Well, you win some and you lose some. After a spectacular first night of observing on Friday, October 1, the Astronomy magazine group got wiped out by an extremely late monsoonal flow at Granite Gap and Rancho Hidalgo, New Mexico. On Saturday the skies were cloudy, and on Sunday it rained — almost unheard of in October. We had to table many exotic objects on the list for the final two nights of viewing until the next trip.
But my companions Assistant Editor Bill Andrews, Copy Editor Karri Ferron, Gene Turner, Loy Guzman, and a group of others who came to see what Granite Gap was all about, made the best of the situation. We explored Granite Gap, the property Turner is developing into a low cost, dark sky site for amateur astronomers — the first of its kind. The incredible job of preparing the property for residency and a “24/7 star party” is well down the road, with roads and electricity in, and with the huge lake inside the property filled with beautiful blue-green water. The first two park model cabins are on site, and they are gorgeous, like small efficiency apartments that are lavishly furnished inside, perfect for sleeping off a long night’s observing. Soon construction of a central community center will begin, and this winter will witness amateur astronomers on-site getting their first taste of what is probably the best, darkest sky they have ever seen. Groundbreaking on the planetarium and mineral museum, each of which will stand near the entrance, will take place over the wintertime. More than 150 people are thus far in, and interest is accelerating. For more on the project, see www.granitegap.com.
But when skies are cloudy, observers must take refuge in other activities. I had brought a segment of my mineral collection along and so we were able to pass around, handle, and contemplate a piece of Zagami, the biggest Mars rock on Earth; Dar al Gani 400, a lunar rock slice; and a large number of terrestrial minerals including topaz and tanzanite crystals, aquamarines, rubies, and other stones that were hardy enough to stuff into an airplane carry-on.
We also explored Shakespeare, the ghost mining town near Lordsburg that thrived as a town of 3,000 before the railroad bypassed it and the mines slowed down. Here many famous lawmen and outlaws spent time, including the Clantons (later of the O.K. Corral fame), Billy the Kid (who washed dishes in the central hotel), Curly Bill Brocius, and more.
Other activities including horseback riding, a drive through Cave Creek Canyon and the Arizona Sky Village near Portal, and the investigation of Native American artifacts scattered across several sites of former habitation.
It made for an exciting weekend, and we will all look forward to good weather and dark skies the next time we arrive at Granite Gap, which feels like “home away from home.”
— Posted by David J. Eicher