Though it has been more than twenty years ago, I will never forget the
night I took my scope to observe from a remote corner of the parking lot of
Paradise Lodge on Mt. Rainier in the northwest corner of the United States.

I had spent a few nights before at the lodge and knew that the parking lot
emptied out of most all tourists as darkness approached and the guests of
the lodge and park rangers were all that remained. At about a mile in
elevation and far away from significant light pollution, it is dark and
seeing is favorable when cloudfree skies prevail.

I don't really remember what I observed that night. It was the trip and
the location that I will not forget. Very spur of the moment. Just asked
my wife if she wanted to go and off we went less than 30 minutes later. On
the way down, sometime after midnight, there were deer in the road so
caution was the rule.

Though I have often wanted to repeat the experience, I never have. Perhaps
someday I will but if I do not, I only have to close my eyes and hit the
memory button on my brain to relive it again and again.


--
Martin R. Howell
"Photographs From the Universe of Amateur Astronomy"
http://members.isp.com/universeofama...nomy%40isp.com