Re. Jim's question: "If you stay up all night near the scope, is that camping?" I had the same question in mind the last time I went to Island in the Sky. That place is a HUGE disappointment to an oldster who camped there 20 or 30 years ago. At one time you could just drive along, take any side road, camp anywhere. Now there are "no camping" signs everywhere except for a designated place or maybe two. The designated spot is called "Big Flat" and that's exactly what it is, a big dusty parking lot with other campers all around. It's a dismal place to set up a scope. So I drove toward a place where my friend Conrad and I used to camp many years ago, where the road heads down toward Potash. Back then we could drive off onto a projection that stuck out above the canyons, making our own private little Dead Horse Point. But the route onto the projection obviously was closed. I couldn't even find it. So I drove around near there until I found a big excavated site, probably a gravel pit, where I could set up off the dirt road without going off-road. I stayed up all night, worried that some ranger would drive up and cite me for camping in a no-camping site -- even though I didn't set up a tent, didn't start a fire and didn't even go to sleep in my car. So much for the wide open spaces of the West. I have to add, this was one of the most beautiful nights for observing, but it really took much of the pleasure out of it to worry about the restrictions. Best wishes, Joe
PS: Another thing that was really annoying about my trip to Island in the Sky this year is that while the public is forbidden from driving off the beaten track or camping anywhere other than that awful designated spot, in the same vicinity there were oil rigs and clusters of buildings, trucks and drilling gear. -- Joe
Joe, the pen is mightier than the sword. Write up your impressions for publication. Call the public's attention to this vanishing "resource". (Just don't tell Jim Hansen..."there's TONS of space out there..") --- Joe Bauman <bau@desnews.com> wrote:
PS: Another thing that was really annoying about my trip to Island in the Sky this year is that while the public is forbidden from driving off the beaten track or camping anywhere other than that awful designated spot, in the same vicinity there were oil rigs and clusters of buildings, trucks and drilling gear. --
_______________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Declare Yourself - Register online to vote today! http://vote.yahoo.com
Those of us who live here (that won't be me for long) are really frustrated by they way the bossy little men(BLM)keep locking us out of areas we have enjoyed and reverently soaked in for years, I love taking people out to rock art sites and dinosaur bone places but they are getting harder and harder to get to.. I feel pain when we go back to a site and see it has been abused, but I think education is better than control. Also the ones that are abused are the ones you can get to on main roads. My 2 cents Wayne -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces+waynereese=qwest.net@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces+waynereese=qwest.net@mailman.xmission.com ] On Behalf Of Joe Bauman Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2004 9:10 AM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] camping PS: Another thing that was really annoying about my trip to Island in the Sky this year is that while the public is forbidden from driving off the beaten track or camping anywhere other than that awful designated spot, in the same vicinity there were oil rigs and clusters of buildings, trucks and drilling gear. -- Joe _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.utahastronomy.com
Just a little note from Maui. As you realize we out here have a partial solar eclipse occurring at sunset, Pretty Coool!! Being a photographer I want to do some images that convey my Island location and off I go w/ compass in hand to those spots that are ideal w/ flowing palms, sailboats and islands in the distance. Well all those spots now have gates across them saying"KAPU" (forbidden), our fishing,diving and camping spots are being taken away too by people that don't have the Aloha spirit and need gates and fences to make sure all is safe. I would think in Utah there are still those open spaces available to all to enjoy the dark night sky and not some feed lot full of RV's called a camp site. Good luck!! Aloha from Maui Rob PS the eclipse photos will be done from the top of the Marriott Hotel at Wailea, the other sites I had thought would work well have condos and hotels planted on them w/ "No Trespassing" signs.
Joe Bauman wrote:
PS: Another thing that was really annoying about my trip to Island in the Sky this year is that while the public is forbidden from driving off the beaten track or camping anywhere other than that awful designated spot, in the same vicinity there were oil rigs and clusters of buildings, trucks and drilling gear. -- Joe
Isn't that an example of what the "equal use" movement is pushing for? Maybe you should have put a Halliburton sign on your car and you could parked wherever you wanted... Patrick
In my Dark Sky Site access kit, I carry only those items that I figure I might need to help me gain access. Looking in it as I type, I have... let's see, bolt cutters, keys to my 4 wheel drive truck, paper plates with family reunion direction arrows to cover those pesky little signs that say "No Vehicles", "No Camping", "No Tresspassing", etc. In the kit I also have a hard hat and safety glasses with oil company stickers all over them, I have a Kerry/Edwards lawn sign incase I run into some folks spiking trees from ELF, and finally in case diplomacy fails, I have a 12 guage shotgun with 00 buck and slugs (also good for moving sheep from your observing site and knocking ELF's out of trees)! ;) Quoting Patrick Wiggins <paw@trilobyte.net>:
Isn't that an example of what the "equal use" movement is pushing for? Maybe you should have put a Halliburton sign on your car and you could parked wherever you wanted...
Patrick
_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.utahastronomy.com
participants (6)
-
Chuck Hards -
diveboss＠xmission.com -
Joe Bauman -
Patrick Wiggins -
Rob Ratkowski -
Wayne Reese