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White Rocks
This weekend I am thinking of heading up to White Rocks National Recreation Area. It’s a ways north of Manchester between Mount Tabor and Wallingford along Forest Road 10.
Sunday I’ll probably hike the White Rocks Overlook.
It was a nice trip when I went four years ago, and it’s not super far away from home for a weekend trip in early November. It should be quiet, with just a handful of small game hunters and others around.
October 7, 2019 Night
Good evening! Nice evening laying back in the hammock. A barn owl is hooting in the distance, and I hear from crickets. The moon is obscured by the clouds but it’s still not super dark in the woods. Rain has been gone since midday ๐ and now the woods is fairly dry with a dropping dew point. There is a group of bow hunters ๐ a quarter mile down the road – they’re the group with the big jacked up 3/4 ton truck with the pick up camper. Far enough way that the only way I know there down there is occasionally a I hear their coon dog ๐ถ howling or an occasional hoot or holler from their camp – that an I drove past their camp earlier. Coyotes are loud tonight.
Mostly cloudy and 53 degrees at the Allegheny National Forest. โ There is a west-northwest breeze at 6 mph. ๐. The dew point is 47 degrees. The skies will clear around 11 pm.
Today as expected was kind of a damp and somewhat rainy day โ although the rain ended much earlier than in Albany but the first sign of any real clearing was not until around sunset. I sat out and read outside for a while but started to feel cold and damp and decided to hot tent with the book. ๐ I got through my second book of vacation – as I noted earlier – Andrew Revkins book on Weather. Nice picture book, sometimes adults like books with lots of graphics. Second book I’ve read on vacation. ๐ Very warm at times in the tent – that heater kicks out a lot of heat and with temperatures in the mid 50s I kept having to turn it off.
I drove over to Jakes Rocks for a while this afternoon to top off the batteries but ended up disconnecting the accessory batteries from the alternator when I started smelling ozone. ๐ I don’t want to accidentally fry the alternator while I’m on vacation or even just burn up a wire or a fuse. It’s fine – after today the sun will be shining and I’ll rely entirely on the solar for the accessory loads as the sun will out. โ
Walking around Jakes Rocks was nice although it was rather cloudy and dark โ. But other than that a fine afternoon. I’ll admit today was a quiet day but my expectations were pretty low.
Tonight will be mostly cloudy ๐ฅ, with a low of 42 degrees at 6am. Typical for tonight. Northwest wind 3 to 6 mph. In 2018, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became light drizzle by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 50 degrees. The record low of 21 occurred back in 1964.
Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous Moon ๐ with 80% illuminated. The moon will set at 1:38 am. The ๐ is on Saturday night with mostly clear skies. The sun will rise at 7:19 am with the first light at 6:51 am, which is one minute and 5 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ Tonight will have 12 hours and 32 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 46 seconds over last night.
Tomorrow will be sunny ๐, with a high of 62 degrees at 4pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around October 10th. Northeast wind 5 to 7 mph. A year ago, we had cloudy skies. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 63 degrees. The record high of 80 was set in 2017.
I’ve decided to stay at this campsite one more day. โบ I just don’t feel like taking down camp with a week’s worth of gear and a tent to put away that is still a bit damp. Going to be a nice day tomorrow, so I definitely want to go hiking and park the truck somewhere to fully charge the accessory batteries. I might go to Titusville as I didn’t visit the museum last time I was there in 2012 or might just go for a walk along the reservoir, parking down at the swimming beach and maybe hiking up Rim Rock. ๐ถ
Wednesday who knows. ๐ญ West Virginia is still a possibility. The US 219 isn’t that far away and if I get up well before dawn and leave by eight I can probably do both Mount Davis State Park and Hoye Crest in Maryland before setting up camping in Cannan Heights. It looks as of the last time I checked the burn ban is still on but I don’t have to have a campfire. I always have the lights and the heater. And good music to listen to. I would probably stay until Sunday there and then come back through Pennsylvania and stay at the County Bridge Campground on Sunday into Columbus Day. Going to be mild and sunny the rest of the week.
Alternatively, I could drive up through Allegany State Park and camp, hike and hunt squirrel in Cattaraugus County or fish and hike in the Zoar Valley. ๐ I’ve always wanted to check out the Eternal Flame Falls in Orchard Park – I read about it a lot now that I work with several Buffalo clients thee days. โฒ Maybe the leaves are better up north in New York? ๐
I could also move to somewhere farther south in the National Forest, check out Nebraska Bridge and that wildlife refuge down that way. Saturday or Sunday visit the Elk center and do the Elk Scenic Drive๐ฏ along with visiting Hyner View Park which might have good color by then. I would also overnight at the County Bridge campground. Or honestly, I could stay at the same site all week. At any rate, wherever I camp that final night, I don’t want to be more than four driving ๐ hours away from Albany so I can get back relatively early and have time to stop for lunch, visit some parks, take back roads and get back early enough to unpack.๐ผ It was too long of a drive for my sanity all the way out to Allegheny National Forest on the way it here.๐ฒ๐ฒ
The damn camp lantern I bought mantles for remains real smokey with yellow flames and tons of soot ๐ฎ. Not sure what the issue is. I was thinking that that the generator tube is clogged with dirt but the filter on it seems fine as does the gas pressure. I checked that I installed the proper mantles. Yeap. Everything seems fine but the inside of the lantern is filled with oily soot, the glass keeps on getting sooty and the top is dripping with soot. Fortunately I have plenty of electricity power off the truck, the lantern is just a backup in case of undervoltage and for extra light. Wouldn’t want to have it alone.
In four weeks on November 4 the sun will be setting at 5:07 pm (Standard Time),๐ which is one hour, 41 minutes and 7 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2018 on that day, we had partly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 51 and 36 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 53 and 34 degrees. The record high of 76 degrees was set back in 1994.
I do really like that green Don’t Tread On Me – Live Free or Die shirt ๐ I bought online. I would want to get caught dead wearing it in Albany but it’s fun here in the wilderness. I’m no fan of Donald Trump – he’s a racist moron with generally bad ideas ๐บbut I do think government should be downsized and stay out of people’s business. That’s why I’m eventually thinking of moving to a state like Missouri when I own my off grid property with solar on the roof, composting for the toilet and a burn pit out back for the trash. An an AR-15 because they sound like a lot of fun to shoot.
Looking ahead, Average High is 55 ๐ is in 3 weeks, Veterans Day ๐บ๐ธ is in 5 weeks, Cyber Monday ๐๏ธ is in 8 weeks, First Sunday of Advent โ๏ธ is in 8 weeks, Earliest Sunset of the Year โ๏ธ is in 9 weeks and Festivus ๐ is in 11 weeks.
Off White Rocks
July 27, 2019 Morning
Good morning! Happy Saturday from the Pennsylvania Wilds! Statistically today, the hottest time of the summer is over, although we can still have some real hot days. Next Saturday is Campfire Day ๐ฅ. I’m thinking about next week going to the Potholers and Piesco Powley Road as summer is rapidly disappearing and it will be August by then ๐ญ. Sunny and 60 degrees at the Allegheny National Forest. ๐ Calm wind. The dew point is 57 degrees. No fog up here but maybe in the valley ๐.
I see this morning that I forgot to buy more coffee yesterday. Too bad. โ I had enough grounds today, I just perculated them extra long for the desired strength. It’s fine, tomorrow I’ll get a cup at McDonald’s in Wellsboro or so without. It’s a pleasant morning, in a little bit I’ll start taking down camp.
I’m laying in my hammock working on this blog post. ๐ Bugs are already biting and the sun is in my eyes. ๐ I think the next step is to download pictures and video ๐น from my dash cam for storage. Then take down camp.
I’ve been thinking I really need to get a good camp shovel as the trowel is not cutting it for digging poop holes ๐ฉ, especially now that I’m burying organics like corn cobs ๐ฝ and similar waste rather than try to burn it. Plus it would have been nice to “fix” that big mud wallow where I was camping back in the Finger Lakes.
Today will have a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, sunny โ, with a high of 80 degrees at 3pm. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around August 18th. Maximum dew point of 60 at 6pm. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became rain by afternoon. It was very sticky. The high last year was 86 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1955.
Today sounds like a nice day for my final full day of summer vacation. โ There is a lot I want to see and do before the day is done – so I should get moving – Jake’s Rocks, Alleghany Reservoir, Rim Rock, Port Allegany Glass Park, and explore Pine Creek Gorge. I forgot to bring a Tioga State Forest map but I think I can get it on my phone. ๐ฑ Its always fun to see the changing landscape as you drive through the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania.
The sun will set at 8:38 pm with dusk around 9:10 pm, which is one minute earlier than yesterday. ๐ At sunset, look for mostly clear skies ๐ and temperatures around 73 degrees. The dew point will be 61 degrees. There will be a southwest breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 33 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 58 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be partly cloudy ๐ค, with a low of 60 degrees at 6am. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around August 14th. Maximum dew point of 61 at 8pm. Southwest wind around 6 mph. In 2018, we had partly cloudy skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was sticky. It got down to 67 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1971.
As previously noted, next Saturday is Campfire Day ๐ฅ when the sun will be setting at 8:30 pm with dusk at 9:01 pm. On that day in 2018, we had rain and temperatures between 80 and 72 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 82 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1975.
March 27, 2019 Morning
Good morning! What day is it?Final Hump Day of March, of course. Five weeks to May ๐. At least there is a few weeks in early May when there is no black flies. Sunny and 25 degrees in Delmar, NY. ๐ Calm wind.Things will start to thaw out at around 10 am. ๐ก๏ธ
Another cold but at least sunny morning. โ At least I think we are most likely done with snow for the year in the Albany area. I heard the heat click on for a while then shut off. I think tomorrow I’ll turn it off hopefully until late October or early November. It’s good that it’s going to warm up to the fifties by afternoon. ๐ทBig Red accessory battery should be floating in a few hours. ๐
Was a bit stiff and sore this morning but that’s part of growing old. ๐ด I did get a fairly early start despite being relatively cold in my bedroom because the heat is turned down. Listening again to John Denver๐ถ as the bus gently rocks on its journey downtown. ๐Should be a nice days with lots of sun streaming into the office, good for taking a break and studying the mountains.
Today will be sunny ๐, with a high of 50 degrees at 4pm. One degree above normal, which is similiar to a typical day around March 28th. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had cloudy in the morning, which became mostly sunny by afternoon. The high last year was 48 degrees. The record high of 78 was set in 1998. 6.7 inches of snow fell back in 1959.โ
The sun will set at 7:16 pm with dusk around 7:44 pm, which is one minute and 9 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ At sunset, look for clear skies ๐ and temperatures around 42 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 12 hours and 30 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 54 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be mostly clear ๐, with a low of 30 degrees at 4am. Typical for tonight. South wind around 7 mph. In 2018, we had partly cloudy in the evening, which became mostly sunny by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 36 degrees. The record low of 3 occurred back in 1923.
Tomorrow will be mostly sunny ๐, with a high of 60 degrees at 3pm. 10 degrees above normal, which is similiar to a typical day around April 18th. That’s going to be super nice. South wind 9 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. A year ago, we had cloudy in the morning, which became mostly sunny by afternoon. The high last year was 49 degrees. The record high of 85 was set in 1945. 14.2 inches of snow fell back in 1932.โ
Tuesday came and went. It was a good day, maybe fairly busy at work but it made the time go by quickly.๐ผ Took the 6:45 bus home, a virtually brand new bus, and then rode the exercise bike ๐ฒ for a half hour or so then went out for my evening walk. Hot dogs and baked beans for dinner with some frozen pineapple ๐ and banana ๐ slices for dessert. I’m not that much into health food but I’m on a budget and frozen fruit is often more tasty and affordable than junk food. It’s less packaging too.
Evening walk ๐ถ was pleasant with lots of stars. ๐ Chilly though. Looking forward to nicer weather when I can sit out back again. I think after tomorrow night the heat will be done for the year although I don’t see any balmy nights in the near future on tap but the hard freezing weather is nearly done for the year. I’d love ๐ nights when I can leave the windows open but not so hot I run the fan all night. The big box fan I have is remarkably energy hungry, using upwards of 60 watts each hour it’s run on high. I know fossil energy โก is cheap but that seems awful wasteful. Sitting out back on a summers night listening to the spring peepers is really nice I must say. ๐ธ Still too cold for that yet. For a while we had a Great Horned Owl in the neighborhood ๐ญ who really gave a hoot.
Yesterday in the evening I went up to the old observation deck on the 31st floor of the Alfred E Smith Building ๐ข which is primarily used as a state conference room nowadays with the doors to the deck are closed off most of the year. Interesting to see up there, it’s too bad it’s closed to the general public nowadays. Neat to see it.๐ท The anti jumping fence around the deck does kind of block the view though.
Finally set up my account with the state tax department to pay taxes quarterly to ensure I don’t risk an underpayment fine in 2020.๐ข I keep cutting it closer each year and I really don’t want to pay a fine next year. Unfortunately there is no way to make automatic payments on and ongoing basis with the state tax department, although you can schedule four quarters of tax payments or out a full year on the website.๐ธ I’m going to just do enough so I have a margin of safety but hopefully only owe a small amount to the state next year. I mean I wouldn’t want the governor or the gestapo that he operates to profit on my interest.
Bought more milk at Stewart’s. ๐ฎMissplaced my milk card ๐ณ then found it later on. I have so many milk cards to redeem at some point in the future. I’m drinking less milk now though after discovering the wonders of cider vinegar and water though. ๐ Saves money.
Each day I briefly log onto Facebook to see what my clients and some of my friends are up to but I find it’s hard to leave it on for more than a few minutes. ๐ป I try to be very strategic with my use of social media – especially Facebook – updating the Save the Pine Bush page and my personal page, checking a few other things before shutting it down. It just brings much more joy to my life not getting swamped down by all of it. I think I would like Facebook better if it just was pictures of cattle, turkeys and deer.
Not a particularly nice weekend on tap. ๐ Saturday, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 50 at 1pm. Sunday, showers likely, mainly before 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Typical average high for the weekend is 51 degrees.
Again I have no idea what the weekend will look like for me ๐ฒbut I have no real plans. My best guess is that I will be working Sunday. Maybe Saturday I can do the Save the Pine Bush Hike but I’m not holding my breath on that. The weekend will certainly be fairly mild. I guess March is leaving like a mud crusted lamb that smells like manure and wet wool.
The following week I’ll probably stay in town, take my bottles and cans to the recycling center โป. Like usually happens this time of year, I’m running out of room in the outside trash cans so I’m starting to stack the bottles and cans in my truck. Then maybe start packing my truck for camping. โบStill thinking ๐ญ about heading out a few days before Good Friday. โ Probably still head out to the East Branch of the Sacandaga River and then maybe drive up through the Adirondacks to the North Country.
I do like my neighbors big jacked up truck. It makes mine look so small. ๐ I just hate how all the kids in the neighborhood have nicer toys than me. So be it. Big Red is quite sweet on his own behalf and he’s paid for and seems to run better than my neighbors big diesel. But ultimately I think I primarily care more about eventually owning land and having fires to burn things whenever I want. ๐ฅ
In four weeks on April 24 the sun will be setting at 7:47 pm,๐ which is 31 minutes and 53 seconds later then today. In 2018 on that day, we had partly sunny skies with rain showers and temperatures between 70 and 45 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 62 and 40 degrees. The record high of 81 degrees was set back in 2001.
I do look forward to the weekends up in the wilderness, getting away from all of it for a few days. ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณThen spending time down in the swimming ๐ holes, kayaking and hiking in woods. The fires ๐ฅ, the cold beer ๐ป, the music ๐ถ and the lights. ๐
99 days until Independence Day this year. I know because it was hundred days when I wrote this blog post last night. ๐ It’s a Thursday this year and I assume they’ll give us off that Friday. ๐I’m thinking about a long weekend that weekend at the Moose River Plains although I might change my mind. Maybe drive up to Speculator Tree Farm on Wednesday night then to the Plains first thing on Independence Day. ๐I could change my mind, and certainly Memorial Day Weekend is long before then.
Looking ahead, Arbor Day ๐ณ is a month away, May ๐ is in 5 weeks, Memorial Day ๐บ๐ธ is in 2 months, 8:30 PM Sunset ๏ธโฑ๏ธ is in 10 weeks, Primary Day ๐ณ๏ธ is in 13 weeks, Altamont Fair Opens ๐ก is in 20 weeks, State Fair Opens ๐ก is in 21 weeks, September 11th ๐ธ is in 24 weeks, More Night then Day ๐ is in 26 weeks and Inauguration Day 2021 ๐ด๐ป is in 95 weeks.