Search Results for: photo time to take down that campsite

December 30, 2020 Morning

Good morning! Happy Bacon Day ๐Ÿฅ“! Who is opposed to bacon, besides religious zealots? Not mention all those other delicious things that pigs produce and the rich farm dirt. ๐Ÿท Read about that a lot in Foxfire Books. ๐Ÿ“” Two weeks to Make Your Dream Come True Day ๐Ÿก. What can I say, Cam Edwards and his podcast is a bad influence.

Not real nice morning. Cloudy and 20 degrees in Delmar, NY. โ˜ Calm wind. Things will start to thaw out at around 2 pm. ๐ŸŒก๏ธ

Feeling a lot better today, ๐Ÿ˜ƒ I think the knock off NightQuil and DayQuil helped a lot. ๐Ÿค’I usually do get a bad cold this time of year, although somehow I thought I would be immune this year with social distancing, but who knows. My throat isn’t as sore as it was, and while my nose is a bit stuffy ๐Ÿ‘ƒ I am feeling a lot better and plan to work on getting packed for the Adirondacks later this evening. Going to head up early in the morning, so I can have time to dig out a parking spot and campsite.โ˜ƒ I might just stay the night or maybe for the weekend, still watching the forecast.

That said, I skipped my morning and evening walks. ๐Ÿšถ I know bad. But I’m thinking about a lunch time walk. โ˜• No reason not to, I don’t expect a busy day the day before the long weekend. My job now has an hour lunch break, so I should take it (watches as email ๐Ÿ“ง comes in a 1:00 PM ๐Ÿ• as I go to lunch). ๐Ÿณ I had a nice breakfast of eggs and ham, which was really good with the coffee. It’s sad how addicted I am coffee but it is a good stimulus for getting going in the morning. ๐Ÿ’ต Maybe not as good as a free $2,000 check from the government, but I’ll take it.

Today will be mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒฅ, with a high of 35 degrees at 4pm. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around December 19th. Light south wind increasing to 10 to 15 mph in the morning. A year ago, we had patches of fog in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 39 degrees. The record high of 53 was set in 1984. 10.9 inches of snow fell back in 2000.โ„

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 11:59 am with sun having an altitude of 24.3ยฐ from the due south horizon (-46.6ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 13.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 3:46 pm with the sun in the southwest (231ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-southwest (239ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:32 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 24 seconds with dusk around 5:03 pm, which is 48 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Waning Gibbous ๐ŸŒ– Moon in the east-northeast (57ยฐ) at an altitude of 2ยฐ from the horizon, 242,450 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 5:39 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies ๐ŸŒƒ and temperatures around 34 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 15 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 6 minutes of daytime, an increase of 39 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a chance of rain showers and sleet before 11pm, then a chance of rain and snow showers between 11pm and midnight, then rain showers likely after midnight. Mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒง, with a low of 32 degrees at 6pm. 16 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around November 16th. South wind 7 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Little or no snow and sleet accumulation expected. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became light snow by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 34 degrees. The record low of -17 occurred back in 1917.

Kind of a mixed bag for the weekend. ๐Ÿ˜ž New Years day. Mostly sunny, with a high near 32. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.ย  Saturday, freezing rain and sleet before 10am, then rain likely between 10am and 4pm, then a chance of rain and snow showers after 4pm. High near 39. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Sunday, a chance of snow before 1pm, then a chance of rain and snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 36. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Typical average high for the weekend is 31 degrees.

So I am continuing to watch the weather, ๐Ÿ’ญ but I’m thinking of heading up to the Adirondacks at least for New Years Eve and Day. Not sure if I want to deal with freezing rain though, but I can monitor the weather and decide to come back on New Years Day if necessary. I just don’t want to deal with a tent covered with ice or the potential for snapping tree branches. That said, it does look like Sunday it will be warm enough that the roads will be fine, and there isn’t going to be a ton of snow, to make shoveling out to the road difficult (I’m going to park near the road).

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Make Your Dream Come True Day ๐Ÿก when the sun will be setting at 4:45 pm with dusk at 5:16 pm. The longer days will be nice. On that day in 2020, we had mostly cloudy skies, it was mild with a few rain showers and temperatures between 40 and 29 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 30 degrees. We hit a record high of 71 back in 1932.

Trees on Overlook

November 30, 2020 Morning

Good morning! Final day of November 2020. Happy Cyber Monday ๐Ÿ›๏ธ and Beaver Moon ๐ŸŒ•! I don’t need any of your shit marketers. Three weeks to First Day of Winter โ˜ƒ๏ธ. Rain and 41 degrees in Delmar, NY. โ˜” Calm wind. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Friday around noontime. โ˜ƒ๏ธ

Kind of a lazy morning. ๐Ÿ˜ด With the clouds and my general drowsiness from taking the sleeping pill ๐Ÿ’Š I skipped my morning walk. I’ll be the first to admit it was kind of a mistake though, as now the rain has set in I don’t think an evening walk ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿป will be practical without getting soaked. Not sure how busy today will be but projects always seem to pop up. My gear โš™ is unpacked and I’m ready for the work week ahead. Tomorrow I’ll probably work down at the library. ๐Ÿ“š At some point I want to return beer cans โ™ป and refill the propane tank ๐Ÿฎ.

Today will rain. The rain could be heavy at times. ๐ŸŒง High of 54 degrees at 6pm. 13 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around October 29th. Maximum dew point of 53 at 6pm. ๐Ÿ–๏ธ Warm but not great outdoors weather. Light and variable wind becoming north 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning, which became light snow by afternoon. The high last year was 33 degrees. The record high of 67 was set in 1933. 7.1 inches of snow fell back in 1972.โ„

While there is some things I could probably do at the library Wi-Fi today ๐Ÿ“ถ, including a work Zoom Meeting, I want to experiment with doing it from home using my phone. It’s a pretty cold and rainy day and my camera would likely fog up if I used my laptop at the library. I am curious how well the Zoom app will work on my phone ๐Ÿ“ฑ and how much bandwidth it will use. That said, if I upgrade to the Wi-Fi Hotspot plan I will unlimited phone data, with a 10 or 20 gig cap on my hotspot data. But that’s still a shit ton more affordable than a permanent wired connection and it gives me more options for travel so I’m not stuck working from home. As it’s month to month, I can drop the Hotspot plan once things get back to normal and I can just walk down to the library and am working in the office where there is WI-FI. ๐Ÿข The ten or twenty bucks a month can come out of money I ordinarily spend on bus fare when working downtown. ๐Ÿš

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 11:45 am with sun having an altitude of 25.6ยฐ from the due south horizon (-45.2ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 12.5 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 3:40 pm with the sun in the southwest (233ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-southwest (241ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:24 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 20 seconds with dusk around 4:54 pm, which is 21 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Waining Gibbous ๐ŸŒ– Moon in the east-northeast (62ยฐ) at an altitude of 3ยฐ from the horizon, 248,648 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 5:31 pm. At sunset, look for rain ๐ŸŒง and temperatures around 52 degrees. The dew point will be 49 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 9 hours and 18 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 26 seconds over yesterday.

John Wolcott called and canceled the filming ๐Ÿ“น tonight, as they are going into isolation with his advanced age. I totally get it. I’ve gotten through many of his files ๐Ÿ“‚ and learned a lot about Albany history, and recorded many hours of his history. Maybe we will do more through Zoom in the future although that can be hard without me having internet at home.

Tonight will have showers, mainly before 10pm. ๐ŸŒง Low of 51 degrees at 5am. 24 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 18th. Maximum dew point of 55 at 8pm. ๐Ÿ–๏ธ South wind 9 to 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 17 degrees. The record low of -5 occurred back in 1875.

Doesn’t look like a super nice weekend. ๐Ÿ˜• Saturday, a chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 44. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Sunday, a chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Typical average high for the weekend is 40 degrees.

I doubt I’ll be going out to my parents house with the impending lock down, ๐Ÿคท๐Ÿปโ€โ™‚๏ธ so I’ll have to find other projects to keep me busy this weekend. Maybe I’ll do some walks around town or get some books ๐Ÿ“š out of the library. The drive through pick up is easy for sure. I should work on some electronics projects too. ๐Ÿ”ฌ

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

I am thinking with things on the likely locked down ๐Ÿ”’ for the holidays, I might plan camping trips for Christmas and New Years as I have both eves off for long weekends and could even potentially tag additional days off if I remote work ๐Ÿ’ป. I think a Christmas Eve camping trip would be fun. ๐ŸŽ„ Decorate up the campsite, listen to Christmas music ๐Ÿคถ๐Ÿป๐ŸŽถ especially if there is a reasonable amount of snow ๐ŸŒจ and it’s not too cold.

Four Mile Vista

November 7, 2020 Night

Good evening! Partly clear and 52 degrees at the Stoney Pond State Forest. There is a west-southwest breeze at 6 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 43 degrees.

Walked down to Stoney Pond but there is enough clouds โ˜๏ธ that the Syracuse light pollution makes the stars โœจ much more difficult than previous nights. Came back to camp and sat by the fire ๐Ÿ”ฅ for a while. Definitely some nice scenery hiking along the Canastota-Cazenovia Trail and poking around Fenner. The wind farm and all the various livestock farms up that way are quite interesting to see. ๐Ÿฎ It’s amazing what people can make from the earth ๐ŸŒŽ tillage and grass. ๐Ÿšœ God bless the grass.

Joe Biden is the president elect and I listened to his speech ๐ŸŽค๐Ÿ‘ด๐Ÿป. Honestly with socially distant drive in rally due to COVID-19 it sounded like it was held at the median of the Belt Parkway. ๐Ÿš˜ I get it but it’s weird to hear car horns at a political speech. I voted for Jo Jergenson but I think Biden will be a much better president than Trump. Biden has so much more experience, he listens to experts, and he’s a calming influence during the pandemic. ๐Ÿ‘พBut even if I felt differently, I don’t have much say in the presidency beyond a bubble I marked on the voting Scantron machine. ๐Ÿ–‹๏ธ I don’t do many political rally anymore – protests are fun but I’m not interested in defending any particular cause. ๐Ÿคœ

Maybe Trump to a certain extent was a good thing. ๐Ÿคฌ He tore down the old rules about obscenity, brought down the presidency in some ways to the people by replacing the class and decorum of the office with that of a cheap suit worn by Billy Fuscillo. ๐Ÿ•ด๏ธ He made politicians a lot more free on their social media and many ways elevated politics over bureaucary and decorum which had gotten awful stuffy ๐Ÿง for the modern era. I think it’s fine for the world to know the president poops ๐Ÿ’ฉ and tweets from his gold plated toilet ๐Ÿšฝ. His three justices he appointed in the Supreme Court will provide an effective check on the new administration. โš– No one party should be too powerful. ๐Ÿ›ข That farm I passed with the very well used and blacked with melted plastic all over them burn barrels had a big ol Trump flag out front. But as a farmer I’m sure he’s done more than most to conserve our earth ๐ŸŒŽ and probably doesn’t send much trash to the landfill. ๐Ÿ”ฅ

Tonight will be mostly clear ๐ŸŒƒ, with a low of 47 degrees at 6am. 13 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 27th. Southwest wind around 6 mph. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 23 degrees. The record low of 18 occurred back in 1971.

I don’t know it feels colder than that already, โ„ but truth be told it was so warm and sunny today that everything seems a lot colder then it is. But sitting the next to the campfire ๐Ÿ”ฅwith my vest and cowboy hat ๐Ÿค  it’s quite warm. I realize that there is so much I can’t change about the world today but I can continue to enjoy my own life free and work to save for a better tomorrow. ๐Ÿ’ต The politicians are going to do what they do but I can’t turn off the radio ๐Ÿ“ป and avoid the social media. ๐Ÿ“ฑ I don’t think I’ll ever own of those colored televisions ๐Ÿ“บ,

Tonight will have a Last Quarter ๐ŸŒ— Moon with 54% illuminated. The moon will rise at 10:33 pm. The Beaver ๐Ÿป Moon is on Monday, November 23. The darkest hour is at 11:47 pm, followed by dawn at 6:16 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:46 am in the east-southeast (112ยฐ) and last for 3 minutes and 9 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 16 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ The golden hour ends at 7:27 am with sun in the east-southeast (119ยฐ). Tonight will have 13 hours and 59 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 26 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 68 degrees at 2pm. 17 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 27th. Maximum dew point of 46 at 5pm. Light west wind. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 37 degrees. The record high of 75 was set in 1975. 1.7 inches of snow fell back in 1894.โ„

Tomorrow I have to take down camp โ›บ, officially by eleven o’clock when my three night tenancy expires. I will miss the wild Hill and Hollow country of Madison County ๐Ÿฎ but it’s not going away any time soon. I mean this was the exact same campsite I was at a decade ago. But with the mild weather โ˜€ I haven’t been able to enjoy the solitude that was the case a decade ago – people are enjoying the nice weather. Can’t blame them. Me too!

Central NY ๐Ÿ—ฝ is different than the Adirondacks or the Green Mountains but I like the agricultural landscape for a change. ๐Ÿฎ There are a lot of neat trails and scenic vistas out along this way. I honestly haven’t spent a lot of time out in Cazenovia area in years and the Trailway is quite nice. ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿป That said, Chittenango Falls was way too crowded but particularly the high country part of the Trailway was super quiet. ๐Ÿคซ I just wish more people would wear masks on the trail ๐Ÿ˜ท. Apparently social distancing isn’t as popular here. ๐Ÿ—ฃ๏ธ

Iysa beautiful landscape out here, and some day I want to live back out in the country ๐Ÿก๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿท but not one of those big fancy houses. More ramshackle like those often rundown farms I pass on by. There is something so beautiful about how nature grows back and works to take over everything – the abandoned homes and equipment, and just the mud and muck that can be found on every farm.

In four weeks on December 5 the sun will be setting in the west-southwest (239ยฐ) at 4:28 pm,๐ŸŒ„ which is 18 minutes and 45 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2019 on that day, we had mostly cloudy, snow showers and temperatures between 38 and 28 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 40 and 25 degrees. The record high of 65 degrees was set back in 2001.

I may do a December trip โ›บ but I don’t really know, as I expect soon for remote work ๐Ÿ’ป to be ending and I don’t have a lot of vacation time left at this point before the end of the year. I feel like the abnormally warm weather is soon to switch to be cold โ„ and snow ๐ŸŒจ. And once the roads are icy and snow covered, camping season is likely done for me unless I hot tent ๐ŸŽช locally as I’ve done some years during the holidays.

Looking ahead, Regular Deer Season in Southern Zone ๐ŸฆŒ is in 2 weeks, Small Business Saturday ๐Ÿ›๏ธ is in 3 weeks, Repeal of Prohibition Day ๐Ÿบ is in 4 weeks, Boxing Day ๐ŸฅŠ is in 7 weeks, Static Electric Shock Day ๐Ÿงผ is in 9 weeks, National Cheese Lovers Day ๐Ÿง€ is in 11 weeks, Save the Pine Bush Turns 43 ๐Ÿฆ‹ is in 13 weeks, 5:30 PM Sunset ๐ŸŒ† is in 15 weeks and Snow Moon ๐ŸŒ• is in 16 weeks.

September 26, 2020 Afternoon

Good afternoon! Mostly sunny and 71 degrees at the Indian Lake. There is a south breeze at 9 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 54 degrees.

Absolutely stunningly beautiful fall day. ๐Ÿ‚ I just got done hiking Watch Hill, and headed up to Indian Lake to upload some photos and hike Sawyer Mountain after lunch.โ›ฐ Then I will prboably head back to camp and read ๐Ÿ“– for a while, enjoying the nice breeze and colors from the hammock and then have a nice dinner before it gets too dark.

Hiking Watch Hill was fun but I wasn’t happy to discover I had no cell service up there. ๐Ÿ“ฒ That wasn’t so cool as I’m supposed by supervising staff that is working, but fortunately I received no work related emails or texts ๐Ÿ“จ during that time. I was planning to make sure I had good reception all weekend but that wasn’t to be. But I still had a very nice hike.

Been waking up early, ๐ŸŒ„ with the early sunsets and falling asleep after having a couple of beers.๐Ÿป I normally don’t drink much but with the nights as long as they are and things are so crazy lately, what’s a few beers at camp.

This afternoon will be sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 75 degrees at 4pm. Seven degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 10th. Maximum dew point of 56 at 6pm. South wind around 10 mph. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 69 degrees. The record high of 90 was set in 2017.

I thought about driving out to Cedar River Flow or Moose Plains, ๐Ÿšถbut I think I’ll just do Sawyer Mountain if it’s not too crowded. Otherwise I guess I will go up to Blue Mountain Lake and hike around Lake Durant and some of the North Country Placid Trail before heading back to camp down by Mason Lake. I am glad I did get a campsite on Thursday night, as by Friday I think they all were taken.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 12:49 pm with sun having an altitude of 44.7ยฐ from the due south horizon (-24.9ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 6.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 6:10 pm with the sun in the west (262ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west (269ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 6:48 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 57 seconds with dusk around 7:15 pm, which is one minute and 51 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous ๐ŸŒ” Moon in the south-southeast (149ยฐ) at an altitude of 19ยฐ from the horizon, 240,494 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 7:50 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ and temperatures around 69 degrees. The dew point will be 56 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 8 mph. Today will have 11 hours and 57 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 3 minutes over yesterday.

Tonight will have a slight chance of showers between 1am and 3am. Mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒง, with a low of 55 degrees at 4am. Eight degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 8th. Maximum dew point of 58 at 8pm. South wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2019, we had patches of fog in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 46 degrees. The record low of 24 occurred back in 1947.

As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until Northern Zone Regular Season ๐ŸฆŒ when the sun will be setting at 6:09 pm with dusk at 6:38 pm. On that day in 2019, we had rain and temperatures between 52 and 46 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 59 degrees. We hit a record high of 85 back in 1947.

Evening Colors

August 16, 2020 Morning

Good morning! Happy Sunday. Final day of vacation, plan to make the most of it. ๐Ÿ–๏ธ Summer not expected to last. Five weeks to Average High 70 ๐ŸŽ‘ . Partly cloudy and 73 degrees at the Watkins Glen State Park. โ›… There is a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 62 degrees.

The morning started out chilly ๐ŸŒค๏ธ but the clouds parted. I made up coffee โ˜• and finished up the muffins. ๐Ÿช I am surprisingly less hung over then expected, I had a few Genesee’s with dinner last night and they’re the kind of beer ๐Ÿป you drink when you are having more than one. ๐Ÿคฎ

Sat back, paused briefly then made a final video ๐Ÿ“น of my campsite. ๐Ÿ•๏ธ I find it hard to believe that I’ve been camping here for 8 nights and nine 9โƒฃ days, it seems like I just set things up yesterday. โŒ›I think camping here in one site all week made the time go by faster.

All packed up, site is clean ๐Ÿก and after visiting a few more places in the Finger Lakes it will be back home. ๐Ÿ›ฃ๏ธMy goal is to be home by dusk ๐ŸŒ†. I am not terribly worried about getting unpacked ๐Ÿ’ผ tonight although I’ll need to grab the cooler and empty that out โ„, grab my clothes ๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘–and unpack things like razors and toothbrush.

I am going to go for a swim ๐ŸŠ๐Ÿปโ€โ™‚๏ธ once the pool opens. I wanted to be here early in case the lot filled up with social distancing. Seneca Lake looked so calm this morning, I was tempted to go for a paddle but with things heating up โ˜€ the wind ๐Ÿƒ is picking up. This afternoon I want to explore Catharine Creek Marsh ๐Ÿฆ†some more wildlife observation ๐Ÿ”ญ this time with binoculars. I could go for a paddle later. ๐Ÿ›ถ I don’t know though time is limited but I made sure to leave the sleeping pad so I could get the kayak off my truck if choose. Then starting to head home, I want to visit Danby State Forest ๐ŸŒฒand check the overlook out there.

Today will be partly sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 81 degrees at 3pm. Typical for today. Maximum dew point of 62 at 10am. Southeast wind 6 to 8 mph. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning, which became thunderstorm by afternoon. It became sticky as the day progressed. The high last year was 81 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1936.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:13 pm with sun having an altitude of 61.2ยฐ from the due south horizon (-9.7ยฐ 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 7:30 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (283ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (289ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:08 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 3 seconds with dusk around 8:36 pm, which is one minute and 28 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:15 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies ๐ŸŒƒ and temperatures around 74 degrees. The dew point will be 61 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 50 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 32 seconds over yesterday.

I thought it was a pretty good week, โ˜บ with about the best weather one could hope for during these times. Everything was a bit off and the wood full of people during these times of social distancing. ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ‘งโ€๐Ÿ‘ฆIt’s really good that people are getting outside and enjoying nature but I do miss the solitude especially around Foster Pond – the nights ๐ŸŒŒstar gazing with no one else around. While my campsite was far back from the road and quite remote, every time I hiked in the woods it didn’t seem quite as quiet ๐Ÿคซ as years past. While I’d be pressed to say that I couldn’t find solitude but things just weren’t like years past.

The Finger Lakes are a very different place than the Adirondacks. ๐Ÿฎ๐ŸŒฑ๐ŸŒพ๐ŸŒฟ๐Ÿ•ธ๏ธ๐Ÿฆ‹๐Ÿท I think it’s a fun summer place, a lot lighter and more relaxing than the Adirondacks. ๐Ÿ—ป Everything in the Adirondacks is much more touristy, while the Finger Lakes are more rural and the gas stations โ›ฝ and groceries ๐Ÿ›’ aren’t so overpriced as they are up north. ๐Ÿ‘ƒ๐Ÿป The smell of the silage and grass, the gentle mooing of the cows is a nice change.

There are definitely a lot of places on my ๐Ÿ…ฑ๏ธ list I’ve gotten to see this week and enjoy that would have otherwise been overlooked. I think it’s good to think outside of the box ๐Ÿ—ƒ and look for new places to visit in the same general area I’ve been before but previously overlooked. ๐Ÿฆ

One of my annoyances that seems to be a problem all over this year is the amount of litter ๐Ÿšฎ dumped in the woods. Seems like this week there is a growing pile of trash ๐Ÿ—‘ dumped at Foster Pond, the same is true for the campsite on Backbone Trail. Now I’m not calling for more jack booted thugs ๐Ÿ‘ข to unsuccessfully patrol the woods and stop dumping but folks should be more responsible. ๐Ÿ‘ฎ You can’t stop ๐Ÿ›‘ people who want to dump trash when no one is looking.

Bring your gawd damn deposit cans back for the nickle. ๐Ÿ’ต Bring your aluminum foil, cans and glass home for the recycling bin โ™ป, it’s not that much trash if you smash it. Chances are your having a fire ๐Ÿ”ฅ so you can burn the rest of the largely burnable packaging ๐Ÿ“ฆ, just make sure to pack out anything that doesn’t fully become smoke or water vapor. And bury your poop ๐Ÿ’ฉ and toilet paper ๐Ÿšฝ deep in the woods. โšฐ๏ธ Personal responsibility not jack booted thugs. โ˜ ๏ธ

If people want to drink ๐Ÿป and have a little fun in the woods ๐Ÿคฃ then good for them. Public lands are for the publics use but they shouldn’t trash them. ๐ŸŒฒ๐ŸŒณ๐Ÿง”๐Ÿง”๐Ÿผ๐Ÿ‘ฑ๐Ÿพโ€โ™€๏ธ๐Ÿ‘ฑ๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธI had my fun but my campsite was cleaner than when I got there – I cleaned up abandoned fire pits, removed bottle caps and made sure things were generally more organized than when I got here.
โ€ผ๏ธ

I am hoping by next summer ๐Ÿ– things will be a bit quieter and back to normal. ๐Ÿ‘พ Been such an odd summer and while I’ve made the most of it I could see doing some things differently next year. ๐Ÿ’ญ I’d like to spend some time in Pennsylvania, maybe later this autumn. ๐Ÿ‚๐Ÿ Yeah, while New York rednecks are fun, Pennsylvania rednecks are more fun as they have more guns ๐Ÿ”ซ and everybody out in the country burns their trash and everything else that burns from brush piles to old mobile homes. ๐Ÿ”ฅ

Continuing to read that book about hog farming. ๐Ÿท There is a lot I didn’t know about pigs, ๐Ÿฝ they are kind of fascinating creatures. I figured start my summer reading program with cattle, then pigs and maybe then goats ๐Ÿ and chickens ๐Ÿ”. Pigs are a lot more accessible to a beginning homesteader than cattle ๐Ÿฎ plus they can do a lot to help restore rocky โ›ฐ๏ธ worn out soils as can often be found in areas with affordable acreage. ๐Ÿ’ฉ I’m sure that’s why North Country Off Grid makes pigs such a big part of his homestead in North Idaho. Plus bacon ๐Ÿฅ“.

I am thinking about getting a clip on telephoto lens ๐Ÿ”ญfor my smartphone ๐Ÿ“ฑ. I am quite happy with the quality of the photos ๐Ÿ“ธ my phone takes but I would like to be able to zoom ๐Ÿ”Ž in closer to wildlife. ๐Ÿฆ…๐Ÿฆ‰๐Ÿธ๐ŸฆThey aren’t really expensive either. ๐Ÿ–ผ

Tonight will have a chance of showers, mainly after midnight. Mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒง, with a low of 62 degrees at 5am. Two degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 61 at 7pm. South wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It became very sticky as the night progressed. It got down to 67 degrees. The record low of 40 occurred back in 1979.

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. Good day for walking in the marsh. ๐Ÿธ

In 1989, a solar flare from the Sun creates a geomagnetic storm that affects micro chips, ๐ŸŒžleading to a halt of all trading on Toronto’s stock market.๐Ÿ–ฅ๏ธ

Also, in 1993, Debian Linux is announced, ๐Ÿ’พit would become the basis of many forms of Linux like Ubuntu Linux, which is currently what I run on my home computer.

And in 1966, the House Un-American Activities Committee begins investigations of Americans who have aided the Viet Cong.๐Ÿ›๏ธ The committee intends to introduce legislation making these activities illegal. Anti-war demonstrators disrupt the meeting and 50 people are arrested.

Looking ahead, there are 5 weeks until Average High 70 ๐ŸŽ‘ when the sun will be setting at 7:07 pm with dusk at 7:35 pm. On that day in 2019, we had partly sunny, patches of fog and temperatures between 79 and 42 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 71 degrees. We hit a record high of 90 back in 1946.

Almost hit a fawn descending Denton Summit. Pressure wave hit fawn, collapsed on shoulder of road.

August 15, 2020 Evening

Good evening! Cloudy and 70 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. โ˜๏ธ There is a south-southeast breeze at 9 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 64 degrees. The skies will clear tomorrow around 5 am.

Final night of summer vacation. ๐ŸŒƒ All things have to come to an end. It’s been a very unusual year with the pandemic smoldering all around the world ๐ŸŒŽ but in some ways it inspired me to find new places to visit and new forms of socially distant recreation. ๐Ÿ˜ท Without the pandemic I might not have explored the Keuka Outlet Trail or the Catherine Valley Rail Trail or the Catherine Swamp WMA ๐Ÿธ and missed some really beautiful and wild country.

I don’t know how I had never driven or walked ๐Ÿค” Rock Cabin Road in Watkins Glen but it sure is beautiful. I wish I hadn’t left my binoculars in the truck as the marsh was full of wildlife ๐Ÿฆ† I wish I could have seen up close. It looks like there are some good paddling possibilities from the marsh but I didn’t have time with the threat of thunderstorm โ›ˆ and the sky getting dark. When I started to hear rumbles and looked at the radar I was concerned but if the weather was bad enough I could have probably thumbed ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿป a ride back to the truck or found a relatively safe low lying place in the marsh or along the road. But it sure was dusty. ๐ŸŒซ๏ธ

I had tuna fish ๐Ÿ  salad ๐Ÿฅ— for dinner with several beers to wash it down. ๐Ÿป I’ve used up most of the last of the cold food so I didn’t buy ice today. I doubt the mayonese or sliced cheese ๐Ÿง€ will go bad if it gets a bit warm by evening but if it does its not a big loss. ๐Ÿ”ฅ Had a nice roaring fire for a while but I’ve let it burn down by bed time. I tried to straighten up camp โ›บ for easier take down after spending nine days at this site. Returned a bunch of cans at Walmart this evening so I have a lot less trash to bring home and I got my deposit back and a fresh case of beer ๐Ÿป. I know I won’t be littering and my campsite super clean when I leave.

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9pm. Mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒง, with a low of 65 degrees at 5am. Five degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 64 at 6pm. South wind 5 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was humid. It got down to 63 degrees. The record low of 41 occurred back in 1972.

Tonight will have a Waining Crescent ๐ŸŒ˜ Moon with 12% illuminated. The darkest hour is at 1:13 am, followed by dawn at 5:46 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:16 am in the east-northeast (70ยฐ) and last for 3 minutes and 3 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 3 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ The golden hour ends at 6:55 am with sun in the east-northeast (77ยฐ). Tonight will have 10 hours and 8 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 32 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of showers. Mostly sunny ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 80 degrees at 3pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around August 18th. Maximum dew point of 64 at 8am. Southeast wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became rain by afternoon. It became humid as the day progressed. The high last year was 81 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1936.

I am glad that I had coffee โ˜• for tomorrow morning. I have to think that I’m an caffeine addict but I’m sure was much happier this morning with my cups of joe. I have muffins for tomorrow which will be good. โ˜บ

I am in no rush to get going tomorrow and packed up and heading home. ๐Ÿก It all will depend if it’s raining โ˜” come morning but I’m quite content to lay back in the hammock and read a bit before taking down camp and then doing some of the Taughannock Rim Trail before heading home. Still thinking about going through Marathon and taking NY 23 at least part of the way home. Summer vacation has to come to an end but there are always future trips or so I hope. ๐Ÿ– COVID-19 is real and out there, but I tried to stay safe while enjoying the Finger Lakes.

Then it’s back to work Monday ๐Ÿ‘จ๐Ÿปโ€๐Ÿซ but with remote work ๐Ÿ–ฅ๏ธ it’s either a matter of going down to the library parking lot or using my new phone to get done what needs to be done. All the signs point ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿป to a busy week next week but after my week off camping without cell service at camp I’m ready to make it happen.

I was looking and it seems like I need to renew my blog contract ๐Ÿ“œ come October. I’ll probably do it sooner than that and do the 3 or more years – whatever is the cheapest rate. ๐Ÿ’ต I like doing my blog and while I don’t make any money from it, really isn’t that expensive and it gives me an opportunity to think ๐Ÿค” and express my thoughts ๐Ÿ’ญ and experiences ๐ŸŒฒ๐ŸŒณ๐ŸŒฒ.

I saw another one of my colleagues bought a house ๐Ÿก. Nice mid-century modern house, probably in the more suburban part of the city. โ˜บ๏ธ Yeah, I’m a bit jealous but it’s certainly not may way of living. But I’m only a few steps behind him and if I keep saving and investing I’ll be closer to that goal ๐Ÿฅ…. Of course, I think if rather live somewhere surrounded by corn fields ๐ŸŒฝ or forest ๐ŸŒฒ, some place small without grid power ๐Ÿ”Œ where I can have fires ๐Ÿ”ฅ, shoot guns ๐Ÿ”ซ and live the good life without any neighbors to give a damn. With cheap taxes ๐Ÿ’ฐ, no special government permission to carry guns ๐Ÿค  or improve your land or run my hobby farm ๐Ÿ. Land in rural areas is a lot cheaper and freer – especially in other states but it’s hard to make a living in the rural countryside, ๐ŸŒฒ๐Ÿบ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฆ‹๐ŸŒฑ although maybe the pandemic and increased remote work is changing that. โŒจ๏ธ๐Ÿ–ฑ๏ธ

As Malvina Reynolds once sung, “Little Boxes made out of ticky tacky”. If that was my only choice, I’d choose my moldy apartment. ๐Ÿ˜๏ธ

While my hammock stinks tonight after getting wet today in the rain and the Martin’s Permethrin I applied earlier in the week being somewhat unlocked, I continue to be very happy ๐Ÿ˜Š with the replacement hammock I bought more than two years ago to replace the shitty Eno / LL Bean branded hammock that had bad carabiners and then only months later ripped and wouldn’t be warranted. ๐Ÿ˜ฏ While I got the LL Bean with credit card reward points ๐Ÿ’ณ, it was expensive and within a year was placed in the camp trash ๐Ÿ—‘ and ultimately burnt to a crisp. ๐Ÿ”ฅ The cheap Chinese replacement I got on Ebay for $15 has lasted more than two years now and is still in good shape. That said, I do like the Eno straps, I still use them today with the China hammock. ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ God bless those factory ๐Ÿญ slave workers who make quality inexpensive products.

In four weeks on September 12 the sun will be setting in the west (276ยฐ) at 7:22 pm,๐ŸŒ„ which is 46 minutes and 14 seconds earlier then today. In 2019 on that day, we had partly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 68 and 51 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 74 and 53 degrees. The record high of 94 degrees was set back in 1947.

Looking ahead, Average High is 60 ๐Ÿ‚ is in 2 months, Northern Zone Regular Season ๐ŸฆŒ is in 9 weeks, Halloween ๐ŸŽƒ and the Blue Moon ๐ŸŒ• is in 11 weeks, Small Business Saturday ๐Ÿ›๏ธ is in 15 weeks, Repeal of Prohibition Day ๐Ÿบ is in 16 weeks, Bill of Rights Day ๐Ÿ“œ is in 4 months, Boxing Day ๐ŸฅŠ is in 19 weeks, Static Electric Shock Day ๐Ÿงผ is in 21 weeks, National Cheese Lovers Day ๐Ÿง€ is in 23 weeks, Save the Pine Bush Turns 43 ๐Ÿฆ‹ is in 25 weeks, 5:30 PM Sunset ๐ŸŒ† is in 27 weeks and Snow Moon ๐ŸŒ• is in 28 weeks.

Sailboats Along Grand Isle

August 12, 2020 Evening

Good evening! Mostly clear and 73 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. There is a north breeze at 6 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. The dew point is 53 degrees. A very nice evening, might even want a long sleeved shirt ๐Ÿ‘š by morning. No fan tonight for me in the truck cap. โ˜ข๏ธ

I did everything that I planned today without feeling rushed. ๐Ÿ˜Š I too often feel like I am running ๐Ÿƒ from park to park ๐Ÿž on vacation and not taking time to relax. But this year with the pandemic smoldering in the background and an otherwise busy season with work I’ve been taking it slow and doing a lot of reading ๐Ÿ“– and relaxing ๐Ÿ› while still enjoying the Finger Lakes. I’ve limited the number of parks I plan to visit and are staying at the same campsite โ›บ with no cell service ๐Ÿ”• all eight nights to avoid set up and take down. After vacation, work is going to be non-stop as a supervisor, and I’ll be on call ๐Ÿ“ž virtually all the time through November.

Caywood Point was interesting to explore on Seneca Lake. ๐Ÿ›ฅ I bet it’s fun to camp dorm there on a very starry night. ๐ŸŒƒ Some folks had tents pitched right on the shoreline – I guess you don’t have to worry about the tide on a Finger Lake. Seemed like an interesting group of people who hang out there. I should think about going back there and do some fishing ๐ŸŽฃ off the dock or go for a swim ๐ŸŠ๐Ÿปโ€โ™‚๏ธ there.

I hiked part of the Catherine Valley Rail Trail ๐Ÿš‚ through the Catherine Marsh WMA aka Bad Indian Swamp. ๐ŸŒฟI am sure the later is disfavored as a name, with the preference today recalling Seneca Chief Catherine Montour, although to this day there are towns that recall the first and last name, so the natives are hardly forgotten. ๐Ÿธ๐Ÿฆ†๐Ÿ•Š๏ธ๐ŸŒ๐Ÿ๐Ÿข And I doubt the old name was referring to a Bad Indian, just that it was a large, thick area that was marshy and filled with reeds and difficult to pass until the Barge Canal and later the railroad tracks and NY 14 on the east shore. ๐ŸŒพThe swamp is largely reeds, probably the best views from the rail trail are of the Barge Canal. At least from the trail it didn’t stink of sewage. ๐Ÿ’ฉ

Then I went for a quick swim ๐ŸŠ๐Ÿปโ€โ™‚๏ธ at Watkins Glen State Park. Nobody was manning the toll booth so I didn’t have to show my Empire Passport ๐Ÿ›‚. But the pool was open and mostly empty and lead to a nice cool way to break up the evening and cool down.

I went to Tops and stocked up on some food. ๐Ÿฅฉ I bought some boneless chicken which I realized at camp was actually pork chops. ๐Ÿ– I have nothing against pork, it was good with the rice I bought, stuck in a nice hamburger role, washed down and with some beer ๐Ÿป. I also stopped at Glen Dairy Bar and got a large dish of soft ice cream ๐Ÿง dipped in peanut butter ๐Ÿฅœ. That was good.

Then before dark I went kayaking ๐Ÿ›ถ from the Watkins Glen boat launch. I was going to paddle up to Hector Point but on the way up there I was warned by another kayaker that the water was choppy once you got beyond the bend, and after paddling a few more minutes agreed it seems a bit rough and didn’t want to get caught on open water and ended up just paddling along the south end of the lake by Clute Park. ๐ŸŽฃ Had my fishing pole but the lake was so rough and the south end of the lake so shallow I decided it wasn’t worth it.

Got back to camp around eight, ๐Ÿ•๏ธ cooked up the pork chops ๐Ÿฅฉ and rice ๐Ÿš had dinner and started a fire ๐Ÿ”ฅ and laid back in the hammock. I forgot to buy coffee โ˜• today, I’ll have to get some tomorrow. Ice is not holding up well in the heat ๐ŸŒก๏ธ, I may need to get more at any rate tomorrow and can get coffee at the same time.

Tonight will be mostly clear ๐ŸŒƒ, with a low of 59 degrees at 3am. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around August 21st. Maximum dew point of 54 at 10pm. North wind 3 to 6 mph. In 2019, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became light rain by the early hours of the morning. It was sticky. It got down to 67 degrees. The record low of 43 occurred back in 1957.

Tonight will have a Last Quarter ๐ŸŒ— Moon with 37% illuminated. The Strugeon ๐Ÿก Moon is on Wednesday, August 26. The darkest hour is at 1:13 am, followed by dawn at 5:42 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:12 am in the east-northeast (69ยฐ) and last for 3 minutes and 5 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 3 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ„ The golden hour ends at 6:51 am with sun in the east-northeast (75ยฐ). Tonight will have 10 hours of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 28 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 82 degrees at 3pm. One degree above normal, which is similar to a typical day around August 9th. Maximum dew point of 57 at 5pm. Calm wind becoming northeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became cloudy by afternoon. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 81 degrees. The record high of 98 was set in 1947.

While I’m not totally sure and left the kayak on my truck, I am thinking tomorrow would be a good day for hiking. ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿฝ I am thinking about the Dresden – Penn Yann rail trail as I’ve never explored that part of the Finger Lakes and that was recommended to me on Facebook. Apparently this trail follows the old railroad grade in the gorge along the Penn Yann outlet. ๐Ÿž Sounds intreguing in my book but I should read up on it before making the trip in the morning.

I’ve been having a few problems uploading photos ๐Ÿ“ธ today, there was a glitch in my new phone uploader that I built but I think it’s working now. I still have to upload photos from kayaking ๐Ÿ›ถ this evening on Seneca Lake but that will have to wait until tomorrow when I have better cell service ๐Ÿ“ถ.

I was saddened to hear about the passing of Reszin Adams, ๐Ÿ˜” who has been called the alpha activist of Albany. Not only did she bake lasagna for every Pine Bush Dinner for 35 plus years, she was involved in everything from protesting the Vietnam War to Aprahid in South Africa.

I don’t know where things stand with the documentary ๐Ÿ“น I was working with Cynthia Pooler on her – we cut some n roll at her birthday party ๐ŸŽ‚ in February but when she pandemic hit everything kind of stopped except for video editing. I barely know how to use the camera but we did interview several people om Reszin. Definitely sad news for everybody in the Capital Region that cared about progress and change.

At least I got to know her a little bit more than Theresa Cooke, ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿผ the lady who confronted Erastus Corning and made a big difference in openness and change in the Albany County Democratic Machine.๐Ÿด I had met Cooke at Pine Bush dinners in her late years but never knew the difference she made in the 1970s. She just struck me as some kind of activist but I never asked any questions until I learned about her history upon her death.

In four weeks on September 9 the sun will be setting in the west (277ยฐ) at 7:27 pm,๐ŸŒ„ which is 45 minutes and 25 seconds earlier then today. In 2019 on that day, we had mostly sunny, patches of fog and temperatures between 73 and 49 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 75 and 54 degrees. The record high of 94 degrees was set back in 1959.

Looking ahead, National Dog Day ๐Ÿฉ is in 2 weeks, Corn Moon ๐ŸŒ• is in 3 weeks, SORRY NO NOT NATIONAL CORN DOG DAY, Columbus Day ๐Ÿ›ฅ๏ธ is in 2 months, Average High is 55 ๐Ÿ‚ is in 11 weeks, Day After Election Day ๐Ÿ›€ is in 12 weeks, Veterans Day ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ is in 13 weeks, Earliest Sunset of the Year โŒ›๏ธ is in 17 weeks, Tea Party Day ๐Ÿ is in 18 weeks, Festivus ๐Ÿ– is in 19 weeks, Bacon Day ๐Ÿฅ“ is in 20 weeks, Make Your Dream Come True Day ๐Ÿก is in 22 weeks, Inauguration Day โœ… is in 23 weeks, Clean Your Computer Day ๐Ÿงน is in 26 weeks and Presidents Day ๐Ÿ‘ด is in 27 weeks.

Clouds Hanging Low