New Eldorado Star Party was very good

Just a short note of appreciation - the first Eldorado Star Party (Oct.
22-25, 2003) was Excellent. A huge thanks to the X-Bar Ranch of
Sonora, TX, and Dave Clark, George Ellis, John Wagoner and the rest of a
very hard-working crew that pulled it off. About 100 people came from
all over Texas and the South. We missed Wednesday night and didn't get
there until Thursday, and Thursday and Friday night were REALLY good.
Very VERY dark skies, at least equal to Fort Davis. I worked all
through the galaxy cluster west of Rigel with ease with my 16" f/6,
getting down into the mid to high 15's on galaxies, including several
Arps. The best view I had of the trip, though, was at 4AM Saturday
morning, just plain naked eye. I got up and looked up at Orion, and saw
the Milky Way from Perseus down through Canis Major more clearly than
any time in my life, including Ft. Davis and McDonald Observatory. It
was like looking out a spaceship window, the blackest background sky
I've ever seen, with this gray stripe of mottled light across the sky.
First time I have really seen Orion, Gemini, Canis Minor, Canis Major,
etc. in true 3D, as loose stars floating in suspension in front of the
far more remote starclouds of the outer Milky Way. Unbelievable, a
sight to remember for my lifetime. Then I got up again about 6:15AM and
saw the zodiacal light extending up into the eastern sky at a southerly
slant, and the outer Milky Way band spanning the sky at about the
opposite angle. All in all, VERY dark skies, a great group of
organizers, and a wonderful experience I hope to repeat next year.
Mike