(no subject)

after I got up (late) I went by lowel observatory. they don't open until noon... sigh... so I went back to flagsworth and got some lunch at a chinese place that had really good pork. then I went back to lowell at noon. all of the people, even the person behind the cash register is an astronamer!! Kelly (the girl behind the register) set up a telescope with a helium filter on it so that we could look at the sun, There were 2 sun spots the size of the earth and a "progression" (I think it's called... someone help me out here? melon?) which is a giant flare that has been arced back into the sun by it's own gravity... very pretty!!

Then I went on the tour of the observatory... it was amazing!! the first one was built in 1894, it's still standing with the origonal scope in it and is still used at least twice a week... there is so much to tell about that scope... the next scope was a photography scope and was the one built just to find pluto. very interesting stuff pluto was. this is the big red scope in the pictures. you will notice the boxing glove... that is because in the 40's one of the astronamers knocked himself uncontions from the the beam this glove is on. just damn...

Melon... things to look up, hopefully they are spelled correctly
sofia "stratosphieric obervatory for infared astronamy"


this idea is fucked up in so many ways... you will understand when you see it... I don't know how they think they are going to get it to work

ioneos "lowell observatory near earth object search"


I don't remember why I wrote this one down but it was something specific

kepler mission

there are some really good pictures... the shots of the solar panels are not solar panels... there is a picture with the sign of what they actually do, I didn't have time to read it on the tour so I got a picture to read it later (the best way to take notes) There is a picture of the slide rule used to find pluto in there too... it's a round thing with grooves, doesn't even look like a slide rule...

I left lowel and headed out to the grand canyon... it was a big hole in the ground, I got lots of pictures... it was impressive until I REALLY started to think about it... it took millions of years to make this thing... I just came from metor crator, not as impressive but it only took 11 seconds to make...

the canyon was still just breathtaking... I am very glad I made the trip out to see it...

I was walking along the canyon rim and saw all kinds of foot prints in the snow... one set was strangly close together and small, I figured it was a kid... then I look into the snow at the bottom of the print and realised it was no kid, it was a bear... a BIG bear and he had been through just recently... I laughed at myself and kept waking. I love the vegitation at hights like this, the trees grow in such interesting patterns...

I decided to stay until sunset so I could watch it go down over the canyon...

on the trip back to town I noticed it was a clear night so I pulled over in the middle of the desert and looked up I didn't even need the binoculars to see the orion nebula... the milky way was so clear... it was like a white glittered ribbon across the sky, I could even pull a distinct edge from it... this is what I came to see...

I got hold of my uncles and will be heading over to their place tomorrow morning early, tonight I am staying in another hotel, I fould one that is only $25 with tax!!
heh, I paid that much to see the canyon...

see the new pictures: http://www.hugme.org/trip/10
(still uploading will be up soon)

(no subject)

I am in Marina Del ray now, just south of sana Monica at my uncle's house...

This internet connection has been brought to you by some random person in my uncle's apartment complex. (my uncle doesn't have internet access)

(no subject)

ok, here is the delima...

I am in LA right now, it is 1000 miles to denver...
it is 1000 miles from reno to denver...

I can do one of two things, I can leave early tomorrow morning and make the 800 mile trek to Reno then 1000 miles to denver on friday...

or

I can just stay with my uncle for one more day then leave for denver tomorrow morning

I would really like to see girlvinyl, I haven't seen her in quite a while... but not only is it 800 miles but the 1K miles from reno to denver is almost all snow... sigh...

so here you go... what should I do?

[Poll #247331]

(no subject)

this mornings sunrise on the mojave desert
sigh...

you all don't know what you are missing...

(no subject)

I left flagstaff at 2:00 AM PCT or 5:00 EST (georgia) and headed west!! it's 500 miles from flagstaff to LA and I have to go through LA to get to my uncles house. Thefirst part of the trip was pretty dark, then I started dropping in altitude. Flagstaff is 7500 ft high and there are parts of the trip where I dropped fast... calculate a 6% grade at 80mph for 5 miles... (well that is what the sign said)

The sun came up while I was in the mojave desert, I had to stop for that... I also had to get gas in the middle of the desert, talk about price gouging!! 2.25 a gallon!! they are the only gas station for 80 miles at least in any direction so they can charge what ever they want.

I headed into LA and called my uncle Steve to guide me for the last part of the trip. We went out to eat at a restraunt on muscle beach this morning. then went and strolled the canals in Venice (and I thought that was in italy). it's quite an interesting walk around those houses.

we are about to go and catch a movie, hopefully my uncle Adam will be back soon and I can see him..

I went to show my uncle the way I get an interent connection... I found a connection in one corner of his house but I have to stand with the laptop to be able to get it... then when walking out to his car, about 40 feet, I picked up 6 different networks I could connect to. driving 5 blocks to walk the canals I picked up 30 more of them... THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!!

thank you for all the wonderful e-mail everyone is sending me!! I really love reading it. I don't have much human contact on the trip so it is nice to hear from you.

ok, we will see what our next stop will bring!!