This autumn I am thinking about going back to West Virginia again.
One of my favorite places to camp is up in Canaan Heights on Forest Road 13 outside of Thomas.
There are some really nice, but small sites notched into the mountain laurel.
The mountain laurel is thick and grows all over in places up in the Cannan Heights.
But there are also some areas of open sods.
Sitting by the fire.
Taking in the beauty.
Definitely a nice place to explore.
Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! Two weeks to Labor Day Weekend Begins 👨🏭. Cloudy, humid and 65 degrees at the Elm Ave Park & Ride – CDTA. ☁ There is a south-southeast breeze at 9 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 62 degrees. I’m kind of dripping from the sweat 😰 walking down to the express bus. The skies will clear Sunday around 7 pm.
I went to bed early last night and got up early today 🌅 thinking I would finish packing and then hit up the grocery store and then head to the Adirondacks after work. 💭 Looking at the forecast this morning I changed my mind as Saturday doesn’t look great up north so instead I think I will get up early tomorrow and head north.
That way I’ll only be gone three nights so I expect the ice will last and I won’t have to worry about moving my campsite after three nights. ⛺ I don’t expect a lot of people up north tomorrow being it expected to be cloudy and mid August when few people vacation. This way too I can head up on Saturday morning when traffic is light, not have to set up gear in the darkness or buy firewood. Money is a bit tight so everywhere I can save a few bucks it helps.
It will be four days at the potholers through Tuesday cooling off 😎. Should be nice to lay back on the hammock with a cold one and a book 📙 and be off the grid for a few days. Have nice fires every night 🔥, listen to music 🎶 as loud as I want, maybe set up targets and shoot guns. 🎯 Basically just get away from it for a few days.
Today will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny ⛅ , 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 69 at 3pm. South wind around 9 mph. 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 partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. It was sticky. The high last year was 88 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1936.
The sun will set at 7:55 pm with dusk around 8:25 pm, which is one minute and 30 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 79 degrees. The dew point will be 68 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 51 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 35 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 68 degrees at 5am. Eight degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 69 at 6pm. South wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2018, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became light rain by the early hours of the morning. It was very sticky. It got down to 69 degrees. The record low of 40 occurred back in 1979.
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. Gotta buy your duck stamp if your hunting migratory birds.
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. I notice with my display that I built in my bedroom, sometimes in humid weather I have a lot of errors, although in the winter I have less. Not sure if that’s humidity causing shorts and bad connections or if its the lack of shielding on the wires.
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.
And in 1966, the House Un-American Activities Committee begins investigations of Americans who have aided the Viet Cong. 👺The committee intends to introduce legislation making these activities illegal. Anti-war demonstrators disrupt the meeting and 50 people are arrested.
Tomorrow will have a chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. Mostly cloudy 🌦, 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 72 at 1pm. South wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. It was sticky. The high last year was 86 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1913.
Looking ahead to Sunday, a slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Partly sunny, ☀ with a high near 86. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 70 at 8pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 81 degrees.
The plan is next weekend to stay in town. 🏡 But this weekend I’ll head north. I might take the Friday off before Memorial Day Weekend, although it depends if I can get coverage for my clients at work. I also want to take some time off in September and October plus the week before Columbus Day off. Labor Day Weekend I was originally planning on Piseco-Powley Road, but maybe I’ll do what I did last year with that campsite I really like on Jessup River Road or maybe I’ll head back to Vermont. Depends on the forecast.🏕
As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Labor Day Weekend Begins 👨🏭 when the sun will be setting at 7:32 pm with dusk at 8:01 pm. On that day in 2018, we had humid, partly sunny and temperatures between 82 and 62 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 78 degrees. We hit a record high of 98 back in 1953.
Good evening! Mostly clear and 55 degrees at the Burnt-Rossman State Forest. ☔ There is a west-northwest breeze occasionally reaching 9 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 49 degrees. A pretty nice evening maybe a bit cool but we are starting to get towards autumn and it’s expected to warm up more come Sunday.
Hiking Hunter Mountain was nice 🗼 and there are some really great views from the tower. As I noted earlier, the restored old Rangers Cabin is amazing and the view is great. A lot of people there but the Spruce Horse Trail was relatively quiet. It’s a nice hike from that direction especially figuring I’m a bit out of shape these days as I’ve not been doing as much walking 🚶 recently but I plan to do more in the coming weeks.
Then I enjoyed visiting Pratt Rock which despite spending so much time in the Northern Catskills ⛲ I had never visited. It’s a short but very steep and somewhat slippery – dangerous hike to the top but great views from the summit and the historic carvings are neat although the whole area is a bit shabby and could use some rehab and maybe some blazes on the trail and a hike map.
This morning I went out to breakfast 🍳 with the parents and didn’t have much packed so I didn’t get a real early start. I am a slow hiker and I spent a lot of time at Hunter Mountain overlook do by time I was off Pratt Rock it was after 7 pm with camp more than a half hour away so it was a bit of hurry to get up there but I got the campsite I wanted and had enough time to gather firewood before dark so it all worked out.
Tonight will have isolated showers before 10pm. Partly cloudy 🌃, with a low of 49 degrees at 4am. 12 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 22nd. West wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2018, we had partly cloudy skies in the evening, which became light rain by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 64 degrees. The record low of 46 occurred back in 1941.
It was cloudy and sprinkling a bit when I set up camp but it’s cleared up a bit now. ✨ Fair number of stars although the moon is blocking some out with its light. 🎑 Full moon isn’t that far off – next week. 🌕 Having a beer or two 🍻 and soon I’m going to retire to my truck for the night. 🌃 Didn’t do the hammock tonight because its a bit cool tonight and this site which was recently logged doesn’t have a lot of places to hang a hammock. I also wanted to keep camp simple as I want to sleep in tomorrow but have camp that’s relatively easy to take down so I have time to fish 🐠 before heading to Mine Kill to swim. 🏊
Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous Moon 🌔 with 89% illuminated. The moon will set at 2:13 am. The 🌕 is on Wednesday night with partly cloudy skies. The sun will rise at 6:00 am with the first light at 5:29 am, which is one minute and 4 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 9 hours and 55 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 25 seconds over last night.
Tomorrow will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 73 degrees at 3pm. Eight degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 13th. Maximum dew point of 55 at 6pm. Northwest wind 7 to 10 mph. Might actually be a bit cool tomorrow at Mine Kill State Park. 🏊 Good though for hiking. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. It was humid. The high last year was 71 degrees. The record high of 98 was set in 1944.
In four weeks on September 7 the sun will be setting at 7:21 pm,🌄 which is 44 minutes and 42 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2018 on that day, we had partly sunny and temperatures between 77 and 63 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 76 and 55 degrees. The record high of 96 degrees was set back in 1945.
If I had known how cloudy today would have been I’d probably stay home 🏡 but I enjoyed Hunter and Pratt Rock regardless. Summer is rapidly fading away so I should maximize it before it’s gone. 😔 It was kind of fun to drive through Greenville and Durham again but it kind of saddens me how much it’s changed in two decades and maybe how much I’ve changed. Every time I visit my old hometown I feel like Rip Van Winkle. 👴 The are so beautiful overlooking the hick town I grew up in. Unfortunately the world 🌍 of my childhood no longer exists. Maybe I should stop by the old Town Park and watch the ducks from the gazebo as I once did years ago at lunch.
I do like the small towns and the rural poor at least by the economic standards of the urban elite. I really like the dirty life, the hobby farmer in the trailer or rundown house. 🏡 It’s so much better of a life than the surburbanite life with the vinyl siding and perfect chemical treated lawn. Poor people don’t waste as much as the comfortable surburbanite.
Looking ahead, Average High Falls To 79 ️Degrees ⛱️️️ is in 2 weeks and Average High 70 🎑 is in 6 weeks.
In Pennsylvania, state law allows rural households to burn “domestic refuse” unless prohibited by the local townships. 🔥Many small towns look the other way, and plenty of small farms and homesteads burn their trash – everything they throw away – except maybe food waste that they compost and metals and glass which they either take to the landfill or the transfer station for in some cases for recycling once a year or so.🚮
It actually works pretty good and saves the rural homesteads money while keeping garbage out of the landfill.🏡 I’ve burned garbage over the years, composting, and saving recycling metals and glass aren’t rocket science. Burn barrels, while smelly and somewhat toxic, have proven a solid way of rural households to dispose of most of their ordinary household trash. Trash disposal in country isn’t a big deal if you have land, and can burn most of it.🔥 Many if not most homesteaders and farmers in states that allow open burning do so, despite the smell and the sometimes noxious compounds released.
And it can and does smell bad, especially when people burn it in barrels without additional fuel. I had actually forgotten how pungent it can be driving through small town Pennsylvania on a warm summer night with smoldering trash barrel out back. The smell of polystyrene breaking down in a smoldering fire is particularly pungent. ☁Makes me think when I own my off-grid home I’ll probably want to have garbage cans, save the garbage then build a hot fire and burn what I can without as many noxious fumes.
I do like fire and I do like the idea of living without expensive trash pick up,💸 limiting my landfill disposal to a small bag every year, 🚮burning and comparing the bulk of it. Maybe even getting money rather than paying money 💵 for my aluminum cans and tin cans at a scrap yard. ♻ I’m not that worried about pollution in the kind of rural area that I eventually want to live in. More power to the Pennsylvania redneck that burns! 💪🔥
Good afternoon! Clouds, a few sprinkles and a little sun and 60 degrees here on the Hunter Mountain overlook of the West Kill Valley. 🌦 There is a west-northwest breeze at 15 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 49 degrees. The skies will clear around 4 pm. I’m waiting for it, hoping to get better pictures and videos. 😩
This afternoon will have a slight chance of showers. Partly sunny 🌦, with a high of 60 degrees at 2pm. 21 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around October 15th. Maximum dew point of 49 at 2pm. Northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. It was humid. The high last year was 82 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1949.
I decided today to hike up to Hunter Mountain along the West Kill trail. 🚶 Later on I plan to see Pratts Rocks in Prattsville and then head up to Burnt Rossman. ⛺ Tomorrow I’ll do some fishing 🎣 in Looking Glass Pond and hit up the farm stands in the Schoharie Valley and then swim 🏊 in Mine Kill State Park.
I fully admit if I was a responsible adult I would have gone to the Save the Pine Bush organizational meeting 🌲and stayed in town to save gas on my limited budget. But summer is rapidly fading away and I wanted to get out of town before its done and I’m sure rainy weekends aren’t that far off. ☔ I don’t feel that guilty though, I’ve spent more time on that map and researching things over the past few weeks than anything else I’ve been doing.
The sun will set at 8:04 pm with dusk around 8:35 pm, which is one minute and 21 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 54 degrees. The dew point will be 47 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 15 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 4 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 23 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌤, with a low of 47 degrees at 4am. 14 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 26th. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph. In 2018, we had partly cloudy skies in the evening, which became light rain by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 64 degrees. The record low of 46 occurred back in 1941.
Driving through Greenville and stopping at the grocery store 🏬 I had forgotten what a hick town I grew up in. Fun place although I don’t know if I’d ever want to go back now with all the gun restrictions 🔫 and regulations today on open burning 🔥 – and I was surprised how expensive things were at the store. But then again in Albany I mostly shop for things on sale at Walmart. I do like the small towns and spend most of my vacation time there but its still cultural shock to go back to the community I haven’t been in regularly for going on two decades now. I’ve worked in other hick towns but the hometown is strange. The girls at the grocery store with their Irish red hair are very cute. 😍 But as I like to say, their husbands own more guns than me. Fit in well with my big jacked up truck 🚚 though. That said, I can’t see moving back to the country until I can live in a place where I can have fires and burn whatever I want on my own land. 🚜 More on that later.
I forgot how popular the Catskills are these days 🗻 but they sure are beautiful. I should do some more Catskill peaks this fall, maybe truck cap camping in Schoharie or just do day trips. I’ve been taking a lot of pictures but mostly on my 35mm camera 📷 so it will have to wait for posting until Sunday or Monday. I’m also making a ton of videos. Fortunately, despite hitting a lot of traffic around the fire tower 🗼 the ledge I’m on is relatively quiet and has nice views when you peer over the tree line. 🌲🌲🌲🌲Sun is coming out ☀ and I’m lazy so I’m procrastinating a bit but I should hurry up so I also have time to see Pratts Rocks.
As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Average High Falls To 79 ️Degrees ⛱️️️ when the sun will be setting at 7:43 pm with dusk at 8:12 pm. On that day in 2018, we had sunny and temperatures between 85 and 57 degrees. 🌻 We hit a record high of 95 back in 1947.
Good evening! Clear and 77 degrees taking the CDTA Route 18. Calm wind. The dew point is 60 degrees.
I’m talking the bus home, 🚍 noticing how much earlier the sun sets now that we are into August. Depending how late I get up to the Adirondacks tomorrow I may want to buy firewood on the way up there. 🔥
Super tired after all those late nights working on Pine Bush stuff. 🌲It’s really been consuming a lot of my free time outside of work so I haven’t done much on the blog lately, and I’ve been up after eleven most nights. It’s all the had habits I got in during vacation.
Once I get home I’ll have a quick dinner, load the kayak up and pack my camping gear. ⛺ Shouldn’t be a a big deal, it’s just a weekend up north. I will need to stop for a few supplies ok the way up on Friday night but shouldn’t be a big deal.
Tonight will be clear 🌃, with a low of 59 degrees at 4am. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around August 21st. Maximum dew point of 60 at 8pm. Calm wind. Good sleeping 😴 weather which I really need. 🌲In 2018, we had light rain in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was sticky. It got down to 74 degrees. The record low of 45 occurred back in 1976.
Tonight will have a Waxing Crescent Moon 🌒 with 5% illuminated. The moon will rise at 7:24 am. The First Quarter Moon is on Tuesday night with a chance of t-storms then chance of showers. The Strugeon Moon 🌝 is on Wednesday, August 14th. The sun will rise at 5:47 am with the first light at 5:15 am, which is one minute and one second later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 9 hours and 33 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 13 seconds over last night.
Tomorrow will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 84 degrees at 3pm. Two degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 58 at 4pm. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. It was very sticky. The high last year was 86 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1975.
Made more progress on John Wolcott papers. 📄 It’s always a nice walk over there after work 🚶 when it’s not too hot. Some of the stuff is really interesting and a lot less so.
Checked out what the dental filing involves. 😁I guess it’s not going to be that expensive with insurance, but I should make sure to brush my teeth more carefully in the back going forward. I’d think with all the milk I drink 🐮 and the fact that I don’t eat sweets regularly it wouldn’t be a problem but I guess it’s part of getting old. I do need to try to floss more too. It might be a little painful but it’s only an hour.
In four weeks on August 29 the sun will be setting at 7:34 pm,🌄 which is 40 minutes and 56 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2018 on that day, we had rain and temperatures between 96 and 74 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 78 and 58 degrees. The record high of 96 degrees was set back in 2018.
Looking ahead, Sunset Before 7:30 PM 🌆 is a month away, October 🛥 is in 2 months and Last Sunset After 7 PM 🌆 is in 9 weeks.
Good morning! Vacation has come around Monday’s come back around again. Wednesday morning I get my teeth cleaned. Next Monday is Work Like a Dog Day 🐩. Although because I’ve been gone for a week I wouldn’t be surprised if this week will be a work like a dog day. 🐶 Partly sunny ☀ and 72 degrees at the Valero. Calm wind. The dew point is 67 degrees. We have a big stretch of hot and humid weather coming up this week. The muggy weather ends Thursday around 11 am. 😓
So it’s back to work today, 💼 which is good because work buys beer, guns, ammunition and all things fun including eventually owning my own where I can have fires 🔥 ride four wheelers, shoot guns 🔫 and drink beer every night. 🍻 They sure like their fires in Western Pennsylvania redneck country. It’s a good life. I do wish I spent more time in Allegany County NY and Pennsylvania on vacation. Oil country has a distinctive smell from the crude oil to the cow manure and silage to good old fashioned smoldering trash burn barrels.
Today will have isolated showers and thunderstorms after 1pm as it’s going to be hot and humid. ⚡ Otherwise sunny 🌞, with a high of 89 degrees at 4pm. Seven degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 70 at 11am. Southwest wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 81 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1894.
This evening it’s back to the routine – of working on the Save the Pine Bush project 🌲and then Thursday night its over to John Wolcott house. 📰📑🔎. I also have to go shopping for supplies, especially toilet paper 🚽 and maybe some food. I might also have to replace my headphones 🎧which are finally starting to fall apart after like eight months of heavy use. I’m tough on shit like that.
The sun will set at 8:18 pm with dusk around 8:50 pm, which is one minute and 5 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, watch out for thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 80 degrees. The dew point will be 69 degrees. There will be a southwest breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 33 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 6 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will have isolated showers and thunderstorms before 9pm. Partly cloudy 🌤, with a low of 70 degrees at 3am. Eight degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 69 at 8pm. South wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2018, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 60 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1968.
A picture perfect weekend on tap. 😎 Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Maximum dew point of 66 at 4pm. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Maximum dew point of 64 at 11am. Typical average high for the weekend is 82 degrees.
I am leaning towards going up to the Potholers and Piseco Powley Road this weekend. ⛺ Suprisingly enough I haven’t been up there yet this year. It looks like it will be a hot and sunny summer weekend and there is no guarantee that there are an unlimited amount of them left before autumn rolls around. I mean in a month, the sun will be setting at around 7:30 and the average high will be in the upper 70s.
As previously noted, next Monday is Work Like a Dog Day 🐩 when the sun will be setting at 8:10 pm with dusk at 8:41 pm. On that day in 2018, we had hot, humid, sunny, patches of fog and temperatures between 90 and 63 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 82 degrees. We hit a record high of 99 back in 1955.
