Terran monitoring · Hood Canal sector · relay 7

Larch Station

A weather outpost, staffed, against the wishes of the staff
CHAPTER I

The view

Live · 13:30 · partly cloudy · 48°F
Bearing 1 of 7 · Structures A and B
The ship's camera. Arrows, the dots or the keyboard to look elsewhere; drag to scan.
48° FAHRENHEIT
Thermometer
high 55° · low 33°
30.14 IN HG
Barometer
falling
89% RELATIVE
Hygrometer
dew point 45°
1 MPH · W
Anemometer
gust 2 · Beaufort 1
0.00 IN TODAY
Rain gauge
0.00 in this week
CHAPTER II

Hypotheses

What the crew expect, and what the reference observers on the surface say. Graded afterwards, on the hypotheses page.

Mon 2
☁
52° / 45°
16% rain
cloudy
Tue 3
☀
55° / 42°
11% rain
sunny
Wed 4
☀
56° / 47°
87% rain
sunny
Thu 5
☁
56° / 47°
78% rain
cloudy

“For tomorrow: the reference observers say 55°/42°, 11% rain. Vell's model says 53°/46°, 11% rain. Orm's barometer says 53°/31°, 64% rain. The intern says 55°/40°, 33% rain. This has never happened before. We are frightened.”

CHAPTER III

Expeditions

Whether the bipeds should attempt the things they attempt. Advisory only. They never listen.

The path

Hike

Go. Take the long way. Tell no one.
Partly cloudy, 48°, gusts to 2 mph. The hill is dry enough. The crossing is always fine.
Closed for the season
The rectangular pond

Pool

Closed for the season. Reopens 29 May.
Open from the Saturday before Memorial Day to Labor Day. 208 days until the bipeds submerge themselves again, on purpose.
The shore

Beach

Yes. Bring the canids. Bring a towel for the canids. Bring a towel for the towel, low water at 6:21 pm.
Next low water 6:21 pm at 5.7 ft, so not much beach. Wind 1 from the W, the far shore is visible.
Open flame

Campfire

Light it. Dry wood, no wind. Smoke goes up. Up! For once.
No burn ban in effect (checked by hand). Humidity 89%, everything is wet. No wind, so the smoke will sit in the yard and come indoors.
The wide water

Fishing

Yes. The fish are 'running,' which we assumed was a joke. It is not.
The salmon are back in the wide water and nosing up the creek. Pressure falling, bright. Tide going out until 6:21 pm.
CHAPTER IV

Fauna census, today

The small flying ones, counted by the microphones. The full census, with recordings, is on the bird site.

1Great Horned OwlBubo virginianus243
2Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostra192
3Common RavenCorvus corax146
4Northern FlickerColaptes auratus116
5Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis94
6Spotted TowheePipilo maculatus94
7Steller's JayCyanocitta stelleri84
8Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus66
9Pacific chorus frogPseudacris regilla49
10Barred OwlStrix varia48
CHAPTER V

Observer's log

13:30
The large biped photographed the small bipeds again. We photographed him. Someone is photographing us. It's turtles.
11:30
Pressure falling. Orm says this means something. Orm's track record is in the appendix. The appendix is short.
08:30
Supply drop: still unscheduled. We asked. We were told to 'keep observing.' We are observing the word 'keep.'
04:30
Day 444. Morale: adequate. Weather: see above. Snacks: see nothing, because there are none.
CHAPTER VI

From the files

Fungal activity, autumn. The bipeds photograph them and do not eat them. Correct.
The still water. Built by the large rodent. Rodent instrument: requested. Form 9. Denied.
The still water. Built by the large rodent. Rodent instrument: requested. Form 9. Denied.
Structure B. Lit at all hours. We think it's a shrine. To what, we are not cleared to know.
Structure B. Lit at all hours. We think it's a shrine. To what, we are not cleared to know.