Hello friends. It’s been a while since I have written about any DIY nonsense over here on the Jake.News. But I figured that since the Jake.News channel is probably more credible than many of the other news sources out there in the year of our lord 2025 (and what at year it has been already!!), it was about time to drop some slightly above mediocre (depending on who you ask) design yadda yaddas. So here we go- I call it Sweden meets Catskills.Continue reading
In keeping with prior years, B and I go dry for the month of January. It’s a nice little reset and after about two weeks, we both typically end up wondering why we ever drink at all. But this is New York, so somehow it is almost impossible to avoid. The tricky part about navigating dry January used to be making excuses about why I can’t go out with friends. Now that I have a 10 month old child, that is no longer a challenge. What I struggle with these days is figuring out what to drink when going out to eat. Yes, water is an option. I’m a huge fan of staying hydrated. In fact, I typically drink plenty of water when I’m out to eat, in addition to whatever else I’m imbibing. But when I’m dining, I like a beverage with some flavor that can compliment the food, or at least reset the palate.Continue reading
The leaves are changing in the Catskills! I put together the collage above from some of the leaves I saw around the yard this week. One of my drones is also now perched (probably permanently) in the top of one our tallest trees. But that is a story for a different day. I have uploaded a 10kx10k px version of the photo over here, for any other nerds who might be interested.
Drone Snap over the Moose River
The last weekend of July was spent on two wheels. Finding time in the saddle has been a bit tricky this summer since the arrival of our newest family member. Thanks to his grandma’s willingness to trek northward and hang out with the dude, I was able to sneak away for a long weekend and put in some serious mileage upstate with a couple of friends.
Similar to a trip we did last August, we started in Catskill Park on a Friday and snaked through back roads northward to North Creek, where we spent the night. We racked up the odometer day Saturday doing a huge loop of the Adirondacks through Lake Placid and Old Forge, ending back in North Creek for the night. Sunday morning we set out for a leisurely ride back to the Catskills. Unlike last year, we had perfect weather the entire time. Really couldn’t have asked for more ideal riding conditions. I posted more details about the route over here, for anyone interested.
The gallery below is a set of photos from the trip mostly by me, with a handful of snaps from my new friend Lukas, who was riding the Street Fighter. Good times were had by all–
Our neck of the Catskills is a bit like Narnia between Oct 1 and mid-May. I say this because it can (and will) snow almost every day, even if it is just a little flurry overnight. Continue reading
Gisele on a Moody Whiteface Mountain
What seems like the rainiest summer I can remember, appears to be drawing to a close. Despite unexpectedly getting soaked to the bone on more than one occasion, I can’t be too angry because our Catskills lawn has never looked better! Continue reading
I hope that people have been managing okay the past couple of weeks without any new hiking content on here. Sorry to those who have been going through withdrawals. I’m here with this post to satisfy all of your hiking content cravings.Continue reading
Motorcycle season can be relatively short in the Catskills. There are some folks who are much more hardcore than I who have been riding since early April. We sneaked in one lap around the Pepacton in late April on an unseasonably warm evening. But it was quick, with no real stops and we both got pretty cold. For Britt and I, the first week of May was the first instance this spring when the weather was finally warm and dry enough to suit up and roll out for a “real” ride. Continue reading
The rain has been no joke, this spring. The last two weekends in April it rained almost every day in our corner the Catskills. The last two weekends of the month, precipitation seemed merely to oscillate between drizzle and downpour, with little or no actual break. While this is awesome for all of the greenery that it starting to come out, I am not hardcore enough to get out for my typical outdoor activities when it is coming down like that, especially when the temps are still in the 30s and 40s.Continue reading
December 2022 has been one of the snowiest Decembers in the Catskills, in recent memory. As luck would have it, B and I were able to spend the entire second half of the month enjoying said snow. Here is a mega-gallery from some of our adventures in the snowy outdoors the last couple of weeks in 2022.Continue reading