Thanks to Patrick for passing along Jim's invitation re. a St. George jaunt. I have been planning for quite a while to drive to that vicinity on Friday, the new moon. Actually, I thinking about going a bit farther than St. George, maybe to the vicinity of Mesquite, just to get away from St. George lights and because it seemed likely to be warmer there. But I haven't made up my mind. Since I don't work on Fridays (that's why I'm here at work writing a note on Sunday afternoon), I want to get an early start so I can set up in full daylight. I would be delighted to join with the group going down, but I doubt you'll want to leave that early. If so, it would be fun to drive along with you. If not, I could meet you somewhere, if you have chosen a place. Please let me know what you've decided. ALSO, please tell me what you think of this plan, anyone who has opinions about it: This will be my first attempt to winch my 12" LX200 up. At 74 pounds for the 'scope alone, I can't quite lift it onto the Superwedge and tighten the bolts. Believe me I've struggled with that, getting the tube to the right angle and still finding myself unable to make the bolt slip in, let alone tighten it. So I have devised a plan in which I'll get the tripod and Superwedge assembled and aligned correctly, then attach straps at the ground to the ends of two of the legs so they can't slip. I will be using heavy-duty tent stakes, pounded into the ground, to keep the straps in place. Then I'll put down a blanket, lay the tripod back onto it with the single unattached leg in the air, and bolt the telescope to the Superwedge while it is down. Finally, my plan calls for using a winch attached to my Jeep to pull the whole assembly upright. If this seems nuts, or if it seems like a good idea, please let me know. One catch is that I will need really firm ground, not sand, so the straps won't pull loose while I'm winching. Also, I've considered adding a strap to the rear, connected to one or two heavy cinderblocks, so that they will drag on the ground when I winch -- that way the telescope would not as likely to tip over when the front comes down, and the front leg will not hit the ground as hard. Do you folks think that's a good idea? Best wishes, Joe