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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.

April 28, 2021 10 AM Update

Good morning! What day is it? Hump Day, of course. It seems odd, being mid-week after coming to the Adirondacks. ⛰ Kind of hard to get back into the routine, especially as I have to put on my suit and head downtown. Four weeks to Flower Moon 🌕 . That pink moon a few nights ago was pretty for sure. Mostly cloudy and 53 degrees in Delmar, NY . ☁ Calm wind. The dew point is 48 degrees. The skies will clear Saturday around 5 am.

Didn’t get an early start this morning, 😴 so I ended up missing my morning walk. Made cheese Bisquick biscuits, and extra pot of coffee ☕ and got on with my day. Maybe it was a mistake to not do my morning walk, but it’s tough to get back into the routine after the Adirondacks. Still getting unpacked but any gear that I don’t need at home, I’ll leave in the truck as it will be only a matter of time before I go nrth or west. 🏕

Today will have a slight chance of showers between 1pm and 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Cloudy 🌥, with a high of 63 degrees at 2pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 27th. Maximum dew point of 52 at 4pm. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 63 degrees. The record high of 92 was set in 1990. There was a dusting of snow in 1966.❄

I have a meeting downtown, 🏢 so I will be putting on my suit later on 👨‍💼 and heading downtown mid-day and will work in the office until 5 PM. 👞 My dress shoes are still in the office since the last time I was there before the pandemic. Not been a lot of formal business meetings, 💼 but slowly things are getting back to normal. After which I am going over to John Wolcott’s house ✉️ in search of a long lost Fort Orange document. While I still have to wear the muzzle on my face on elevators and the bus, 😷 as of Tuesday mid-day I am two weeks out from my second vaccine, so I am good. 💉 Probably wearing a mask is good though to keep from getting colds or even a minor case of COVID, although the risk of the later is quite low two weeks after Pfizer, with a 95 percent effectiveness. 👩‍🔬 Science is an amazing thing, even though at times it can lead us astray.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:56 pm with sun having an altitude of 60.8° from the due south horizon (-9.2° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.4 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:17 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (284°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (291°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:56 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 8 seconds with dusk around 8:27 pm, which is one minute and 11 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:06 pm. At sunset, lookout for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 58 degrees. The dew point will be 51 degrees. This evening could be quite wet, I’m bringing the umbrella into work. There will be a south-southwest breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 2 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 39 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have showers and possibly a thunderstorm before midnight, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between midnight and 2am, then a chance of showers after 2am. 🌧 Low of 49 degrees at 6am. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 11th. Southwest wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. In 2020, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 39 degrees. The record low of 27 occurred back in 1947.

Cool this weekend with temperatures running 10 degrees below normal but otherwise sunny. 😃 Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 51. Sunday, a chance of showers after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 59. Chance of precipitation is 30%. 😎 Typical average high for the weekend is 65 degrees. I am still thinking this forecast is overly optimistic for the weekend, and it will be rainier then one might hope. I am going to stick close to town, but if it’s nicer in two weeks I might go to Brookfield or back to ADKs, maybe tacked on with some days of remote work in the woods if I don’t have downtown meetings. 🏕

As previously noted, next Wednesday is Cinco de Mayo 🤠 when the sun will be setting at 8:04 pm with dusk at 8:36 pm. On that day in 2020, we had sunny and temperatures between 59 and 38 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 66 degrees. We hit a record high of 91 back in 1944.

677 Flag

April 23, 2021 Morning

Good morning! Yeah, it’s Going to Be a Beautiful Friday! Maybe not super warm, but an improvement over yesterday. Two weeks to 8 PM Sunset 🌇 . Summer is coming. Less then two months now, and we could certainly have some nice warm days come May. Even mid-next week looks quite pleasant. This morning, it’s sunny and 36 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a west breeze at 8 mph. 🍃. Cold start to the morning, but it will be fairly warm this afternoon bar the breeze. Wearing the hoodie over my shirt for the morning walk. 🚶‍♀️

Yesterday, I went over to John Wolcott’s House 🔎 and spent several hours going through his Pinksterfest archives, looking for a misplaced long-lost letter about the Fort Orange dig. ✉️ Didn’t find it but there was a lot of interesting things about the history of the Pinksterfest 🌸 and the Mid-crosstown Arterial in his files. 📂 I wanted to go to the Earth Day Rally 🌎 but by the time I got there after work, the rally had already broken up. Part of it was I didn’t catch the bus I wanted to get downtown, 🚌 because the bus schedule still has the reduced rush-hour service, and I didn’t check it real careful. The Earth Day rally was supposed to go until 6 PM but I think it ended early with the police protests 🚓 in the other part of the city. 👊 Truth be told, I am just a lot less interested politics and citizen activism these days. 🦋 Save the Pine Bush is my big thing.

Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 58 degrees at 4pm. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 15th. Breezy, with a west wind 8 to 13 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 56 degrees. The record high of 87 was set in 2007. 2.4 inches of snow fell back in 1956.❄

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:54 pm with sun having an altitude of 60° from the due south horizon (-10.8° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.5 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:08 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (282°). 📸

Today I am going to get packed for the Adirondacks 🏕 as my hope is head north tonight for a long weekend, possibly into next week. 🌲 🌲🌲 🌲 I am thinking about working remotely on Monday from the Adirondacks, as long as the weather is nice enough and maybe staying into Tuesday, a bit in a different campsite so to limit my stay to 3 nights in any one location. I have a lot going on today, so it’s going to be busy for packing, and I want to try to get to store mid-day and maybe down to the laundromat when I work, or maybe I have enough clothes if I wait and reuse some jeans — that is if I pick up another pair today. 👖 Going to be a cold night up north with the wind, but I’ll have my heater ♨️ and I can build a small fire for warmth. 🔥 still going to be some snow to deal with up north.

Really starting to get a bit low on clothes, 👕 and as I haven’t bought any in over a year as I’ve not needed as much working from home. 👞 My dress shoes are still in the office, sitting drawer they’ve been since the beginning of the pandemic. Going to need a good polish when I go get them, as come May I think I’ll be in office more, although it gets tricky with all the remaining COVID-restrictions. 👨‍💼 That and I haven’t been to the laundromat or my parents house in over a week.

The sunset is in the west-northwest (288°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:47 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 3 seconds with dusk around 8:16 pm, which is one minute and 8 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous 🌔 Moon in the southeast (131°) at an altitude of 45° from the horizon, 231,553 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:53 pm. At sunset, look for clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 54 degrees. There will be a west breeze at 13 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 45 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 39 seconds over yesterday.

Today my cellphone renews 📲 and I’m hoping that will go well. Still not sure if my new credit card is working 💳, those temporary $1 authorizations that caught my eye last weekend still haven’t dropped off the bill. I should maybe call the credit card company to ensure my card is still active. I am starting to think it was all just a system glitch with the dozen or so $1 authorizations, maybe something went wrong when I went to buy milk 🥛 the other day at the store, and my worry is just that. Pure silliness. But you can’t be too careful these days. Need to make sure that’s straightened out before I go north.

Also, we are doing another recording session with John Wolcott and some of other Save the Pine Bush people for our history project 📜 tonight, but if I am going north, I am not going to be able to participate. But it is what it is, I’ve wanted to get out of town for some weeks now. 🏕 It should be a real nice night, but maybe a bit chilly. Maybe a little snow up north. Probably be setting up after dark, but I have flashlights 🔦 and lights, as I have my therapy session at 4 PM and I’m sure it will run after 5 PM. 👨‍⚕️ My lantern is working well. 🏮 Also I might have to work late, so who knows, but I’d really like to get out of town today.

Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 41 degrees at 4am. One degree above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 25th. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. In 2020, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became light rain by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 40 degrees. The record low of 25 occurred back in 1965.

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 68 degrees at 3pm. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 10th. West wind 8 to 10 mph. Should be a very nice spring day. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 54 degrees. The record high of 81 was set in 2001. 1.2 inches of snow fell back in 1967.❄

I am chewing over my options for hikes on Saturday, but I am still leaning towards Pine Orchard. 🌲🌲, although there are a handful of other options. There are a lot of hikes I haven’t done over the years, but one thing to consider is how muddy the trails will be. It might actually be better to just do a road hike to stay out of the mud. I’ll have to think about it, especially if I am planning to spend part of next week up north.

Looking ahead to Sunday, rain likely, mainly before 2pm. 🌧 Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60. Southeast wind 5 to 9 mph becoming north in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Typical average high for the weekend is 62 degrees.

Seems like it will be wet on Sunday, but actually not that bad when you consider total precipitation. ⛈ It would be fun to work up north on Monday, maybe sit out by Lake Pleasant listening to some music using either my laptop or phone for work. Might be a bit cool on Monday but I can wear a jacket and sun will feel real nice. Then I might head home on Monday or find somewhere and stay through Tuesday or Wednesday. 😎 Mason Lake isn’t a option though for another month as the road is closed due to mud season and frost coming out of the ground.

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until 8 PM Sunset 🌇 when the sun will be setting at 8:02 pm with dusk at 8:33 pm. On that day in 2020, we had partly sunny, rain showers and temperatures between 65 and 43 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 67 degrees. That will be real nice. We hit a record high of 92 back in 1930.

Route 10 Farm

December 31, 2020 Morning

Good morning! Happy New Years Eve 🎆! It’s true, the worse year ever, as the critics like to say is coming to an end. Onward to 2021! It can’t be worse, right? I don’t know, I thought 2020 was a fun year. Just like bad old New York City. Grimy and awful, but fun. 🏕 Tonight will be 63 nights camping this year. Two weeks to Coldest Week of the Year 🌬. But based on the 8-14 day outlook, that seems unlikely. Rain showers and 35 degrees in Delmar, NY. ❄ There is a west breeze at 10 mph. 🍃. Temperatures will drop below freezing at around 6 pm. ☃️

Woke up early, excited to be heading north for the NYE. ⬆ Feeling a lot better today, 🤒 the sore throat is gone and maybe the slight congestion on the nose. I am going to stay away from alcohol tonight, and hopefully the cold, dry air won’t trigger the cold to get worse, although I figure if I do feel sicker, I can come home and sleep until January 4th. And then it’s work from home, so if I’m sick as a dog, as long as I don’t sound so sick on the phone, nobody will ever know.

Had a nice breakfast of pancakes and coffee. ☕🥞 I got to take a shower next, and then I want to start loading up the truck. My goal is to be on the road by 9:30-10 AM, stopping in Amsterdam for a few supplies, then north.

Today will have a slight chance of rain and snow showers before 8am. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a high of 39 degrees at 11am. Seven degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around December 7th. West wind 10 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had light snow in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 39 degrees. The record high of 61 was set in 1895. 7.9 inches of snow fell back in 2007.❄

Solar noon 🌞 is at 11:59 am with sun having an altitude of 24.3° from the due south horizon (-46.5° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 13.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 3:47 pm with the sun in the southwest (231°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (239°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:32 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 24 seconds with dusk around 5:03 pm, which is 50 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:40 pm. At sunset, look for mostly cloudy skies ☁ and temperatures around 35 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 10 mph. Tomorrow will have 9 hours and 7 minutes of daytime, an increase of 46 seconds over today.

Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌤, with a low of 23 degrees at 5am. Seven degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around December 12th. Northwest wind 5 to 9 mph becoming light after midnight. In 2019, we had light rain in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 34 degrees. The record low of -18 occurred back in 1970.

I am getting packed and planning on heading north around 9:30 or 10 AM. 🏔 I am still not convinced that I will stay more then one night, but I’ll bring enough changes of clothes for the weekend. New Years Day is going to be quite nice, but late Saturday into Saturday morning looks like it will be a mix of rain and ice. But I’ll evaluate at this point, and be glad for getting away at least one night. I want to get up there by no later then 12 noon to 1 PM so I have time to drag the gear back from the parking lot to campsite, as I think there will be too much snow to drive to campsite itself, and I certainly don’t want to leave the truck there overnight should it get plowed in.

Not a particularly nice weekend on tap. 😞 Saturday, rain, mainly before noon. High near 43. Southeast wind 7 to 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Sunday, a chance of snow after 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Typical average high for the weekend is 31 degrees.

North

December 30, 2020 Morning

Good morning! Happy Bacon Day 🥓! Who is opposed to bacon, besides religious zealots? Not mention all those other delicious things that pigs produce and the rich farm dirt. 🐷 Read about that a lot in Foxfire Books. 📔 Two weeks to Make Your Dream Come True Day 🏡. What can I say, Cam Edwards and his podcast is a bad influence.

Not real nice morning. Cloudy and 20 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁ Calm wind. Things will start to thaw out at around 2 pm. 🌡️

Feeling a lot better today, 😃 I think the knock off NightQuil and DayQuil helped a lot. 🤒I usually do get a bad cold this time of year, although somehow I thought I would be immune this year with social distancing, but who knows. My throat isn’t as sore as it was, and while my nose is a bit stuffy 👃 I am feeling a lot better and plan to work on getting packed for the Adirondacks later this evening. Going to head up early in the morning, so I can have time to dig out a parking spot and campsite.☃ I might just stay the night or maybe for the weekend, still watching the forecast.

That said, I skipped my morning and evening walks. 🚶 I know bad. But I’m thinking about a lunch time walk. ☕ No reason not to, I don’t expect a busy day the day before the long weekend. My job now has an hour lunch break, so I should take it (watches as email 📧 comes in a 1:00 PM 🕐 as I go to lunch). 🍳 I had a nice breakfast of eggs and ham, which was really good with the coffee. It’s sad how addicted I am coffee but it is a good stimulus for getting going in the morning. 💵 Maybe not as good as a free $2,000 check from the government, but I’ll take it.

Today will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a high of 35 degrees at 4pm. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around December 19th. Light south wind increasing to 10 to 15 mph in the morning. A year ago, we had patches of fog in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 39 degrees. The record high of 53 was set in 1984. 10.9 inches of snow fell back in 2000.❄

Solar noon 🌞 is at 11:59 am with sun having an altitude of 24.3° from the due south horizon (-46.6° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 13.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 3:46 pm with the sun in the southwest (231°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (239°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:32 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 24 seconds with dusk around 5:03 pm, which is 48 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waning Gibbous 🌖 Moon in the east-northeast (57°) at an altitude of 2° from the horizon, 242,450 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:39 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 34 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 15 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 6 minutes of daytime, an increase of 39 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a chance of rain showers and sleet before 11pm, then a chance of rain and snow showers between 11pm and midnight, then rain showers likely after midnight. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 32 degrees at 6pm. 16 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around November 16th. South wind 7 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Little or no snow and sleet accumulation expected. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became light snow by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 34 degrees. The record low of -17 occurred back in 1917.

Kind of a mixed bag for the weekend. 😞 New Years day. Mostly sunny, with a high near 32. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.  Saturday, freezing rain and sleet before 10am, then rain likely between 10am and 4pm, then a chance of rain and snow showers after 4pm. High near 39. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Sunday, a chance of snow before 1pm, then a chance of rain and snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 36. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Typical average high for the weekend is 31 degrees.

So I am continuing to watch the weather, 💭 but I’m thinking of heading up to the Adirondacks at least for New Years Eve and Day. Not sure if I want to deal with freezing rain though, but I can monitor the weather and decide to come back on New Years Day if necessary. I just don’t want to deal with a tent covered with ice or the potential for snapping tree branches. That said, it does look like Sunday it will be warm enough that the roads will be fine, and there isn’t going to be a ton of snow, to make shoveling out to the road difficult (I’m going to park near the road).

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Make Your Dream Come True Day 🏡 when the sun will be setting at 4:45 pm with dusk at 5:16 pm. The longer days will be nice. On that day in 2020, we had mostly cloudy skies, it was mild with a few rain showers and temperatures between 40 and 29 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 30 degrees. We hit a record high of 71 back in 1932.

Trees on Overlook

November 30, 2020 Morning

Good morning! Final day of November 2020. Happy Cyber Monday 🛍️ and Beaver Moon 🌕! I don’t need any of your shit marketers. Three weeks to First Day of Winter ☃️. Rain and 41 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☔ Calm wind. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Friday around noontime. ☃️

Kind of a lazy morning. 😴 With the clouds and my general drowsiness from taking the sleeping pill 💊 I skipped my morning walk. I’ll be the first to admit it was kind of a mistake though, as now the rain has set in I don’t think an evening walk 🚶🏻 will be practical without getting soaked. Not sure how busy today will be but projects always seem to pop up. My gear ⚙ is unpacked and I’m ready for the work week ahead. Tomorrow I’ll probably work down at the library. 📚 At some point I want to return beer cans ♻ and refill the propane tank 🏮.

Today will rain. The rain could be heavy at times. 🌧 High of 54 degrees at 6pm. 13 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around October 29th. Maximum dew point of 53 at 6pm. 🏖️ Warm but not great outdoors weather. Light and variable wind becoming north 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning, which became light snow by afternoon. The high last year was 33 degrees. The record high of 67 was set in 1933. 7.1 inches of snow fell back in 1972.❄

While there is some things I could probably do at the library Wi-Fi today 📶, including a work Zoom Meeting, I want to experiment with doing it from home using my phone. It’s a pretty cold and rainy day and my camera would likely fog up if I used my laptop at the library. I am curious how well the Zoom app will work on my phone 📱 and how much bandwidth it will use. That said, if I upgrade to the Wi-Fi Hotspot plan I will unlimited phone data, with a 10 or 20 gig cap on my hotspot data. But that’s still a shit ton more affordable than a permanent wired connection and it gives me more options for travel so I’m not stuck working from home. As it’s month to month, I can drop the Hotspot plan once things get back to normal and I can just walk down to the library and am working in the office where there is WI-FI. 🏢 The ten or twenty bucks a month can come out of money I ordinarily spend on bus fare when working downtown. 🚍

Solar noon 🌞 is at 11:45 am with sun having an altitude of 25.6° from the due south horizon (-45.2° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 12.5 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 3:40 pm with the sun in the southwest (233°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (241°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:24 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 20 seconds with dusk around 4:54 pm, which is 21 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waining Gibbous 🌖 Moon in the east-northeast (62°) at an altitude of 3° from the horizon, 248,648 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:31 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and temperatures around 52 degrees. The dew point will be 49 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 9 hours and 18 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 26 seconds over yesterday.

John Wolcott called and canceled the filming 📹 tonight, as they are going into isolation with his advanced age. I totally get it. I’ve gotten through many of his files 📂 and learned a lot about Albany history, and recorded many hours of his history. Maybe we will do more through Zoom in the future although that can be hard without me having internet at home.

Tonight will have showers, mainly before 10pm. 🌧 Low of 51 degrees at 5am. 24 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 18th. Maximum dew point of 55 at 8pm. 🏖️ South wind 9 to 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 17 degrees. The record low of -5 occurred back in 1875.

Doesn’t look like a super nice weekend. 😕 Saturday, a chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 44. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Sunday, a chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Typical average high for the weekend is 40 degrees.

I doubt I’ll be going out to my parents house with the impending lock down, 🤷🏻‍♂️ so I’ll have to find other projects to keep me busy this weekend. Maybe I’ll do some walks around town or get some books 📚 out of the library. The drive through pick up is easy for sure. I should work on some electronics projects too. 🔬

As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until First Day of Winter ☃️ when the sun will be setting at 4:25 pm with dusk at 4:57 pm. On that day in 2019, we had cold, partly cloudy and temperatures between 24 and 8 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 34 degrees. We hit a record high of 62 back in 2018.

I am thinking with things on the likely locked down 🔒 for the holidays, I might plan camping trips for Christmas and New Years as I have both eves off for long weekends and could even potentially tag additional days off if I remote work 💻. I think a Christmas Eve camping trip would be fun. 🎄 Decorate up the campsite, listen to Christmas music 🤶🏻🎶 especially if there is a reasonable amount of snow 🌨 and it’s not too cold.

Four Mile Vista