Hyak Snow Camp

I camped overnight in the Cascade Mountains this weekend with three others. Lots of snow, probably 5-6 feet on the ground, and it snowed about 6 inches while we were there. The tree limbs droop a lot with the weight of the snow on them.

As camping goes, snow camping is pretty, clean (no mud), but not entirely dry.

Snowshoes are needed to travel anywhere but on the main trails or right in camp. Even with snow shoes, I sank in about two feet with my pack on my back. The little kid sank in about 6 inches with no pack.

New Camera

Anti-jitter really makes digital zoom come out sharp. Take a look (photos taken with flash, indoors, at about 12 inches distance, with Fuji FinePix F50fd):

No magnification


3x Optical Zoom


Plus 8.2x Digital Zoom

Full Moon

Did you notice the full moon last night? It is really high in the sky (in the northern hemisphere). In snow-covered places in the northern hemisphere, the moonlight must have looked like daylight last night.

Have you wondered why? It is hard to explain without a diagram, but these nice folks posted a nice diagram...
http://www.wonderquest.com/solstice-figure.htm

Since axis of rotation of the the earth is tilted at 23.5 degrees relative to its orbital plane, the noon-time sun is higher in the summer and lower in the winter. You knew that, but have you noticed that a full moon does just the opposite (lowest in summer, highest in winter)? That is because the full moon in winter is in the same location (relative to the stars and the tilt of the earth's axis) as the summer sun, and vice versa. I have to strain my brain (and peak at the diagram), but I think in the spring, the first quarter moon is highest, and in the autumn, the last quarter is highest. As written, I think this last paragraph applies to the southern hemisphere as well.

New Federal Energy Legislation

Read more on this important legislation just signed by the president.

http://www.aceee.org/energy/national/07nrgleg.htm

This broad energy legislation will impact all of our lives over the next few years, primarily by eliminating inexpensive and inefficient home appliances and automobiles from the marketplace.

BTW, ACEEE is an active and dedicated Washington lobbyist organization that strongly supported this legislation and has many more regulatory ideas on how to force us to increase energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

Wind and Rain

Yesterday was a wet and windy day in Seattle. Not uncommon for the winter months here.

But may I say what a pleasure it was to drive a Subaru in nasty weather. Those puddles in the pavement grooves did not pull the Subaru to the side. I could feel the gusts of wind, but they did not blow me sideways. I had to test the brakes, and all the Subaru did was to stop, straight. I could not brake hard enough to kick in the ABS (which I *was* able to do with a half inch of snow on the road a few weeks back).

I can't wait to "test" the Subaru on Snoqualmie Pass!

Vote Republican

I am considering bumper stickers for my Subaru.
How about ...

If this bumper sticker is enough to convince you to
VOTE REPUBLICAN,
then just possibly you are not qualified to vote.

I could adapt a 2004 bumper sticker for Kerry, to make one applicable to a "Blue" state:

Vote for Change, Vote Republican!

I want a job like this guy

The Seattle Times headlines say "Turner resigns as UW Athletic Director". The guy supposedly "resigns" from his job, but read the fine print in the story:

"Turner, 56, was hired in June, 2004, six months after Hedges had resigned. His contract ran through June of 2009 and he was paid a base salary of $345,000. Turner will be paid his full salary through the end of his contract, a UW official confirmed."

I want a job like this guy! He quits his job, but he still gets paid! That extra pay adds up to about a half-million dollars. Where can I get a job like that? Sign me up!

Weather Report

The Pacific Northwest made the national news tonight for the storm that slammed through today. It was about as close as we get to a hurricane. Winds over 100 mph on the coast, and 2-3 inches of rain over much of the area.

I got caught up on my home weather station data. November 2007 set a new record for least rainfall in November (2.48 inches). As you may recall, November 2006 set the record for most rainfall in a month (15.52 inches). We have already had more rain in December than we did in the whole month of November.

September 2007 set a new record for lowest daily high temperature in September (52 F). I keep track of the coldest day as well as the hottest day in each month. It was the fourth month this year that set a similar record. True, these are my home temperatures, but I have been tracking my home temperatures since 1981, rain since 1983, and wind since 1991. FYI, today's high temperature in this storm was 61 F, two degress short of the December record of 63 F. And to think we had snow last Saturday.

First snow on my new Subaru (may it see much more)