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Mon. July 5, 1999
End of the road
An all too early rise sent the four of us west to our destination: the Kitt Peak National Observatory. Although my foot was swelled a size or two greater than normal (see July 4), we packed up the car and took off without any trouble. After a brief gas stop where we saw a rather old man outside sitting using a laptop, we rounded a mountain range that hid Kitt Peak from sight. A straight highway led through fields of desert grasses and cacti. Numerous crosses lined the road near and inside of the Tohono Odum Indian Reservation. The eerie roadside graveyard didn't really phase me mainly because I was ready to be on the nearby mountain. A turnoff and a sign welcomed us onto the last 12 mile leg of road up the hill. The road led the Buick left and right as we gained elevation. Foot by foot we went higher into the sky and miles of landscape became visible below us. The expanding horizon eventually stretched over numerous mountain ranges and offered views stretching south into Mexico and west to California.
A quick unpacking and stretch of the legs was the only break we got from our travels. We were then back on our feet getting equipment unpacked and ready to be mounted on the back of the 36" telescope. As a nasty monsoon approached, Peter Mack, a technition for our telescope, joined us on the mountain to attach our equipment and balance the scope. As he and his assistant hurried to complete their job, a mother of a thunder storm rained down on the mountain. Rain drops slapped against the metal dome which amplified the sound. Peter was truly in a hurry because he was due at the Tucson airport at around 4pm to catch a slightly later flight to Australia. After that job was complete we unpacked our suitcases in our dorm rooms. Every step I took from the dome to our rooms I got an eye full of telescope domes, mountain critters, and vistas that just don't quit.
After inhaling a rather tasty dinner provided by the weekend cook for the mountain we began some calibration procedures in the dome. I also had a chance to take in my first sunset from atop Kitt Peak. Seeing just one told me that there's probably no way an ugly sunset of any type would ever grace their skies. Maybe there's some Tohono Odum legend about the sky and its colors. Only a legend of that sort could poetically enough describe the twilight's beauty.
We conducted our bias, flat, and dark procedures that will aid us in cleaning up data on asteroids and comparison stars. But, it was cloudy. We didn't end up with any observations tonight. No matter because I realized that today marked the seven month mark for my relationship Sarah Champion. She's a truly fantasic woman who's willing to put up with lots and lots of crap that I so readily dish out. Despite conducting our relationship via email and ICQ, the time spent together has become no less important than the day we first became boyfriend and girlfriend. If anything's true it's that she's become a special facet of my life that I hope continues to remain true.
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