2011 Trip across the US
2012 Trip across the US
2014 Trip across the US
2015 Trip to Alaska
2015-16 Southwest Trip
2016 New England Trip
2016 - 17 Southwest Trip
Friday, October 27, 2017 - Red Rock Canyon State Park, Cantil, CA, Day 3, 0 Miles, 2,284.2 Towing Miles For the Trip
I took a couple more star photos last night. It is just too tempting with the warm nights & minimal spill light, although the lights of traffic heading down the hill on CA 14 on the north side of the campground are a bit of a pain.
To take the photo of the trailer with the milky way behind it I had to set the tripod in the middle of the campground road. No traffic all evening until I set up, then along comes a car. Not only did the headlights ruin the 20 second exposure, but I had to quickly fold up the tripod & headed back to the trailer to get out of the way. I don't think the driver would be expecting someone standing in the middle of the road any more than I expected him to come along!
After he went by, I set up again, and during the exposure he turned around and backed into a site 1/4 mile away. His headlights were still enough to ruin the photo (even the vehicles 5 miles away at the top of the hill I mentioned are enough to show up on long exposures). He finally settled down & I got the photo.
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| Star Circle | Looking North | Trailer & Milky Way |
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| Looking West (Large 2.7MB Version) |
I thought about making a run to Ridgecrest (the nearest town with a laundromat, Albertson's & Walmart) but decided on waiting until tomorrow. I walked around the campground, renewed my site registration, and found the Visitor Center open for the first time. They have some nice exhibits inside, but not much in the way of "T" shirts. I haven't bought one yet on the trip, and it has been 84 days!
Back at the trailer I fired up the water heater & took a shower. Back to navy style since I don't have hookups. Still, nice to remove a layer or two of dust. Since I had hot water, I did the small pile of dishes in the sink. When I'm in an electric site & the water heater is always on, I do dishes immediately after using them, just like at home (a habit developed over the years). When dry camping, I let them pile up until I have enough to make it worth heating up 6 gallons of water.
Speaking of water heaters, it appears that the water heater in the house back in Oswego is toast. It is a BoilerMate indirect Amtrol tank that is beyond repair. They are looking into options, but if it has to be replaced with a new one, it is $2,300.00 installed. Ouch! The house electrical system is not up to an AC powered water heater, and it looks like the chimney is too small for a stand along gas one. The joys of home ownership!
Dinner was a couple of chicken Empanadas baked in the oven, along with some snap peas & a cup of refrigerator peaches. While it was a hot day, once the shade hit the trailer it was cool enough to use the oven for the 15 minutes to took to cook them.
Hopefully, until tomorrow! -
This page is maintained by: vermilye@oswego.edu
Last Update:
October 28, 2017
