August
18, 1979. This is at one of my former favorite observing spots 8 miles
south of Happy Jack and about 3 miles north of Bald Mesa near Antelope
Draw, or Bushy Knoll, in Section 31 of the Coconino National Forest, Arizona.
This was a very nice secluded area because I never saw another human being.
Almost. The last time I was there, around 1983 or so, I did see one person
on a horse. I am sure by now it is quite crowded by this standard. When
I started working on my permanent observatory in 1983 I could no longer
make these trips because I only had weekends to do the work.
In 1977 I started and finished construction of a portable observatory for protection from the wind and cold, and to have a place to sleep during an observing trip. The structure I designed and built may seem overly large, bulky, and heavy by today’s standards, but keep in mind that during this period of time there were, to the best of my knowledge, no commercially available portable observatories as there are now in S&T. In a sense, my design was one of other possible pioneering designs. My portable observatory has an unusual shape because it was built to accommodate my Dall-Kirkham telescope (which is now permanently mounted in my permanent observatory) and the large rigid tripod mount. The walls are made of double corrugated cardboard from refrigerator boxes. The four coats of paint has been adequate protection from the rain. Douglas Fir was chosen as the wood for the framing because it is stronger and stiffer than white pine and other woods of that type. The observatory has a canvas floor. Without it the venturi effect created from wind blowing between the bottom of the wall panels and the ground creates a literal dust storm when observing in the deserts of Arizona. The two east and two west walls are permanently hinged and each pair folds up as one unit, each weighing about 50 lbs, for transportation. For a number of years the panels were transported on top a 1963 Comet. The low profile of the Comet made it easy to load up, but not so easy on my higher profile 1974 Dodge van. Although the structure looks daunting to erect, it actually only takes a half hour.
