Search Results for: photo nice evening at the park

October 17, 2020 Evening

Good evening! Clear and 34 degrees at the Cherry Ridge Camping Area. 🌌There is a south-southwest breeze at 5 mph. 🍃. Cool but clear, I have a big ol roaring fire 🔥 tonight to stay warm.

While I was kind of hoping I’d have the whole camping area here to myself 👤 so I could listen to music 🎶 as loud as I wanted to, there are a few campers down the way and they seemed to have gone inside pretty early because of the cold. I know that I usually prefer to camp at a roadside site that is more spread out but there aren’t many options nearby.

It was a nice day, lots of blue skies and fall colors 🍂🌞 but as to be expected in higher elevations they had very much faded away. Spent the bulk of the day at Glimmerglass State Park 🏞 and then poked around Cooperstown for a while, which was really hoping but I didn’t want to spend too much time there with the pandemic. 👾 Of course, because I’ve been traveling my phone 📱 wants me to install the state’s COVID-19 tracking app but honestly that’s creepy and it’s not like I’ve been indoors or near anybody except for a brief stop at Hannaford on Daunesburg to pick up some groceries. 🏪

All day was kind of cold ❄ although part of it was I’m unwilling to accept winter is coming and I was just wearing a t shirt 👚 with my vest. The colors were really good down by the lake and up here by camp. ⛺

I really like the rough cut lands 🚜🏚️ of the backroads of Otsego and Madison County, the mud and manure, the run down farm houses and the earthy smell of livestock. 🐮 The junk cars and rusty tractors, the goats 🐐 staked down in front yard, the deer 🦌 hung from the tree, the pig pen 🐽 in the corner of the yard.

In a few years I plan to live in a place like that. 🏡🐐 🐖 I’m making good money at my job now 💵 but I’m really trying to save every penny I can, so I can eventually own land out in the country, live in small town. But not New York State – I don’t want to have to beg some judge for a pistol 🔫 permit and I want to be able to have burn barrels 🛢 and have fires to burn debris and brush whenever I want and not spend all my money on property taxes. In other words rural living minus the New York State part. Kind of like Pennsyltucky minus the high taxes although there is a lot to like about the state especially in the Pennsylvania Wild Region although many other parts of the state have wooded hills above the fertile valleys. 🌄

Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 30 degrees at 3am. Seven degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around November 13th. South wind 5 to 7 mph. In 2019, we had light rain in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 41 degrees. The record low of 22 occurred back in 1978.

Tonight will have a New 🌚 Moon with 1% illuminated. At 7 PM, the moon was in the west-southwest (253°) at an altitude of 1° from the horizon, some 226,468 miles away from where you are looking up from the earth. 🚀 Lots of stars ✨ tonight. I got out star viewing app earlier. At the state speed limit of 55 mph, you’ll make it there by April 7th. Buckle up for safety! 💺 The Blue 🌝 Moon is on Halloween 🦇 Saturday, October 31. The darkest hour is at 12:47 am, followed by dawn at 6:50 am, and sun starting to rise at 7:18 am in the east-southeast (102°) and last for 2 minutes and 58 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 12 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 7:57 am with sun in the east-southeast (109°). Tonight will have 13 hours and 3 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 48 seconds over last night. Always amazing how fast winter comes when it gets well underway. Nights are so long now and it seems like nine 9⃣ o’clock is the middle of the night now.

Tomorrow will have increasing clouds ☁, with a high of 56 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around October 25th. South wind 9 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning, which became mostly sunny by afternoon. The high last year was 52 degrees. The record high of 84 was set in 2016. There was a dusting of snow in 2015.❄

In four weeks on November 14 the sun will be setting in the west-southwest (245°) at 4:39 pm (Standard Time),🌄 which is one hour, 36 minutes and 17 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2019 on that day, we had cold, partly cloudy and temperatures between 37 and 20 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 49 and 32 degrees. The record high of 70 degrees was set back in 1973.

Looking ahead, Regular Deer Season in Southern Zone 🦌 is in 5 weeks, Small Business Saturday 🛍️ is in 6 weeks, Repeal of Prohibition Day 🍺 is in 7 weeks, Boxing Day 🥊 is in 10 weeks, Static Electric Shock Day 🧼 is in 12 weeks, National Cheese Lovers Day 🧀 is in 14 weeks, Save the Pine Bush Turns 43 🦋 is in 16 weeks, Presidents Day 👴 is in 4 months, 5:30 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 18 weeks, and Snow Moon 🌕 is in 19 weeks.

Corner

September 24, 2020 Evening

Good evening! Partly cloudy and 59 degrees in Speculator, NY. ⛅ There is a west breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 52 degrees.

It was a nice day but a busy one with work. 💼 The colors up in Speculator are pretty nice, 🍂 and it was nice working from the park and at the library. 📚 It was odd though that I ran into one of my neighbors up at Spectulator – he was actually working up at the library too. He apparently was up here on vacation too. With the Wi-Fi and cellphone it was as easy as working at home. 📶 That said, camping in the wilderness.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 51 degrees at 10pm. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 18th. Maximum dew point of 53 at 8pm. West wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. In 2019, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 50 degrees. The record low of 29 occurred back in 1963.

Nice mild evening 🌃. I can’t believe it’s nine o’clock but it’s still warm enough to be sitting outside wearing a t-shirt 👕. Nice fire 🔥 for a while and now it’s burning down as the night progresses. It gets dark this time of year and the nights are long, with nearly more night than day. The eight hour nights have come and gone into a memory.

Tonight will have a First Quarter 🌓 Moon with 58% illuminated. At 7 PM, the moon was in the south (171°) at an altitude of 22° from the horizon, some 234,640 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 March 21st. Buckle up for safety! 💺 The Hunter 🏹 Moon is on Thursday, October 1. The darkest hour is at 12:50 am, followed by dawn at 6:20 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:48 am in the east (90°) and last for 2 minutes and 57 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 8 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 7:26 am with sun in the east (97°). Tonight will have 11 hours and 58 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 57 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 74 degrees at 3pm. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 12th. Maximum dew point of 56 at 10am. Calm wind becoming southwest 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 76 degrees. The record high of 91 was set in 2017.

Should be another nice day. 😀 Back down to Spectulator in the morning for a Zoom Meetings and then probably walking down by Lake Pleasant. I can do most things from my phone 📱 but the Wi-Fi is helpful for certain things. And as another warm evening. I will probably get up really early to go hiking come Saturday.

In four weeks on October 22 the sun will be setting in the west-southwest (255°) at 6:02 pm,🌄 which is 48 minutes and 6 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2019 on that day, we had mostly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 59 and 43 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 57 and 38 degrees. The record high of 86 degrees was set back in 1979.

Looking ahead, Average High is 60 🍂 is in 3 weeks, Thanksgiving 🦃 is in 9 weeks, 7:15 AM Sunrise ⌛️ is in 11 weeks, Christmas Eve 🎅 is in 3 months, New Years Eve 🎆 is in 14 weeks, Coldest Week of the Year 🌬 is in 16 weeks, Wolf Moon 🌕 is in 18 weeks, Don’t Cry over Spilled Milk Day 🥛 is in 20 weeks and National Drink Wine Day 🍷 is in 21 weeks.

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 13, 2020 Evening

Good evening! Clear and 72 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. 🌃 There is a north-northeast breeze at 5 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 58 degrees.

It was a nice day 👍 to explore part of the Finger Lakes I had never been to before. The Kueka Outlet Trail is pretty darn neat winding through a gorge past numerous ruins of old mills. 🏤 One thing that surprised me that there was enough water power to run all those mills – when I was there the water was flowing but hardly a torrent. It might be different in the spring or after a heavy rain storm ☔ – it’s been a pretty dry summer in the Finger Lakes although nothing like 2015.

Hiked 🚶🏽 from Penn Yan to Dresden a total of 13 miles round trip. While this is not a strenuous hike by any means – it’s a 200 feet ascent heading west over 6 1/2 miles it was still an all afternoon hike and I was tired 😴 with the heat. I did do a short walk around downtown Penn Yan 🏙 which still has a fairly intact main street then visited the village park overlooking the lake. Ironically, when you are at one of the tips or Keuka Lake you really don’t get that scenic of a vista as all you see is the tine of the fork 🍴and big hill in the center.

Came back and got ice at Dandy Mart. Forgot to buy coffee ☕ again for the morning. Spent a little time down at Clute Park but I was tired 💤 and didn’t want to drive to camp in the dark so I left before sunset 🌇. Came back and had hot dogs and beer 🌭🍺, I’m definitely ready for bed now.

I thought about hiking to Foster Pond but after a few beers 🍻 and all the walking 🚶🏽 I did today, I decided it’s not advisable. I’m just super tired. I find it hard to get as good of night sleep in the woods as I do at home, especially if I stay up late and then wake up when the sun ☀ is pouring in my window. ⬜

I have a bunch of pictures to upload 🗺️ but I’ll wait until tomorrow when I head into town. I wanted to process them a bit more on my phone before uploading. I also have some pictures I want to get off my dash cam to upload.

Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 64 degrees at 5am. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 60 at 1am. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 66 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1941.

Tonight will have a Waining Crescent 🌘 Moon with 28% illuminated. The darkest hour is at 1:13 am, followed by dawn at 5:43 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:14 am in the east-northeast (69°) 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 3 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 29 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 87 degrees at 3pm. Six degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 63 at 9am. Calm wind becoming northeast 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning, which became thunderstorm by afternoon. It was sticky. The high last year was 84 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1988.

Going to be another hot and sunny day tomorrow. 🏊🏻‍♂️ I think it would be a good day to spend one more day at the Watkins Glen State Park pool on a relatively quiet weekday. and maybe hike more of the Catharine Valley Rail Trail, maybe south of Montour Falls this time. 🚂 And maybe one last ice cream cone at Glen Dairy Bar. 🍦Saturday I will probably stay in the National Forest for social distancing purposes but I’m thinking of doing some fishing 🎣 and swimming of Caywood Point and maybe if it seems like the water is calm, paddling from Watkins Glen to Hector Point. Sunday I probably will hang out at camp for a while then maybe go for a hike around the rim of Taughannock and then head home around 1 pm, probably via NY 23.🛣️

It seems odd that this trip I haven’t visited the Taughannock Gorge so far 🕋 or Enfield Glen. While I like those places a lot they tend to be crowded and I have little interest in visiting any crowded places during the pandemic. I am trying to keep this trip simple and relaxing plus visiting new places in the Finger Lakes that I’ve not spent a lot of time in the past. Gorges are great but I am really truly hard to maintain social distancing. 👨‍👨‍👦‍👦While COVID-19 doesn’t have me hiding all the time in my home, I really try to avoid places where maintaining social distancing is impossible.🗣️

Before hiking today I sprayed heavily my hammock with another coat of Martin’s Permethrin. 🐜 Bugs haven’t been bad camping but I figured it’s a nice low humidity, non windy day so it should soak in good as some time in the future might be buggy again. Permethrin has a bit of a funny smell at first but it dissappears after airing out. 👃

In four weeks on September 10 the sun will be setting in the west (277°) at 7:25 pm,🌄 which is 45 minutes and 37 seconds earlier then today. In 2019 on that day, we had mostly sunny and temperatures between 77 and 52 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 75 and 54 degrees. The record high of 96 degrees was set back in 1931.

Looking ahead, 6:30 Sunrise 🌇 is in 4 weeks, Constitution Day 📜 is in 5 weeks, October 🛥 and Harvest Moon 🌕 is in 7 weeks, Average High is 60 🍂 is in 9 weeks, Average Night Below Freezing 🌌 is in 3 months, Thanksgiving 🦃 is in 15 weeks, 7:15 AM Sunrise ⌛️ is in 17 weeks, Christmas Eve 🎅 is in 19 weeks, New Years Eve 🎆 is in 20 weeks, Make Your Dream Come True Day 🏡 is in 5 months, Coldest Week of the Year 🌬 is in 22 weeks, Wolf Moon 🌕 is in 24 weeks, Don’t Cry over Spilled Milk Day 🥛 is in 26 weeks and National Drink Wine Day 🍷 is in 27 weeks.

Eli Navigates

August 12, 2020 Evening

Good evening! Mostly clear and 73 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. There is a north breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 53 degrees. A very nice evening, might even want a long sleeved shirt 👚 by morning. No fan tonight for me in the truck cap. ☢️

I did everything that I planned today without feeling rushed. 😊 I too often feel like I am running 🏃 from park to park 🏞 on vacation and not taking time to relax. But this year with the pandemic smoldering in the background and an otherwise busy season with work I’ve been taking it slow and doing a lot of reading 📖 and relaxing 🛏 while still enjoying the Finger Lakes. I’ve limited the number of parks I plan to visit and are staying at the same campsite ⛺ with no cell service 🔕 all eight nights to avoid set up and take down. After vacation, work is going to be non-stop as a supervisor, and I’ll be on call 📞 virtually all the time through November.

Caywood Point was interesting to explore on Seneca Lake. 🛥 I bet it’s fun to camp dorm there on a very starry night. 🌃 Some folks had tents pitched right on the shoreline – I guess you don’t have to worry about the tide on a Finger Lake. Seemed like an interesting group of people who hang out there. I should think about going back there and do some fishing 🎣 off the dock or go for a swim 🏊🏻‍♂️ there.

I hiked part of the Catherine Valley Rail Trail 🚂 through the Catherine Marsh WMA aka Bad Indian Swamp. 🌿I am sure the later is disfavored as a name, with the preference today recalling Seneca Chief Catherine Montour, although to this day there are towns that recall the first and last name, so the natives are hardly forgotten. 🐸🦆🕊️🐌🐍🐢 And I doubt the old name was referring to a Bad Indian, just that it was a large, thick area that was marshy and filled with reeds and difficult to pass until the Barge Canal and later the railroad tracks and NY 14 on the east shore. 🌾The swamp is largely reeds, probably the best views from the rail trail are of the Barge Canal. At least from the trail it didn’t stink of sewage. 💩

Then I went for a quick swim 🏊🏻‍♂️ at Watkins Glen State Park. Nobody was manning the toll booth so I didn’t have to show my Empire Passport 🛂. But the pool was open and mostly empty and lead to a nice cool way to break up the evening and cool down.

I went to Tops and stocked up on some food. 🥩 I bought some boneless chicken which I realized at camp was actually pork chops. 🐖 I have nothing against pork, it was good with the rice I bought, stuck in a nice hamburger role, washed down and with some beer 🍻. I also stopped at Glen Dairy Bar and got a large dish of soft ice cream 🍧 dipped in peanut butter 🥜. That was good.

Then before dark I went kayaking 🛶 from the Watkins Glen boat launch. I was going to paddle up to Hector Point but on the way up there I was warned by another kayaker that the water was choppy once you got beyond the bend, and after paddling a few more minutes agreed it seems a bit rough and didn’t want to get caught on open water and ended up just paddling along the south end of the lake by Clute Park. 🎣 Had my fishing pole but the lake was so rough and the south end of the lake so shallow I decided it wasn’t worth it.

Got back to camp around eight, 🏕️ cooked up the pork chops 🥩 and rice 🍚 had dinner and started a fire 🔥 and laid back in the hammock. I forgot to buy coffee ☕ today, I’ll have to get some tomorrow. Ice is not holding up well in the heat 🌡️, I may need to get more at any rate tomorrow and can get coffee at the same time.

Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 59 degrees at 3am. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around August 21st. Maximum dew point of 54 at 10pm. North wind 3 to 6 mph. In 2019, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became light rain by the early hours of the morning. It was sticky. It got down to 67 degrees. The record low of 43 occurred back in 1957.

Tonight will have a Last Quarter 🌗 Moon with 37% illuminated. The Strugeon 🐡 Moon is on Wednesday, August 26. The darkest hour is at 1:13 am, followed by dawn at 5:42 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:12 am in the east-northeast (69°) and last for 3 minutes and 5 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 3 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 6:51 am with sun in the east-northeast (75°). Tonight will have 10 hours of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 28 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 82 degrees at 3pm. One degree above normal, which is similar to a typical day around August 9th. Maximum dew point of 57 at 5pm. Calm wind becoming northeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became cloudy by afternoon. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 81 degrees. The record high of 98 was set in 1947.

While I’m not totally sure and left the kayak on my truck, I am thinking tomorrow would be a good day for hiking. 🚶🏽 I am thinking about the Dresden – Penn Yann rail trail as I’ve never explored that part of the Finger Lakes and that was recommended to me on Facebook. Apparently this trail follows the old railroad grade in the gorge along the Penn Yann outlet. 🏞 Sounds intreguing in my book but I should read up on it before making the trip in the morning.

I’ve been having a few problems uploading photos 📸 today, there was a glitch in my new phone uploader that I built but I think it’s working now. I still have to upload photos from kayaking 🛶 this evening on Seneca Lake but that will have to wait until tomorrow when I have better cell service 📶.

I was saddened to hear about the passing of Reszin Adams, 😔 who has been called the alpha activist of Albany. Not only did she bake lasagna for every Pine Bush Dinner for 35 plus years, she was involved in everything from protesting the Vietnam War to Aprahid in South Africa.

I don’t know where things stand with the documentary 📹 I was working with Cynthia Pooler on her – we cut some n roll at her birthday party 🎂 in February but when she pandemic hit everything kind of stopped except for video editing. I barely know how to use the camera but we did interview several people om Reszin. Definitely sad news for everybody in the Capital Region that cared about progress and change.

At least I got to know her a little bit more than Theresa Cooke, 👩🏼 the lady who confronted Erastus Corning and made a big difference in openness and change in the Albany County Democratic Machine.🐴 I had met Cooke at Pine Bush dinners in her late years but never knew the difference she made in the 1970s. She just struck me as some kind of activist but I never asked any questions until I learned about her history upon her death.

In four weeks on September 9 the sun will be setting in the west (277°) at 7:27 pm,🌄 which is 45 minutes and 25 seconds earlier then today. In 2019 on that day, we had mostly sunny, patches of fog and temperatures between 73 and 49 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 75 and 54 degrees. The record high of 94 degrees was set back in 1959.

Looking ahead, National Dog Day 🐩 is in 2 weeks, Corn Moon 🌕 is in 3 weeks, SORRY NO NOT NATIONAL CORN DOG DAY, Columbus Day 🛥️ is in 2 months, Average High is 55 🍂 is in 11 weeks, Day After Election Day 🛀 is in 12 weeks, Veterans Day 🇺🇸 is in 13 weeks, Earliest Sunset of the Year ⌛️ is in 17 weeks, Tea Party Day 🐍 is in 18 weeks, Festivus 🍖 is in 19 weeks, Bacon Day 🥓 is in 20 weeks, Make Your Dream Come True Day 🏡 is in 22 weeks, Inauguration Day ✅ is in 23 weeks, Clean Your Computer Day 🧹 is in 26 weeks and Presidents Day 👴 is in 27 weeks.

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