Rant: The night I drove 2 hours for a clear sky and got clouds instead

Last Wednesday I checked all the weather maps and they said it'd be clear over at Cherry Springs State Park. So I packed up my 8 inch dob and drove all the way out there, almost 2 hours from my place. Got there around 9 PM and the sky was mostly clear when I started setting up. Then by 10 PM this fog bank just rolled in out of nowhere and ruined everything. I sat in my car for another hour hoping it'd burn off but it just got thicker. Ended up packing up and driving home at midnight without seeing a single thing through the eyepiece. Has anyone else had a whole night ruined by unexpected weather like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

smith.jordan1mo ago

A buddy of mine drove four hours to a dark sky site in West Texas only to have a dust storm kick up right as he got his scope leveled. He packed it in after ten minutes and slept in his truck.

the_beth1mo ago

Smith Jones, but those sudden dust storms are just part of the gamble with West Texas night skies.