Day: November 21, 2020

Good evening! Partly clear and 39 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a north-northwest breeze at 7 mph. . Temperatures will drop below freezing at tomorrow around 1 am.

It turned out to be a nice starry night. After my evening I sat out back for a while. Its only about forty degrees out but with a coat it’s not too bad. I kind of wish I had gone up to the Adirondacks for the weekend.

Lots of friends and colleagues are posting pictures of the deer they harvested on the first day of rifle season. Basically that one day accounts for 2/3rds of the state’s deer harvest. I’ve always just done small game although this year I didn’t get a license as I was busy with work and then it was so hot that one weekend I was up in the woods. Eventually when I own my own land. I’ll also hire a guide and really learn what I’m doing first and then invest serious time in a tree stand. Folks who have harvest a nice buck on opening day often spend weeks if not months studying and observing the land from their stand, zeroing in their rifles, looking at aerial photos and maps. That said, having your own land to hunt is a big benefit – public lands hunting sucks when your looking off a ridge and can spot two other hunters from your vantage point.

Hiking the Pine Bush was nice but it was so busy. I probably should have hiked after the press conference after dark but I wanted to do some hiking. Almost every parking spot at the Discovery Center was packed. So many people on the trails. The only place more packed then the Discovery Center Trails was the mall. Yucky. A crowded Crossgates Maul during the pandemic. Saw two bow hunters there. I was kind of surprised as I thought most bow hunters would put their bow away for the first day of rifle in other parts of the county but maybe they figured the orange army would drive the deer into the Pine Bush.

Save the Pine Bush got a big victory by that judge ruling over the neighbors case over the SEQRA process over the Costco and apartment complex in the Pine Bush. While I’m sure the ruling will be appealed and Save the Pine Bush must continue on its fight it buys the area time from being developed.

Tonight will be partly clear , with a low of 27 degrees at 6am. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around November 30th. North wind 5 to 7 mph. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 33 degrees. The record low of 8 occurred back in 2018.

This weekend turned out nicer than I expected and I kind of wish I could have rounded out this calendar year of camping with 60 nights but I’ll make it there God willing before 2021. Still five more weekends left in the year. With the pandemic and remote work I’ve spent more time camping and nights in the woods then ever before. Some places got overused and there was some abuse of some places but there is still a lot of great wild country out there.

Tonight will have a First Quarter Moon with 49% illuminated. At 10 PM, the moon was in the west-southwest (237°) at an altitude of 9° from the horizon, some 243,515 miles away from where you are looking up from the earth. Quite a nice moon under star lit skies. At the state speed limit of 55 mph, you’ll make it there by May 25^th. Buckle up for safety! The moon will set in the west-southwest (248°) at 10:59 pm. The Full Moon is on Monday, November 30. The darkest hour is at 11:42 pm, followed by dawn at 6:25 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:56 am in the east-southeast (117°) and last for 3 minutes and 16 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 12 seconds later than yesterday. The golden hour ends at 7:39 am with sun in the southeast (125°). Tonight will have 14 hours and 28 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 54 seconds over last night.

No sleeping pills left for tonight but with the red light in my bedroom and sitting out back earlier I hope I’ll sleep okay. I’m going to buy more pills the next time I’m at Walmart – get the big jar that will last a long time.

Tomorrow will have a chance of rain, mainly after 4pm. Increasing clouds , with a high of 39 degrees at 1pm. Six degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around December 6th. North wind 5 to 8 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning, which became mostly clear by afternoon. The high last year was 48 degrees. The record high of 70 was set in 1931. 9.1 inches of snow fell back in 1943.

In four weeks on December 19 the sun will be setting in the west-southwest (238°) at 4:24 pm, which is 3 minutes and 33 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2019 on that day, we had cold weather with mostly sunny skies and temperatures between 18 and 6 degrees. I remember going out for a walk on that cold winter day. Typically, you have temperatures between 35 and 20 degrees. The record high of 54 degrees was set back in 1895.