So we talk and talk about going camping and can't wait for the weather to break. Camping season has started for some of us, and will start shortly for the rest. Where will you be camping this year? What will you be doing?
For me and my hubby - Winchester, Virginia for the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival, St. Charles, Il for Riverfest and Dragon Boat racing, Indianapolis just for fun, Tennessee for The Longest Yard Sale, and maybe Hocking State Park, Ohio in September. Maybe camping along the Mississippi River at a COE campground. All of this before we head south for the winter. Retirement is great!
Still trying to decide myself. Maybe somewhere in Texas? Love the South West and Rocky mountain states.
I am still eorking so in and around NW Oregon. Gonna try a few parks we haven't like Milo Mciver, Detroit Lake. Maybe try dry camping at Timothy Lake. Plus our faves: Fort Stevens, Southe Beach, Champoeg, Stubb Stewart.
Maybe wander into WA state. I think next year we might try a longer trip and see ID and/or UT. crater Lake, too.
Trips already planned:
Charleton Mass in May for Banjo Camp North
Greenfield Mass in July for the Harry Smith Frolic
Camp Washington Carver near Fayetteville W. Va. in July for Appalachian String Band Festival
All are boondocking trips, I'm sure there will be a few more in there somewhere.
[quote source="/post/9783/thread" timestamp="1429729950" author="@shovelhead"]Still trying to decide myself. Maybe somewhere in Texas? Love the South West and Rocky mountain states.[/quote]A little 'Rocky Mountain high', eh? Hey, Shovelhead how about you and Bella (and anyone who loves the Southwest) joining up with us for a rattlesnake roundup in Texas?
Oh, wait....I forgot, the DNC will be in Charlotte, NC this year. (Oh, c'mon ya'll...lighten up! That there is funny, don't care what you say...well it would be funny if it weren't so darn near the truth. :'()
GW I dont do snakes other then eat some rattler. Use to have a friend in WV church of "snake handlers". I refused to go to church with him...
I am thinking Texas. Somewhere to just relax. I being a gimp, I dont need the hiking, fishing etc.. I do like photography. Oh and beer.
No long trips for a couple more years. Will do a lot of 2-3 day trips in Western MA, NY, NH and VT. Longest is a week in the White Mountains of NH arranged for early July. Looking forward to some dispersed sites in VT.
[quote source="/post/9794/thread" timestamp="1429738728" author="@shovelhead"]GW I dont do snakes other then eat some rattler. Use to have a friend in WV church of "snake handlers". I refused to go to church with him...
I am thinking Texas. Somewhere to just relax. I being a gimp, I dont need the hiking, fishing etc.. I do like photography. Oh and beer.[/quote]
One well-known roundup is in Sweetwater, TX. Three days of events: Rattlesnake Parade
, Carnival
, Miss Snake Charmer Pageant
, Sweetwater Rifle and Pistol Club Gun-Knife-Coin Show, Guided Hunts
, Barn Dances, Cookoffs, Snake Eating contest
s, Beard contest
, Longest snake
contest, most pounds of snakes and who could imagine fried rattler without beer? Activities, excepting guided hunts ($75), take place in air conditioned coliseum or barn. Claims to be world's largest rattler round-up.
Active//Retired Military - $5.00 (with valid military ID)
Unfortunately, this Sweetwater event was last month and won't occur again 'til Spring '16.
At a different round-up years ago, the guy who laid in a coffin while rattlers were piled on provided relaxing entertainment for all. Spectator sport, for sure. Oh, and sorry about your church friend. ( Is he still around? )
For us it will likely be short trips to state parks on the Great Lakes this spring and early summer, then an extended trip to the Oregon coast. But it snowed here yesterday and it was 26F last night, so I can't de-winterize yet!
I have a seasonal camp site 20 minutes from home but I do plan taking some trip on weekends but I want to stay within the Maritime Province (NB, PEI, NS) this year, I wanted to go to Maine but might just go next year instead and stay around this year.
A few trips to Fort Wilderness at Disney for some long weekends, starting in May, followed by two weeks at the Smoky Mountains in TN, and then a longer trip at Disney to celebrate my wife's retirement from the mouse.
We plan on adding some trips to Florida state parks along the way. No trip out west this year, but would love to. Grand Canyon and Moab, UT last year will be hard to beat.
Our big trip will be a multi state road trip where we will be traveling between NC and NY. Camping just outside of Easton PA and visiting the Crayola Experience, then visiting family in a couple places in upstate NY. NY will have us near the Catskills and Saratoga areas. Then we head back into PA for a stay at Lyman Run State Park which I hear is a great place to stay. The name escapes me but it is supposed to be very close to a very well known area for amature astronomers. With any luck we will have clear skies :) Last stop on the way home is just a pit stop to Hershey PA.
The trip is going to be a whirlwind I bet, but over the course of 2 weeks it should be a blast. I cant wait.
We also plan to do as many weekend trips as possible. We are so close to Jordan Lake in NC that I hope to use it like a second home this summer :)
-Sean
[quote source="/post/9822/thread" author="@admin" timestamp="1429796686"]Our big trip will be a multi state road trip where we will be traveling between NC and NY. Camping just outside of Easton PA and visiting the Crayola Experience, then visiting family in a couple places in upstate NY. NY will have us near the Catskills and Saratoga areas. Then we head back into PA for a stay at Lyman Run State Park which I hear is a great place to stay. The name escapes me but it is supposed to be very close to a very well known area for amature astronomers. With any luck we will have clear skies :) Last stop on the way home is just a pit stop to Hershey PA.
The trip is going to be a whirlwind I bet, but over the course of 2 weeks it should be a blast. I cant wait.
We also plan to do as many weekend trips as possible. We are so close to Jordan Lake in NC that I hope to use it like a second home this summer :)
-Sean[/quote]Saratoga! My backyard! You should stay at Moreau State Park, it's very nice if you like dry camping. My wife and I go there at least 3 times a year.
Quote from: @mitch" source="/post/9823/thread" timestamp="1429799428[quote source="/post/9822/thread" timestamp="1429796686" author="@admin"]Our big trip will be a multi state road trip where we will be traveling between NC and NY. Camping just outside of Easton PA and visiting the Crayola Experience, then visiting family in a couple places in upstate NY. NY will have us near the Catskills and Saratoga areas. Then we head back into PA for a stay at Lyman Run State Park which I hear is a great place to stay. The name escapes me but it is supposed to be very close to a very well known area for amature astronomers. With any luck we will have clear skies :) Last stop on the way home is just a pit stop to Hershey PA.
The trip is going to be a whirlwind I bet, but over the course of 2 weeks it should be a blast. I cant wait.
We also plan to do as many weekend trips as possible. We are so close to Jordan Lake in NC that I hope to use it like a second home this summer :)
-Sean
Saratoga! My backyard! You should stay at Moreau State Park, it's very nice if you like dry camping. My wife and I go there at least 3 times a year.
[/quote]
We'll be bumming it at some family but I'm sure this is just the first of many trips up that way. We love the area and cant wait to explore.
Last year we explored NFS and State Park campsites in NY, Vt, Ma and took a long trip up to Acadia National Park.
This year we will do short overnights to the Catskills and Ma and maybe take in a concert at Tanglewood. Our long trip will be up to Lake George and the Adirondacks.
David
This is why I love forums like this. I had never considered camping in an RV close to disneyworld (fort wilderness) as djsamuel is planning to do. I could do this when the kids are a bit older.
@oar, if you are lucky enough to be close by like @djsamuel you could camp without actually going to any of the parks. Camping at Fort Wilderness is an experience all by itself.
Well if all goes as planned we are driving from Reno Nevada to SIRV arriving the 15th of June to pick up our custom 21BHS. It's on production line as of 4/17 per Shawn at LL and should come off in 2 weeks. On our way back we are spending 8 nights in Yellowstone and then dropping down to Denver for a few nights to attend a wedding. Then back to Reno. That's the big trip. Have a couple of 3 day trip planned (4th of July and Labor Day weekend) at Little Bear RV park in Graeagle, CA. May hit Lake Tahoe's Camp Richardson once this summer too. 2016 in planning stages but lake Powell and Utah are on our agenda :)
[quote source="/post/9841/thread" author="@admin" timestamp="1429817788"]@oar, if you are lucky enough to be close by like @djsamuel you could camp without actually going to any of the parks. Camping at Fort Wilderness is an experience all by itself.[/quote]Has little to do with luck or proximity. We could stay 5 nights at state parks for one at FW. But then, that was at last year's rate. Very expensive if you don't work for the Mouse.
@gwbushhog, FW is definitely pricey but it is also an entirely different experience when compared to a state park. FW is more like a resort vs camping and there are times where that is desirable. On the flip side, we tend to do more state parks simply because that is the style we enjoy the most.
Quote from: @admin" timestamp="1429817788" source="/post/9841/thread@oar, if you are lucky enough to be close by like @djsamuel you could camp without actually going to any of the parks. Camping at Fort Wilderness is an experience all by itself.
Exactly. We go and enjoy the campground. Sometimes we go into the parks, but often we fish, swim, walk to loops checking out other campers, or just relax under the awning. It helps that my wife works there, so we get in the park for free and get 50% off the campground.
[quote source="/post/9872/thread" timestamp="1429887929" author="@admin"]@gwbushhog, FW is definitely pricey but it is also an entirely different experience when compared to a state park. FW is more like a resort vs camping and there are times where that is desirable. On the flip side, we tend to do more state parks simply because that is the style we enjoy the most.[/quote]Agree 100%. I really enjoy the Florida state parks, as well as the National Parks. But Fort Wilderness is close and nice, so we go there often.
I rented a 16' TT in Denver to tow to the Rocky Mountain Star Stare (a star party)in Gardner, Co. It'll be a test to see if I can camp with a TT successfully with limited physical abilities. The conditions are primitive so I rented a 2000w Honda generator, so we should be pretty comfortable. At 7650' elevation in June, we shouldn't need the AC. And if we do, so what, I'm from S. La. where sweating is the national pastime.
I'm excited. High elevation, clear skies and a big telescope. It's the next best thing to going into space.
Quote from: @cadman70454" source="/post/9999/thread" timestamp="1430058573I rented a 16' TT in Denver to tow to the Rocky Mountain Star Stare (a star party)in Gardner, Co. It'll be a test to see if I can camp with a TT successfully with limited physical abilities. The conditions are primitive so I rented a 2000w Honda generator, so we should be pretty comfortable. At 7650' elevation in June, we shouldn't need the AC. And if we do, so what, I'm from S. La. where sweating is the national pastime.
I'm excited. High elevation, clear skies and a big telescope. It's the next best thing to going into space.
I have heard about this star stare party. When is it? Is it held more than once a year? I'm really interested in going to this.
You can find a star party near the time of new moon every month around the U.S.
Down here in S. La, there is the Deep South Regional Star Gaze at the end of Oct, depending on new moon date. There is also the Kisatche Star Party in Kisatche National Forest in March, I think. Mississippi has the Mid-South Star Gaze in April at French Camp, Ms., on the Natchez Trace. These are our regional star parties. There are lots of star parties around, some that are very popular. There is probably one in your region.
The Texas Star Party is probably the most iconic. It's in May at the Prude Ranch in Big Bend, Tx. 5000' elevation and very dark skies make for very good telescope viewing. I think the registration is cut off at 700. I haven't been to that one but hope to camp in the area and visit the McDonald Observatory.
My best views thru my 16" telescope have been from near Mayhill, NM. 7400' elevation and situated behind a range of mountains that helps strip the air of particulates in the atmosphere (or something like that).
The Rocky Mountain Star Stare is near Gardner, Co. in June. A local astronomy club owns 35 acres of property at 7650' elevation. From the photos it looks like a plateau encircled by mountain peaks. There are scrub trees surrounding an open field with campers and tents spread very loosely around the property. I've never been there before so I'll let you know what it was like when I get back. If it's like most star parties, which I suspect it is, it's as much a social event as it is a telescope viewing event. People with a common interest, sharing that interest with each other. They show off their instruments in the daytime and compare views thru the eyepiece at night. One aspect of really dark skies is that there are so many stars visible that it's difficult to pick out the constellations. They get lost in the star fields.
For those who enjoy mechanical stuff, there is an event in Springfield, Vt called, Stellafane. It is in early August every year. It is an amateur telescope maker's convention and star party. The instruments built by regular people in their home work shops is amazing. So for all you tinkerers, this is as good or better than a machinist's trade show. And I stopped at the Hemmings Motor Museum right down the road.
16" telescope! wow. dobsonian? Stargazing is one reason I want to take the family camping. My oldest, turning 4, loves space. Has a fascination with it. I try showing him some stars in the city but light pollution is garbage. My plan is to buy the family a telescope to take camping with us to see some cool stuff.
[quote timestamp="1430227860" author="@oar" source="/post/10085/thread"]16" telescope! wow. dobsonian?
[/quote][font size="3"]Exactly my reaction when I read his post. No armchair Questar guy, that Cadman. I used to do astronomy when I lived in CO, but then I moved to FL. With the light pollution and high humidity, on a good night I can see exactly 14 stars. That's why I carry 7x50 binos and the SkyGuide iPhone Ap on camping trips.
[/font]
"16" telescope! wow. dobsonian?"
Yes. It's a Nightsky 16, built by a local telescope builder. Pretty standard truss dob. I've upgraded it with digital setting circles and ServoCat. The ServoCat gives it goto and tracking ability. Disassembled, the heaviest chunk is the boxes at the bottom with the mirror in it. It weighs about 80 lbs. With my RA, I can't push the 80lbs up the ramp into the back of the pickup so I need to rig a block & tackle to get it into the truck.
I get great views of the planets from here at sea level. However, deep sky objects (galaxies, nebulas) all look like white/gray fuzzballs. Out west, above 5000' elevation, these things have shape & definition, like B&W photos.
I also have 3" & 4" refractors on EQ mounts for solar viewing and astrophotography. I have adapters to connect my DSLR to the small scopes and the camera to a laptop.
I started in the hobby with a pair of cheap 7 x 50 binoculars. I was able to find some galaxies and was hooked. I have a pair of 10 x 50 Orion Resolute binos and a pair of Canon 12 x 36 IS binos. The 10 x 50 are reasonably priced and give fantastic views. They are a bit heavy to hold for me so I built a parralellagram mount so it steadies the views and I don't have to hold the heavy binos. The Canon binos work well and are lightweight but the views are not as good as the Orions.
And Charlie, I think a Questar (3" or 4" diameter mirror) might cost more than all my equipment combined. But they are really cute. I would love to have one as a paperweight or desk ornament.
"My plan is to buy the family a telescope to take camping with us to see some cool stuff."
There are a number of entry level scopes to consider. For something small, an Astroscan is great for kids. It's a table top 4" reflector. Orion makes a 4.5", 6" and 8" dobs that are great bargains. The 4.5 is small enough for small kids to carry outside but can be outgrown quickly. I would suggest an Orion 8" dob at around $350. This scope is big enough for someone to keep and use for a lifetime. A child would have to be 12 or so to be able to carry it outside so they would need help if younger. However, the 8" is good for adults also. As you get bigger than 8", a tube telescope is difficult to handle.
Refractors look cute and have their uses but for viewing bang for the buck, a dob can't be beat.
Here is a website for Orion. They have a very good guide for buying your first telescope.
http://www.telescope.com/
[font size="3"]May!!! The best month to travel! Next week we're heading back to the land of vast canyons and towering red rocks! Our favorite town, Moab, UT, maybe Bryce Canyon, then Mesa Verde, and explore Chaco Canyon and more ancient ruins. We love this indescribable area and its visual contrast to our own lush green Oregon. Husband is bringing his telescope and camera so let's hope for cloudless dark skies and bright stars! [/font]
[quote source="/post/10099/thread" timestamp="1430233920" author="@cadman70454"] "My plan is to buy the family a telescope to take camping with us to see some cool stuff."
There are a number of entry level scopes to consider. For something small, an Astroscan is great for kids. It's a table top 4" reflector. Orion makes a 4.5", 6" and 8" dobs that are great bargains. The 4.5 is small enough for small kids to carry outside but can be outgrown quickly. I would suggest an Orion 8" dob at around $350. This scope is big enough for someone to keep and use for a lifetime. A child would have to be 12 or so to be able to carry it outside so they would need help if younger. However, the 8" is good for adults also. As you get bigger than 8", a tube telescope is difficult to handle.
Refractors look cute and have their uses but for viewing bang for the buck, a dob can't be beat.
Here is a website for Orion. They have a very good guide for buying your first telescope.
http://www.telescope.com/[/quote]Thanks for the info.
We camp at Stone Mountain SP NC and a local astronomy group has star events there. Need to get a telescope.
"We camp at Stone Mountain SP NC and a local astronomy group has star events there. Need to get a telescope."
You don't need a telescope to attend. In fact, I suggest signing up and attending with a pair of cheap 7 x 50 binoculars and a good planisphere. I like this one,
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1928771017/skymaps
From a dark sky location with binoculars, you can see galaxies, globular clusters, nebulas, the moons of Jupiter (which move over the course of a night) and best of all, just sit in a chair and slowly scan the Milky Way. The planisphere I linked to has 15 bright objects in the night sky listed on the back and has a location key code on the sky map. I found Andromeda Galaxy with $50 7 x 50 sailing binoculars. That got me started in Astronomy.
Go to the star party and walk around during daylight, admire people's equipment and ask questions. Make friends and get invited to come back at night for views thru their scopes. You just have to be nice, sound interested and tell people how cool their stuff looks and they'll usually invite you for views later after it gets dark. Don't bother the people with imaging equipment, they won't be sharing views. You can get a good idea of what equipment is available, and what can be seen in different size telescopes before spending any money. People tend to enjoy sharing views as long as they are not being bothered. In some cases, lines form at some of the larger telescopes.
[quote source="/post/10160/thread" timestamp="1430403163" author="@brenda"][font size="3"]May!!! The best month to travel! Next week we're heading back to the land of vast canyons and towering red rocks! Our favorite town, Moab, UT, maybe Bryce Canyon, then Mesa Verde, and explore Chaco Canyon and more ancient ruins. We love this indescribable area and its visual contrast to our own lush green Oregon. Husband is bringing his telescope and camera so let's hope for cloudless dark skies and bright stars! [/font][/quote]Enjoy. We're ready to go back! We were in Moab in September and our daughter and son in law went around Easter. Felt homesick when they were there, and I don't live there.
[font size="3"]For you amateur astronomers with an iPhone let me call attention to skyguide. It uses GPS and the phone's internal inertial sensors to display any portion of the sky you point it at. It can display in real time or any preset time/date/locaiton. Truly point and search. A beautiful color display. For you high rollers it also works on the Apple iWatch ;) The universe on a 1"x3/4" display for $2!
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Up on the Mogollon Rim in Central Arizona.
"For you amateur astronomers with an iPhone let me call attention to skyguide."
I don't have a cell phone, much less a smart phone, but I've seen these apps in action. I take my telescopes out for public viewing. These events can be in really bright central city areas where only a couple of the brightest stars are visible. I need 2 identifiable stars to align my goto system on the scope. So as I'm looking up with my planisphere in hand trying to identify a bright star overhead, a 12 year old with a smart phone walks up, points his phone at the sky and tells me, that's Aldeberan. So I said, and what star is that, as I pointed to the only other star visible. He pointed his phone at it and said, Regulus. It was incredible and functional. It certainly beats a planisphere. Sometimes the scale of the sky and the diagram on the planisphere are hard to reconcile. But the app on the smartphone leaves no doubt about what you're looking at.
Eventually, I will get me one of those things.
[quote source="/post/10160/thread" timestamp="1430403163" author="@brenda"][font size="3"]May!!! The best month to travel! Next week we're heading back to the land of vast canyons and towering red rocks! Our favorite town, Moab, UT, maybe Bryce Canyon, then Mesa Verde, and explore Chaco Canyon and more ancient ruins. We love this indescribable area and its visual contrast to our own lush green Oregon. Husband is bringing his telescope and camera so let's hope for cloudless dark skies and bright stars! [/font][/quote][p]We love Utah, 4 corners, the West in general and driving hwy 50 from the West coast to Colorado. I love the sign on hwy 50 that reads, the loneliest road in America. The sign is accurate.[/p][p]
[/p][p]About 5 years ago we spent 2 weeks in Utah, one week at Zion and one week at Moab. I should have paid closer attention in geology class. The formations and geology are stunning and beautiful. We got to see everything we wanted except Canyon Lands NP. We spent too much time at Arches and went to the north rim of the Grand Canyon so we ran out of time. For all those reading this who have never experienced Utah and the west in general, it's worth the trip. I would put the Grand Canyon at the top of my favorites list, followed by Zion & Arches right behind.[/p][p]
[/p][p]In our 2 weeks in Utah, we had one night of clear skies for telescope viewing. It was cloudy every night except one.
[/p]
A number of years ago I camped at a National Forest site on the access road to Palomar Observatory in California. This was a Thursday and some early campers/astronomers were setting up for a star party on the weekend.
I did what Cadman suggested and walked around the campsite in late afternoon admiring the equipment. But later that night 2 out of 3 astronomers were inside their RV observing via video, with the instrument being controlled remotely ;-).
FWIW I do have a Questar 3.5 that I purchased more than 40 years ago. It still works fine and looks exactly like what they make today, at about ten times the price no doubt.
David
[quote source="/post/10261/thread" timestamp="1430592030" author="@david"]A number of years ago I camped at a National Forest site on the access road to Palomar Observatory in California. This was a Thursday and some early campers/astronomers were setting up for a star party on the weekend.
I did what Cadman suggested and walked around the campsite in late afternoon admiring the equipment. But later that night 2 out of 3 astronomers were inside their RV observing via video, with the instrument being controlled remotely ;-).
FWIW I do have a Questar 3.5 that I purchased more than 40 years ago. It still works fine and looks exactly like what they make today, at about ten times the price no doubt.
David[/quote][p]A Questar 3.5 is still an expensive telescope. Very small but incredible build quality and lots of built in features. Not very good for deep sky objects (dim things) but great on bright things like the planets, the moon and the sun. The optics are excellent in those scopes. At 3.5" f13.9, it's like looking thru a straw but the motor drive compensates for it. The optics are good enough to push it towards 100x per inch.[/p][p]
[/p][p]While I make fun of the Questar's size, especially compared to my 6' long, 16" telescope, it is truly a mitey mite for certain objects. And a really cute desk ornament to boot.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Video astronomy is becoming popular these days. It's not the same as a CCD camera. A friend is a rep for Malincam, an astro video camera. They are very sensitive and work well under city lights. The camera will shoot multiple short videos, automatically stack and align them into a single image and then displays the image on a monitor. We've had 15 people at a public event crammed in front of a 15" monitor, looking at the Horsehead Nebula from the middle of a city. And the Ring Nebula with it's central star. And lots of details that I haven't been able to see thru my 16", even in really dark skies. It's incredible technology. In a lot of cases, color is also apparent in the images.[/p][p]
[/p][p]By the way, Venus is bright in the evening Western sky and will get brighter as it gets to be a smaller crescent. Jupiter is overhead early evening and Saturn is rising above the trees at 10pm. And today, the sun had a really long filament across it's surface along with a nice, treelike prominence. All good stuff for a Questar and my toys too.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Maybe one day we can compare views thru our telescopes at an LL meet up.
[/p]