Ops 6 May

Weather: stayed sunny, calm, and warm.

Chris left early this morning. I am indebted to him for working diligently these past few weeks to sort through sensor issues, collect the remaining second round of soil samples, and give me a refresher on tower lowering/raising (I took lots of photos).

Spent the morning at the base trailer reviewing the data and logging yesterday's soil samples that have been left to cook overnight -  freeing up tins to start collecting the 3rd round of soil samples. The data this morning and this evening remain overall stable. In the afternoon, I accompanied Laura and John to ISS3 Sedgewick site where John troubleshooted ongoing USP issues. 

S14 - Laura and I went up to the Sedgewick site and took the 3rd round of soil samples. Unfortunately, one of the thin rings is missing. I suspect it may have fallen out at S1 where the last soil sample was taken. I plan to head back there tomorrow to see if I can find it. I can still collect soil samples without it. The soil is so porous and dry - it’s harder to keep the soil in the cylinder than to push it out. 

At the end of the day, we attended the Wildfire Preparedness Exposition hosted by Direct Relief. These guys are prepared! We had a nice chat with Leila Carvalho (SWEX PI) who also attended. Rob Hazard was the keynote speaker and gave an overview of the history of wildfires in Santa Barbara. Note John wearing a memento of this excursion.