After being in the hobby a year or so, I decided to determine the quality of my backyard skies. I used a magnitude chart of the stars in Ursa Minor and Lyra to determine that my limiting mag is just under 6.0. Then, I compared my results to the map at Dark Sky Finder. It turns out that I too view from an orange zone.

I have to agree with all of the comments that suggest that one can enjoy the hobby regardless of the amount of light polluting their skies. While I do occasionally visit a Blue site about 30 minutes from where I live (Devil's Den State Park), I have almost as good a time in my own backyard. Even under Orange skies, there's plenty of objects to view, be they clusters, nebulae, or galaxies.

I can't understand those who confine their viewing only to optimal sky conditions. While I've always subscribed to the maxim "quality over quantity," I can't imagine applying it to my viewing habits. If I did, I'd only get out under the stars once a month and not two or three times a week like I do now. Besides, my backyard viewing sessions actually enhance my trips to a dark site, as I love seeing the difference in detail the dark skies make to objects I'm already familiar with.