This is a request for some help to anyone in the Los Angeles area to get a weather station surveyed in the hills east of Altadena, near the Mount Wilson Observatory.
Can anyone help out?
Requirements: regular car/truck, digital camera, GPS (optional), ability to follow some simple directions.
Leave a comment if you can. Thanks, Anthony
UPDATE: Looks like I have two takers, working it out now.
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Well, I live 100 miles to the south, so I can’t go there, but I am very intrigued by this station. I have looked on the station observations page for Southern California, and I am not exactly sure where it is on the map: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/mwmap.php?wfo=&map=sgx&sort=name&list=1
Is it a station that is treated with importance by NCDC?
REPLY: It has a unique situation, and I want to verify something photographically. Is is near the reservoir east of Mt. Wilson
Contact Salli Baliunas she used to be on staff at the Mt. Wilson observatory. BTW she is a solar scientist who is sceptical about AGW!
Bob
Okay Anthony. I found two stations named “Mount Wilson” that are right next to each other. And you know what? They both look iffy on the plots. (I can’t copy and paste them; they are just to the SSW of Chilao, the ESE of Clear Creek, and the ENE of LA COUNTY PORTABLE and Altadena, and, I am not sure on the scale, 30 miles to the WSW of Wrightwood.)
REPLY: not those If you use Google Earth, the station is at the edge of the
parking lot visible at:
34°14’35.99″N
117°57’41.21″W
I want to confirm that is the station there and not something else. Only way to do that is to visit and photograph.
I got Catalina Island covered if you ever need it. I don’t think they’ve used the station out here for some time, however.
REPLY: That appears correct, here is the spotty record:
http://data.giss.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/gistemp/gistemp_station.py?id=425722970010&data_set=1&num_neighbors=1
Which for some bizarre reason Hansen uses in GISS anyway, any other researcher would toss such data.
I’m you guy for Houston and southeast Texas, but I can’t help you there.
Anthony, Larry Webster is an old friend of mine and is one of the minders of the Observatory. He can probably help or direct you to someone who can (Pam Gilman, perhaps). His email address is webster [at] astro.ucla.edu
REPLY: Thanks, I’d prefer not to bother scientists in other work if possible. We’ll see if someone is nearby and I’ll reserve this one.
Is that at the Redbox-Rincon Ranger Station – La Canada/Angeles Forest – Los Angeles County – along “Rincon Redbox fire road?
“Exit Angeles Crest Highway (2) from the 210 Frwy in La Canada/Flintridge. Take the 2 north (Angeles Crest Highway) about 15-20 miles, to the Mount Wilson Rd. and turn right. The trailhead is on your left at the Redbox Ranger Station. Thomas Guide page 505.”
It seems to be the start of
a mountain bike trail.
It appears there may be an Educational center there.
REPLY: Yes that is the one.
Anthony,
I’m not sure if you’ve got this handled, but I live in Altadena and would love to give it a go (a proper family adventure). Are you in a rush? I probably couldn’t get up there until Tudesday at the earliest. Past that… As long as I can find the proper GPS coordinates on my Garmin Edge 305… we should be good. Let me know!
PS- the 305 is for biking, that’s why I’m not exactly sure it’ll do what we want. But I’ll check it out.
Jason
Quick Follow-up on the Garmin 305: It should do the trick for documenting the location. I can “Map” a location. And that feature gives me the GPS coordinates.
Hope it helps,
Jason
Anthony,
I would love to do it for you. Sunday 27 July if you would like. Let me know what you would want to have done.
Hyon and Terry Bixler
If you really are in a rush we could do it Sunday AM.
Red Box ranger station is North West of Mt Wilson.
34°14′35.99″N 117°57′41.21″W is east of Mt Wilson along a fire road at Thomas map 508C5. Google Maps calls the road, Rincon Redbox Fire Road, Thomas calls it Devil’s Canyon Truck trail. Either way I don’t know if it is open to public vehicular traffic.
Well it looks like I have two possible surveyors here.
Hyon and Terry Bixler can do it the fastest, but Jason Salit lives closeby and offered first.
Either of you would be fine, but I don’t want to step on any toes since they came in so close. While I’m not in a rush, sooner is always better.
If Jason can do it Sunday morning with no inconveniences, then he’s on first, if that isn’t practical, then Hyon can do it.
You guys decide and advise. Thank you both for your kind offers of assistance.
hyonmin:
Sorry, I wasn’t trying to be competitve. I just didn’t see your post before I posted my last offer. But our offer still stands. I could name that tune in… =)
Cheers,
Jason
Jason
You were first to offer so its your call. Anything that we can do to help as we are available and would enjoy the participation.
OK thanks both of you. It may boil down to who is best equipped. After studying Google Earth it appears this is a fire road, and that may entail a 4WD vehicle depending on how well it has been maintained.
Looking at this map:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=34%C2%B014%E2%80%B235.99%E2%80%B3N+117%C2%B057%E2%80%B241.21%E2%80%B3W&ie=UTF8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ll=34.245475,-117.952781&spn=0.02611,0.037122&t=h&z=15&iwloc=addr
It appears the best way in is to take Hwy 39 to Ricon Redbox Road and come in from the east. The weather station is at the office before you get to Cogswell reservoir.
I’d advise that you both look over the map and determine if you are equipped to handle that sort of driving and then decide.
I need the following:
GPS fix at the station.
at least 6 photographs, two overall shots from two angles that show the station and its environment the best. Plus 4 N,S,E,W shots with the station in the foreground about 20 feet away to show its view of nearby via the 4 compass points.
If possible, ask the ranger/caretaker anything they know about the station, such as when it was placed there and when things around it changed.
You are looking for either of the temperature sensors shown in this photo, or something close to it:
http://gallery.surfacestations.org/main.php?g2_itemId=1145
Anthony, do you handle it as smoothly when the women fight over you in public?
Uh oh…looks like you need a permit to get on the road, see this:
http://www.simpsoncity.com/hiking/rincon.html
Anthony,
This is OT, but I don’t know your email address. I have a 15 year old nephew who is a real weather guy and he has Aspeberger’s, a high functioning variant of autism and he’s looking for career help in becoming a forecaster. He knows several people at NOAA, but I’d like to widen the net so to speak. I’d like to send you the letter he wrote to Chris Landseth at NOAA, it’s truly amazing how well versed in this stuff at less than 16. Thanks. I’d be grateful for any help.
d
REPLY: info [-at-] surfacestations dot org is the email
Yes this looks like mountain bike only:
http://www.nearfield.com/~dan/sports/bike/mountain/sgwf/index.htm
The gate is shown closed off Hwy 39 it seems.
Anthony, I live in Cupertino, CA just north of San Jose. I would like to volunteer to survey any weather station within 100 miles of my home. I am a recently retired engineer, have time available, and am familiar with instrumentation and measurement. Your web site is one of my favorites so just let me know if I can help in any way. Regards, Acle
Anthony
I will research but it looks like the most direct approach is to hike or mountain bike the route.
There are a lot of beautiful mountains in day range of the LA basin. My brothers and I used to regularly catch salamanders and alligator lizards 40 years ago. Very un PC nowadays and for good reason.
Anthony / Hyon,
Arggg… This is more than I can commit to for Sunday (I actually have to work). Thanks to all for the posts. I just got to the same place… this will be a half-day + adventure for me on my mountain-bike (not just a little family hike right off the side of the road).
So, I’m out for tomorrow. If you want to tackle it Hyon, it’s yours! If it’s more than you were looking to do, I am still available to check it out sometime this week.
Thanks again, and please let me know if you don’t make it up there. I’ll document the whole ride on MotionBased.com. =)
Jason
PS- Hey now! Nobody’s arguing around here… just a refresh issue. =)
OT
Jeez:
I’m going to make a coffee table book of all the amazing hiking and biking trails in and around LA. For the reputation that LA has for being dirty/smoggy and all cement… you can truly get lost in the wilderness, sometimes within yards of a freeway! Oh, wait… actually it sucks! Don’t anyone else move here! =)