Sunset and Sunrise at Staunton River State Park

Being on the field at the Staunton River Star Party was an opportunity to observe sunsets. It is a time when the telescopes being readied for the night – everything in place and ready to go. The first two nights there were almost no clouds at all and the sunset was boring. I took a silhouette picture of a telescope with some sunset color behind it.

The next night – the last one we were staying – was a little more interesting. There are pine trees on the horizon that look great in silhouette.

As it got darker, the activity on the field picked up. Everyone was watching the sky and hoping the clouds would dissipate. Evidently they did. The dew was the bigger challenge.

I only saw the sunrise on only one morning – the last one we were there. The mornings were cool (even cold) and the sleeping bag was comfy. I was glad I got up early enough on the last morning because the sunrise was spectacular. I took pictures as I walked down to the bathhouse/café to dress for the day and get hot tea. Five minutes or less…. the walk at sunrise started the day off right!

The Field at the Staunton River Star Party

The Staunton River Star Party was last week. I took a few pictures while I walked around the field. Some people set up there telescopes and other observing gear on the field and camping in the campground or stayed in a cabin; but most people stayed on the field.

There was heavy dew each night so everyone has covers for telescopes and other equipment. Some covers looked like big pillowcases specifically made for the purpose.

Others used tarps. I noticed several telescopes with green foam padding around the legs of the mount and wondered if it glowed in the dark.

Many people had tarps under their telescopes – making it easier to find anything that was dropped. One strategy I heard talked about was retreating to the tent for a nap while a long multiple exposure observation was collected…so it was handy to have the tent very near the telescope.

One observer had a binocular type scope….no possibility of this being hand held!

There were some larger RVs on the field – running on their own power…since there were not connections for the RV on the field. One had a carpet from the door of the RV to the domed tent that housed the telescope (the top came off at night. Not the yellow power cord going into the tent. That is how the power was delivered to all the telescopes on the field…yellow extension cords.

We came home before the end of the Star Party…but managed to stay longer than we did last year and were more comfortable too (since we remembered the tent this year)!

Staunton River Star Party Hikes

My husband was the one staying up late viewing (and photographing) the skies --- utilizing all the equipment he brought to the star party. I went to bed at almost normal time and was ready to explore the park. We both enjoyed the warmth of the sleeping bags in the mornings. I missed the sunrise by an hour or more except for the last day (more on that in another post). We took two short hikes before lunch (last week – Tuesday and Wednesday). Both were through the woods with occasional glimpses of water (river and lake).

I’m always pleased to find shelf fungus. Turkey tails are the most common. In the forest near Staunton River, most of them seemed dry and without very much color.

There was one cluster with leaves sprinkled on top…that looked more colorful on closer inspection.

There were other shelf fungus that stood out because of their contrast with the other parts of the forest (this one a bright white)

Or their texture.

There was a group growing on a small branch in the middle of the path that it photographed from both directions. In the image from the front – note the lichen on the branch too – very curly.

This was not the only instance of lichen that was curling off the bark surface.

I also started looking for contrasts on the forest floor – green moss and a yellow leaf,

Three leaves that were different colors and shapes,

A fern with a multi colored oak leaf, and

A red and yellow leaf in a patch of sunlight…and surrounded by browns (leaves and dirt).

On one of the hikes we took a side path to a lookout over the lake and saw seagulls in the distance. There is a shallow area where they find an easy time catching fish (see the gull in the lower right of the very last picture of this post)!

Staunton River Star Party – Day 1

Last week, we drove to Staunton River State Park for the fall star party – getting their by midafternoon. We selected a place on the field and set up for the week. It was breezy so setting up the tent was more challenging that we anticipated. The rain fly seemed ready to take off but was very stable by the time we got all the stakes and guy wires into the ground. The tent is made to attach to the back of the car (i.e. an extra flap on one side to ‘seal the opening’) which we used to attach to the roof rack of the car instead making a shady place between the tent and the car. Last year it was hot enough that we needed shade in the afternoon; this year, the only day we needed it was the very first day. Other days we needed the warmth of the sun! My husband got his gear set up and was pleased to discover that there was cell coverage on the field. The air mattresses and sleeping bags left plenty of room for other gear and even a chair inside the tent. I discovered that having a chair inside the tent on the cold sunny mornings was wonderful – 10-15 degrees warmer than the outside temperature.

We walked down to the Deep Space Diner to purchase a Black Hole Cup (endless tea and lemonade for me….most people were using it more for the coffee). There was a pumpkin by the door of the Diner that was appropriately carved for the event!

More about the star party tomorrow!

Packing for the Staunton River Star Party

Last week we drove down the Staunton River State Park in southern Virginia for the fall Star Party. We went last year but only stayed two days (blog post from last fall here). This time we made sure we remembered the tent! The picture I’m including with this post was while we were packing. By the time we were finished we had almost every nook and cranny in the back of the car packed with gear.

We were taking enough food so we would only ‘buy’ one meal per day at the 6-day event. My staples were salad stuff and mixed nuts; my husband had makings for sandwiches and cashews. I made zucchini bread to eat as part of our breakfast…and there were chips (a treat since a don’t normally buy them).

The telescope and associated equipment take up a fair amount of space as well. My husband ended up not taking the solar telescope to save some space for other necessities. Stay tune for more about our 2016 adventure at the Staunton River Star Party later this week.