Once a year, some buddies from all over the country and I get together to spend a week in the deserts of Southern Utah and the Colorado Plateau. It's a driving adventure (we all drive old Land Rovers) but nights are spent in improvised campsites, as far as we can get from paved roads and civilizations. The rocks and the trees are beautiful but the night sky...the night sky is indescribable. We sit on our chairs around the campfire and watch the satellites and cross-country flights pass overhead. The Milky Way so bright that it almost lights the land like a moon. Some evenings, I set up my camera and tripod and do my best attempt at night photography. Here are few of my favorites:
A couple of summers ago I did a week on the Grand Staircase. Some of the stuff that truly astounded me, even after spending a lot of time in the rural midwest as child:
* Lying on my back and looking straight up presented more stars than I usually see in the entire sky.
* When the moon rose, it woke me up with the brightness of it. The first night I thought it was morning for a moment.
* Watching satellites go overhead wasn't reserved for just the very reflective ones.
* I thought I'd seen the milky way before. I was very wrong.
* The sparks and tiny flame from a cigarette lighter were painfully bright. The glow of a cigarette lit my companions' faces when they had one (dimly but noticably).
* Staying one night at a motel in the tiny town of Kanab before heading back to civilization, I had trouble sleeping because it was so bright. Staying the next night in Vegas was even worse.
How can I learn to prepare for something like this? How can I find out where the good spots are? My wife and I would love to go on such an adventure, but we fear for things like bears and other predatory animals.
Cedar Mesa, Utah: https://www.flickr.com/photos/defender90/5551249303/in/set-7...
La Sal Mountains, Utah: https://www.flickr.com/photos/defender90/5114443927/in/set-7...
Comb Ridge, Utah: https://www.flickr.com/photos/defender90/6305032340/in/set-7...
Moonrise over Canyonlands National Park: https://www.flickr.com/photos/defender90/6940180396/in/set-7...
Elk Ridge campsite, Abajo Mountains, Utah: https://www.flickr.com/photos/defender90/8762668240/in/set-7...
La Sal Mountains, Utah: https://www.flickr.com/photos/defender90/5114444819/in/set-7...