Last year, my wife and I packed up my Prius with all our gear and drove to the Texas Star Party. It took us two and a half days, and while we had some fun on the way, I decided I would fly this year.
But how to bring my scope? Answer: don’t bring my scope, rent someone else’s! So I placed an ad on Astromart, and got a response from a really nice gentlemen in Abilene.
So I packed all my eyepieces, camera gear, and AstroTrac in a carryon and flew into Abilene yesterday. After meeting Joe and seeing his awesome observatory and other projects (he is currently restoring a 14″ classical Cassegtain he got from a local university), I drove six hours to Fort Davis.
Last night, I stayed at the Limpia Hotel, a charming building that has been around more than a hundred years. If you like historical buildings, you’ll like this. In addition to the charm, the bed was comfortable, the shower was hot, and the food in their new bistro was good. You can’t ask for much better.
I had breakfast this morning at the Drug Store, which isn’t a drug store any more, but a great restaurant with an art gallery upstairs.
After breakfast, I got in line at Prude Ranch to get in for setup. The line was nowhere near as bad as at the Winter Star Party, and I was probably tenth in line. I got a great spot at the North end of the upper field and had most of my stuff setup in less than an hour.











