A balmy high of 26F and a fresh five inches of powdery snow made perfect skiing conditions. Sunny with cotton wools clouds sailing across the horizon.
Daily Catskills: 02/28/19
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Monthly Archives: February 2019
Daily Catskills: 02/26/18
More face-freezing on the peaks: 17F for most of the day with a bitter wind pushing skiers around on the slopes. Some sunshine peeking through the clouds.
Daily Catskills: 02/25/19
Strong squalls whip up the dusty top layer of snow into small, swirling tornados that race across the frozen fields. A high of barely 30F, while most of the day sinks into the depths of frigidity somewhere around 20F.
Catskills Conversations: Dr Joanne Polk, co-founder of Manhattan in the Mountains
A podcast of my interview with Dr Joanne Polk, classical pianist and Grammy award-winner, on WIOX Radio in November of last year. Since graduating from Juilliard, Joanne has spent most of her career and post-graduate studies focusing on female composers like Clara Schumann, Amy Beach, for which she won the Grammy in 2007, Fanny Mendelsohn, Cecile Chaminade and Judith Lang Zaimont.
Joanne is co-founder of Manhattan in the Mountains, a monthly three-week music festival in the Catskills’ Hunter Mountain starting on July 28th, 2019, consisting of master classes and lectures that culminates in a series of concerts open to the public.
Daily Catskills: 02/23/19
Sun striving through a veil of cloud and a high of 35F.
Daily Catskills: 02/20/19
Perfect powder on the ski-mountains shrouded in swirling snowy clouds and low-hanging mist. Late afternoon snow and a high of 25F.
Daily Catskills: 02/19/19
Face-numbing 12F at 8am rising to 27F by mid-afternoon. Bright sunshine and fresh powder on the slopes after yesterday’s all-day snow.
Daily Catskills: 02/17/19
Shards of sunlight search the forest floor beneath the hemlocks. Creeks and rivers are still high, rising to meet the snowy banks. A high of 34F takes the edge off the morning chill.
Electric Vehicle-Charging Stations in the Catskill Mountains
Electric vehicle-charging stations are springing up all over the Catskills. Here’s a list within the Catskill Park Boundary and within the NYC watershed starting north at the Schoharie Reservoir on Route 30, and running south though the Catskills down to Roscoe on Route 17. Click on the links to Google Maps. Take a tour through the mountains in your electric vehicle, see the sights and charge up along the way. Also noted: nearby inns or restaurants. Cell service is intermittent in the Catskills, especially between Andes and Delhi, and between Big Indian and Phoenicia, so physical maps are still essential for this area.
Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project, 397 Power Plant Access Rd, Gilboa, NY 12076. A pretty remote part of the Catskills by the Schoharie Reservoir. Close by: Heather Ridge Farm, Restaurant & Store, open year-round.
Village of Hobart Public Parking, 11 Cornell Ave Hobart NY 13788. Nearby: Bull & Garland (closed until March 2019), The Sheep’s Nest. Hobart “Book Village”: a magical bibliophile’s paradise nestled in one of the most scenic areas of the Catskills.
Delaware County Electric Co-op, 39 Elm Street, Delhi, NY 13653. Nearby: Brushland Eating House, Catskills Regional Harvest Farm Store, Goldenrod, Tay Tea, Catskills Momo Tibetan Restaurant. Spotty cell service in surrounding areas. Know before you go.
Town of Colchester EV Charging station at the Downsville Diner at 15185 State Highway 30, Downsville, New York 13755.
Winwood Inn, 5220 NY-23, Windham, NY 12496. Nearby ski mountain and Windham Country Store, which does a fantastic Mean Green Burger using jalapeño mayonnaise.
Windham Mountain, 33 Clarence D Lane Road, Windham, NY, 12496. See above.
Village of Margaretville Public Parking, 48 Walnut Street, Margaretville, NY 12455. Nearby: Picnic, Trattoria Locale, The Cheese Barrel, The Binnekill Tavern, all on Main Street. Cell service here. State Trooper station about a mile west of here on Route 28/30.
Emerson Resort & Spa, 5340 Route 28, Mt Tremper, NY 12457. Nearby: Phoenicia Diner Route 28 (try the everything), Peekamoose on Route 28, The Pines on Route 212. Cell service drops for a while in surrounding areas. Know before you go.
Woodstock Community Center, 56 Rock City Rd, Woodstock, NY 12498. Nearby: Garden Cafe, Upstate Films, The Tea Shop of Woodstock. a good wine store and all the delights of Woodstock further out into the village.
Bread Alone Bakery, 3962 NY-28, Boiceville, NY 12412. Bread Alone does a nice Hudson River Breakfast. Nearby: Boiceville Supermarket, the Goods Luncheonette, try the fish and chips.
Frost Valley YMCA, 2000 Frost Valley Rd Claryville, NY 12725 No cell service in area. Take a map. There’s no eating around here, only hiking.
Roscoe Diner, 1908 Old Rt 17, Roscoe, New York 12776.
Roscoe Brewery, 145 Rockland Road, Roscoe, NY 12776.
Catskills Brewery, 672 Old Rte 17 Livingston Manor, NY 12758.
All addresses provided by Plugshare: use the website or download the app to see more details or plan a trip.
Daily Catskills: 02/07/19
Soggy after yesterday’s all-day rain. Soaked trees, and fog burning off in the sun by early morning for a high of 50F. Humid.
Catskills Love & Local Links
It’s been a bit quiet over here on our ridge at Upstate Dispatch, but there’s far from nothing going on.
We’re working on upcoming radio shows on two subjects: shopping locally and tips and regulations for winter hiking, here in the Catskills. These are two very important subjects that get to the heart of two important matters: our slice of natural world, these mountains and our economy.
I’ve been advocating for shopping locally for products and services since I arrived in the States 20 years ago. It just makes so much sense. Now, from the MARK Project we have a PR campaign called Catskills Love. Give our businesses some love here in the Catskills. We live in the so-called “Watershed”, which means we have to keep our water table clean, so industry and agriculture is strictly regulated. We rely mostly on tourism to survive. New Yorkers, come hike, ski and shop with us! We protect your water, you need to have our back. Plus, we have some of the most well-made, beautiful products. Find our fabulous Christmas list here.
On these mountains, winter hiking is dangerous. Trails are covered in ice as thick as ice-skating rinks. During extremely cold temperatures, it’s like hiking up frozen waterfalls at the summits. We’ve seen a spate of rescues recently that proves it’s imperative to be prepared. Much of the Catskills is wilderness. On February 18th, hear from the President of the Catskill 3500 Club on tips, rules and regulations on WIOX Radio.
More links:
Millennials are taking up hunting, from The New York Times.
The Greenhorns have published their new farmer’s almanac.
Carve your own cutting board on March 16th 2019, and African-American Games & Crafts on February 17th, at the Hudson River Maritime Museum in Kingston, New York.
Learn about Golden Eagles in the Catskills in a beautiful setting: the Mountain Top Arboretum in Tannersville on April 20th, 2019.
Women are making their way in the trades from Hudson Valley One.
Daily Catskills: 02/04/19
Hazy cloud burns off in the sun for a high of 49F and a light breeze.
