The hardwood branches are bare. The green leaves of summer are brown and crunch under your feet. It’s dark at 5. Gone away, is the bluebird (our state bird) and most of our feathered friends but chickadees, nuthatches, blue jays and a few others stay and spend the winter with us. Jack Frost is nipping at your toes and folks are dressed like eskimos. And, the mosquitoes aren’t biting anymore. Our Upstate New York winter season is definitely on its way. Continue reading
Monthly Archives: November 2012
East Side of Canadice Lake – Nov 11, 2012 at 2:00PM
This Sunday we will be exploring the hill to the east of Canadice Lake within the Hemlock/Canadice state forest. We will meet at the northern entrance to the northern loop, about 0.5 miles south of Burch Hill Rd. These trails, which I believe were created for forest maintenance purposes and to allow foresters to thin out the Red Pine forest planted in the 30s, are available for hiking, biking and cross country skiing. The trails lead through forests with red and white pines and some oaks and maples mixed in. Expect to see some chickadees during the walk. Continue reading
Caladesi Island/North Clearwater Florida Beach Hike – Part I
Undeveloped pristine beaches still exist in Western Florida. One of my favorites is Caladesi Island, one of Florida’s State Parks. Caladesi Island is accessible by the Caladesi Island Ferry which you can ride from Honeymoon Island just off the Gulf coast of the Scottish community of Dunedin, just a little north of Clearwater. At low tide, Caledesi Island is also accessible from North Clearwater Beach, but plan your hike around a little point where Mangroves touch the Gulf waters and the tides. Continue reading
Sandy, an event to remember
Mac and Duffy were right. Dogs have a great sense of danger and, there have been many cases of them warning their masters of impending peril. So, superstorm Sandy has come and gone and, compared to what some other places got, we made out OK here. No flooding or power outages in our area and, the rain held up nicely Wednesday evening, so our kids could enjoy their Halloween.
A number of unusual factors combined to make Sandy the disaster that it was. It was heading north, out in the Atlantic, till it got to about the 40th parallel, when it made a sharp turn to the west. Usually, hurricanes, at that latitude, follow the prevailing winds and go northeast and harmlessly die when they get to the cold waters. When Sandy got to the 40th parallel, a stationary high over Greenland blocked and prevented it from proceding north or east, giving it no choice but to go west, into New Jersey. Once inland, it encountered a storm front from the west and a cold air mass from the north, creating the hellacious mess of snow, heavy rain and surge.
Hurricane winds blow in counterclockwise circles around the eye. Therefore, the ocean surge, often the most damaging part of the hurricane, is worst on the right side of the eye. Last year, although Irene landed close to New York City, its landing was to the north and east of it. The strong winds were pushing the water away from the city and so, the surge prone city was spared. This year, the Big Apple’s luck ran out. Although the eye’s landing was much further away, due to its huge swath, strong winds pushed water into the harbor and, combined with the full moon phase, created the record damaging surge at high tide, flooding the numerous tunnels in the rivers on both sides of lower Manhattan.
So, lets count our blessings and enjoy our hike in Letchworth. We know winter’s coming when it’s totally dark at 5 PM. Time to get out the snowshoes.