Salmon Falls tonight

by Ray Fox

Bill, a sincere THANK YOU for inviting us to Salmon Falls last night. That was absolutely one of my favorite viewing experiences ever! The M Objects were falling like ducks in a barrell. I almost ran out of ink in my pen, checking them all off. The spot may not have the darkest skies I've ever seen, but the relative closeness of the site takes it up a few notches. The nearly 360 horizon was a rare treat, and the work you did to make it hospitable to telescopes and humans alike really paid off. Many times I found myself down on the ground to get a view of something at the zenith through my telrad, and the gravel you had laid down sure beats the mud or a sharp rock.

I also really enjoyed the company of Peter and "Bill #2" (Bill Porte). Their enthusiasm for the night sky was contagious, and it felt like we were on a big game hunt as we scanned the skies for Messier's faint fuzzies. Peter's bino-eyepieces were the bomb. I literally wanted to sit there for hours gazing through it, especially at the Orion Nebula. Oh what a night!

And congratulations on the new acquisition, Bill. You're really a member of the big guns club now. Can't wait until next time!

Posted on tac-sac Fri Feb 13 11:33:11 2004 PT
Converted by report.pm 1.0 Mon Feb 16 17:33:37 2004 PT