time with the threat of thunderstorm ⛈ and the sky getting dark. When I started to hear rumbles and looked at the radar I was concerned but if the weather was bad enough I could have probably thumbed 👍🏻 a ride back to the truck or found a relatively safe low lying place in the marsh or along the road. But it sure was dusty. 🌫️

I had tuna fish 🐠 salad 🥗 for dinner with several beers to wash it down. 🍻 I’ve used up most of the last of the cold food so I didn’t buy ice today. I doubt the mayonese or sliced cheese 🧀 will go bad if it gets a bit warm by evening but if it does its not a big loss. 🔥 Had a nice roaring fire for a while but I’ve let it burn down by bed time. I tried to straighten up camp ⛺ for easier take down after spending nine days at this site. Returned a bunch of cans at Walmart this evening so I have a lot less trash to bring home and I got my deposit back and a fresh case of beer 🍻. I know I won’t be littering and my campsite super clean when I leave.

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 65 degrees at 5am. Five degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 64 at 6pm. South wind 5 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was humid. It got down to 63 degrees. The record low of 41 occurred back in 1972.

Tonight will have a Waining Crescent 🌘 Moon with 12% illuminated. The darkest hour is at 1:13 am, followed by dawn at 5:46 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:16 am in the east-northeast (70°) and last for 3 minutes and 3 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 3 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 6:55 am with sun in the east-northeast (77°). Tonight will have 10 hours and 8 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 32 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of showers. Mostly sunny 🌦, with a high of 80 degrees at 3pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around August 18th. Maximum dew point of 64 at 8am. Southeast wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became rain by afternoon. It became humid as the day progressed. The high last year was 81 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1936.

I am glad that I had coffee ☕ for tomorrow morning. I have to think that I’m an caffeine addict but I’m sure was much happier this morning with my cups of joe. I have muffins for tomorrow which will be good. ☺

I am in no rush to get going tomorrow and packed up and heading home. 🏡 It all will depend if it’s raining ☔ come morning but I’m quite content to lay back in the hammock and read a bit before taking down camp and then doing some of the Taughannock Rim Trail before heading home. Still thinking about going through Marathon and taking NY 23 at least part of the way home. Summer vacation has to come to an end but there are always future trips or so I hope. 🏖 COVID-19 is real and out there, but I tried to stay safe while enjoying the Finger Lakes.

Then it’s back to work Monday 👨🏻‍🏫 but with remote work 🖥️ it’s either a matter of going down to the library parking lot or using my new phone to get done what needs to be done. All the signs point 👉🏻 to a busy week next week but after my week off camping without cell service at camp I’m ready to make it happen.

I was looking and it seems like I need to renew my blog contract 📜 come October. I’ll probably do it sooner than that and do the 3 or more years – whatever is the cheapest rate. 💵 I like doing my blog and while I don’t make any money from it, really isn’t that expensive and it gives me an opportunity to think 🤔 and express my thoughts 💭 and experiences 🌲🌳🌲.

I saw another one of my colleagues bought a house 🏡. Nice mid-century modern house, probably in the more suburban part of the city. ☺️ Yeah, I’m a bit jealous but it’s certainly not may way of living. But I’m only a few steps behind him and if I keep saving and investing I’ll be closer to that goal 🥅. Of course, I think if rather live somewhere surrounded by corn fields 🌽 or forest 🌲, some place small without grid power 🔌 where I can have fires 🔥, shoot guns 🔫 and live the good life without any neighbors to give a damn. With cheap taxes 💰, no special government permission to carry guns 🤠 or improve your land or run my hobby farm 🐐. Land in rural areas is a lot cheaper and freer – especially in other states but it’s hard to make a living in the rural countryside, 🌲🐺🐮🦋🌱 although maybe the pandemic and increased remote work is changing that. ⌨️🖱️

As Malvina Reynolds once sung, “Little Boxes made out of ticky tacky”. If that was my only choice, I’d choose my moldy apartment. 🏘️

While my hammock stinks tonight after getting wet today in the rain and the Martin’s Permethrin I applied earlier in the week being somewhat unlocked, I continue to be very happy 😊 with the replacement hammock I bought more than two years ago to replace the shitty Eno / LL Bean branded hammock that had bad carabiners and then only months later ripped and wouldn’t be warranted. 😯 While I got the LL Bean with credit card reward points 💳, it was expensive and within a year was placed in the camp trash 🗑 and ultimately burnt to a crisp. 🔥 The cheap Chinese replacement I got on Ebay for $15 has lasted more than two years now and is still in good shape. That said, I do like the Eno straps, I still use them today with the China hammock. 🇨🇳 God bless those factory 🏭 slave workers who make quality inexpensive products.

In four weeks on September 12 the sun will be setting in the west (276°) at 7:22 pm,🌄 which is 46 minutes and 14 seconds earlier then today. In 2019 on that day, we had partly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 68 and 51 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 74 and 53 degrees. The record high of 94 degrees was set back in 1947.

Looking ahead, Average High is 60 🍂 is in 2 months, Northern Zone Regular Season 🦌 is in 9 weeks, Halloween 🎃 and the Blue Moon 🌕 is in 11 weeks, Small Business Saturday 🛍️ is in 15 weeks, Repeal of Prohibition Day 🍺 is in 16 weeks, Bill of Rights Day 📜 is in 4 months, Boxing Day 🥊 is in 19 weeks, Static Electric Shock Day 🧼 is in 21 weeks, National Cheese Lovers Day 🧀 is in 23 weeks, Save the Pine Bush Turns 43 🦋 is in 25 weeks, 5:30 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 27 weeks and Snow Moon 🌕 is in 28 weeks.

Sailboats Along Grand Isle

August 14, 2020 8 PM Update

Good evening! Mostly clear and 76 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. 🌌There is a north breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 60 degrees.

It was a nice day hiking the Catherine Valley Rail Trail 🚂. Not the most exciting trail ever but a nice walk through some well managed and scenic woods. A lot of it was timber country that is leased to a local hunting club. 🦌🦃🦆 Some road noise from NY 14 but it ran pretty high above the valley on dirt viaducts cut into the mountainside.

In the afternoon I went for a swim at Watkins Glen State Park. 🏊🏻‍♂️ I thought the pool was too crowded for social distancing at four o’clock so I hopped out and by five it had thinned out so then I hopped in the pool. One thing nice about the Finger Lakes is the swimming areas are all open until 7 pm. ☺

I thought about swimming at Enfield Gorge or at the Cayuga Lake beach 🏖 at Taughannock State Park but I feel like those bathrooms 🚿 are more cramped and less clean, and the natural water is not chlorinated so I’m hesitant. Plus the beach areas are smaller and cramped making social distancing more difficult.

I got ice cream one more time at Glen Dairy Bar 🍧this time an apple sundae. 🍏I think this will be the last one for this trip, I’m kind of tired 😴 of eating so much ice cream. It’s been fun while it lasted during this trip. I told myself ice cream 🍦nearly there would be my special little treat.

Watched the sunset 🌇 from off Ball Diamond Road in the National Forest pasture again tonight. Another nice sunset, always pretty watching the sun set over the hills of the Finger Lakes and Seneca Lake.

Walked down to Foster Pond and watched the stars ✨ for a while. Saw four shooting stars 🌠including one that was really bright and lit up the sky. Ended up falling asleep and was awoken by a bunch of drunk kids rafting in plastic blow up rafts on Foster Pond. 🛥️ One of them offered me a partially drink can of white claw, during the pandemic. 🍻 I declined and walked back to camp.

Running low on drinking water 💦 and wanting something sweet I packed apple 🍏 juice for hiking today. That was fine until I cross threaded the canteen and it leaked over my backpack. Fortunately I decided to leave the binoculars and camera 📸 in the truck. A bee was attracted to the backpack got stung in the arm. 🐝 That hurt. The backpack was washed in the shower 🚿 and is drying now. Drank too much apple juice today and now I have the runs a bit. 💩 Hello bucket shitter! Getting full, going to emptied and buried ⚰ tomorrow when I break camp.

Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 63 degrees at 5am. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 62 at 9pm. North wind around 6 mph becoming calm after midnight. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 62 degrees. The record low of 48 occurred back in 1964.

Tonight will have a Waining Crescent 🌘 Moon with 19% illuminated. The darkest hour is at 1:13 am, followed by dawn at 5:44 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:14 am in the east-northeast (70°) and last for 3 minutes and 4 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 4 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 6:53 am with sun in the east-northeast (76°). Tonight will have 10 hours and 5 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 31 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 81 degrees at 2pm. Typical for Tomorrow. Maximum dew point of 63 at 7am. South wind 3 to 7 mph. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies. The high last year was 83 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1959. One thing to watch is clouds may push in fairly early tomorrow afternoon. ☁️

I am going to take a wait and see approach tomorrow. ⛅ I am afraid it might be quite choppy on Seneca Lake by afternoon to paddle. 🛶 If it’s kind of gray and dark out I might stay at camp. Although there are some additional marsh trails in Watkins Glen that I was reading 📖 about I’m thinking 💭 about exploring.

In four weeks on September 11 the sun will be setting in the west (276°) at 7:23 pm,🌄 which is 46 minutes and 6 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2019 on that day, we had hot and humid weather that was partly sunny and temperatures between 87 and 66 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 74 and 54 degrees. The record high of 98 degrees was set back in 1931.

Looking ahead, Labor Day Weekend Begins 👨‍🏭 in 3 weeks, September 11th 🇸 is in 4 weeks, 7 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 5 weeks, Average High is 65 🍂 is in 7 weeks, Average Night Below Freezing 🌌 is in 13 weeks, Buy Nothing Day 🛍️ is in 15 weeks, Average High is 40 🌨 is in 16 weeks, Bake Cookies Day 🍪 is in 18 weeks, Christmas 🎅 is in 19 weeks, New Years Day 2020 🎉 is in 20 weeks, Bubble Bath Day 🧼 is in 21 weeks, Coldest Week of the Year 🌬 is in 5 months, my 38th Birthday 🎉 is in 24 weeks and Valentines Day ❤️ is in 6 months.

Clouds Hanging Low

August 11, 2020 Evening

Good evening! Partly clear and 74 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. 🌃 There is a west breeze at 8 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 65 degrees. The muggy weather ends tomorrow around 10 am. 😓

To end the first half of summer vacation 🏖 I thought things went remarkably well. I spent about six hours at the pool 🏊🏻‍♂️ and two paddling the Montour Falls canal. 🛶 While it was a bit choppy at the end of the day on Seneca Lake for the most part it wasn’t bad. 🌊 A 38 mile lake, even if across its relatively narrow and sat below tall hills is always going to be somewhat rough. Might be even less windy tomorrow – I left the kayak 🛥 on the truck and come morning I might decide to do more paddling tomorrow.

That caramel sundae 🍧I got from the Glen Dairy Bar was pretty good today. I will have to get there a few more times before I leave the Finger Lakes for a few more options. It’s fun having good ice cream when you camp. Had more of those sausage paddies with cheese and ketchup on a hard role for dinner. 🍔 They’re a nice easy treat. I have two more to finish off tomorrow maybe for lunch and then I’ll figure out what is next for camp meals 🍴.

Tonight will be partly cloudy ☁️, with a low of 65 degrees at 6am. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 68 at 8pm. West wind 5 to 8 mph becoming light and variable in the evening. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies. It became somewhat humid as the night progressed. It got down to 56 degrees. The record low of 46 occurred back in 1987.

Tonight will have a Last Quarter 🌗 Moon with 46% illuminated. The darkest hour is at 1:13 am, followed by dawn at 5:41 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:12 am in the east-northeast (69°) and last for 3 minutes and 6 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 4 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 6:51 am with sun in the east-northeast (75°). Tonight will have 9 hours and 58 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 26 seconds over last night.

I hiked back to Foster Pond this evening to watch the percid metriod showers 🌠but stayed only for about fifteen minutes when there was what appeared to be a very wild party 🎉 on the one end of the lake disturbing the solitude. Based on the noise and the late arrivers it seemed like an under age drinking 🍻 party. I wasn’t going to get mixed up with that and honestly myself I wasn’t that sober after having a few drinks with dinner to toast off the day and wash down those sausage paddies. That said, in the brief time I was there I saw two shooting stars and by the time I was heading back it had clouded up.

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 85 degrees at 3pm. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 64 at 6am. Northwest wind 3 to 7 mph. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 86 degrees. The record high of 99 was set in 1944.

It should be another nice day tomorrow. ☀ I am not going to rush to get going tomorrow though as I need to try to get some more sleep tonight. 💤 I am thinking about more kayaking tomorrow 🛶, maybe off of Hector Park boat launch or maybe the Watkins Glen boat launch and paddling up along the shoreline of Seneca Lake to Hector Point. I don’t think I’ll do more of the Montour Canal – I found it kind of boring and it stunk of raw or partially treated sewage and was kind of green from pollution. I was hoping I could get off the canal to explore Bad Indian Marsh but there wasn’t a lot of navigable streams – I saw only one and it didn’t look very promising. 🛑

In four weeks on September 8 the sun will be setting in the west (278°) at 7:29 pm,🌄 which is 44 minutes and 56 seconds earlier then today. In 2019 on that day, we had partly cloudy and temperatures between 73 and 52 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 75 and 55 degrees. The record high of 94 degrees was set back in 2015.

Looking ahead, September 🍎 is in 3 weeks, September 11th 🇸 is a month away, Autumn 🍂 is in 6 weeks, Election Day 2019 🗳️ is in 12 weeks, Average High is 50 🍂 is in 13 weeks, Veterans Day 🇺🇸 is in 3 months, Regular Deer Season in Southern Zone 🦌 is in 14 weeks, December 🎄 is in 16 weeks, Bill of Rights Day 📜 is in 18 weeks, Days are Getting Longer ☀️ is in 19 weeks, Cold Moon 🌕 is in 20 weeks, National Bird Day 🐧 is in 21 weeks, 5:30 PM Dusk 🌆 is in 24 weeks, Ground Hog Day 🐻 is in 25 weeks and Don’t Cry over Spilled Milk Day 🥛 is in 6 months.

Mohawk River