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Paw Paw and Heading North 🐾

Good morning! Happy Saturday. Today I Head North! Cloudy ⛅ and 67 degrees in Canaan Heights, WV. Super mild! There is a south-southeast breeze at 13 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. 🌬️ That wind is roaring around, unstable weather coming. But I’m heading off the Appalachian Front shortly.

Up at six o’clock taking camp down. 🕔 Still quite dark out. To get a jump start on the day and limit pee breaks, 🚽 I hard boiled eggs 🥚 last night and will have two eggs for protein with a banana 🍌 for sugar and some peppers maybe later on. ☕ If I decide I really need coffee I can get some in Keyser this morning. Took the tent down last night ⛺ and packed and organized as much as I could last night, including writing much of this blog post last night. 📝

Today will likely rain ☔ , mainly after 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67 at six AM. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 55 degrees. The record high of 78 was set in 1971. 2.0 inches of snow fell back in 1952.❄

Today it’s off to Paw Paw Tunnel and ultimately Maryland then onward Pennsylvania. 🚲 The tunnel, part of the C – I Canal National Park Trailway looks neat, it’s a canal through a mountain. Sunday’s forecast looks very wet, so I don’t know if I’ll bother to go to Asaph Run in hoping to bike the Pine Creek Rail Trail after a quick overnight camp. ⛺

It’s possible that I’ll decide to either do my overnight at County Bridge Campground or maybe if time allows, Long Pond State Forest in New York State. 🛣️ The later is free 🆓 and probably more on the route home, plus come Sunday it’s less than 2 hours home from there. If I do the later, I would probably take Interstate 80 from I 99 to I 81.

Or I could possibly overnight at the Paw Paw Campground, I’m just worried about of the drive in one day. 🚘 We’ll over six hours driving Interstate 81 which goes through several big cities like Harrisburg and Scranton versus the relatively quiet I-99. Really don’t want to drive more than four hours a day, with one hour play time and four hours to hike, bicycle or visit parks. 🏞

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:40 pm with sun having an altitude of 34.3° from the due south horizon (-36.5° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 8.8 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 5:16 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (246°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (253°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:55 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 2 seconds with dusk around 6:23 pm, which is one minute and 24 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Full 🌝 Moon in the east-northeast (75°) at an altitude of 6° from the horizon, 232,615 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:58 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 63 degrees. The dew point will be 51 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 13 mph. Tomorrow will have 10 hours and 30 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 37 seconds over today.

Yesterday, I hiked 15 miles in Dolly Sods. 🚶 Not a bad day but most of the day was grayer then I would have hoped. 🌥 Lot of haze too. Hiked in from the Canaan Valley Wildlife Refuge and along much of the ridge overlooking the wildlife refuge. It was good, I visited some of the more remote places in the wilderness, though still a lot of people exploring there. Sort of hoped to make it across to the top of the Allegheny Front and maybe Bears Rocks 🐻 but time was tight with the early sunset 🌇, no overnight parking 🅿 signs where I was parked and simply the trail I planned to cross the Red Creek with – Dobbins Grade is low water crossng not the case this week. 🐸 Plus the beaver dam. In the evening around sunset walked the new boardwalk in the wildlife refuge off Freeman Drive. Headed back to camp, had a nice dinner and some beer 🍻, took down the tent and organized my gear.

I haven’t posted many pictures 📸 to either Facebook or the blog due to connection issues here but also because I’m trying to maximize my remaining time here in West Virginia. Time is precious. ⌛ I figure all next week I can go through my photos and start sharing them, bringing back memories of what was on my trip.

Tonight will have mostly cloudy ☁, with a low of 41 degrees at 6am. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around October 11th. Northwest wind 8 to 13 mph. In 2022, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 29 degrees. The record low of 19 occurred back in 1969.

Sunday will rain starting around dawn. 🌧️High near 45. Northeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

I’m expecting a wet ending to my vacation both Saturday night and definitely Sunday for the last leg of the trip home. 🏡 It’s fine, it rained ☔ on the way down here too at least through New York. The colors probably are pretty much gone for the return trip home I would assume. Then it looks to be cold next week once I’m home. Hoping to ride to work a few more times both ways before the time change but I’m not holding out my breath for too many days next week. 🚲 Might even need to turn the heat back on in my apartment. In contrast, it’s been so warm in West Virginia that I only used the propane heater on Sunday evening and Monday morning ♨️, the rest of the week it’s been shut off and locked 🔒 up.

In 1956, Elvis Presley receives a polio vaccination on national TV. 💉This single event is credited with raising immunization levels in the United States from 0.6% to over 80% in just six months.

Then next Saturday is Daylight Savings Time Ends 🛥️ when the sun will be setting at 5:46 pm with dusk at 6:14 pm. On that day in 2022, we had sunny, warm and temperatures between 71 and 46 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 54 degrees. We hit a record high of 76 back in 1994.

Already thinking next week about potentially a four day trip out to Madison County. 🐮 Probably Stoney Pond and peddle around Cazenovia and the Cazenovia – Chittenango Rail Trail and possibly some of the single track mountain bike trails at Alfred Woodford and Tassel Hill. 🚲 Maybe take off the Monday before Election Day for a four day weekend as far away from politics as possible. Or the following Friday is Armstice Day aka Veterans Day Observed, so if I took off either Thursday or the following Monday, it’s another four day weekend. I want to get away one more time before rifle season 🦌.

I might have fifteenth weeks of trips planned between now and November with maybe three weekends I can get away ⛺

That’s kind of just the nature of the beast got to pick and choose which adventures to take, noting that some trips in November wouldn’t be a bad thing – such as a Stoney Pond State Forest and Madison County trip before rifle season and the snow.

Good morning! Rain and 59 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☔ Calm wind. The dew point is 57 degrees. A half inch of rain is expected before it ends tomorrow around 6 am.

Another dark morning 🧑‍🍳 baking bread 🍞 and making up rice, lentils and black beans 🍲 for the upcoming week. Mom has butternut squash for dinner with chicken and now I’m thinking I got to get some of that from the farmers market or grocery store as it’s so good. The weekend is over but I’m dreaming of future trips. But maybe not next weekend, as it looks kind of rainy. Too bad it couldn’t rain on the weekdays next weekend like it is raining this Monday.

Back to work on the earlier local bus 🚍 as it’s rainy day ☔ and I’m going to walk laps in the Plaza before climbing the stairs and getting down to work. Still working downtown for the time being , to wet to ride to work. The rest of the week though looks good for riding to and from work though depending on the final weekend forecast I might take off Friday and maybe Monday to head out of town but where is to be decided. So many dreams of future trips, as soon as I got back from Rensselarville State Forest.

Today will have showers likely, mainly before 3pm. Cloudy 🌦, with a high of 64 degrees at 1pm. 10 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around October 9th. Maximum dew point of 62 at 3pm. Calm wind becoming north around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. It became sticky as the day progressed. The high last year was 80 degrees. The record high of 91 was set in 1891.

Midday I will have to walk up to Market 32 🛒 to get contact solution as I’m out. And maybe a few other things for my pantry though I’m pretty much set. Hopefully it won’t be raining too hard midday. Worse comes to worse I can bike 🚲 over to Hannaford after work or I guess drive. But I’d rather avoid that if possible.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:51 pm with sun having an altitude of 49.3° from the due south horizon (-21.5° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 5.2 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 6:25 pm with the sun in the west (267°). 📸 The sunset is in the west (274°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:02 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 54 seconds with dusk around 7:28 pm, which is one minute and 47 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent 🌒 Moon in the west-southwest (237°) at an altitude of 10° from the horizon, 242,172 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:04 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and temperatures around 62 degrees. The dew point will be 59 degrees. There will be a north-northwest breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 12 hours and 25 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 51 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a chance of showers, mainly before 2am. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 56 degrees at 5am. Five degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 8th. Maximum dew point of 60 at 6pm. Northwest wind 6 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. In 2022, we had light rain in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It was sticky. It got down to 63 degrees. The record low of 32 occurred back in 1959.

Waiting and watching the weekend forecast. 😕 I don’t think this early in the week it’s set in stone. Saturday, partly sunny, with a high near 72. Maximum dew point of 56 at 11am. Sunday, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 60 at 11am. Typical average high for the weekend is 72 degrees.

Looking ahead, there are 8 weeks until Average Night is Below Freezing 🌌 when the sun will be setting at 4:36 pm with dusk at 5:05 pm (Standard Time). On that day in 2022, we had partly cloudy and temperatures between 49 and 36 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 50 degrees. We hit a record high of 69 back in 1964. I’ll have to once again fix the air leaks around my door 🚪 and get out the little space heater and electric blanket. But hopefully not for a while.

A quick pot of oatmeal, a shower and finishing up packing and I’m off. ⛺

Samdil Farm, Walmart, Roger’s Orchard, set up camp, swim and ride is the plan for today. Got to maximize it as tomorrow still looks fairly wet.

Good morning! Happy Thursday. Mostly cloudy and 67 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁ There is a south breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 65 degrees. The skies will clear around 1 pm.

Quick breakfast 🥣 of overnight oatmeal which doesn’t require any cooking and blueberries with yogurt and cold coffee ☕. Finish packing up now and get on the road early. Looking forward to some good sweet corn 🌽 and peaches 🍑 up at camp and floating on the tube ⭕. Looking forward to getting away from it for a while before a five day work week where I’ll be filling in for the role of the unit director in my office 🏢.

Today will have a slight chance of showers between 1pm and 2pm, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 80 degrees at 4pm. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around August 28th. Maximum dew point of 69 at 11am. South wind 6 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became thunderstorm by afternoon. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 78 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1913.

I decided against bringing the kayak 🛶 as between swimming 🏊, hiking 🚶 and riding Blackie 🚵 I’ll have plenty to do. I don’t really feel that much like paddling in the Mohawk River and I’ve done the East Canada Creek a million times in the kayak. I’d rather just set up at House Pond Campsite ⛺ and float in the tube ⭕ from there.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:00 pm with sun having an altitude of 60.9° from the due south horizon (-10° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:18 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (283°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (289°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:56 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 4 seconds with dusk around 8:24 pm, which is one minute and 30 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent 🌒 Moon in the west (280°) at an altitude of 4° from the horizon, 251,522 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:03 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 76 degrees. The dew point will be 67 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 53 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 35 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8pm, then a slight chance of showers between 8pm and 11pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 66 degrees at 6am. Five degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 68 at 6pm. South wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. In 2022, we had light rain in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 61 degrees. The record low of 40 occurred back in 1981.

Tomorrow showers and thunderstorms likely before 2pm, then a chance of showers. ☔ Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. Southeast wind 7 to 14 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.

Not gonna to be a real nice day 📙 but I have several books to read and I’ll have the heater in case I get chilled through. Do some cooking and handing out at camp. 🍳 Probably can still do some hikes or riding Blackie 🚵 along Piseco-Powley as it doesn’t look to be a complete soaker of a day.

On this day in 1977, the Soviet icebreaker Arktika becomes the first surface ship to reach the North Pole. 💈And in 1982, the first Compact Discs (CDs) are released to the public in Germany. 💿 Seems like such an obsolete technology now with streaming.

Right now, a split verdict on the weekend. 😕 Saturday, a slight chance of showers before 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 70. West wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Maximum dew point of 57 at 12pm. Sunday, sunny, with a high near 83. Maximum dew point of 63 at 7pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 82 degrees.

The weekend looks much better ☀ but Saturday might be too cold for swimming 🏊 but excellent weather for riding Piseco-Powley or may be Old Edick Road with Blackie 🚵. Could be muddy though on Old Edick. But also I just like laying in the hammock watching the clouds 🌥 float on by.

One month 📅 from now will be Constitution Day 📜 when the sun will be setting at 7:03 pm with dusk at 7:30 pm. The average high temperature is 34 degrees, with a record high of 61 in 1895.

Second half of August 🎪

So it would seem as time marches on so quickly. Altamont Fair is underway. Tomorrow it’s off to the Adirondacks and it should be a nice day and hopefully Friday won’t be too cold and wet. Got some books to read on Friday, I’ll toss in the heater in case I want to warm my hands.

Good morning! What day is it? A a happy Pseudo Friday for Me Day, of course. Rain and 65 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☔ There is a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 63 degrees. The skies will clear around 3 pm.

Out walking 🚶 this morning, red kidney beans cooking down on the stove 🍲 to enjoy with maple syrup up at camp this weekend. Thinking cold black coffee ☕ this morning, cream of wheat with chia seeds, yogurt, lemon 🍋 maybe a touch of stevia and some cherries 🍒 to get the day started. And maybe some of the red beans with maple syrup for protein. Save the rest for camp. 🏕

Today will have patchy drizzle with a chance of showers before 10am, then a chance of showers between 10am and 2pm. Mostly cloudy 🌦, with a high of 79 degrees at 4pm. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 1st. Maximum dew point of 69 at 2pm. South wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 87 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1936.

I’m on the fence about taking Blackie 🚵 to work today. I don’t think it’s going to rain but there is always the chance. On the other hand, I kind of like taking my bike to work, doesn’t add much time but it’s free exercise especially the ride back home 🏡 and saves on the bus 🚍 fare. Food Festival is today, so I’ll have to take Howard rather than ride across the Plaza at the end of the day and they’re a risk of thunderstorm ⛈. Time wise it doesn’t make much difference, but I also don’t want to be too tired when I get packed tonight. Plan is to leave by around 8 AM or so tomorrow, though not too early as I’m not sure when Samdill Farm Stand opens, though I want to hit that on the way up. 🌽 🥦

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:01 pm with sun having an altitude of 61.2° from the due south horizon (-9.6° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:19 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (283°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (290°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:58 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 4 seconds with dusk around 8:26 pm, which is one minute and 29 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent 🌒 Moon in the west-northwest (291°) at an altitude of 1° from the horizon, 252,188 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:05 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 77 degrees. The dew point will be 67 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 55 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 33 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have patchy fog after 5am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy 🌆, with a low of 64 degrees at 5am. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 68 at 6pm. Light south wind. In 2022, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It became somewhat humid as the night progressed. It got down to 62 degrees. The record low of 40 occurred back in 1979.

Tomorrow looks beautiful with only a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4pm, as it’s summer. ☀️ Partly sunny, with a high near 81. South wind 5 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Then Thursday night it turns wetter with showers and thunderstorms likely. Hopefully late enough, it won’t impact my evening. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. Southeast wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Plan is to leave early 🌅 hopefully around 8 AM or 9 AM, then head north with the first stop to top off my tank in Rotterdam, then Sandil’s Farm in Tribes Hill for veggies 🥦 🌽 then to Walmart in Johnstown for a few groceries and supplies 🛒, then maybe Rogers Orchards 🍎 for fresh apples, then up hopefully to the House Pond Campsite. By noontime, I want to get camp set up 🏕 , inflate the tube, and get floating in the East Branch, as it might be the warmest day. Then in the evening, ride up to Potholers and cool off in the Potholers. 📻 I’ve downloaded several podcasts and Youtube videos to listen to while up at camp.

Come Friday, it’s a bit of a wet start. 🌧 Showers and thunderstorms likely before 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 2pm and 5pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 78. Southwest wind 6 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Maybe not a washout. Then Friday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 55. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible.

I got from “Salt, fat, acid, heat : mastering the elements of good cooking” by Samin Nosrat from the library 📚 and plan on reading it on Friday morning. ♨ I think I will pack the heater, so I can warm up next to it in case it’s cold. Also going to pack the screen tent, 🎪 as it’s been such a wet summer and I’m thinking it could be buggy. 🐜 By evening it shouldn’t be too bad, might go for a nice ride on Blackie 🚲 along Piseco-Powley Road with the headlight as I get back late, as sunset is around 8 PM. Maybe too cold to swim, but who knows. 🌆

A picture perfect weekend after we get past Friday on tap. 😎 Cool but sunny. Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 74. Maximum dew point of 56 at 1pm. Sunday, sunny, with a high near 84. Maximum dew point of 64 at 7pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 82 degrees. I am thinking I want to ride most of Piseco-Powley Road and hike back to Goldmine Stream Falls or maybe Sand Like on Saturday. Sunday, maybe the Potholers and then end the day in Little Falls, exploring Moss Island and the Herkimer Home, and riding the Erie Canal Trail. I am not planning to get home until dusk, so I will have the full afternoon and evening. I am undecided if I’ll bring the kayak, I’m actually leaning against it at this point. 🛶 Paddling the Mohawk River might be fun but I can see more on Blackie on the bike trail.

Today in 1916, the Migratory Bird Treaty between Canada and the United States signed. 🐦 It was designed to save Migratory Birds by giving them international protection for the first time by placing limits on hunting and other means of taking. It became a center part of protecting the flock of birds, requiring duck stamps among other things.

In 1989, a solar flare from the Sun creates a geomagnetic storm that affects micro chips, 😎 leading to a halt of all trading on Toronto’s stock market. Sometimes the sun isn’t so nice, not that we’ve had much of it recently but hopefully tomorrow and most of the weekend, bar maybe a few hours of showers on Friday morning. We are though overdue for a big solar storm, and that could be very disruptive to every day life across the world, as the power grid gets shutdown and radio networks go dead during the storm.

Also, in 1993, Debian Linux is announced, 🐧 it would become the basis of many forms of Linux like Ubuntu Linux, which is currently what I run on my home computer. 👨‍💻 I’m not sure I love the direction Ubuntu has been going lately with the snaps, but I do like the XFCE window manager and I don’t know if I want to change over to a totally new distro, having to reinstall everything. Maybe eventually when I get a new laptop when my current one wears out — it’s now going on 7 years old, and while I don’t care it’s getting old but I do worry physical components wear out after a while. That said, I don’t carry it around as much now as I use my phone for most things.

And in 1966, the House Un-American Activities Committee begins investigations of Americans who have aided the Viet Cong. 🏵 The committee stated to intended to introduce legislation making these activities illegal. Anti-war demonstrators disrupt the meeting and 50 people are arrested. A long time ago now — but it reminds me a bit of the War in Iraq when I was young with Bush as President.

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Average High Falls To 79 ️Degrees ⛱️️️ when the sun will be setting at 7:35 pm with dusk at 8:03 pm. On that day in 2022, we had rain and temperatures between 90 and 66 degrees. We hit a record high of 98 back in 1953. The 1953 heat wave!

I have to say this has been the best vacation in my life ⛺ 🚵 🍦 🏊 🛶

The weather has been absolutely fantastic, my days packed with adventures and cold ice cream and swimming holes. I’ve ridden like 250 miles through farm and forest land. Many nights with campfires, watermelon cold beer and fresh squeezed lemonade. Dinners with Vadellia onions and peppers, lemon pepper chicken and salmon, beer boiled clams with sweet corn, zucchini and tons of fresh fruit with Greek yogurt. Many amazing sunrises and sunsets. Just not nearly enough hours in the day.

Good morning! Happy Sunday. I do know what this means, after 10 days all good things must come to an end. 😔 Don’t look so sad, life goes on this world keeps turning. Summer 2024 is but a few winks 😉 of the eye away, as is a long weekend trip up to the Potholers maybe next weekend or in two weeks. Then maybe an extended Labor Day Weekend at Spectulator Tree Farm to close out the summer. Except for the hammock, flags, bucket shitter and the kayak on the roof of the truck my home for nine short nights has been taken down. 🛶

Stunningly beautiful morning like so many this past week. Mostly sunny and 68 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. ☀ There is a southeast breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 57 degrees. I heard the seven o’clock chime 🎐 on my phone and it was followed by the eight, nine and ten o’clock chimes on my phone about five minutes later as I took down camp, carefully packing things for the return trip to Albany.

This morning was a delightful breakfast 🥣 of cream of wheat, freshly squeezed lemon, a bit of stevia to make it sweet plus chia seeds 🌱 for fiber and the remaining Greek yogurt I had so it wouldn’t go bad without ice. I also had the last hard boiled egg 🥚 a little while after for additional protein and as I wasn’t sure if it would survive to mid day without any more ice in the cooler. Plus two cups of cold black coffee ☕ not that I really needed it as I made sure to get my eight hours of sleep yesterday for the long drive home.

Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 79 degrees at 4pm. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 1st. Maximum dew point of 62 at 5pm. East wind around 7 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. It was very sticky. The high last year was 93 degrees. The record high of 98 was set in 1900.

I told myself that I should leave Ithaca by 4 pm to ensure my arrival home by 7 pm, 🏡 well before dark and so I have time to unpack and run to the laundromat and grocery store before bed 🛏 at 9 pm. I’d like to get back into the habit of rising at 6 am for the morning walk 🚶 and to bed nightly at nine, as I find that’s the most natural sleep pattern for me. Of course if I ride my bike 🚲 to work I can get a later start as I won’t need to do a morning walk before catching the express downtown. 🚍 Do plan to resume doing the stairs to the 18th floor twice a day at work 🏢 at least when I’m working downtown for that extra push of intensive cardio each day. Truth be told, I really should plan on leaving Ithaca at 3 pm knowing I’ll inevitably be running late, 🏃 stopping at farm stands 🌽 and pee breaks 🚻, parks and scenic vistas. 📸

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:14 pm with sun having an altitude of 64.2° from the due south horizon (-6.5° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.9 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:43 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (287°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (294°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:23 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 9 seconds with dusk around 8:52 pm, which is one minute and 16 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:33 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 73 degrees. The dew point will be 63 degrees. There will be a east-southeast breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 20 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 20 seconds over yesterday.

Thinking 💭 today I’ll go to Buttermilk Falls State Park 🏞 and hike the gorge and swim. 🏊‍♂️ I don’t love the idea of parking 🅿 in that tight little parking lot so I might find a city park to park at or on street, and ride some of the Ithaca bike 🚲 trails to get there, bypassing delays at the toll booth to boot not that it matters as I have an Empire Passport 🛂.

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 1am and 5am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5am. Increasing clouds 🌧, with a low of 66 degrees at 6am. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 66 at 5am. South wind 6 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was very sticky. It got down to 76 degrees. The record low of 46 occurred back in 1994.

Yesterday I mountain biked 🚵 riding both gravel and trails at Sugar Hill State Forest. Posted many pictures to Facebook some on the blog. About a fifteen mile loop. Swam at Watkins Glen pool 🏊‍♂️ but didn’t ultimately go floating on my tube ⭕ on Seneca Lake as it was too cool and the lake choppy 🌊 by afternoon. Rode another ten miles down Rock Cabin Road, 🚲 along old Airport Road at Catharine Valley WMA, then down to Montour Falls. Rode over to Glen Dairy Bar 🍧 via the Catharine Valley Trail and the Watkins Glen High School 🚸 and had a great hot apple pie 🥧 sundae with vanilla soft ice cream. Rode over to the Watkins Glen Pier and watched the sun set ⛵ and then through Clute Park 🏞 back to my truck and back to camp by nine. Dinner was sweet corn 🌽, peppers and peaches 🍑 that I got at the Burdett Exchange 💱 along with a hard boiled egg 🥚. Night rode over to Foster Pond, sat and looked at the stars ✨ for a while but didn’t see any shooting stars but I didn’t stay that long as it was chilly and I wanted to get back to camp ⛺ as it was after 10:30 PM for a small campfire to warm up 🔥 before lights out.

Looking ahead, there are 5 weeks until 6:30 Sunrise 🌇 when the sun will be setting at 7:27 pm with dusk at 7:54 pm. On that day in 2022, we had mostly sunny, patches of fog and temperatures between 83 and 56 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 77 degrees. We hit a record high of 96 back in 1931.

The rain let up for the morning walk ☔

I really didn’t think I would get out walking today outside but it turned out to just be a drizzle if that. Not sure if it will be this light all day but probably because when they warn of heavy rain it always gets scared off and leaves two drops of rain.

Good morning! Monday’s come back around again. Rain drops 💧 and cloudy and 67 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁ Calm wind. The dew point is 66 degrees. The rain will stop tonight and skies will clear tomorrow around 5 am. Might be a good day to take delivery of Blackie, the name I gave my new mountain bike if it’s ready.

This morning out walking 🚶. I’m happy about that. The black coffee ☕ – already had a half cup and breakfast will be original cream of wheat with frozen blueberries and a good glop of plain non fat Greek yogurt mixed in for protein and taste. 🥣 At first I struggled to adopt the Greek yogurt craze 🤪, as it’s rather tart and when I started eating healthy I zeroed in on the calories and saturated fats in dairy but I came around getting to like the somewhat bitter taste, noting the excellent ratio of protein to calories and how it’s a way to support dairy 🐮 without as much of the unhealthy crap as cheese 🧀 and ice cream 🍦.

Today will rain and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. 🌧 High of 75 degrees at 5pm. Eight degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around June 4th. Maximum dew point of 69 at 10am. 🏖️ Light north wind becoming northwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 81 degrees. The record high of 100 was set in 1936.

I am hoping it stays dry enough to walk this evening 👣 but realistically I see the forecast. I will do the best I can do at lunch time, walking in the Concourse or maybe in the walkway. But it might be a good evening to continue reading either the Boggleheads Guide to Investing or Beginner’s Guide to D3.js. I am trying to learn more about D3.js. 📚 I took a FreeCodeCamp class on D3.js last fall but I’ve never used it but it’s a powerful tool for creating visualizations in Javascript. I also need to retire the debt on my credit card today, 💳 as I need more room under my credit limit so I can actually purchase the bike this week. 🚵‍♀️ Also want to get my FreeCreditReport and make sure all my credit accounts are still locked and clear, like they should be — and super boring.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:01 pm with sun having an altitude of 69.6° from the due south horizon (-1.2° vs. 6/21). The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:53 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (295°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (302°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:35 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 24 seconds with dusk around 9:08 pm, which is 27 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:53 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 71 degrees. The dew point will be 65 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 10 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 11 seconds over yesterday.

Last night I got reading 📖 the Boggleheads Guide to Investing. Truth be told not much I didn’t already know but it’s good to expand your knowledge. I’ve done a lot of things right though I fully admit in some cases I leave money 💵 on the table. Automatic investing with low cost index funds remains key to sustainable wealth growth. I probably could live without my big jacked up truck 🛻 or my new mountain bike 🚵 or my guns I don’t use enough 🔫 but I also don’t take flamboyant vacations in fancy hotels, I don’t have internet, cable or air conditioning at my run down apartment in the city and I use public transport to get work. I’m really putting away a good chunk of money for retirement – federal maximums for my Roth IRA, Deferred Comp and plus I got my pension and also buy $415 weekly of a variety of index and bond funds. The hell of it is my credit score is complete crap, below 800, because I have never borrowed money outside of my credit card — no student or auto loans ever, and I refused to allow the bank to set a credit limit above $5,000 — which means my credit utilization is relatively high at 10-15% each month. 💳 But hopefully if I ever need to use credit to buy land or something else, I can put the majority down in cash, so I don’t get bit through the nose 🐽 for refusing to use credit through the years.

And reading this book, truth is though that I feel more then a little guilty spending so much money on a fancy new bike, though my old clunker would still be that even if I did finish the rebuild project. 🚲 I’m hoping to get a lot of use out of the bicycle to sure — already been thinking about some remote-country hammock camping, only reachable by bicycle trail come August. 🤯 Spent some time pondering what to do with my old bicycle — I’ll possibly continue the rebuild as I now have the back wheel back together, but I honestly don’t want to spend much more time or money on parts that now that I will soon have the Blackie. 👩‍🔧 I think it’s in too rough of shape to be traded in with the fork a little rough and still some of the parts not reinstalled, but I’m kind of hoping that Albany Bicycle Rescue will take it as a donation. I have too much clutter, but I’d rather it get more use then take it to a scrap yard. 🍇 I probably eat some grapes and chickpeas for stress eating last night, but I did follow it by a walk, 👣 as the rain let up last night. Overall, despite eating a large dinner — I mostly eat too much fruit and vegetables, and some rather unhealthy small portion of chicken and rice, I did still walk 9 1/2 miles yesterday and plan to do hopefully 10 miles today, and 40 flights of stairs. I do worry about getting obese 🤰 though in the future should I fall off my rocker.

Tonight will rain likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 8pm, then a chance of rain and thunderstorm then a chance of of the storms could produce heavy rain. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 62 degrees at 6am. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around July 9th. Maximum dew point of 67 at 6pm. Northwest wind 6 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 55 degrees. The record low of 48 occurred back in 1986.

On this day in 1890, Wyoming is admitted to the United States as the 44th US State. 🤠Many liberals regard that as a mistake, although it has some beautiful country out in Yellowstone and lots of oil and coal. 🛢️And in 1962, Telstar, the world’s first communication satellite is launched.📡 It would be destroyed within a year or so due to above ground nuclear testing. People think it was radiation and human sickness 🤮 that lead to the above ground test ban 💣 when it was really concerns about damage to military satellites. 🛰

A very typical summer weekend ahead. Hot and humid, thunderstorm ⛈ threat all weekend. Saturday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Chance of precipitation is 50%. ☀ Maximum dew point of 70 at 11am. Sunday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Maximum dew point of 70 at 11am. Typical average high for the weekend is 84 degrees.

Looks like a decent weekend. ⛺ I’m still thinking about heading out to Schoharie this weekend for riding the Catskill Scenic Trail, swimming 🏊, the auto show at NY Power Authority. 🚙 I might take off Monday if it’s nice. I kind of don’t like driving back to Betty Brook due to the tight campsite and rough roads with my big jacked up truck but I’m thinking Sunday night there is a good chance I could get the campsite either on West Kill Road or Cole Hollow. The prior would mean you could get an early start, head down to Stamford and Monday morning and do the leg of the trail from Stamford down to Bloomville. 🚲 Monday’s are usually easier to get off plus then it’s a four day week the next two weeks as I’m leaving for vacation on a Friday. Then the week after vacation is my dentist appointment 🦷 not this week as I originally thought.

A lot of my weekend plans depends on when I take delivery of Blackie, 🚲 and when I get the kick stand, rack and crate on it. I decided I’ll add yellow reflective DOT tape to the rear and sides of the black crate and the rack to improve visibility when riding on the road. I found my old front and back lights, though I’m missing the mount for the rear one or more like I think it broke when I took it off the old bike a few weeks back when I was restoring it. Supposedly from the online inventory the bike store has the kick stand, the MIK rack and MIK connector plate as I’d like to have that all installed before I head out for the weekend, along with the bicycle registered and licensed with the town, photos and other information sent to my insurer.

Looking ahead, there are 6 weeks until World Mosquito Day 🐞 when the sun will be setting at 7:50 pm with dusk at 8:18 pm. My gawd have they been bad at times lately in the woods, especially for the evening walk at Elm Ave Town Park. On that day in 2022, we had hot and muggy weather 😰 , partly sunny and temperatures between 88 and 70 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 82 degrees. The mosquitoes loved that. We hit a record high of 98 back in 1916.

We all continue to sweat 😰

Some more than others. That statement is true on so many levels. I’ve never had air conditioning at home. Maybe this is morning is not a good one to be listening to the Stones’ Paint It Black. Of course the that doesn’t count all the hours lately I’ve been sweating climbing the stairs in the office and out walking, 40 flights including in the LOB and 10 ½ miles again yesterday. And the thing I’m really sweating about these days – funding the perfect bicycle. A nice problem to be sweating a lot about.

Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! A three day work week doesn’t seem so bad after a four day weekend. 🙃 Partly cloudy and 69 degrees in Delmar for the morning walk. ⛅ There is a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 66 degrees. The muggy weather ends next Wednesday around 7 pm. 😓 Or is that just when the weather model ends?

Last night was sticky for sleeping 😴 and the evening walk. 🚶 By any standards it’s bed hot and muggy, I’m starting to see black mold pop up in my apartment again. I better clean that this weekend before it gets worse. I did not sleep well at all last night despite getting to bed 🛏 a little after nine. 9⃣ Mostly because of the heat but also because so much of my life has been consumed by trying to figure out what would be the perfect 👌 bicycle 🚲 for me. More urban commuter or mountain bicycle? 🚵🚴

Today will have showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 5pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. It’s summer, I just hope Piseco-Powley Road doesn’t wash out. Partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 88 degrees at 1pm. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 73 at 12pm. South wind 6 to 8 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 85 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1988.

This morning I decided to do scrambled eggs with red kidney beans run through the food processor to make a paste and fried, with also a sauce of tomatoes and jalapeños made in the food processor. 🍳 Made a good filling meal for two breakfasts 😋 without preservatives or much unhealthy. I wanted something protein rich but limited sugar to help make up for my rough night sleeping. 🦐 Yesterday’s shrimp and rice 🍚 was good for dinner.

All electric bus 🚍 ⚡ that was running on time until we hit the construction 🚧 detour due to them once again trying to fix the on ramp from US 9W to Downtown Albany and 787. Big delays on Southern Boulevard. The air conditioning wasn’t super cranked up on the bus either, though it was reasonably cool but not as refreshing as yesterday morning on bus. I’m going to be late in the office 🏢 but I don’t care, it’s summer and I’m often early. Getting off at the Plaza and will walk in the Concourse as it’s cooler there. Might do the same as lunch time too to beat the heat. 😰

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:01 pm with sun having an altitude of 70° from the due south horizon (-0.8° vs. 6/21). The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:54 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (295°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (302°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:36 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 26 seconds with dusk around 9:09 pm, which is 20 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:55 pm. At sunset, look out for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 76 degrees. The dew point will be 70 degrees. Sticky There will be a calm wind. Today will have 15 hours and 13 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute over yesterday.

It’s going to be a hot evening so I might delay my evening walk 🚶 for a while to study bicycles some more. 🚲 I need to test ride more but I’m really thinking basic mountain bike especially for puncture resistance and tubed tires for easier repair for inevitable flats. I’m willing to trade up efficiency for commute to work for better gravel and dirt road performance. ⚙ I would rather peddle harder then be off the road waiting for parts.

Tonight will have showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 11pm. Patchy fog after 3am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy 🌃, with a low of 67 degrees at 4am. Five degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 71 at 6pm. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2022, we had partly cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 67 degrees. The record low of 43 occurred back in 1969.

On this day in 1981, U.S. President Ronald Reagan appoints Sandra Day O’Connor 👩🏻‍⚖️to become the first female member of the Supreme Court of the United States. 🥪 That’s almost as cool as sliced bread, which is sold for the first time by the Chillico the Baking Company in 1921. It’s actually amazing to think it was so long that the Supreme Court was all male, only forty odd years ago was there any women on the court. Now if they could only get come young people on the court and less of the old white bread. 🥐 I haven’t had bread in ages, mostly as it’s a lot of more carbs and while whole grain has more fiber I generally just stick with brown rice as a durable, preservative free form of carbs to use in many meals. 🍴

Tomorrow will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny 🌞 , with a high of 87 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 72 at 12pm. Light and variable wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 85 degrees. The record high of 100 was set in 1936.

I fully concede that this would be the perfect weekend for the Potholers 🏊‍♂️ or Mine Kill Pool if I wasn’t planning on test riding and hopefully buying a bicycle 🚲 this weekend. I feel like this whole process has dragged on for much too long but it’s taken me a while to figure out that I would be best off with a new rather than used or rebuilt bicycle. Then the trade offs of efficency of a road bicycle vs durability of a mountain bike 🚵 have been in my mind plus what I’m willing to spend. You know I’m the boy that looked at getting a Toyota Prius for cheap, reliable environmentally friendly transportation before settling on a big jacked up truck. I have a feeling my bicycle buying process is going that way, especially as I play through all the disadvantages of riding a bike to work over taking the bus – theft, car crashes, pollution. That air conditioning feels so good on the bus in the sweltering heat.

I will try to leave by 10:30 tomorrow to test ride more bicycles. 🔎🚲. I really want to settle on something this weekend and either take delivery or at least have it on order for next week. I am going to start at Steiner’s Sports in Glenmont, as they have more mountain bikes it seems, and then try Downtube next. If I like what they have at Steiner’s Sports in Glenmont but they don’t have it at their local shop, but I can get it at their main shop in Hudson, I am more then willing to drive down there on Saturday afternoon or Sunday. Downtube wants to charge $50 destination fee on top of the MSRP, which is reasonable but if I can save some money, that’s even more reasonable. I think I finally have a better idea of what I want.

Then the other thing I need is grocery shopping. 🍏 🍄 With the blueberries I got at the farmer’s market on Wednesday I have enough of a grocery haul to make it to the weekend, but things are starting to get a bit low and I want to maintain a nutritious, diverse and tasty diet. 😋 I worry if I let my pantry get too bare then I will start going for less healthy calories.

Looking ahead to Sunday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Mostly cloudy, 🌥 with a high near 79. South wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Maximum dew point of 70 at 12pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 84 degrees.

Looking ahead, next Friday is National Nude Day 👱 when the sun will be setting at 8:33 pm with dusk at 9:06 pm. It’s when my dentist appointment is. 🦷 I’ll wear clothing though when I get my teeth cleaned. At least that’s when I think it is. On that day in 2022, we had partly cloudy and temperatures between 85 and 65 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 84 degrees. We hit a record high of 99 back in 1995.

I am hoping that National Nude Day is one that I can get out of town, for the weekend. Maybe just Schoharie County but I could also see the Potholers 🏊‍♀️ as it’s been a while since I’ve spent a few nights in the wilderness. Hopefully with a bicycle to ride too. At this point I’m trying to save money, and Schoharie might be better for just two nights, and it would be good to improve my swimming skills. Heading up mid-day on Friday is no guarantee that I’ll get the House Pond Campsite for easy access to the East Canada Creek for floating and walk to the Potholers. I haven’t done the Mine Kill Pool in a long time, I don’t recall if I ever made it out there in 2022 or not.

Andy Arthur.org

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