From the Heavens to the Desert Floor

Whatever the Blog date, this took place on Monday, April 13, 2009.

Growing up I did not have much interest in scientific things and less interest in "space". All of that changed while I was in college and a friend asked me to go to Cape Canaveral with him to see the launch of the first American into space. May 5, 1961, Alan Shepherd took a 300 mile sub-orbital ride from Cape Canaveral, later the Kennedy Space Center.

It seemed like a huge deal at the time -- first American in space -- successful launch from the Florida coast and recovery at sea -- and it really launched the US space program. But by today's standards it was a tiny first step. After watching the spectacular launch, by the time my friend and I had walked back to the the car, Shepherd was safely aboard the recovery ship! You can read more about Alan Shepherd and the space program by clicking on his name above.

The above is just to explain why MMG and I went north on SR 118 through Fort Davis and on to the McDonald Observatory, then continued on SR 188 to SR 166 all the way through the Davis Mountains and back to SR 17 then north to Fort Davis where we went south to the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute, then back north to Fort Davis, south on SR 17 to Marta where we turned east on US 67-90 to Alpine.

Our first objective was the McDonald Observatory, home of the 5th largest telescope in the world, the Hobby-Eberly Telescope, with a 433 inch mirror, as well as the Harlan J. Smith telescope, 107 inch mirror, third largest in the world when built in 1968, and the Otto Struve telescope, 82 inch mirror, second largest in the world when it was built in 1938-39.

This remote west Texas location was chosen for the construction of this facility because it offered the darkest night skies in the US.

You can read all about it and a host of space related subjects here.

Here's what came into view as we approached to observatory:

Three Observatory Domes

Our tour started with a visit to the Visitor Center where my image of the astronomer peering through the lenses of the telescope looking at far away galaxies the same way we look at the moon through our binoculars or telescope was soon shattered. Nearly all of the light scenes captured by the Observatory's telescopes are led by fiber optic cables to a spectrometer which analyzes the light to determine the source's temperature(s), motion toward or away from Earth, and a host of other information. This information is fed to the astronmer's PC monitor for his/her edification. I cannot adequately explain how it works, but you can get a good explanation here.

The highlight of the tour was a visit to the 107 inch Harlen J. Smith telescope. We were warned to dress warmly as the temperature inside the observatory is controlled to closely match the expected temperature for the coming night so that when the observing window is opened there is no chance for the telescope to "fog up". The expected night tempurature was bout 40.

The following pictures will convey the size of the telescope.

Saturn ready for blastoff?

Nope. Just the Telescope. Tour guide in foreground.

160 tons controlled by the yellow box in his hand.

The tour guide showed how the telescope is movable in all directions. When it rotates, the whole top of the building moves! Makes sense if it's going to be able to see through the observation slot, but I hadn't thought about and it was a surprise when the dome began to move, probably because the track was about 3 feet behind our heads!

Now on to the big one! Too big to even get a picture! Here's one of the explanatory display.

Home of the Whopper!

It must be nice to work up on top of the mountains with the telescopes. Ever time you go outside you have a loooong view! Sweet!




Gotta run! Only time for one more Cactus Flower!

More tomorrow. We visit the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institue! Exciting, eh?

MMG and DDG

Work Day For DDG

DDG the chauffeur reported for duty first thing this morning and MMG kept him hard at work all day!

Here's the itinerary: Rocky Mountain RV Center (water filters for moho, out); Myers RV (water filter success), Verizon Wireless Store No. 1 (to reinstall the software for the VZ aircard which lets us get internet through the VZ wireless system, no software at this location); Brookstone (to take advantage of {or to be taken advantage of by} a $20 discount coupon); Verizon Wireless Store No. 2 (successful installation); McAllisters Deli for lunch (after about 20 minutes following directions from NUVI (GPS) to a rib joint which may not exist -- Nuvi directed us to an apartment building in a residential area. DDG said bad words!); Eddie Bauer; Coldwater Creek; Williams-Sonoma; Trader Joe's (groceries and Orchid); Target (prescription refill); Dollar Tree (refill the library at $1 per book); Wally World (groceries, wiper blade); Smith's (grocery store that's part of the Kroger chain, more groceries).

We picked this day for errands because the weather forecast was for cloudy and 54 degrees. Turned out to be a lovely sunny day, just about perfect for any outdoor activity. DDG says Grrrrr....

OTOH, a few minutes contemplating this lovely orchid with very large blossoms with a pale pink blush (which doesn't come through in the picture) makes things seem better!


I haven't forgotten about filling in the missing days, but MMG is clamoring for DDG the chef to get going with the grill right now!

Later!

MMG and DDG

Yes, We Are Still Out Here

Sorry for the gap in posts, but the computer finally refused to do anything.

I was so frustrated, my plan was to wait until we got to Albuquerque and go to the nearest Best Buy and turn it over to the Geek Squad! Since the computer is about 18 months old, the question would be "Repair or Buy a New One?"

MMG, ever practical, remembered that we had bought the PC at Costco and paid for it with the American Express Card and that Amex added one year to whatever warranty the manufacturer provides.

Naturally, every bit of paperwork on the PC is in my office in Cary. I called Amex and the very helpful lady ("You've been a member since 1970? Wow!") talked me through how to go online and recover a record of the purchases we had made in 2007 where we found the date and amount of the charge when we made the purchase at the Westminster, CO, Costco.

At MMG's insistence that I get the facts from Amex on how to file a claim and what was needed to file the claim before I turned the PC over to the Geeks, I found myself sitting in the car in the Best Buy parking lot talking to another very helpful, if somewhat inept, Amex service person.

When she discovered that we had bought the PC at Costco, she told me about this wonderful "Concierge" service that Costco provides to purchasers of electronics at Costco and suggested that under this (free) plan Costco extends the original manufacturer's warranty for one year. She told me that if I had the "Concierege" coverage, Costco would pay this claim and the Amex warranty extension would start when the additional year provided by Costco ended.

So, rather than delivering the PC to the tender mercies of the Geeks, it was off to the nearest Costco to get the lowdown on the "Concierge" service. Turns out there is much more to the "Concierge" service than just a warranty extension. You can read all about it here.

When I called the "Concierge" service to inquire about the claim procedure, I found that they also provide free technical service. Their technicians spent almost three hours running diagnostics on the hardware and software and came to the conclusion that there were so many software conflicts that the only real solution was the "nuclear" one -- an RFS!!

Fortunately I had everything backed up because RFS means Return to Factory Settings! This means exactly what it sounds like. Everything on the harddrive is removed except the programs that came with the computer when it was new! GULP! Had I really backed up everything!? Yes, --- I think.

So that's what we did and I've been spending the last many hours restoring programs and files that had been added over the past 18 months. So far I haven't added back whatever was causing the problem and it is going smoothly.

Still have a bunch to do and when that's accomplished I'll fill in the missing blog stuff. Stay tuned in for the Amazing McDonald Observatory and the Startling 3.5 mile pecan grove! and more cactus flower pictures.

MMG and DDG

Great Day Continued Continued

Here are the Pronghorns!


I just can't resist! One more cactus flower......



And the perfect ending to our day......


Love to all.

MMG and DDG

Great Day Continued

As I was saying there are many different cactus flower colors. Here are a few:





Enough Cacti!! On to lunch! Here's our lunch view from high in the Chosis mountains!

Through the Gap, see forever!

Lunch View 1

Lunch View 2

On to the Scenic Drive along the Rio Grand. Real interesting sights here. You just can't see this stuff anywhere else:

Roadside Picnic Area -- No Indians

Beautiful View of the Rio Grand _ That's Mexico on the left!

The Rio Grand ain't all Grand! Mexico at the top.

The latest in mail delivery person safety. The box opens on the right in the picture and the delivery person drives to the right of the box! Way off the highway!

Safety Mailbox

Many "washes" just run across the road during rain or flash floods. The "Flood Gauge" at the right lets you know how much trouble you are in.....

Bridge? Wha' Bridge? We don' need no stinkin' bridge!

MMG had especially looked forward to the Scenic Drive because it was here ten years ago she saw her first Hoodoo -- those vetrtical rock remainders that are left when the surrounding rock is eroded away. She found one! We named him "The Friar"

Homeward Bound!

Heading north on US67 toward Marfa, we reversed the pattern and left the desert to travel through miles and miles of grassy pastureland. In a few places, there was irrigation and grasses were green. Otherwise they were a golden yellow.

The highlight of that part of the drive was the spotting of our first Pronghorn Antelope of the trip! We always feel like we're really "out west" we we see these beautiful animals!

Another software problem! Will post this, then return with "the end".

MMG and DDG

What a Great Day!

Besides being Easter, MMG and I had a great sightseeing day!

We made a "great circle' trip of the surrounding area and saw lots of interesting things! Included in our wanderings were the Big Bend NP and a 70 mile scenic drive along the Rio Grand west of BBNP.

Our route was east from Alpine on US 90 to Marathon, then US 385 south to BBNP where we picked up SR 118 to the northwest to Ranch Road 170 west to Presidio, then US 67 north to Marfa, US 90 east back to Alpine.

As we headed south on US 385 we found ourselves losing the greenery and pastureland and entering a desert zone, not sand dunes like the Sahara, but a very limited rain zone. As the usual grasses and tree disappeared, they were replaced by the dozens of bushes and plants that thrive in the low rain zone.

Here's what it looks like:

Desert in the BBNP

More Desert

One of the oddest plants that has adapted to the desert conditions is the Ocotillo. Here are a few of the pictures we took today. You can see more and get more info on the Ocotillo by clicking the above link.

Ocotillo in BBNP Desert

Ocotillo Flower

Looks like a pretty benign plant, right? Here's what's hiding in the little leaves:

We also had a cacti lesson today. Not all cacti are green:



I'm having trouble getting the program to accept more pictures, so I'll post this now and continue with another post.

MMG and DDG

Climbing and Climbing and Climbing

On the road again! We had fun meeting and spending some time with our RV Forum friends, but after 10 days in one place we (I) were itching to see what's around the next curve or over the next hill.

Over the hill and to the end of the earth.....I think I can see it out there........

So we left Spring Branch, about 30 miles north of San Antonio, remember ?, and worked our way west to Alpine, TX, about 60 miles north of Big Bend National Park which we wanted to revisit.

For the map fans, north on US 281 to US 290 west to I-10 west to exit 248, US 67 south to US 90 west to Alpine. 387 miles, 55.3 gals., 7.5 MPG.

We could have gotten here faster:

I-10 in Texas, west of San Antonio. Yes, 80!

But almost no one goes as fast as allowed, and the high winds were pushing us around today, too, so a more leisurely pace seem advisable. And, though it may seem laughable to mention it give the size of the MoHo, we get more MPG at a lower speed.

How High Can We Go?

We are approaching the the mountain chains that protect the sane world from the denizens of California. The geography causes us to work our way higher gradually but substantially. If we had not done it before, we would have been greatly surprised to find that our altitude tonight is about 4600 feet, compared to a lowly 650 feet in Spring Branch this morning. We obviously were climbing all day, but there was never one or two long uphill grades that call it to one's attention. None the less here we are!

What Did We See ?

The scenery to day was not spectacular just a steady change from the Hill Country trees and greenery to the high desert greys and cacti.

So today we were content to pay attention to the small things -- after all God does so we should too! There is miraculous beauty around us every day and most of it doesn't shout out for recognition. Here are some examples:

First, there is a furry critter in the following picture. Can you find it?

Everbody notices the flash of the colorful flower. Someone spent a lot of time on the details. Take a look:

Common Cactus

Take a closer look:

See how the pink flower in the first picture becomes the outer petals of the yellow.

Take your eye off the flower and note the symmetry of the supporting spines.

Last, take a look right down the middle of the flower. Intricate, no?

Cacti flowers are not all yellow. It must take a brave bee to risk those green teeth in the center of this one!

Tomorrow we'll try to find something larger!

Possibly The World's Only Letwood Excursion!

Only noticed the missing letters today. We expect that they are lying on the floor of the Blue Beacon Truck Wash in San Antonio! Do we want to be unique -- or should we get them replaced so we don't look neglectful? Oh, the big decisions..........

More tomorrow!

MMG and DDG