Observor Comments

[KathyC]

That's great....:D

[Anna LeBlanc]

Bob, I absolutely love your picture of Marty on the snowboard.:)Maybe we could get him some little paw mittens with velcro on the bottom and attach some little pieces of velcro to the snowboard so the wind won't blow him off.:D:D:D:D:D

[Snow Miser]

Paw mittens and velcro would be a great idea.:D Not only would they keep him on the board, they would also keep his little paws toasty warm.:)

[Anna LeBlanc]

Do you think Ryan,Brian or Mike know who to knit?Maybe we could give them a new winter activity to take up in there spare time.:pThey could create all kinds of kitty snowboarding wear and attach the OBS insignia to them.They could probably raise a significant amount of money for the OBS from all of the animal lovers like me out there.:D

[Snow Miser]

I'd buy a couple of OBS Feline Edition fleece jackets for the cats I know.:D:p:D

[Brad]

Nicole's comments said she was out on the Deck on Sunday. is this you?

http://images52.fotki.com/v738/photos/2/1002902/8110066/20091115_144851_deck-vi.jpg

[KathyC]

I Really enjoyed todays comments and the pictures are just outstanding!

Thank you!!:)

[Brad]

I Really enjoyed todays comments and the pictures are just outstanding!

Thank you!!:)
I agree - excellent comments.

Here is the photo that went with them - wonderful.

http://www.mountwashington.org/weather/comments/2009/112423-lg.jpg

[BlueDog]

Some stunning pics in his flickr page too! Hi-res versions would make for some beautiful wallpapers </cough></hint></cough> ;) 1920x1200 would be just fine!

[Anna LeBlanc]

Ryan's comments were very informative and the pictures were breathtaking from the Flickr site.Thanks everyone.

_____________

Anna

[Snow Miser]

I agree, very good comments today, and excellent photos. Thanks for sharing!

[krummholz]

Thanks, Ryan, for your comments that had a broad scope about the whole profession of meteorology. I thought they were very interesting, and it's nice that you spent the time to try to get to the bottom of this whole "weird November" phenomenon that everyone seems to be scratching their heads about. One thing that seems to be in common between meteorology and other fields of endeavor is that the general public looks for the simplest answer ("It's global warming!"), but there are always people out there who really want to understand what's going on and will follow that path wherever it leads, and however long it takes.

[Brad]

Mike, excellent blow by blow comment today. Thanks!

[Snow Miser]

Yes Mike, your comments really relay the incredible experience all of you had during this storm. Thanks!

[Brad]

Marty (the person) and Jan, thanks for the comments and your volunteer week. It was fun to meet you both at the special event over in Lincoln last month and to listen to Marty's (the storyteller) tales (not tails).

[KD Talbot]

Great photos to go with today's comment. Thanks!

KDT

[Charlie]

i love the one of the tower

[Snow Miser]

The one of the tower is excellent. And the closeup of the fox is cool too.

[mtruman]

What a great collection of pics! The one of the tower with the backdrop of stars is even better than the one like that in National Geographic last year. I always love the fox pics. It's going to be hard to decide which of these will be my desktop wallpaper first...

[KathyC]

I agree, the tower is an absolutely beautiful shot. And the fox too, such a gorgious animal.

Not to be a downer, but when I see the pictures of the animals, it tears me apart that people just want their fur...:mad:

[Anna LeBlanc]

I agree, the tower is an absolutely beautiful shot. And the fox too, such a gorgious animal.

Not to be a downer, but when I see the pictures of the animals, it tears me apart that people just want their fur...:mad:

Kathy,I'm with you.They are such beautiful animals.I really get ticked off when I see people wearing fur coats.:eek:

The pictures were beautiful.If anyone wonders how people can think Winter is beautiful they should just check out those pictures.

______________

Anna

[Brad]

Stacey,

Sappy - maybe. But, excellent comment today! Thanks and we are happy to have you on the team.

[KD Talbot]

You provided us with a true glimpse at your own hard work and dedication to the Obs. It is interesting to me to know what were the deciding factors behind your decision to work up there.

Having met most of the folks you mention meeting on your initial visit, I can certainly understand why you made the choices you did and have stuck with it for this long.

You're a good egg, Stacie, thanks for doing what you do!

KDT

[Charlie]

Stacey
thanks for your passion in your job and your teaching the younger people that some day may have the dreams you had to pursue a good future like you have .

[KD Talbot]

Great comments and pictures today from our very own Jim Salge...

KDT

[Lawson]

It's always a treat to have The Jim Salge up for a visit.

[Charlie]

jim sure know how to use a camera

[Brad]

But, normally Jim "Hollywood" Salge is in front of the camera when he is up there.

[Charlie]

i like the latest comment from Peter Fisk


Be careful what you ask for. About two weeks ago I told Volunteer Coordinator, Karen Hemeon, that as I am retired, my schedule was pretty flexible so if she got desperate for a volunteer, 'give a call.'

Desperation had happened as within about three hours I got an e-mail asking, 'What are you doing next week?.'

'Uh, nothing I guess' replied I.

i wish i had his problem

[KathyC]

Marty def. looks like the KING of that mountain, he's so beautiful.

Brian wrote today that he left Marty outside and came back out later to check on him. He doesn't wander off? I'd be afraid of foxes coming after him.

Just wondering...

[Knapper]

Marty def. looks like the KING of that mountain, he's so beautiful.

Brian wrote today that he left Marty outside and came back out later to check on him. He doesn't wander off? I'd be afraid of foxes coming after him.

Just wondering...

The cat sticks around the summit since he knows where he gets fed at. He will wander down a bit but returns every time. As far as the foxes go, he has confronted them twice that I have seen and the foxes run away barking at him. The foxes up here are normally scavengers or hunters of rodents or smaller game. And since there aren't a lot of big black animals on the summit cone, I think they (the foxes) are more fearful of the unknown creature following them around.

[KathyC]

Thank you Ryan for taking the time to answer, Marty really is a special cat.

And also, all of you did great on the Cantore Stories, it was a pleasure to watch.:)

[Charlie]

Stacey the radar you had on your comment the other day do you have a link to that site
thanks

[Bill O]

Stacey the radar you had on your comment the other day do you have a link to that site
thanks

Not sure of the exact site they are using, but I believe it's from a pay service. Weathertap.com is my best guess.

For a one-time fee you can buy this radar program: http://www.grlevelx.com/grlevel3/

I believe they have a 30 day free trial (no obligation, no credit card needed to try, nothing to cancel). This is what all the storm chasers use and I highly recommend it if you are interested in high resolution radar data.

The only downside is you don't get the multi-radar mosaics that many free sites and weathertap provide.

[h2oeco]

Hi Charlie,

As Bill guessed, yes, the image that Stacey posted is from Weathertap - http://www.weathertap.com - it is a very capable system, and I like it a lot. I use it because I live near, and spend a lot of time on the water - bay and ocean - and we get all kinds of thunderstorms, squalls, etc. in the summer. One nice feature is that using latitude and longitude, you can mark your location on the map/radar image, which comes in handy when you want to know how weather is moving in relation to you.

Ed

[Charlie]

thanks Bill and Ed

[Brad]

From today's comments it sounds like the deal where if you ride the Cog or drive up you can get a tour of the Observatory is not in effect any more. Is that true?

[Breeze]

Brad, IME this was instituted last season, so it isn't entirely new.

Auto Road clients ( drive-yourself) receive an informational flyer in their packets.

With limited space, limited manpower, and sometimes CROWDS of people on the summit at any one time, I can see that some limit on the special privilege of receiving a guided OBS tour would be a necessity. Outreach is a wonderful, important portion of the MWO mission statement, but unlimited FREE guided tours to any and all comers from 8 AM to 5 PM or later would seriously impact other necessary elements of the MWO's mission.


From my perspective, bottomside with the AR, when AR clients ask about touring the OBS/weather station, I SHOW them the information in their packet and advise them to ask at the MWO Museum and Gift Shop.

Cog Riders and Auto Road travelers now receive free admission to the Museum. That was a positive change made at the beginning of last season. Another change made last summer was a longer stay at the top for Cog Riders ( an hour instead of 20-25 minutes), as well as increased flexibility to defer/delay downbound passage for an even longer stay at the summit on a space available basis.

Changing times keep us all on our toes. I do strongly believe that < stewardship > is one concept we all have in common.


Breeze

[Knapper]

From today's comments it sounds like the deal where if you ride the Cog or drive up you can get a tour of the Observatory is not in effect any more. Is that true?

This was never the case in my time here. I think you are mixing up two seperate things. As "Breeze" mentioned, in effect last year, auto road and cog riders get free admission to the summit museum during their time up here. The museum is located in the basement of the building.

The tour of the observatory that Brian is mentioning consists of our living quarters, our office, and the top of the tower (the highest legal point you can reach in the NE). This tour has always been free to members and that hasn't changed. What has changed is tours for non-members. In my time here, non-members were charged $5 per person for the first few summers then we changed it to $20 per household + an introductory membership. But this year, like Brian mentioned in his comment, to get a tour, groups (camps, schools, churches, etc) have to prearrange a tour with the valley staff or people/families have to be a member of the observatory. There is no longer a seperate non-member price for this tour; it's members only.

[Brad]

I will readily admit I am confused. I was under the impression both the Cog and the Auto Road travelers could get a tour of the Observatory at the summit. It may have been they only had free access to the museum. The Auto Road web clearly states their self-drive folks can get into the museum free. However, the Cog web site says their riders get in both the museum and the "Observatory Center". I have read that as being the summit operations facility. I might still be confused.

Sorry I brought up the question - but, it is confusing.

[Charlie]

this is what it says on the Cog sight

Enjoy a full day of family fun. You can spend the whole day at The Mount Washington Cog Railway. There's a fascinating museum, a large gift shop and a restaurant at the Marshfield base station. Mt. Washington SummitThe round trip to the summit takes three hours. On the summit, you can visit New Hampshire's unique mile-high state park and the Mount Washington Observatory Center and Museum.

[Knapper]

I will readily admit I am confused. I was under the impression both the Cog and the Auto Road travelers could get a tour of the Observatory at the summit. It may have been they only had free access to the museum. The Auto Road web clearly states their self-drive folks can get into the museum free. However, the Cog web site says their riders get in both the museum and the "Observatory Center". I have read that as being the summit operations facility. I might still be confused.

Sorry I brought up the question - but, it is confusing.

If you could provide links from where you are getting this information, I will forward it along to the valley staff to try and get the verbiage clearer. But to clear things up, the observatories policy is: The museum is free for all patrons that come up the cog/auto road as well as members that hike up. The observatory facilities tour, starting this year, is for members only regardless of how they get here.

[Charlie]

I will readily admit I am confused. I was under the impression both the Cog and the Auto Road travelers could get a tour of the Observatory at the summit. It may have been they only had free access to the museum. The Auto Road web clearly states their self-drive folks can get into the museum free. However, the Cog web site says their riders get in both the museum and the "Observatory Center". I have read that as being the summit operations facility. I might still be confused.

Sorry I brought up the question - but, it is confusing.


If you could provide links from where you are getting this information, I will forward it along to the valley staff to try and get the verbiage clearer. But to clear things up, the observatories policy is: The museum is free for all patrons that come up the cog/auto road as well as members that hike up. The observatory facilities tour, starting this year, is for members only regardless of how they get here.


this is what it says on the Cog sight

Enjoy a full day of family fun. You can spend the whole day at The Mount Washington Cog Railway. There's a fascinating museum, a large gift shop and a restaurant at the Marshfield base station. Mt. Washington SummitThe round trip to the summit takes three hours. On the summit, you can visit New Hampshire's unique mile-high state park and the Mount Washington Observatory Center and Museum.

this is what i found on the cog site

[Brad]

Ryan,

I am trying to find the page or pages with the words I found - and also Charlie found. One page which could be clearer - a bit - would be http://www.thecog.com/cog_news.php

And at the bottom of the home page are the words I found confusing.
http://www.thecog.com/index.php

[Charlie]

this is where there could be some confusion

"One of the biggest changes for those passengers this season is that they will usually get to spend an hour at summit, giving them time to explore the mountaintop community, which includes the Mount Washington Observatory."

i would say the Observatory is the place you work and where only members can go

[Brad]

I think the key here is I learned that the free passes are just for the museum - which makes a lot of sense. The Observatory is not staffed to handle those crowds coming up the Auto Road and Cog for "real" tours. And some editing work needs to be done to the partners' web sites to make sure the relationship is well stated - and it sounds like that will get put on the To Do List.

Thanks for clearing this up.

[Brad]

Margaret & David - thanks for your comment today. And it was nice to meet you the other day at the summit.

[Charlie]

Margaret & David it was nice to meet you also and the hot apple cider smelled good

[Brad]

Margaret & David it was nice to meet you also and the hot apple cider smelled good
Hint to Charlie - I like hot apple cider.