Monday - takin' it easy

Ha ha = see previous post! We had an "enforced" down day!

Luckily, we did not expect much convection today. Also, we needed time to debug one of our radiosonde systems. And finally, Craig felt that we needed more data. So, we decided to split into two tems: "P" and "Q". Mike Voss did the labeling - ask him! Team "P" was dispatched northward to set up RAWS-1 at the site NW of FLG where we did our sunrise campaign last year. Happy days.

Team "Q", with yours truly at the wheel, was directed to deposit RAWS-2 at the site of their choosing. We started out heading NW along 180 (as did team "P"), but we took a sharp right when we got to the Arizona Snowbowl ski resort turnoff! Wonderful steep winding drive uphill led us to the ski resort parking area. At one end, we found access to the Hart Prarie trail - steady slope, cleared of all trees etc., nice and wide - perfect spot for a RAWS to gather some wind data. Hopefully slope flows. Also, tons of wildflowers!

Problem: NFS land. Hmmm. So we went to the gift shop where they sold lift tickets (lift operating in summer!), and asked if it would be OK to set up the weather station. The guy I asked (person "A") decided to ask person "B" who was standing 2 feet away (me: repeat story, which is that we are students from SJSU and we need to set up a weather station and nobody will get hurt etc.). Person "B" decided that we should ask person "C", who was in the restaurant looking bored (me: repeat story). Person "C" said (without ever smiling) it sound fine BUT we really should talk to person "D" at - wait for it - Human Resources. Really??? HR??? Not trying to get hired, people - just set up a weather station! Person "D" works down the hill, so I mention that there are these devices called telephones. On the phone now with person "D" (me: repeat story). Person "D" says the REAL person to talk to is the CEO (or something like that), and he's in San Diego, but - and here, person "D" shouts across the room to person "E". Person "E" turns out to be Dan (I think), in charge of facilities.

Within minutes, Dan has driven up the road, and is A-OK with the idea, and let's all walk out there together to see the site. Five minutes later, the deal is sealed, me and Dan are shaking hands, and the students are assembling the RAWS.

Here they are pre- and post-assembly.





AND - my new BFF Dan offers us FREE rides up the chair lift! So, soon as we had the RAWS set up, 4 of the 5 students with me were heading up from 9,500' to over 11,000' on the chair lift. It was one of those non-gondola open things, which terrify me, so I stayed at the bottom, ate lunch and sat in the sun! Here are parts of team Q!





AND - they had cool lightning tee shirts in the gift shoppe AND there was a sale on! Hence, team "Q" is now sporting cool matching tee shirts. And team "P" can suck it!

When we got back, I was amused to discover that the team "P" students were all asleep, having deployed their RAWS. A result, I fancy, of last night's hoe-down (see Sunday's post). Nasty shock for the poor babies...midterm is tomorrow from 8-9 am! Yikes.

On the good news front, Craig worked on the radiosonde, and has pronounced it fixed. Problem was radio-related. So tomorrow and Wednesday we will be doing many, many launches. Also tomorrow we will need to drive back northwest to grab the RAWS. Directionally, this gives us a perfect excuse to visit a certain large gash in the earth!