Website down

Update.--The Website came sometime before 10 am. I was on my daily 8-mile walk and it was back on-line along with my e-mail accounts when I got home around noon, so that about 12 hours it was down. Sorry for it but it's the fault of the Website host. They're down to 99.71% for the last two years now.

Some time after 10 pm last night (9/26/13) the host for my Website and e-mail went down and as of just after 6 am this morning it's not back on-line. I don't know why the length of the outage, especially for both the Website and e-mail servers, but likely it's a major problem.

I use a local host for both, but not my Internet Service Provider, for that I use the local phone company, since past experience with the host as the ISP is worse because they rarely had people on-site during night hours and weekends and outages sometimes ran into days.

Now I expect they might have some night shift and graveyard people, but from here it doesn't look too good if they have them as they've been down for over 8 hours with no indication when things will be back. I suspect later this morning.

What angers me with Website hosts and ISP's is that they never discount their bill for outages, saying it's part of what customers should expect. Maybe, if the outage is a power failure or other problem outside their control, but I don't think problems under their control should be assumed by the customer.

And even though it's really only a small discount over the monthly bill and the high percentage (99.73% for the last two years using a monitoring program) of operation, the outage percentage does deserve credit to the customer somehow to show they do care for their customers.

Anyway, I'll be gone for the morning and won't check things until this afternoon. The Website should be back, but if not, I'll contact the host as recently they didn't check all the customers were back on-line when they transferred host servers and I had to call and wait for them to fix the problem.

Sept-Oct Reports

I have put the monthly news, access, conditions and prospects reports for September and October on-line, available on the Mt. Rainier NP photo guide. I have redesigned the format of the monthly news Web page with better organization and presentation of the information.

I have also decided to change the frequency of the reports starting this summer and from now on. The reports will be updated every two months which better fits the seasons of the NP, as follows:

Winter - January-February
Winter-Spring - March-April
Spring - May-June
Summer - July-August
Summer-Fall - September-October
Fall-Winter - November-December

I will put the report on-line during the first week or so of the new period and update it through the two-month period as necessary to keep the information current as events changes in the NP.

This change allows me to focus on long overdue other work and projects and look for new projects. I'm still in need of a Google Map API Version 3 experienced programmer, see job announcement for the work. It's work up to $100 for 3-4 hours of work, more if necessary.

Webcams

Update.--The Jackson Visitors Center Webcams are back up, so there's only two down, the air quality one in the administration building looking to the southwest and the Sunrise east one awaiting work on the window.

Just a quick note to say a number of the Webcams are having problems. Two of the ones in the Jackson visitors center (west and east) are dated over a week ago. The Webcam in the Mountain Guide Center is mispointed (at something inside the building). The air quality one looking down southwest is down. And the one in the Sunrise visitors center is still down.

These are a great asset for visitors and many thanks and kudos for the work of the NPS to have and opearate them, and it only shows how much we need the NPS to be adequately funded for their work protecting and managing our National Parks.

I know many in Congress know this, but it sometimes seems it falling on deaf ears of the leadership and many Republicans in the House of Representatives to fully funded the government we all need and want. I won't politicize it much here, just when it obvious.

A Note About Pets

Occasionally I run across some Websites, blogs, etc. where the person not only brags about taking their pet hiking to Mt. Rainier NP, but sometimes these people show photos of their pet on trails and other places pets where aren't allowed or without a leash.

Remember folks, pets should not be taken to Mt. Rainier NP because of the narrow restrictions on pets and the ban on taking them on trails, outside of  campgrounds and visitors facilities, and always on a leash. You can only take pets on a leash in parking lots, picnic areas, campgrounds and along highway (turnouts). This means when you're anywhere else, pets must be in vehicles.

I've run across hikers and visitors with pets, all dogs of course, walking around the NP like it's their neighborhood, and every time I remind them it's illegal and not appreciated by other visitors and hikers. And consider if the pet ran off hiking on a trail or elsewhere, would you be able to find them before they become completely separated and lost from you.

Remember it's not about you having your pet with you, and what you think the pet enjoys being outside in the NP. It doesn't matter how well trained your pet. It doesn't matter how important your pet is to you. It doesn't matter your pet makes a great hiking companion. It doesn't matter you take your pet hiking everywhere else in the Cascade Mountains outside National Parks.

It doesn't matter. Read and follow the rules on pets. And better yet, leave them at home.

Trailheads

I've added a description and map Web pages for the trailheads in and around Mt. Rainier NP, which you can find on the photo guide in the second group and "Places" section. The trailheads correspond to the day hikes and backcountry hikes Web pages, which I review to integrate the pages together.

In addition a Web page and map for the Wonderland Trail is in the list of projects, which is currently included in the backcountry hikes. There are plenty of opportunities for photographers on the Wonderland Trail but is only hiked in sections by a few photographers.

In other news I'll start producing the news, access and conditions Web pages in two-month periods as it seems to fit the NP and makes the work easier for me to focus on other projects. The September-October will come out, hopefully, before the Labor Day holiday weekend.

As for the NP, it's in the last stages of the wildflowers as the weather changes from summer to early fall and the number of visitors decreases after the holiday weekend, but is often the best hiking month as the weather is cooler with fewer hikers.

I'll keep you posted and enjoy the NP. Remember to take photos and memories and leave no trace.