OR: Close encounter with the Bovine Cluster
Del Valle Reservoir, 4/2/2005
Against my better judgment, I packed up my gear and went out to Del Valle late Saturday
afternoon. I was joined by Carter Scholz and Asher Blum. All three of us had dobs, and
Carter and I were hoping to make further progress on our Herschel 400 lists.
The conditions were 50/50 when we got there. It looked clear to the south and miserable
to the northwest.
By the time it got dark, conditions had taken a turn for the worst.
We estimated limiting magnitude at -1. Saturn showed evidence of rings, but only during
brief and infrequent moments of steady seeing. M42 was high in the sky, with nebulosity
apparent when using averted vision.
Hearing some rustling up the road, I put on my glasses (I can't see without the darn
things anymore) and saw some lumpy dark objects on the road ahead of us. They seemed
rather small and were making snorting noises. I honestly couldn't tell if they were
pigs or people. I quickly learned that my depth perception is worthless in the dark.
They weren't small; they were simply farther than I thought. Carter said, "They’re not
pigs, they're cows."
True enough, cows indeed! Those of us who frequent Del Valle have seen evidence of
these beasts. First one to use the site after winter usually brings a shovel along.
This was the first time I had actually seen the culprits in action. Within a few
moments, the three of us were walled in by an arc of about thirty head of cattle, each
observing us while trying to determine what we were, what was in the tubes, and if we
posed a threat.
Carter gently tried to explain to the cows that we weren't a direct threat at the
moment; merely a general threat in the overall scheme of things. Most of the cows
remained skeptical, however a few brave ones responded by enthusiastically licking
Carter's car (he had driven on salted roads earlier in the week). I was thankful that I
had not salted my telescope that night; an old trick I use to prevent dew from freezing
on my OTA.
After about 40 minutes of that, we packed it in. I headed straight for the In ‘N Out
Burger I had seen on the way over.... general threat indeed!
RO
Received on Sat Apr 2 23:18:07 2005