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Our
crew consisted of three...
"Light
Wrangler"
Mark Egan |
"Jedi
Ann"
Carrie Ponder |
"Star"
Christie
Ponder (me!) |
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Faint
whispers in the night called me to a far off place where friends,
mountains, and meteors waited. I had dreamed of this moment since I was
captivated by the Leonids of 2001 and finally the dream was upon me.
Our
crew consisted of three: Carrie Ponder, Mark Egan, and myself:) Our journey
began on Friday night as we were treated to Po-boys at Mark's parents
house. The sandwiches were delicious and gave us the needed energy to
begin our travels.
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Once on the road we
followed Mark for sometime before stopping for gas. Our hearts were
flying high, but the long day at work had taken its toll and our eyes
grew tired and heavy. Mark suggested stopping in Uvalde, Tx. Carrie and
I were glad to be so close to a warm hotel room.
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Mark's
excitement about the Leonids had reached such a peak that it overflowed
in every word he said. Every person he spoke to, came to learn of
the Leonids:)
We
stopped at a Best Western and enjoyed a nice peaceful rest...four hours
closer to our destination.
On
the Road Again...
After
enjoying a nice breakfast and each other's company we were back on the
road. Traveling to the West we encountered border patrol where a charming officer asked us
a few questions, gave us a smile, and sent us on our way.
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At
about 4:10pm we arrived to the outskirts of Big Bend. Nearby Marathon
Uplift was quite a sight and the hills were fascinating where the softer
rock had weathered away leaving interesting designs of the more
resistant rock.
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We
drove up to the station and paid our $10 to get into the park. The
attendant was extremely friendly and helpful. Wishing us a wonderful
time he send us into the park. Our first encounter with wildlife was not
long after that, as a roadrunner ran across the road in front of us.
Driving on we were once again treated by a neat sight...a dust devil!
| Immediately I
noticed deer tracks by our camp and smiled. We set up camp rather
quickly then I took a walk around the campgrounds to gain a better
understanding of the area. I noticed signs of rabbit and skunk. I
went back to camp and watched as the last light of the sun disappeared
behind the mountains. The colors of the sunset caused the surrounding
mountains to glow like fire. The sight was breathtaking.
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The moon rose
into the sky next to a glowing peak and we watched as shadows crept into
the basin. Mark and I prepared our camera equipment. One of our goals was to
capture the mountains lit by the moon light. |
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We drove out and went to
work. A chill began to work its way through all my layers of clothes and
I couldn't seem to get warm.
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Using the notes that Mark brought and what I had learned I took
my shots...bracketing of course. My equipment consisted of a
28mm lens, Manuel Minolta X700, cable |
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shutter release and a
tripod. I was terribly cold and without any complaints Mark took me back to
camp so that I could warm up. He then ventured back into the night.
While Mark was
gone I went into the tent we had set up. Carrie had a propane heater
going inside the tent and it was nice and toasty. Afraid of leaving the
heater on with us sleeping we turned it off. One hour later, with three
comforters, two coats, blue jeans, and two pairs of socks on...I was
cold again. I was born and raised in Southern Texas. My parents brought
me up teaching me to love camping and fishing, but I was not prepared to
deal with such cold weather. We turned the heater back on and warmed up
the tent to 49 degrees Fahrenheit. It was too late...I had hit a
temperature and was so cold and chilled to the bone I couldn't breathe.
I was not a 'happy camper'.
Everything
seems worse at night and I was worried
about what to do about being so cold, in my tired mind I saw our
wonderful plans changing. The tent, being terribly old, wouldn't zip up
anymore so Carrie and I sat in the Jimmy
trying to warm up. We watched the campgrounds and realized that there were four skunks walking
around. We watched as the skunks went around our tent
and then investigated the restrooms. A small distraction but, I was
still miserable and couldn't think
straight. When Mark got back he talked to me and I realized
everything would be fine:)
Carrie and I
moved all our bedding into the back of her Jimmy and were pleasantly
surprised to find that camping in the back of her Jimmy was comfortably
warm! (Warning: GMC Jimmy advertisement!) We looked up through the back window of the Jimmy and saw a bright
meteor which made us smile, then sleep came to us.
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At 4:30am
I woke up to the sound of music coming from Mark's car. He was up and
ready to go. We had about a one hour window to see the stars without the
moon's light washing them away. Mark and I gathered our camera gear and
coats once again to take some astrophotography. We went to a sight we had
spotted earlier and setup.
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Starry Dreams
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After the moon set, the stars came alive with brilliance,
although not as bright as I would have imagined, still I had been apart
from those starry guests far too long... I stood there for a minute, in
heaven. With my best friend, the stars above me, mountains surrounding
me; I breathed in the feeling. I closed my eyes and relished the moment
sensing all the sounds, smells and sights around me...I was truly happy.
Mark and I spotted several shooting stars and satellites gracing those
starry skies as we took our photographs.
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When twilight
began we packed up our things and headed out. I wondered as we drove
back to camp, if Mark even realized the tear of joy that slid down my
cheek as even then I cherished the moment that had just past. Is it even
possible to love the starry skies that much? That with each meeting, me
and the stars, tears of joy and the feeling of peace is with me. Such am
I, the sentimental woman when viewing natures glory.
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Arriving back
to camp Mark told me of a few trails he wanted to take the next day. One
he was really interested in was Emery Peak. I wished him sweet dreams
then crawled back into the Jimmy and fell back to sleep.
Continue
to the Leonid page 2 report...
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