Good morning! Happy Thursday. Well within the second half of vacation. Next Thursday is August 🌻. Next weekend after vacation if it’s hot I might go up to Piesco Powley Road as summer is rapidly running low. Mostly sunny and 63 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. Light breeze. The dew point is 51 degrees. Beautiful morning up here at Burnt Hill on the highest point between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes. Cows are mooing in the distance. 🐮 I’m going to miss the Finger Lakes but it’s time to move on.

Today will have a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 75 degrees at 4pm. Eight degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 8th. Maximum dew point of 57 at 6pm. Should be a real nice day. Calm wind becoming northwest 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. It was very sticky. The high last year was 84 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1963.

The first step for today is to visit the Sugar Hill Firetower 🗼 then head out west to maybe Letchworth State Park or maybe directly to camp in Allegany County. ⛺ I’m not really sure, depends on the time. Then Friday I’ll head out to Quaker Lake at Allegany State Park, overnight in the National Forest and then Saturday night camp outside of Wellsboro and explore the Pine Creek Gorge. Sunday I’ll head back home, stopping a few places along the way.

The sun will set at 8:34 pm with dusk around 9:06 pm, which is 58 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 71 degrees. The dew point will be 59 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 14 hours and 41 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 56 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 61 degrees at 4am. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around August 2nd. Maximum dew point of 59 at 8pm. Light and variable wind. In 2018, we had mostly clear skies. It was humid. It got down to 70 degrees. The record low of 46 occurred back in 1976.

On this day in 1965, Bob Dylan goes electric as he plugs in at the Newport Folk Festival, signaling a major change in folk and rock music. 🎶 The crowds boo and his. Not very respectful. In 1993, The Saint James Church massacre occurs in Kenilworth, Cape Town, South Africa. Liberals use it as an excuse to take away people’s gun rights in Australia, which weren’t protected by an active gun culture or second admendment like in America. Such a common story it seems, the second amendment is important come 2020.

It should be a pretty nice weekend to round out my vacation. 😎 Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 80. Southwest wind 7 to 10 mph. Maximum dew point of 63 at 10am. Sunday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 65 at 5pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 82 degrees.

As previously noted, next Thursday is August 🌻 when the sun will be setting at 8:26 pm with dusk at 8:58 pm. On that day in 2018, we had rain and temperatures between 80 and 70 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 82 degrees. We hit a record high of 101 back in 1933.

Good evening! Partly clear and 62 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. 🌃 Calm wind. The dew point is 56 degrees. Cool and clear for a change.

It was a decent day but cloudier and grayer then I would have hoped for part of the day. ☁ Did get a nice hike along the Burnt Hill, Gorge and Interlaken Trails although parts were muddy. Swimming wasn’t that great with the cloudy skies but so be it. 🏊 I spent about two hours at the Watkins Glen library working on the blog and Save the Pine Bush stuff.

I’m thinking about tomorrow staying on more night in the Finger Lakes but not at this campsite as you can see from the pictures, the driveway is a muddy mess. 🐽I figure I should let the land recover and if I do stay in the Finger Lakes another night, it will be at a different site. I’m not worried about getting my big jacked up truck stuck but I don’t want to tear it up anymore.

Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 56 degrees at 5am. Six degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 3rd. Yeap, Labor Day Weekend will come and go before you know it. Maximum dew point of 56 at 10pm. Light northwest wind. In 2018, we had mostly clear skies. It was sticky. It got down to 75 degrees. The record low of 45 occurred back in 1985.

Tonight will have a Last Quarter Moon with 49% illuminated with the moon rising at 12:03 am. 🌗The moon will set at 12:57 am. The Last Quarter Moon will be tonight with mostly clear skies. The Strugeon Moon 🌝 is on Wednesday, August 14th. The sun will rise at 5:51 am with the first light at 5:18 am, which is 57 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 9 hours and 15 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 52 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 3pm and 5pm. Mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 72 degrees at 2pm. 11 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 16th. Maximum dew point of 55 at 11am. Light northwest wind becoming north 6 to 11 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had rain in the morning, which became partly cloudy by afternoon. It was very sticky. The high last year was 89 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1941.

I’m really not sure about tomorrow. If it’s beautiful I’m all about staying another day in the Finger Lakes.💭 But if I wake up tomorrow and it doesn’t look good for swimming then I’ll head west. 72 degrees is pretty cold in my book for swimming especially if it’s cloudy and stormy like today. Often it seems like the wonderful forecasts are over predictions. 😐Although I wouldn’t mind seeing a good sunset tomorrow in the Finger Lakes like I could see if I camped on Matthew’s Hill. Beautiful sunsets up there, especially in the pasture to say nothing of the views of the stars ✨ and the wineries amd farms across Seneca Lake. That campsite didn’t look to muddy when I was up there yesterday, it’s not flooded like two years ago. Otherwise I could go out to one of the state forests in Allegany County tomorrow like I had planned and then Thursday drive up to Letchworth State Park and then maybe camp Thursday night at McCarthy Hill / Rock City in Salamanca and do the Allegany State Park Friday and Pine Creek Gorge on Saturday. On my way out, I’ll probably also hit up the Sugar Hill Firetower not because the views are that great but it’s pretty much on the way out to Hammondsport and all points west. 👓

In four weeks on August 20 the sun will be setting at 8:00 pm,🌄 which is 35 minutes and 36 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2018 on that day, we had partly sunny and temperatures between 80 and 60 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 80 and 60 degrees. The record high of 97 degrees was set back in 1937.

I lost my deodorant that I just replaced on Saturday so I bought more at Walmart today when I returned cans and bought groceries. I felt so stinky hiking without deodorant. I also bought milk 🐮 and ice and a summer sausage that appealed to me. No ice cream today as I was thinking I could get ice cream tomorrow 🍦if I stayed anl extra day in the Finger Lakes.

Looking ahead, World Mosquito Day 🐞 is in 4 weeks, Constitution Day 📜 is in 8 weeks, October 🛥 is in 10 weeks and Election Day 2020 🗳️ is in 67 weeks.

I’m feeling remarkably tired so I don’t know how much longer I’ll stay up.

Good evening! Rain and 64 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. ☔ There is a north breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 62 degrees. It’s been a rather rainy day, I spent a lot of time in truck cap. The skies will clear tomorrow around 9 am.

So it’s rained and rained some more today. 💦 I decided to hang out at camp today, doing some day drinking and laying back in the bed of the truck. It’s fun to be day drinking 🍻 while you glance at your email 📧 see how busy your colleagues are in the office. I also spent some time under the tarp in the hammock for a while too. I did make some lunch – a pork chop with some sauce and cheese. I also built a small fire 🔥 but I retired to bed of the truck soon thereafter as the rain picked up.

Tonight will have a slight chance of rain. Cloudy 🌧, with a low of 61 degrees at 1am. One degree below normal, which is similar to a typical night around August 2nd. Maximum dew point of 62 at 9pm. Northwest wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2018, we had partly cloudy skies in the evening, which became rain by the early hours of the morning. It became very sticky as the night progressed. It got down to 73 degrees. The record low of 45 occurred back in 1981.

Last night was pretty watching the Waning Gibbous Moon rise 🌖 and the bugs weren’t that bad for a change. The stars ✨ were nice until the moonlight and clouds crowded that out. You could also see the heat lightening from the storm some 80 miles south of here in Williamsport, Penna.

Tonight will have a Waning Gibbous Moon 🌖 with 59% illuminated with the moon rising at 11:39 pm. The moon will set at 11:57 am. The Last Quarter Moon will be tomorrow with mostly clear skies. The Strugeon Moon 🌝 is on Wednesday, August 14th. The sun will rise at 5:49 am with the first light at 5:16 am, which is 56 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 9 hours and 13 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 49 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of showers after 1pm. Partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 75 degrees at 4pm. Eight degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 8th. Maximum dew point of 61 at 6am. North wind 6 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Should be a great day if not a bit cool. Didn’t help that my sweater got wet in the tent today but I’ll hang it out and should dry with the low humidity. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. It was sticky. The high last year was 85 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1955.

I am not surprised but it looks like Robert Treman is closed tomorrow due to high rain levels leaving the gorge mucky and water levels too high for swimming. 🏊 Instead I’ll probably go to Watkins Glen pool tomorrow for a good portion of the day. I think I also want to watch the sunset from one of pastures up in the National Forest.

While it’s been fun out in the Finger Lakes, I look forward to getting further west in the state on Wednesday and down to Pennsylvania as I’m kind of bored with visiting and swimming in the same state parks. 🚙 It’s not really an adventure if you’ve done it a dozen times before.

In four weeks on August 19 the sun will be setting at 8:01 pm,🌄 which is 34 minutes and 56 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2018 on that day, we had partly sunny and temperatures between 80 and 66 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 80 and 60 degrees. The record high of 92 degrees was set back in 1899.

Looking ahead, Work Like a Dog Day 🐩 is in 2 weeks, Last Sunset After 8 PM 🌆 is in 3 weeks, National Dog Day 🐩 is in 5 weeks, Labor Day 👨‍🏭 is in 6 weeks, Autumn 🍂 is in 2 months and Columbus Day 🛥️ is in 11 weeks.

Good evening! Partly clear and 71 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. There is a west-northwest breeze at 5 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 62 degrees. It’s rapidly becoming a nicer evening, even a bit cool as the dew point is dropping as is the mercury. I doubt I’ll be running the fan much if at all tonight.

It was a fun day first hanging out at camp, laying back in the hammock under the deep blue skies and then making a nice breakfast. Then I kind of procrastined in securing camp 🔒 and getting firewood before heading out for the day.

I spent most of the afternoon at the pool 🏊 at Watkins Glen State Park until around six o’clock when the kicked everyone out because of a high reading of chlorine in the pool. Probably with so many people in the pool and less than expected evaporation, things got overdosed. Earlier in the day people mentioned a chlorine smell in the locker room but I did not notice it. My nose 👃 also was a bit sore, I’m wondering if it was irritated by the chlorine. But it was fine, I was already on my final swim of the evening and was going to get to shower 🚿 in before they closed and it got too late. The only thing that sucked is everybody was trying to get a shower at once in the end because everybody got out of the pool at once and the lifeguards highly recommended everyone take a shower as soon as possible to avoid skin irritation from the chlorine. It probably is just standard procedure when there is a technical violation of the chlorine standard.

I love the Adirondack chairs and the terrace above the swimming pool for sitting out in the sun ☀ up there but at 84 degrees the pool was uncomfortably warm and crowded. I think on Tuesday, my final day full day in the Finger Lakes, I might do Robert Treman one more time as Enfield Glen is so refreshing if not cold then end the day in Watkins Glen. Probably hike both glens too besides swimming. .

After I finally got a shower, I drove down to Glen Dairy Bar and got a large butternut soft ice cream sundae. I was pretty happy with it. 🍨They always have good ice cream. On Tuesday when I’m thinking I’ll get their hot apple pie sundae. 🍏 That’s also a very good treat. I then went Walmart and ended up turning over to Clute Park and watching the sunset. I also pulled over at Hector Falls and took a few pictures. I got the groceries and supplies I need so I can stay at camp tomorrow and just hike to Foster or Potomac Pond to do some fishing 🎣 on what should be the most cloudy and cool day of vacation.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 66 degrees at 2am. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 62 at 10pm. West wind 3 to 5 mph. In 2018, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It became sticky as the night progressed. It got down to 64 degrees. The record low of 47 occurred back in 1970.

Tonight will have a Waning Gibbous Moon 🌖 with 68% illuminated. The Last Quarter Moon is on Tuesday night with mostly clear skies. The Strugeon Moon 🌝 is on Wednesday, August 14th. The sun will rise at 5:48 am with the first light at 5:15 am, which is 56 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 9 hours and 12 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 46 seconds over last night.

In a little bit I’m going to hike back over to Foster Pond for some star gazing and hopefully to see the actual moon rising tonight. 🎑 It’s clearer than I had expected and I’m on vacation so I can hang out there as late as I want. Tomorrow isn’t going to be a real nice day so I might as well sleep on as late as possible.

Tomorrow will have showers likely, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after noon. 🌦 High of 70 degrees at 5pm. 13 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 21st. Kind of like the first day of autumn, although it’s always colder on the Finger Lakes. Maximum dew point of 66 at 6pm. 🏖️ Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 87 degrees. The record high of 102 was set in 1926.

As I previously mentioned, I am planning to stick around the Finger Lakes National Forest tomorrow, maybe doing some hiking and fishing 🎣. I get tired of driving all the time and I feel like the best way to get to know the land is at times to stay close to where you are camping. I should have plenty of power for tomorrow at camp even if the solar power is limited due to the clouds. ☁ I mean that’s the whole purpose of the extra battery 🔋 in the bed of my truck. I have the rest of the week with ample sun ☀ to recharge things. For a while when the sun was out I was getting 85 watts which over an hour is 85 watt hours. It might take a while to fully recharge things if I’m down 1.2 kWh combined capacity at 50% discharged but the sun shines more than one hour each day and I can always use the alternator when driving to make up some of difference. I’m hoping tomorrow won’t be a wash out but if it’s really wet I could hang a tarp or hide out in the tent or truck cap and might consider driving down to the Watkins Glen library to use the Wi-Fi. 📚

In four weeks on August 18 the sun will be setting at 8:03 pm,🌄 which is 34 minutes and 16 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2018 on that day, we had humid, partly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 77 and 68 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 80 and 60 degrees. The record high of 95 degrees was set back in 1913.

While getting my ice cream I passed one of the many long haul garbage trucks that go through Watkins Glen 🚮 delivering waste most likely to Ontario County Landfill on US 20 in Geneva or maybe Seneca Meadows. I know folks are out there doing political things to reduce waste but most of the time they are pretty silly like banning Styrofoam take out containers or plastic bags. Little is done about big picture things.💨 If anything, politics is used to make people feel virtuous and do little in their own lives. I look forward to when I have that off grid property and can take my own actions but for now I avoid eating out or being big into that comsimeristic thing. I don’t like politics when it becomes an excuse for people not to change their own lives. 💭

Looking ahead, State Fair Opens 🎡 is a month away, Sunset Before 7:30 PM 🌆 is in 6 weeks, Average High 70 🎑 is in 2 months, Autumn 🍂 is in 9 weeks and Average High is 60 🍂 is in 12 weeks.