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Second half of August ๐ŸŽช

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. โ˜” There is a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 63 degrees. The skies will clear around 3 pm.

Out walking ๐Ÿšถ this morning, red kidney beans cooking down on the stove ๐Ÿฒ to enjoy with maple syrup up at camp this weekend. Thinking cold black coffee โ˜• this morning, cream of wheat with chia seeds, yogurt, lemon ๐Ÿ‹ maybe a touch of stevia and some cherries ๐Ÿ’ to get the day started. And maybe some of the red beans with maple syrup for protein. Save the rest for camp. ๐Ÿ•

Today will have patchy drizzle with a chance of showers before 10am, then a chance of showers between 10am and 2pm. Mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒฆ, 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 ๐Ÿšต 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 ๐Ÿก and saves on the bus ๐Ÿš 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 โ›ˆ. 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. ๐ŸŒฝ ๐Ÿฅฆ

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž 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 ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:19 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (283°). ๐Ÿ“ธ 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. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent ๐ŸŒ’ Moon in the west-northwest (291°) at an altitude of 1° from the horizon, 252,188 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:05 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ 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 ๐ŸŒ†, 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. โ˜€๏ธ 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 ๐ŸŒ… 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 ๐Ÿฅฆ ๐ŸŒฝ then to Walmart in Johnstown for a few groceries and supplies ๐Ÿ›’, then maybe Rogers Orchards ๐ŸŽ for fresh apples, then up hopefully to the House Pond Campsite. By noontime, I want to get camp set up ๐Ÿ• , 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. ๐Ÿ“ป 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. ๐ŸŒง 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 ๐Ÿ“š and plan on reading it on Friday morning. โ™จ 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, ๐ŸŽช as it’s been such a wet summer and I’m thinking it could be buggy. ๐Ÿœ By evening it shouldn’t be too bad, might go for a nice ride on Blackie ๐Ÿšฒ 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. ๐ŸŒ†

A picture perfect weekend after we get past Friday on tap. ๐Ÿ˜Ž 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. ๐Ÿ›ถ 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. ๐Ÿฆ 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, ๐Ÿ˜Ž 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, ๐Ÿง it would become the basis of many forms of Linux like Ubuntu Linux, which is currently what I run on my home computer. ๐Ÿ‘จ‍๐Ÿ’ป 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. ๐Ÿต 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 ๏ธDegrees โ›ฑ๏ธ๏ธ๏ธ 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!

West Towards Burnt-Rossman Hills

This morning is a drag ๐Ÿฒ

Puff the magic dragon by lived by the sea, and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee. A dragon lives forever but not so little boys.

Good morning! Happy Thursday. It’s cloudy and 60 degrees in Delmar, NY. โ›… Calm wind. The dew point is 60 degrees. Fog around, and it’s in my head this morning and I’m not stoned but maybe I wish I was as I stumble around this morning skipping my morning walk.

So I can get at least some steps in ๐Ÿ‘ฃ taking the long way around the High School ๐Ÿšธ superblock to the express bus ๐Ÿš as I have enough time. Breakfast was a bowl of light red kidney beans with sugar free maple syrup and a little bit of Greek yogurt and fresh fruit. I have a bit of sore throat this morning and maybe that’s my excuse for my dragging ass, though truth be told it’s the gray skies my struggle to recover from summer vacation. ๐Ÿ› I was in bed shortly after 9 pm and slept well but had to run to the bathroom ๐Ÿšฝ a few times during the night as I had a bunch of lemonade ๐Ÿ‹ after my evening bike ๐Ÿšฒ ride to Voorheesville.

Today will have a slight chance of showers before noon, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between noon and 5pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 5pm. Mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 78 degrees at 12pm. Five degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 5th. Maximum dew point of 67 at 1pm. Lighyg south wind increasing to 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 79 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1949.

If the weather was going to be better today โ›ˆ I would definitely be riding into work. ๐Ÿšฒ It was a nice bicycle commute yesterday, although my ride home was a bit heavy with all that sweet corn ๐ŸŒฝ, zucchini, cucumbers ๐Ÿฅ’ and that watermelon ๐Ÿ‰ I had loaded into the back of my bike. Howard Street does get a bit crazy ๐Ÿš˜ at 5 o’clock but once I hit the bike path under 787 and do the climb out of the valley it’s a bit of serenity. Tomorrow I’ll ride down to the dentist ๐Ÿฆท and then to work.

Yesterday I rode close to 30 miles or maybe more. ๐Ÿšฒ Not sure though I did GPS log it. Sunset is getting earlier ๐ŸŒ‡ and I was running late ๐Ÿƒ after dinner but it was still a great ride. That said my mountain bike is so slow compared to the road bikes and it’s boring ๐Ÿ’ค to ride on asphalt but take it to the places I like to camp โ›บ it’s wonderful and it beats walking ๐Ÿšถ around town. It just annoys me as road bikes fly by on the bike path, and general boredom of the bike path, but I remember it’s a compromise compared to the great places I can get up in the wilderness. I am thinking the gravel/stone dust of Pennsylvania’s Pine Creek Gorge might be fun this autumn. 

I’ve been kicking myself for not stopping in Triangle on my way home from the Finger Lakes to get more zucchini and have been desperate ever since. ๐Ÿฅ’ The zucchini I had in the Finger Lakes was so good that all I’ve been dreaming of all week is more zucchini. Fried with onions, some MSG, some pepper and a bit of stevia and olive oil it was so good. Eat way too much but there are worse foods to over indulge in. Sweet corn also for dinner and a plum for dessert. ๐ŸŒฝ This morning as I mentioned it was red kidney beans and syrup, and lunch is going to be onions, rice with peas and lentils and then some edamame thrown in. Haven’t had edamame in a few weeks, and it’s good, mostly because of vacation. 

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 63° from the due south horizon (-7.8° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:27 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (286°). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (292°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:06 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 7 seconds with dusk around 8:35 pm, which is one minute and 22 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:15 pm. At sunset, look for rain ๐ŸŒง and thunderstorms ๐ŸŒฉ and temperatures around 71 degrees. The dew point will be 66 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 11 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 26 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have showers and thunderstorms likely before 1am, then a slight chance of showers between 1am and 2am. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy ๐ŸŒง, with a low of 61 degrees at 4am. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around August 13th. Maximum dew point of 66 at 6pm. South wind around 8 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 63 degrees. The record low of 46 occurred back in 1941.

Another summer weekend on tap. ๐Ÿ– Saturday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. South wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 66 at 5pm. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 80. Maximum dew point of 68 at 10am. Typical average high for the weekend is 83 degrees.

This weekend I’m thinking of either riding or driving out to Our Families Harvest farm stand ๐ŸŒฝ in New Scotland to stock up on produce then maybe some mountain biking / trail riding in the Albany Pine Bush ๐Ÿฆ‹, I think that could be a lot of fun. Do it early as I see thunderstorms โ›ˆ๏ธ and rain popping up by afternoon. Then maybe go to see John and get some groceries at the Walmart in Albany. I specifically like those little pearl onions they have, I haven’t seen them at other grocery stores. They’re like candy and you can eat them raw after you peal the outer skin or toss them in a frying ๐Ÿณ pan and they quickly get brown and extra sweet. Maybe head a bit further north in Colonie and do some of the Canalway trail but I doubt it. Quiet day Sunday, maybe Five Rivers Environmental Education Center ๐Ÿธ and go out and see the folks. ๐Ÿ‘ช

I asked the secretary ๐Ÿ—“ to schedule no meetings for me on Thursday and Friday of next week, lest I want to head up to the Potholers for a long weekend and to ride Piseco-Powley Road on Blackie ๐Ÿšต and camp at House Pond Campsite โ›บ assuming it’s open. I could go for a nice few days at the swimming ๐ŸŠ hole there maybe with some clams again ๐Ÿฆช and tons of fresh farm produce ๐ŸŒฝ ๐Ÿฅ’ ๐Ÿ… ๐Ÿง… to toss in the beer and clam broth. We’ll see, it depends on the weather. I could use some time floating on the tube โญ• and cooling in the Potholers before summer is done. I can’t do the following week as the other director is off. Right now the second half of next week looks good, and we might finally get some warmer and drier weather. One last stand before summer is done. I’m also thinking of seeing if I can work remote or take a personal day that Friday before Labor Day Weekend ๐Ÿ‘ท‍โ™€๏ธ so I can get camp set up early on Friday, then work or have fun as time would allow.

One month ๐Ÿ“… from now will be 6:30 Sunrise ๐ŸŒ‡ when the sun will be setting at 7:16 pm with dusk at 7:43 pm. It will mean darker mornings especially for walking ๐Ÿšถ although I should be able to walk for a few more weeks after then at 6:15 as dawn is about a half hour earlier and I do that most of the winter at any rate. The cooler air will be refreshing and help wake me up when those days come.

South in Gorge

What would you do if… ๐ŸŽถ

If you were listening to Joe Crocker it would be sing out of tune, and if it was David Crosby it would be find her dead on the floor. Maybe the Wonder Years weren’t as wonderful as people remember them to being. But let’s bang a gong and get it on. After all it’s the morning walk and I need to leave at a reasonable hour as I’m riding Blackie into work today and need to stop on the way mostly to get dental floss but also bananas and maybe some MSG.

Good morning! What day is it? Farmers Market Day, of course. I want zucchinis so badly. Mostly cloudy and 63 degrees in Delmar, NY. โ˜ There is a west-northwest breeze at 11 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 60 degrees. The skies will clear around 9 am.

Not sure if I actually need to do my morning walk ๐Ÿšถ if I’m taking Blackie ๐Ÿšต to work but I’m up and going and kind of like the quiet time known as walking to get my day started. Since getting my bike I don’t get in nearly as many steps as I used to do. I think I’ll do Cream of Wheat ๐ŸŒพ and chia seeds, with fresh squeezed lemon ๐Ÿ‹ with stevia for sweetness, topped with plain non fat Greek yogurt and frozen wild Maine blueberries. ๐Ÿซ Just describing that seems so mouth ๐Ÿ‘„ watering because it is. Good for a sugar high and energy โšก for cycling to work.

Today will be mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny โ˜๐Ÿ‘‰ โ˜€ , with a high of 83 degrees at 5pm. Typical for today. Maximum dew point of 63 at 11am. Northwest wind 9 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. It was somewhat humid. The ahigh last year was 86 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 2001.

Going to be a nice day to ride into work. ๐Ÿšฒ I figure Friday too after my dentist appointment. ๐ŸฆทI thought about heading out of town this weekend but I really need a week off from life on the road, packing and unpacking. I’m thinking the following week of taking Thursday and Friday off for a long weekend at House Pond Campsite floating on the tube โญ• and riding Piseco-Powley Road on Blackie if it’s nice.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 63.3ยฐ from the due south horizon (-7.5ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:28 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (286ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (293ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:07 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 8 seconds with dusk around 8:37 pm, which is one minute and 20 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:17 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ and temperatures around 74 degrees. The dew point will be 59 degrees. There will be a west breeze at 8 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 13 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 24 seconds over yesterday.

Yesterday all day my butt was dragging ๐Ÿ˜ด especially come the afternoon. I’m not sure why I got a goodnight sleep, had a protein and fiber rich breakfast of eggs and spinach, and nothing was extraordinary on Tuesday. I went to the planning board meeting yesterday on yet another development in the Albany Pine Bush. This time they’re proposing yet another warehouse in Colonie in prime Pine Bush in a wildlife corridor. ๐Ÿ‘ทTown is mostly concerned with the coloring of the fencing and the stucco which they want to look like every other warehouse. Developer and the government Pine Bush commission is good as they’re building on an existing site. We’re not at Save the Pine Bush as it’s more Pine Bush being developed.

Tonight will be mostly clear ๐ŸŒƒ, with a low of 58 degrees at 5am. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around August 30th. Maximum dew point of 60 at 6pm. West wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm in the evening. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 63 degrees. The record low of 48 occurred back in 1955.

A picture perfect weekend on tap. ๐Ÿ˜Ž Saturday, a chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 64 at 4pm. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Maximum dew point of 67 at 1pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 83 degrees.

It’s so tempting to head out of town ๐ŸŒฒ as summer is rapidly coming to a conclusion but I know the responsible thing is to stay closer to town and I’m tired of packing and unpacking all of the time, taking down and setting up camp โ›บ. I really should visit John at least one last time, his wife needs help with him and time is ticking for him. โณ It would be fun to take Blackie ๐Ÿšต out on the Erie Canal Trail and maybe the Albany Pine Bush Preserve in the evening. And just rest and restore myself. Eat some fried zucchini with lots of onions. ๐Ÿ†๐Ÿง… Maybe but not likely hammock camp overnight on Cole Hill.

As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until Average High Falls To 79 ๏ธDegrees โ›ฑ๏ธ๏ธ๏ธ 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.

Caywood Point

After a cloudy start the sun is out โ›… ๐Ÿ‘‰ โ˜€

Starting to finally get nice out this morning. Going to be a beautiful day.

Good morning! Happy Sunday from Vacationland 2023. Partly sunny and 60 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. There is a north-northwest breeze at 8 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 57 degrees. Much cooler than before the front came through.

Woke up pretty early this morning, thinking that it would be a nice morning ๐ŸŒ… and I could get up, use the bucket shitter ๐Ÿšฝ and they have coffee โ˜•. I even thought ๐Ÿ’ญ about taking a ride over to Searsburg Road and watching the sun rise. They promised it would be a beautiful day, and it probably will be but it didn’t clear out by nine o’clock last night as promised by the weathermen. โ˜๏ธ I looked to the sky this morning and all I saw was clouds. Maybe I should have pooped ๐Ÿ’ฉ and gone back to bed but instead it was apple banana pancakes ๐Ÿฅž using the remainder of the pancake mix I bought last winter mixed with whole oatmeal, fried apples and mashed bananas. Through
In chia seeds ๐ŸŒฑ for an extra health punch ๐Ÿ‘Š.

Going forward I won’t buy any more pancake mix but instead use that whole grain oatmeal with water and bananas. ๐Ÿฅž I like the hardy more fiber rich oatmeal over the bleached flour, sugar and chemicals of Aunt Jamina’s pancake mix. Less garbage and cost too by using just simple oatmeal and bananas. Really don’t need to waste money ๐Ÿ’ต on packaging to burn. Likewise I’m using real silverware and dishes now while camping as paper plates, and plastic silverware have gotten so expensive with inflation plus who wants to burn all that toxic plastic trash? ๐Ÿ—‘

Today will be sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 71 degrees at 3pm. 13 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 24th. Maximum dew point of 57 at 8am. Northwest wind around 9 mph. A year ago, we had cloudy skies. The high last year was 82 degrees. The record high of 100 was set in 1933. Cool but getting sunny for sure.

Today I have a busy agenda planned. ๐Ÿ“œ But it’s going to be a great one. I plan to get a fairly early start, bike most of the Cayuta Valley Rail Trail. ๐Ÿšฒ Then swim at the Watkins Glen Pool, get ice cream at Glen Dairy Bar ๐Ÿฆ, ride along Rock Cabin Road, watch the sunset ๐ŸŒ‡ on Seneca Lake. Then back to camp for some hammock time before bed. Greased my chain ๐Ÿ”— up well on my bike this morning, cleaned off the mud, and set up the GoPro mount on my bike ๐Ÿ“ธ so I can do some video today riding for the blog and YouTube and other social media. ๐Ÿ“น

Despite a fairly soggy day yesterday, ๐ŸŒง๏ธ I’ve been feeling great without the alcohol and calories ๐Ÿคฐ of years past, choosing healthier nutrient dense meals ๐Ÿด and whole fruits and vegetables ๐Ÿซ‘up here at camp. โ›บ A healthy diet I believe really does improve ones mental health. โ˜บ While I’m not one to blame the chemicals in processed foods – most of them are relative safe, ๐Ÿงชโš—๏ธ most of them mask crap ingredients that are rich in low quality fats and sugars while providing not much vitamins, fiber or protein. Plus being skinner I feel great though I certainly have been stuffing myself this weekend ๐Ÿ‘ but with higher quality whole foods.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:14 pm with sun having an altitude of 66ยฐ from the due south horizon (-4.7ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:51 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (290ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (297ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:31 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 14 seconds with dusk around 9:02 pm, which is one minute and 5 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Full ๐ŸŒ Moon in the southeast (146ยฐ) at an altitude of 11ยฐ from the horizon, 228,672 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:43 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ and temperatures around 64 degrees. The dew point will be 53 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 35 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 6 seconds over yesterday.

Yesterday became a wet day, though later then expected. Rochester got the rain early, we got it later in the Finger Lakes. ๐ŸŒง๏ธ Breakfast was eggs with tomatoes, onions and peppers with a side of old breakfast sausage I bought last winter. Rode Blackie ๐Ÿšต to the top of Hector Backbone though I admit I dismounted and pushed the bicycle part of the way. I had lower gears โš™ to drop it down to but I wasn’t feeling motivated. At the top by Blueberry Hill Campground ๐Ÿซ it started to rain – it was already one o’clock before that happened. More of a passing shower, waited waited it out under a tree. ๐ŸŒณ Rode around the campground, the fee is now up to $15 a night though I can’t imagine camping so packed in with others. I like my fires ๐Ÿ”ฅ and music ๐ŸŽถ, I would be a nuisance if I had to camp around others. ๐Ÿคซ

Tried to get good cell service up there ๐Ÿ“ถ without much luck. A few bars but it was slow, possibly due to the weather. โ›ˆ Rode down the backbone to Potomac Road, much more fun going down then over to Potomac Ponds which I started back, started slinging mud ๐Ÿฝ and decided to turn back when the trail got too muddy. I rode down old Chicken Co-op Road as my GPS calls it ๐Ÿ—บ and the sky just opened up. โ›ˆ๏ธ I wanted to see my favorite old campsite and see how the mud wallow was holding up after all the stone I dumped in it last year. Still quite muddy. Glad I got the site I like on Potomac instead. I headed back to camp, I didn’t mind being soaked as it was still quite warm. ๐Ÿง… Fried up another delicious ๐Ÿ˜‹ Vadella onion on the griddle – sliced it into rings, put it on a cast iron skillet and added a little MSG to really make it pop. Dessert was red kidney beans with some maple syrup ๐Ÿ and a beer ๐Ÿป. Had two beers yesterday between lunch and dinner which is my limit though the first day I had one and maybe none today.

As the front came through the rain picked up and the temperature dropped. ๐ŸŒก๏ธ I read for a while ๐Ÿ“– and listened to a podcast ๐Ÿ“ป from Focus on Albany with Cynthia Pooler interviewing Leon Van Dyke. Interesting history about how the Democratic ๐Ÿด machine worked and the $5 votes ๐Ÿ—ณ and the fear people had about ever speaking up about the machine. Found out John Wolcott is returning home Monday for hospice care, ๐Ÿง‘โ€โš•๏ธ but he’s still pretty much in his final hours, hope to visit him at least one more time when I get back from vacation. Had some great interviews with John Wolcott and Leon Van Dyke over the years though I wish we had started years earlier ๐ŸŽค before John lost much of his memory and became so frail after getting bit by a tick and collapsing one day in his bathtub ๐Ÿ›. Tick born illnesses are no joke. ๐Ÿœ

After a while with the wind and the rain โ˜” I started to get chilled through at camp and decided I needed to take off my wet clothes. ๐Ÿ‘š I got jeans and a hoodie on, bedded down in my truck with the remainder of the Boggleheads investing book ๐Ÿ“™ which I finally finished off before putting on a different podcast about the history of Mad Magazine before nodding off. ๐Ÿคก Got some shut eye ๐Ÿ‘๏ธ for a few hours before dinner time.

Dinner was more salmon ๐Ÿ  with delicious pearl onions, mini red potato ๐Ÿฅ” , sweet corn and fried slices of tomato ๐Ÿ… – the second half of the big juicy one I got at the farm stand. I still have a full tomato left, it’s like heaven. Eating good. Rode up to Searsburg Road ๐Ÿšฒ hoping to catch the sunset but it was still gray last night but I do have good reception ๐Ÿ“ถ there. Maybe tonight though I think I’ll watch the sunset tonight from Seneca Lake ๐ŸŒ‡. Decided I wanted to get some more miles in before bed ๐Ÿ› after a fairly lazy day ๐Ÿ˜ด so around dusk started over to Foster Pond on the bicycle but turned back as drizzle started. ๐Ÿ”™ Had a small campfire ๐Ÿ”ฅ at warm myself and retired to bed around ten ๐Ÿ”Ÿ. Early by vacation standards when it’s not really dark out until around nine.

Tonight will have increasing clouds โ˜, with a low of 56 degrees at 5am. Six degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 6th. Maximum dew point of 54 at 6pm. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming southwest in the evening. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 60 degrees. The record low of 49 occurred back in 2021.

One month ๐Ÿ“… from now will the Average High Falls To 79 ๏ธDegrees โ›ฑ๏ธ๏ธ๏ธ when the sun will be setting at 7:47 pm with dusk at 8:14 pm. As they say, all good things must come to an end, autumn leaves must fall. But first, summer vacation! ๐Ÿ–

Mud Lock In Cayuga Lake

A slow and warm day for setting up camp for the next five days in the Finger Lakes ๐Ÿฎ

Finally made it to the Finger Lakes National Forest which is exactly my reaction when I pulled to the roadside desperately to piss in my wheel well as all day I’ve been peeing. I didn’t think I drank too much coffee this morning but those peaches and other farm fresh produce I was snacking on my ways to the Finger Lakes National Forest kept my bladder full and looking for trees, rest rooms and stops. Didn’t help I got stuck in bad traffic in Ithaca with construction and a tourist bus that used the back bumper of a flatbed trailer to stop and oh, yeah no power in East Ithaca or working traffic lights. Plus besides all the bathroom breaks, shopping at Walmart in Oneonta and an amazing farm stand in Caroline that made me wish I hadn’t gotten so much in Oneonta. Regardless, lots of good eating over the next few days.

Good evening! Partly clear and 79 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. There is a west-northwest breeze at 6 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 66 degrees. The muggy weather ends tomorrow around 11 pm. ๐Ÿ˜“ Kind of buggy with the heat and humidity, though I expect things to improve come tomorrow. The real question is how wet will tomorrow be. Not sure, the Finger Lakes this year haven’t been as wet as Albany but not quitgy dry spell like Western New York. Seasonably wet you might say.

Got the big ol campsite โ›บ I wanted on Potomac Road. I admit I kind of raced the last two miles up here after a leisurely drive as I wanted to ensure I got the site I really wanted including swerving to dodge a pothole on the road and maybe even cutting off a driver a bit in determination to get the site though I doubt they were looking to camp here. I did see a camper van who was obviously looking for this site around 4 or 5 pm but I was here by 1:45 and it’s first come first serve. I took Friday morning off for a reason, lol. I really like this site as it’s farther off the road, well shaded but also where my truck is parked in a sunny field. No cell service at camp ๐Ÿ”• but I look at that as a benefit because I like the quiet ๐Ÿคซ. And my radio ๐Ÿ“ป is broke so no endless hours of talking heads ๐Ÿ‘ฅ discussing Jason Aldean’s Try that in a Small Town. I don’t need that crap or the endless stream of emails ๐Ÿ“ง and notifications on vacation. ๐Ÿ–

Spent the balance of the afternoon unpacking, organizing and setting up camp ๐Ÿ’ผ so everything will be perfect ๐Ÿ‘Œ for the next nine days. Did a lot of cooking – chicken, potatoes, onions, peppers and other things for lunch, then a similar thing with frozen samon for dinner. ๐Ÿ  I have so much good food to eat it’s hard to know where to start. Diet, lol. ๐Ÿ˜‚ Actually truth be told, I don’t have any cookies or junk food, just solid quality minimal whole fruits and vegetables ๐Ÿ that I’m cooking and eating this week. Had a beer ๐Ÿป but only one and no more then two each day if that all. Had some fresh squeezed lemonade ๐Ÿ‹ with stevia and used the rest of the lemon with the salmon. Yum, I’m eating good. ๐Ÿ˜‹

Tonight will be mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒƒ , with a low of 67 degrees at 6am. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 67 at 9pm. Northwest wind around 7 mph becoming south in the evening. In 2022, we had partly cloudy skies. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 68 degrees. The record low of 47 occurred back in 1987.

My phone shows a chance of rain โ˜” late this evening, so I’ll put away anything I don’t want to get wet before bed like my hammock and store my clean clothes in the cab of my truck to ensure they stay dry. I have a tent ๐ŸŽช set up for the dirty clothes, boxes and other camp supplies I’m not immediately using, mostly for organizational purposes. I think I need to get some crates for storing food, like I use on the back of my bicycle ๐Ÿšฒ especially as I have so much fresh stuff that I am not keeping in the cooler as I don’t have the space and I don’t think it strictly necessary but I worry about bruising and disorder in the reusable shopping bags ๐Ÿ›.

Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous ๐ŸŒ” Moon with 82% illuminated. At 8 PM, the moon was in the south-southeast (158ยฐ) at an altitude of 17ยฐ from the horizon, some 233,176 miles away from where you are looking up from the earth. ๐Ÿš€ At the state speed limit of 55 mph, you’ll make it there by January 21st. Buckle up for safety! ๐Ÿ’บ The Strugeon ๐Ÿก Moon is on Tuesday, August 1. The darkest hour is at 1:14 am, followed by dawn at 5:23 am, and sun starting to rise at 5:56 am in the east-northeast (63ยฐ) and last for 3 minutes and 15 seconds. Sunrise is 59 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ The golden hour ends at 6:36 am with sun in the east-northeast (70ยฐ). Tonight will have 9 hours and 21 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 3 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 3pm. ๐ŸŒฆ High of 73 degrees at 12pm. Nine degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 14th. Maximum dew point of 71 at 12pm. ๐Ÿ–๏ธ West wind 9 to 15 mph becoming north in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning, which became mostly sunny by afternoon. It was sticky. The high last year was 89 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1894.

I am not expecting a real nice day tomorrow ๐ŸŒง๏ธ but I got books to read ๐Ÿ“– and podcasts to listen to and I’ll spend a relaxed day around camp doing some good cooking ๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿณ healthy ingredients from the bounty I got at Walmart and that farmers market. ๐ŸŒฝ I have a ton of delicious Vadella onions ๐Ÿง…and lemons, ๐Ÿ‹ and so much else from grapes ๐Ÿ‡ to strawberries ๐Ÿ“ that I won’t go hungry and if I do I have more salmon, fresh spinach, rice ๐Ÿš beans ๐Ÿฑ and hot peppers ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ. Nice days I’ll head into town or other activities, ๐ŸŠโ€โ™‚๏ธ rainier stormy days, I’ll tool around the National Forest with Blackie my mountain bike ๐Ÿšต, hike into the back country and do some fishing ๐ŸŽฃ.

In four weeks on August 25 the sun will be setting in the west-northwest (286ยฐ) at 7:55 pm,๐ŸŒ„ which is 38 minutes and 26 seconds earlier then today. In 2022 on that day, we had hot, humid, mostly sunny, rain showers and temperatures between 87 and 60 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 81 and 60 degrees. The record high of 99 degrees was set back in 1947. Too soon, I’m not willing to think about summer coming to an end on vacation, lol.

Looking ahead, Average High 70 ๐ŸŽ‘ is in 5 weeks, September ๐ŸŽ is in 5 weeks, Labor Day Weekend Begins ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿญ is in 5 weeks, Autumn ๐Ÿ‚ is in 8 weeks, Buy Nothing Day ๐Ÿ›๏ธ is in 17 weeks, December ๐ŸŽ„ is in 18 weeks, Bill of Rights Day ๐Ÿ“œ is in 20 weeks, Days are Getting Longer โ˜€๏ธ is in 21 weeks and 4:30 PM Sunset ๐ŸŒ† is in 5 months.

Summer day

Finally a beautiful Saturday out in Schoharie and Delaware County after so many crappy weekends ๐Ÿšต๐ŸŠ๐Ÿ•๏ธ

After such a run of wet and bad weather we finally got a break and I got away from town. Awesome, although I will say that the pool is cold with the low dew point and the breeze. But it was great for hiking Platts Rocks then riding 26 miles round trip or the Catskill Scenic Trail. That said, I’m beat after all that bicycling, I barely want to hit the pool. But it’s fine, I got a shower and some pool time in and it will be closing for a bit and then be time to head up to camp.

Good evening! It’s been a pleasant day. Mostly sunny and 78 degrees at the Mine Kill State Park. There is a northwest breeze at 9 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 55 degrees.

Lol where to start! ๐Ÿ˜‚ Last night turned out much better than forecasted so I ended up deciding to ride out to the Bender Mellon Preserve ๐Ÿ‰ and hiking around that for nearly an hour, exploring the outside parameter trail and taking a bunch of pictures after deciding ๐Ÿ“ธ the trail wasn’t so wet yesterday and the skies were interesting. Then I decided to ride out to Voorheesville, down Main Street then out past the Voorheesville High School and library then down the rail trail to Adams Place then snaked through the subdivisions back home. ๐Ÿ By then it was late for packing for camp but I got some done like filling the water container and some other things but won’t say that I didn’t stay up late sitting out back and still had a bunch to do in the morning contributing to me not leaving until 9:30 am.

On my way out I realized I forgot toilet paper ๐Ÿšฝ and paper towels. Both are good for camping. What I ended up doing was going to Tops in Greenville and buying paper towels for both purposes. They’ll be good for both. Then I took NY 81 out to Oak Hill which is still closed west of there.

With the detour I ended up deciding to head over to Prattville and checking out Pratts Rock. What a beautiful day. ๐Ÿž Finally got to the Catskill Scenic Trail in Grand Gorge at 12 noon, rode until 1:45 when I got to Hobart at 1:40 pm when I stopped at the park for a while ๐Ÿšฒ and headed south almost to South Kortwright but turned back as I wanted to be back to my truck as close as possible to 4 pm so I could shower ๐Ÿšฟ and cool down in the pool. ๐ŸŠโ€โ™‚๏ธ Then off to camp at Betty Brook most likely though if the campsite on West Kill Road is open I might stay there.

Tonight will be mostly clear ๐ŸŒƒ, with a low of 54 degrees at 5am. Nine degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 12th. Maximum dew point of 56 at 7pm. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm in the evening. Going to be a cool evening especially here in the mountains. 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 65 degrees. The record low of 45 occurred back in 1981.

Tonight will have a Waxing Crescent ๐ŸŒ’ Moon with 22% illuminated. At 5 PM, the moon was in the south (185ยฐ) at an altitude of 51ยฐ from the horizon, some 249,518 miles away from where you are looking up from the earth. ๐Ÿš€ At the state speed limit of 55 mph, you’ll make it there by January 28th. Buckle up for safety! ๐Ÿ’บ The moon will set in the west (273ยฐ) at 11:05 pm. The Strugeon ๐Ÿก Moon is on Tuesday, August 1. The darkest hour is at 1:05 am, followed by dawn at 5:08 am, and sun starting to rise at 5:41 am in the east-northeast (61ยฐ) and last for 3 minutes and 17 seconds. Sunrise is 56 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ The golden hour ends at 6:22 am with sun in the east-northeast (68ยฐ). Tonight will have 9 hours and 9 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 48 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 83 degrees at 5pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around August 3rd. Maximum dew point of 60 at 5pm. Calm wind. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. It was humid. The high last year was 97 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1955.

I’m undecided about my plans for tomorrow. ๐Ÿ’ญ I still want to get to the farm stands of the Schoharie Valley ๐ŸŒฝ ๐Ÿ… but I also kind of want to set up camp โ›บ and not have to secure it or take it down tomorrow. Plus I don’t love driving that rough Betty Brook Road, it’s tough on Big Reds aging suspension. ๐Ÿšฒ That said it could be a fun filled day. I might cycle from the Rest Area to Middleburgh, then poke around the village, get ice cream ๐Ÿฆ then hike Vromans Nose ๐Ÿ‘ƒ and turn hit up the farm stands, head back to Mine Kill Pool and swim some more before camp. Monday I will park in Stamford, ride down to Bloomfield and maybe hike not drive Utsaythana followed by a swim at Mine Kill before going out to see the folks before vacation which starts Friday.

In four weeks on August 19 the sun will be setting in the west-northwest (288ยฐ) at 7:55 pm,๐ŸŒ„ which is 34 minutes and 33 seconds earlier then today. In 2022 on that day, we had hot, mostly sunny and temperatures between 89 and 58 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 82 and 61 degrees. The record high of 92 degrees was set back in 1899.

Looking ahead, Work Like a Dog Day ๐Ÿฉ is Next Saturday (not likely to happen on vacation), Last Sunset After 8 PM ๐ŸŒ† is in 3 weeks, National Dog Day ๐Ÿฉ is in 5 weeks, Autumn ๐Ÿ‚ is in 2 months, Daylight Savings Time Ends ๐Ÿ›ฅ๏ธ is in 15 weeks, Veterans Day ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ is in 16 weeks, Regular Deer Season in Southern Zone ๐ŸฆŒ is in 17 weeks, Small Business Saturday ๐Ÿ›๏ธ is in 18 weeks, Average High is 40 ๐ŸŒจ is in 20 weeks, Earliest Sunset of the Year โŒ›๏ธ is in 20 weeks, Tea Party Day ๐Ÿ is in 21 weeks, Days are Getting Longer โ˜€๏ธ is in 5 months, Festivus ๐Ÿ– is in 22 weeks, Bacon Day ๐Ÿฅ“ is in 23 weeks and Bacon Day ๐Ÿฅ“ is in 23 weeks.

Fields

A week from now I should have camp mostly set up in Finger Lakes National Forest

Summer Vacation Seems So Distant Now

Should be a nice quiet, relaxing summer vacation.

My hope is to get up there early I’ll be able to get one of my preferred campsites, and will be well settled in by the time the weekend arrives, able to do some bike riding and fishing on that first day, and ready to head down to Watkins Glen come Saturday morning to do some bike riding, swimming and maybe fishing and paddling.