I believe we did, If I'm correct we went to that lunch spot and I was behind you on the way back. Im the 08 car with the CE28 wheels. I believe your car is on the right in this picture:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlozano180/8706313446/
Here is my car:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlozano180/8743268698/
What day are you coming down?

That's me... my car looks the same but it's a different beast than last time. I'm an 08 also :-) Im getting there Thursday mid day. Then I may head over to Gatlinburg but not sure yet. How about you?

Well I hate to say it, but...

We'll have a 3/4 moon almost directly overhead that evening, that won't set until 2am (how dedicated are you people??? :D). Additionally, the Milky Way won't rise until around that same time (not that you'd be able to see it with a bright moon overhead). I just want you all to know what to expect as far as observing. If I bring my big telescope we can still get some good views of Jupiter, Saturn, & Mars (and the moon, of course). I doubt we'll be able to see any Deep Space Objects unaided, but possibly with the telescope (and definitely with my camera hooked up to the telescope).

Hope this doesn't scare anyone off, but I'd hate for you to make the drive and it not meet your expectations (I was quite disappointed about the Milky Way).

Also, as the moon will be up it will be a good idea to wear an eye patch over one eye to preserve its night vision. If you don't care to see DSO's through the telescope, there is no need for this - planets will be easily visible with no night adaptation. They can be purchased for fairly cheap at any pharmacy.

STILL IN :-)

Im still in, my radio is always on so just give a big shoot out on the radio. I'm picking up the remote shutter release for my canon camera tomorrow.

Remember that we'll want to be careful about preserving our night vision, so red flashlights are a must. You can buy a red flashlight online of course, but if you don't want to spend that money for a one-time event, here are some other ideas:

- I made a red lens for a flashlight i had laying around by using a translucent red tab that comes with some hanging file folders. If you work in an office, you can probably swipe one there... :suspect:. Just use a hair dryer to heat it up to open it up flat first. IIRC I used two layers to get a good red color
- Some instructions online have suggested translucent red folders found at an office supply store
- red plastic food wrap (can be hard to find outside of the holidays), sometimes called holiday wrap. Fold this material over several times to get enough red color.
- "gel"s that are used to colorize theater lights are perfect (but harder to come by, except online)
- Red transparent tape used to repair damaged tail lights on automobiles can be purchased at many auto part stores for about $3 dollars

Unscrew the uppermost cap on your flashlight which should allow you to remove the front lens. Trace the lens on your red material sourced above, and trim it to fit against the lens.

It is best to use a regular incandescent flashlight, rather than LED based.

It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive... It just needs to be red! :)

Additionally, if your camera has an option to make the display red, try to familiarize yourself with how to do that in advance.

If everyone would arrive closer to 8:30 that would be best, so we can review and go over some of these items before arriving at our destination and trying to do it all in the dark :)


If you have a smartphone (do I still need this qualifier?), download an app such as Google Sky Maps, SkEye, or whatever those kids use on their iMachines these days

has anyone made the trip to the pisgah site at Balsam Grove? Its just off the blue ridge parkway and is a really great drive. They do tours on wednesdays at 2 but maybe if there lots of people want to check it out...

http://www.pari.edu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisgah_...arch_Institute

And here is how you get there.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Fontana+Village,+300+Woods+Rd,+Fontana+Dam,+NC+287 33,+United+States/Neil+Armstrong+Rd,+Lake+Toxaway,+NC+28747,+USA/@35.269152,-83.0484891,25870m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m29!4m28!1m20!1m1!1s0x885eb8e96bdc9 5f7:0x6644ac8224295705!2m2!1d-83.822341!2d35.436412!3m4!1m2!1d-83.4635134!2d35.4105211!3s0x8859483549092863:0x8cc 940c0a68ab498!3m4!1m2!1d-83.3597556!2d35.458224!3s0x88594690cb799aa3:0x5c1c 9ebe63813918!3m4!1m2!1d-83.2377301!2d35.4646731!3s0x885969f7e92ca771:0x85b 98cb366dd090f!1m5!1m1!1s0x8859a7c7b6201431:0x8fb04 50a4865813c!2m2!1d-82.876254!2d35.2002847!3e0

darcy

Our route takes us right by there on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday Morning after leaving Marion. You should come with us instead of taking the girls trip down. :drive: :LOL:

Should I bring my spot light so you can all see what you are doing? :argh: