john D
All you have to do is ask!!
Reged: 08/05/07
Posts: 4965
Loc: Midlothian, VA
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Quote:
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Dark enough for you? 
Hey!, that looks my TV when I forget to pay the bill. 
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Meade ETX-125
Meade LXD55 mount
Philips SPC900NC webcam
Seymour Solar filter
Backyard Observatory
 -Midlothian VA
--Land Of The Free Because Of The Brave--
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pops
sage
Reged: 12/22/07
Posts: 337
Loc: Cadiz, Kentucky
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Night shot in western TN.
30 second exposure EOS Rebel.
Where, pray tell, did you find a spot like that in West Tennessee? 
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Golden Pond Kentucky
10" Zhumell
Sky Commander
Celestron 114EQ
Telrad
Stratus 21mm
Stratus 13mm
Stratus 5mm
"If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."
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JPDeTombe
super member
Reged: 06/27/07
Posts: 145
Loc: Davenport, IA
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It is pretty much mid-point between Nashville and Memphis, about 20 miles north of I-40. Very near the Natchez Trace State Park.
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John
8" Orion f/5
6" C-150 f/6.7
CG-4 w/dual axis drive
Celestron NexImage
15X70 Zhumell Bino's
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rocco13
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/29/06
Posts: 1549
Loc: Phoenix, Arizona
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Here's my favorite spot, about 30 miles west of Casa Grande, AZ. Virtually no lights from this point south all the way to Mexico...(this image looking southwest...)
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Rocco
Super C8 (1984 vintage)
Celestron 102 f/5
and a cheap pair of binoculars
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rocco13
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/29/06
Posts: 1549
Loc: Phoenix, Arizona
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And looking southeast from the same spot...
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Rocco
Super C8 (1984 vintage)
Celestron 102 f/5
and a cheap pair of binoculars
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mwg47x
member
Reged: 06/13/08
Posts: 28
Loc: Dacono, Colorado
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Quote:
Here's my favorite spot, no lights south from this point all the way to the Mexican border...(looking southwest...)
Do you get checked out by the border patrol often?
Just curious.
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rocco13
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/29/06
Posts: 1549
Loc: Phoenix, Arizona
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Quote:
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Here's my favorite spot, no lights south from this point all the way to the Mexican border...(looking southwest...)
Do you get checked out by the border patrol often?
Just curious.
I haven't, but I have heard stories from other observers who have been stopped by either the Border Patrol or the local sheriff who told them this has been known as a drug smuggling corridor. Supposedly it's also a corridor for illegals coming through the desert up to Phoenix. Worst I've ever seen were a few pickups full of teenagers heading out for a desert party. Hopefully it'll stay that way.
Even though there are scorpions, snakes, coyotes, gila monsters, mtn lions, etc throughout these deserts, it's the two-legged creatures that I worry about most.
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Rocco
Super C8 (1984 vintage)
Celestron 102 f/5
and a cheap pair of binoculars
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desertrefugee
professor emeritus
Reged: 08/06/07
Posts: 527
Loc: Arizona
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Quote:
Even though there are scorpions, snakes, coyotes, gila monsters, mtn lions, etc throughout these deserts, it's the two-legged creatures that I worry about most.
That's exactly why an integral part of my observing kit goes bang. The desert is a mighty lonely place at night - and she hides her secrets well.
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"Look now upon the River of Heaven, Sky-Road of the Immortals, White with the star-frost of a billion years".
+++
-Darrell
Reflectors (114, 150, 254mm), Refractors (60, 76.2, 80, 120), MCT (125), way too many Binoculars
Cave Creek/Carefree, AZ
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THEPLOUGH
Nailed Again
Reged: 01/11/08
Posts: 3957
Loc: Carlisle, Cumbria, ENGLAND
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That sure looks like a nice place. Every time I think I have seen the best a better one appears....   .........
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Geoff...
Nexstar 8SE -- 9X50 RACI Finder scope... 6.3 F/R.-- 13 & 17mm Hyperion EPs.. 25mm Celestron E- Lux EP.. 2X Celestron X-Cel Barlow----- Celestron solar filter + A few bits and pieces..
Never give up on any one..... MIRACLES happen every day....
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mwg47x
member
Reged: 06/13/08
Posts: 28
Loc: Dacono, Colorado
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Quote:
That's exactly why an integral part of my observing kit goes bang. The desert is a mighty lonely place at night - and she hides her secrets well.
Amen brother. 
While I don't live near the desert, the Rocky Mountains and the Pawnee Grasslands can be awfully lonely as well. That's why I always have this with me when I am out alone, observing or not.
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llanitedave
Humble Megalomaniac
Reged: 09/26/05
Posts: 10474
Loc: Amargosa Valley, NV, USA
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Don't want to hijack this thread, but in 20 years of hiking and wandering in desert wilderness areas, usually alone, I've never had, used, or needed any weapon. I've encountered coyotes, bobcats, foxes, rattlesnakes, feral dogs, and rarely, humans. The only times I've ever felt in danger were from treacherous slopes and dehydration. Same goes with observing at night. I've been approached by a curious kit fox, and once a rattlesnake took shelter under my rocker box, but every event has turned out positively for all concerned.
I think the dangers of suburbia are far greater than those of the so-called "empty" places.
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"S.O.E." (Sauron's Other Eye) 16" Royce conical mirror: A permanent work in progress.
10" Homebuilt dob, old Coulter mirror
Next Project: The "Eye of Sauron" Observatory!
Edited by llanitedave (07/15/08 10:27 AM)
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Old Dinosaur
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 05/08/07
Posts: 839
Loc: Out in the sagebrush
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I gotta agree with Dave.
I always cast a wary eye on those who are armed because they think they need protection from some beastie when away from their hearth and home.
I've spent my life in remote places. Never carried a gun unless I was hunting and never needed one. Right here around my house I've had Grizzlies, Black Bears, Moose, Mountain Lions, even the always dangerous vicious Cottontail.
In the high country around here Grizzlies and Wolves are thick as flies, no body packs a gun for protection.
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WRS Observatory
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mwg47x
member
Reged: 06/13/08
Posts: 28
Loc: Dacono, Colorado
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llanitedave, that is all very true. I would just rather have it with me if for some reason that very small chance it was needed reared it's ugly head. I pray to God that never happens, and chances are good it never will, but if it does I'm prepared.
Just a personal choice that we all have to make.
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llanitedave
Humble Megalomaniac
Reged: 09/26/05
Posts: 10474
Loc: Amargosa Valley, NV, USA
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Cottontails are a bit shy around here, but the jack-rabbits are downright ornery! 
(And I've had a gopher actually "put up his dukes" at me when I had him cornered. I laughed so hard I had to let the little pugilist go!)
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"S.O.E." (Sauron's Other Eye) 16" Royce conical mirror: A permanent work in progress.
10" Homebuilt dob, old Coulter mirror
Next Project: The "Eye of Sauron" Observatory!
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mwg47x
member
Reged: 06/13/08
Posts: 28
Loc: Dacono, Colorado
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Thanks, now I have to get the Mountain Dew off my keyboard.
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dgs©
Postmaster
Reged: 03/29/04
Posts: 13903
Loc: West Monroe, Louisiana
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mwg47x... getting off the beaten path a bit, but from your link, it looks like the M1991 is no longer Parkerized, like mine. I wonder when they did that. 
From what little I know of deserts at night, I believe they can get rather chilly. Easy enough to prepare for that, but it seems like a little breeze could stir up a significant amount of dust. Is that a problem frequently or do things tend to die down at night.
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- david
8"Ø Newtonian on SVP, Moonlite CR2, Telrad
PST Oberwerk Ultra 15x70 Orion Ultraview 10×50
Hand-me-down Sears Refractor (Discoverer) 60mm×900mm
"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world, remains and is immortal." --Albert Pike
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desertrefugee
professor emeritus
Reged: 08/06/07
Posts: 527
Loc: Arizona
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Quote:
I've spent my life in remote places. Never carried a gun unless I was hunting and never needed one.
Please don't get me wrong. The only thing I truly enjoy shooting is pictures.
I grew up in the country, and have spent countless hours away from the grind. Hiked the Appalachian Trail. Done a couple of 14'ers in Colorado. I never felt uncomfortable either. But, the Coyote Routes (illegals being sheparded across the border) are quite busy and the Coyotes are not to be taken lightly. This goes double for those trafficing in non-human cargo - if you know what I mean. However, it's probably safe to say that most are not LOOKING for trouble.
But, in an environment like that, I'd rather be prepared. I choose not to be a victim should an encounter go bad.
Or, I could find another spot. In fact, our club recently decided to abandon a beloved dark sky site close to the border for exactly this reason. It's a shame really.
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"Look now upon the River of Heaven, Sky-Road of the Immortals, White with the star-frost of a billion years".
+++
-Darrell
Reflectors (114, 150, 254mm), Refractors (60, 76.2, 80, 120), MCT (125), way too many Binoculars
Cave Creek/Carefree, AZ
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Old Dinosaur
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 05/08/07
Posts: 839
Loc: Out in the sagebrush
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Trouble with the two legged coyotes I agree could be real.
I tried to make a living off a small mine I had down in SE Arizona for a few years, but that was a while back. I'm sure things have changed.
40 odd years ago fresh out of uniform I know how I would have dealt with it, now I'm not sure.
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WRS Observatory
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mwg47x
member
Reged: 06/13/08
Posts: 28
Loc: Dacono, Colorado
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I haven't been observing here yet, but I plan to. Should be pretty dark. Lots of good fishing pretty close by. About 10 miles west is the Fryingpan River, and about 10 miles east is Ivanhoe Lake. I'll post a picture of the lake in the next post.
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Celestron CPC 1100 XLT/GPS
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mwg47x
member
Reged: 06/13/08
Posts: 28
Loc: Dacono, Colorado
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Ivanhoe Lake. This picture was taken after driving over Hagerman Pass. The cut/road you can see in the left-middle part of the pic is part of the old grade of the Colorado Midland railroad. The CM was the first standard gauge RR to cross the Continental Divide. After going through Hagerman Tunnel, the grade looped around that ridge to Ivanhoe Station, which was on the near side of the lake that is out of view. From there it went on down the Fryingpan river valley to Basalt, then to either Aspen or Glenwood Springs.
Edited by mwg47x (07/15/08 06:09 PM)
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