June 19, 2017 Night

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Good evening! Damp and somewhat foggy, 69 degrees in Delmar. Calm wind. The dew point is 68 degrees. We are nearly 95% humidity. You don’t get much more water in the air then now. But the humidity is expected to drop through the night. The skies will clear tomorrow around 7 am.

Catching the 10:30 PM bus home tonight. It was a pretty long day at work today, and tomorrow is expected to be longer. But so goes the game. Session should be over by the end of the week. I sometimes work long hours but I’m decently compensated for my work now that I have ten years of experience.

I probably will end up driving in tomorrow, but I got to think about it some more. I don’t know how late tomorrow will be. I hate having to drive in, find a parking spot then drive home so tired. I think come next year, I’ll just take the bus in on all session days, and if I’m at work really late, I’ll just take an Uber or Lyft home. It might cost $20, but the thing is it beats driving home half asleep and hitting a deer, and paying $250 insurance deductible — or even getting pulled over and a ticket for drowsy driving. Those five hour energy shots helps but if I have to get up early the next morning, that’s really problematic. They’re really is only six hours between 11:30 and 5:55 at night when the busses don’t run. I love how much transit is in the neighborhood I live in. I hate driving my Big Jacked Up Truck in the city.

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 4am. Patchy fog before 4am, then patchy fog after 5am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low of 65 degrees at 5am. Seven degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 68 at 10pm. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2016, it got down to 64 degrees with partly cloudy skies. The record low of 43 occurred back in 1918.

Waning Crescent Moon tonight with 29% illuminated. The moon will rise around 2:00 am. The New Moon is on Saturday night with chance of t-storms then mostly cloudy expected. The Full “Buck” Moon is on Sunday, July 9th. The sun will rise at 5:16 am with the first light at 4:42 am, which is 11 seconds later than yesterday. Tonight will have 8 hours and 40 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 4 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 1pm and 4pm. Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high of 82 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 63 at 7am. Generally much less humid then this past few days. Much more blue skies too.  Southwest wind 7 to 14 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 and a high of 91 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1953.

An almost picture perfect weekend on tap. Saturday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 66 at 6am. A bit humid but if I’m thinking about being a beach bum a good part of Saturday that is nice. Sunday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 79. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Maximum dew point of 62 at 7pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 80 degrees.

With that forecast I will most likely go to Schoharie County for the weekend. Probably just one night camping, hit up the pool both nights, maybe stop at the farm stands and get fresh strawberries, do some fishing and lots of time at the Mine Kill Pool. 

I’ve ordered the camp stove oven, so I can hopefully try that out next weekend with some Grands Biscuits or maybe pigs in a blanket for breakfast. That way I’ll get better at judging temperature settings. Then I’ll try baking corn bread and other treats during Independence Day Weekend at Moose River Plains. 

Still want to get a car charger for my laptop. They make them, but I can’t find one for my specific model of HP Laptop. Maybe it’s too new, I have to research more. I have cigarette lighter ports that run off the accessory battery and the laptop charging off a simple boost converter will be vastly more efficient at charging then an AC household adapter running off the inverter. Plus then I’ll have a charger dedicated exclusively for use in my truck. I may put it on the same switched  outlet as my CB radio so I don’t accidentally leave it plugged in and discharging my accessory battery when camping. I just got to find a charger that works with my laptop. Hopefully by my summer trip to the Finger Lakes. 

In four weeks on July 17 the sun will be setting at 8:29 pm, which is 7 minutes and 3 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2016 on that day, we had thunderstorm, thunderstorm rain, rain, mostly cloudy skies and temperatures between 85 and 66 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 83 and 62 degrees. The record high of 99 degrees was set back in 1900.

Looking ahead, Mutts Day is in 6 weeks, Strugeon Moon is in 7 weeks, Labor Day is in 11 weeks, September 11th is in 12 weeks, More Night Then Day in Albany is in 14 weeks, Columbus Day is in 16 weeks, Christmas is in 27 weeks, January 1, 2018 is in 28 weeks and 35th Birthday is in 32 weeks.

First Weekend of Summer Pictures

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This photo slideshow, narrated by myself, discusses some of the places I've explored over the years during the first week of summer.

Not Your Grandfather’s Cabin Tents

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Glamping at Boreas Ponds: Not Your Grandfather’s Cabin Tents

"A key adjective in the current hut proposal is the word “temporary.” By this, we are to assume that whatever glamping structures are erected at Boreas Ponds will be removed every year on the shoulder seasons, thereby sidestepping the constitutional barrier that defeated Porter-Brereton. The 1932 proposal would have opened the door for permanent buildings, but a yurt or canvas tent can be put up or taken down as needed. “Temporary.”

"The state employees who are receptive to this idea will tell you as much, citing the fall hunting camp tradition as precedent. Every year, people routinely secure DEC permits to put up seasonal camping structures on state land, ranging from canvas cabin tents to parked trailers — enclosed structures that may remain in place for weeks or even months. If these temporary structures are permitted, then what can possibly be the objection to other temporary structures for summer use?"

"For starters, there is a difference between a warm tent put up every November for someone’s personal use, versus a tent put up on public land for commercial purposes. Because to be clear, the “luxury camping” envisioned by state officials and ACTLS is not the first-come walk-up convenience of a lean-to, but a curated camping service for which people will pay to stay. This already seems to run afoul of DEC’s regulations, which explicitly state that “use of State lands or any structures or improvements thereon for private revenue or commercial purposes is prohibited,” with certain exceptions."

"But the “temporary” nature of these proposed structures is also highly doubtful. Brendan Wiltse, my colleague at Adirondack Wilderness Advocates, was also the Johns Brook Property Coordinator at ADK for several years. During that time he became very familiar with the requirements of managing a backcountry, off-the-grid enterprise. In his experience, health regulations would likely make it impossible to provide “temporary” conveniences, because of the significant investment in infrastructure and maintenance."

Rick Perry Denies Climate Change Role of CO2

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Rick Perry Denies Climate Change Role of CO2

"Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Monday he does not believe carbon dioxide emissions are the main driver of the earth's record-setting warming, a core finding of climate science. Instead, Perry said, the driver is most likely "the ocean waters and this environment that we live in."

"Perry became the second of President Donald Trump's cabinet members to go on television to publicly dismiss the importance of CO2 in global warming, ignoring the scientific evidence. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt rejected its role in answer to essentially the same question in March, also on CNBC's "Squawk Box."