Monday, March 7th, 2011
We had to run out and bring in all the awnings at 6:45AM because the wind was causing them to jump around. The temperature then was 59.0F under mostly cloudy skies. When we arrived home from the Monday morning meeting the temperature was 65.1F still under mostly cloudy skies. The sun was shining through the cloud okay but there was still a good breeze blowing. We survived the morning doughnut rush. We did not have one. We did gain a few pounds just looking at the ones the others ate. We were home from the meeting at 9:40AM.
I spent from 10 to 10:30AM on the amateur radio bands. I called CQ on 14023 kilohertz for a few minutes around 10:10AM but did not work anyone. About 10:20AM I went down on 40-meters and did not hear anyone calling CQ in the CW or radiotelegraph portion of the band. I then went up on the phone portion and listened to a few of the groups chatting. Nothing of interest so at 10:30AM I went back up and put 14023 kilohertz on speaker watch. The temperature then was 66.2F under scattered clouds. Some of the scattered clouds were low cumulus. It was still quite windy and looked like a wall of desert dust to the south.
Where the heck did everyone go? Superstition Mountain was behind that wall of desert dust the wind had churned up at 11:10AM when the temperature was 67.6F under scattered cloud.
This was looking southwest from the trailer door at 11:10AM. The mountain came back into view when it let up a bit at 11:22AM.
I called CQ for awhile on 14023 kilohertz at 12:05PM but worked no one. At 12:15PM I heard a VA3 (Ontario, Canada) calling CQ and by the time I had the headphones on he was working someone but so weak I was unable to get his full call sign. He gradually faded completely so the band was not that good. The temperature then was 69.3F under mostly cloudy skies. Superstition Mountain had disappeared again behind the wall of desert dust. The Gold Canyon weather station had something wrong with their anemometer. They claimed 11 miles per hour with gusts to 14. The gusts were definitely 50 miles per hour or higher. The wind was not only howling but rocking the trailer.
I swung up and down the CW portion of both the 20 and 40 meter amateur radio bands around 1PM and did not hear a thing. One assumes both bands were dead. At least one would think someone would be transmitting.
At 2:40PM the temperature was 72.1F with scattered clouds. The sun was bright and hot and Superstition Mountain was visible but the wind was still quite strong. The girls wanted Joan to go bike riding with them but she said the wind was too strong for her and did not go.
We sat out in the sun but it was quite windy. One had to keep their Tilley lid lashed down or they would loose it. At least the dust from the desert died down so that one could see clearly. The temperature at 4PM was 71.7F with scattered clouds.
Joan and Karen did laundry this evening. Karen took her car so I did not have to drive them. They went over to the laundry at 6PM. At 6:15PM the temperature was 65.6F and partly cloudy. There was some flat looking cumulus off towards the east but it was clear to the west. The sunset was not much with no clouds to create the colour.
This is Superstition Mountain just after the sunset and just before it became dark.
Joan was home from the laundry at 8PM. It was pitch dark of course and just a thin sliver of moon. Still quite windy. The temperature was 61.4F and partly cloudy.
Joan brought me home a copy of the Apache Junction Gold Canyon News for March 7 – 13, 2011. A front page photo is titled Winter Comes to Superstition. A rare snow dusts the shoulders of Superstition Mountain on Sunday morning, February 27, 2011. They actually had another photo of the snow on Superstition on the front of the second section. A little snow can certainly get the attention of these folks. Our photographs of this snow are in part 90.
We did not have a movie tonight. Joan said it was too late so I read the newspaper.
That was our day.