Bolt Hole Report, January 21, 2010

I thoroughly enjoyed the ride up today. The lack of snow on the vineyards on the west shores of Seneca Lake surprised me a little. I thought I would encounter deeper snow falls as I moved north. That was not the case. In most places, bare ground was predominant. It wasn't until I reached the NYS Thruway and headed east toward Syracuse that more and more snow could be found. Even that thinned considerably as I passed Syracuse (America's Snowiest City) and headed toward Utica. The Mohawk Valley's western end was almost snow free. That again changed as I turned north from Utica and climbed up onto the southern edge of the Tug Hill Plateau and entered the Adirondack Park. Snow piled up along the sides of the road where the plows had pushed it to a height of maybe two feet. Still far less than I would have expected. Then again, February and March lay ahead and snow can really pile up during those two months.

Arriving at the Bolt Hole, I found someone (Mark?) had cleared an area from the gate to the house so I could drive right up to the door. They had also cleared the snow from in front of the door where it usually buries the steps. That made entry into the cabin exceptionally easy.

The sun shining brightly had helped warm the family/living room to a comfortable 40+ degrees even though it was just 30 degrees outside. It (the sun) didn't help much in the kitchen where the shade form the fir trees and the recess from the front porch keep even the winter sun, low as it is, from shining through the front windows. It was only 35 in there. Tonight it's supposed to drop down to around 10 degrees before rebounding to the 30s again tomorrow.

As soon as I had my jug of water and overnight bag in the cabin, I lit the stoves and stoked the fires until they were roaring. I've now got it up to a comfortable 61 in the kitchen where I'm sitting at the lap top while sipping a hot cocoa (with marshmallows).

I'd estimate the snow in the yard to be in the one to one-and-a-half foot range. It's probably a little deeper out in the woods. I'll find out tomorrow as I take a stroll around.

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I spotted many hawks perched in the trees or even on the wires along the highways as I drove up. With only quick glances, I assume that 90% of them were Red-Tailed Hawks. What the rest were, I haven't a clue. I did witness one that met its demise on the thruway. It attempted to take off from the grass on the shoulder and fly across the road in front of an 18 wheeler. Not a smart move as the air draft around the rig pulled it into the trucks grill and sent it pinwheeling onto the median.