by Gregory Edwards
I took my family, and three friends of my wife (work friends) to Dino (0,2). We arrived in one big van about 1pm, having chased the cloud bank until we caught up with it. I had remembered zoos at FP years ago... So we arrived early. Only folks there were fishermen and lugers(1). No tacky people(5) at all.
As the day wore on some big dogs(4) arrived, but while the sun played with us the sky never went all blue. Towards evening what blue we had went and all was dark and gloomy. Now dark I like, but the dark I like has twinkles in it and this dark didn't. Our family and friends talk (they were astrovirgins, but smart and interesting), my kids tried to beg more food from the dogs, and one dogged astronomer showed some wonderful photos he had taken with a 35mm camera on a new cheap Meade 60mm goto.
Around 8:30 everyone gave up and left. I am proud to say that we were the last to give up, the last to abandon my favorite Bay Area observing site. We were loyal, at least for 5 minutes longer than the others...
Over the pass we saw stars and all the adults in the van started muttering about me and where I had taken them. I kept telling them that it was gamble, that Dino, if it worked, would be the best, but unveiled threats were heard as we passed the turnoff for FP, Grant, Coe, etc.. Ariving back in the back of Palo Alto (where we had met and left 3 cars to go in just one van with all our astro gear and camping gear and 9 people) we saw stars, and more stars. We uncramped out of the van and went into the building we ran to call a neighbor in Half Moon Bay who said that it was clear there. So we caravaned to Half Moon Bay, home to where the fog is, and tried to get tired, sleepy kids into bed for a few hours sleep before the event.
Six hours driving to end up where we started from...
I woke up 5 minutes before the alarm went off and went onto the deck to see what Santa had brought. Eureka was sleeping on the deck and Rao was seated across two chairs. He said that he had seen 60 meteors in the past hour (1-2am) and that he had never seen so many before in his entire life. I saw only a few clouds and a little fog. I went inside to wake the sleepheads and get them bundled up and out we went.
For the next 90 minutes, until about 3:30am we watched meteors. Short trails and long trails. Bright and dim meteors. Pairs, chains, and in one case a rotating fan (one to the left, one to the center a second later, and then a second later one to the right). The rate ranged from 1 a minute at 2pm to 20 in one minute in one field of view (~100/m=6000 ZHR?). Around
An interesting time, long memories, and a house of tired kids the next day.
(0) All reasonable languages start at 0, not 1
(1) A street luge team is now practicing on the last section before the parking lot at Dino one day a month. They say that they have gotten speeds there of over 80mph. My overly brave 10yo son, Robert, talked his mom into paying the $30 fee (for 2 hours useage) to allow him to prepare for a quick trip to the emergency room. Something went wrong, and even though he was clocked at doing 32mph with only a few inches between his young body and the rough street, he didn't have enough blood ripped off him to justify a trip to the hospital. Robert had entirely too much fun for the amount of money he makes and now my other 10 year olds also want to luge. UGH! I need more scopes (actually, mounts, as I have no GOTOs or even a clock driven mount, not trips to the hospital! URL for these local lugers: http://streetluge.com/bbs/
(2) Dino is a favorite, somewhat secret, somewhat unlikely, observing spot for amateur astronomers in the Bay Area. Cyphered in www.observers.org
(3) Unobserved as I blinked when that one went by
(4) Another, more serious visual observing group, one Caroline and William would like more than Jack (mandatory POB reference)
(5) Members of The Astronomy Connection, http://www.observers.org