Hey Richard.
The best OR I have read in a long time LOL
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Phil Chambers [ptchamb@No-Spam] (S.F. Bay Area - Calif. USA)
On Sat, 2 Apr 2005, Richard Ozer wrote:
> 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 Sun Apr 3 11:59:58 2005