Left to right, front row: LT Bryant, Mary Bryant and Scott Baker; back row: Mike Moore, Andy McConnell and Doug Henderson, arriving at the McDonald Observatory preparing for the Twilight Party.
LT and Mary Bryant, Andy McConnell, Doug Henderson and Scott Baker at the Santa Elena Canyon Overlook.
Scott Baker
The adjective “big” does not fully identify what you witness in this “big” state, with a “big” sky, covering such a “big” landscape. Big Bend National Park in West Texas is the definition of all of these things.
Scott Baker, Andy McConnell, LT and Mary Bryant and Doug Henderson from Robson Ranch travelled on the “big” adventure on motorcycles. Just travelling to the park is a significant ride since it is over 542 miles one way from Robson Ranch to the park entrance. The highways and byways of Texas to the casual observer is just a whole lot of nothing. The roads are flat, straight and pretty boring unless you are on a motorcycle. On a motorcycle your vision is not impaired by the car. Your sense of smell is getting a piece of everything in the air. So as you travel the roads you witness a continual kaleidoscope of images covering many centuries unfolding before your eyes. During this time of year the air is full of scents of the wildflowers along the roads. The pollen overpowers your brain with the scintillating aromas of many different smells your brain tries to process all at once. It was quite an adventure just getting to the Big Bend.
Our first stop was at Fort Davis and the McDonald Observatory where we participated in both the Twilight and Star Parties. The Twilight Party is part college astrophysics lecture and a quick history lesson in Astrology. The signs of the Zodiac have been with us for thousands of years and getting a historical lesson becomes more important as we participate in the Star Party and actually view the signs of the Zodiac in the heavens. The Star Party Professor uses a green laser pointer that seemly points to the actual star he is discussing. It makes it so much easier to understand seeing the belt and sword of Orion or the body of Cassiopeia when the lecturer points and draws the image on the heavens above. The Milky Way is in full view in the heavens above, and the night sky is filled with nothing but stars. The light pollution is at its lowest here so the heavens above are in full view. Here is another version of the “big” majestic night sky in all its glory. I was contented to just sit and watch the heavens above, but we actually got to view planets, stars, super novas and many different objects through the myriad of telescopes set up and continually adjusted by the assistant assigned to each telescope. We made our way to the Big Bend National Park and were overwhelmed with the “big” landscape, “bog” desert views and just the majestic ride. We did encounter weather each day, which included rain, hail, high winds and lots of sun. On a motorcycle you have to be constantly on guard because each one of these can hurt you. We made a loop through Alpine down through the park, overnighted in Terlingua then made our way back up to Marfa. The mileage for this trip covered 1,863 miles, a short travel distance in a “big” state, with a “bog” sky, covering such a “bog” landscape. This majestic state called Texas has its heart and soul in this part of the country. On a motorcycle you become embodied with the meaning of what it means to be a Texan.