June 24 – How is the weather? As a part-time hydrologist, I cannot in good faith answer “great!” or “not so good”. The weather just is. By common thinking, however, I can state resoundingly that the weather has, indeed, been ideal. More accurately, it has been relatively warm to date, with no unbearably hot days nor unpleasantly cool days, with mid-day temperatures about 28- 33°C (82-91°F) and lowest recorded nighttime temperatures of about 11°C (52°F).
The first few days were cloudless (see the first photo below) and dry, with some clouds appearing and disappearing on day 4 (June 22), the day before reaching Troy, OR. By Troy, however, the clouds accumulated to the point of overcasts. Indeed, reports indicated a 50% chance of rain. The coin toss landed no-rain side up, and we were spared a sprinkle. Since Troy (the last two nights) overcast clouds and picked-up winds have dominated the sky, making us add an extra layer or two of clothing.
For us researchers-in-training, climatically all this has meant smooth sailing, so to speak. These general observations add up to business as usual, as we are in an area known for its general lack of rain during this time of year.
June 25 – There was a mighty storm last night, characterized by regular strong gusts of wind accompanied by a little rain, spaced about one to five minutes apart and lasting over an hour. The clouds are a brewin’ in the photo on the right below.
June 27 – The last couple days of the expedition were again cloudless. At the lower elevations the temperatures along the river were surprisingly low—never more than about 85°F—with chilly but bearable nights of about 50°F.
