by James Turley
Anyone there?
MB was beautiful. The lot 100% full by 8PM as predicted. Overflow going to Los Trancos lot across the street. Marek and I (mostly Marek) manned the gate all night, keeping it locked. Only those with scopes allowed in. Lot's of polite, bright, public wandering in by foot.
Good Mars all night, few if any DSO's. About midnight, the sky opened up to a "starchy" Milky Way, horizon to horizon...lasted only 30 min.
Crilly, Marek and I locked up around 2am. Listened to Art Bell show (Norry) in interview that Face on Mars crackpot Richard C. Hoagland trapped in the rain at the StarHill Inn in New Mexico. Serves him right.
At the overlook down the hill from MB, the Santa Clara valley was BLACK. A classic Black laminar layer shrouding the valley at about 1000 feet, I suspect fog + ash from the fires, blessing us with classic warm observing conditions at Montebello.
Into the soup and home by 3am. Looks like the MB gang made the right choice. A memorable Mars night at MB.