Cronan Ranch

Alvin Huey

Marsha and I arrived at about 6PM, actually she got there a few minutes before I did.

The site is actually turning out to be a decent site for winter nights and for quickies. It is only 25 minutes from our respective residences and this when I'm not flying on the road. :) The drive up Salmon Falls Road to HWY 49 was a nice leisurely drive.

Yesterday early evening, about halfway from Green Valley to HWY 49, I saw a bunch of law enforcement vehicles, at least 8, at the Salmon Falls trailhead. It turns out that a body was found in the ditch earlier that afternoon. According to the media, it has been there for two days. The cause is not known. I wonder if it is a mountain bike accident.

The Salmon Falls trail is a medium to challenging trail for mountain bikers. I rode that trail many times, and some parts of it is pretty dicey, even for an experienced rider. One slips at certain parts takes you down 50-100 feet to the river. And it is not a straight shot to the river, but a nice bouncy ride down there on a very steep slope.

Last night was a better night then the previous two times I went out to Cronan Ranch, but we still battled a few high clouds here and there. The sky glow to the west is partially blocked to about 25 degrees by a nice hill, hence this site is better than the location indicates. NELM last night to the east was about 5.9 to 6.0, again not bad for an "orange" site. Best views are from north to east to SSE.

I decided to pull out the Galaxy Trios list and work on some of it. I mainly re-observed what I observed many years ago. I thought I could go a mag to a mag and half deeper at a good night at IHOP, but this is an "orange" site. Observed 10 trios and 2 galaxy groups.

If I have time, I'll write what I observed.

We left a little after 10PM.

Marsha and I agreed that this site is a great site for quickies even in the summer, when we don't feel like driving far to take a peek for a couple hours.

It would be nice if more would join us.

Clear skies,
Alvin