Dark Sky Riders 2018


July 8 thru July 17th
We arrived at Dan and Janes house on Sunday the 8th.  We set up where we did last year.  I took the opportunity to do some minor repairs and to use Dan’s expertise to help.  We spent the rest of the day on Monday getting Dan’s 2 ATV’s ready to go for a day of riding trails near Sigel, PA.  With the proper permits, you are allowed to ride on the township roads.  We spent a good part of Tuesday having a lot of fun riding.
On Thursday, Georgann and I traveled to Benezette, Pa.  This was all part of the grand plan before we left home.  Benezette is well known for its Elk population.  There is a great viewing area at the top of Winslow hill and a very well done visitor center with stuffed animals and interactive displays.  It also includes a small theater with a show telling the story of the Elk in Pa.  As you may have guessed, this area is very sparsely populated.  When I saw it last year I thought this would be a good place to observe some stars with a dark sky.  On Google Earth it is located some 37 miles from Cherry Springs State Park which is certified as a Dark Sky area.  Last year I noticed an RV park at the bottom of the mountain, so it seemed to me to be a great place to park for a few days.  Also, Andy and his family were planning a camping trip and after I told him what we were doing they decided to join us along with Dan and Jane.
On Thursday, Georgann and I set up camp at the RV park.  It was not quite to what we were accustomed meaning there was only an electrical hook up at the site.  Over by the shower area there was potable water to fill our tank and also a dump station.  Although it was quite rustic, we managed quite well.  I had to refill our fresh water tank twice.  We did have a visitor however; a cow Elk discovered the RV park had the sweetest grass and spent the evening grazing about 20 yards from us.  As it turned out she came out every night while we were there.
Dan spent Friday with us and we saw about 60 Elk at the viewing area that evening.  Later that night, Andy and his family showed up and had to set up their tents and camp in the dark.  And believe me it was dark.  Friday was a new moon so after they set up camp, at my insistence and since it was my birthday, we all went up Winslow hill to see the stars.  We weren’t disappointed.  The sky was completely clear, and the Milky Way was magnificent.  We saw a couple shooting stars and a satellite and Venus.  It was the first time Yoko saw the Milky Way.  It was about 10:30 at night and we had the whole place to ourselves, at least so we thought.  We were not being very quiet, and it seems the Elk were not very happy about us disturbing their home, so much so that we heard one bugle several times as if to say, “leave us alone.”  I had only heard recordings up to this point, so I was pretty excited.  That little bit of time on top of Winslow Hill exceeded all our expectations and was worth the trip.
On Saturday, Dan and Jane both spent the day and Dan spent the night with us in the RV.  I cooked a big country breakfast that morning.  What we didn’t know was that Yoko earned the title ‘Frontier Woman’.  She had a cast iron dutch oven which she sat on the fire.  In it she made corn bread chili, jambalaya and notchos and all was really great.  To complement her oven dishes we cooked bar b que chicken, roasted corn, fruit salad and smores.  We ate well, and it was entertaining to watch “Frontier Woman” cooking with chop sticks!  On Saturday night we went back up the hill and saw 72 Elk.  After stopping for ice cream on the way back down the hill, we sat around the campfire.  Our friend, Mrs. Elk spent the evening with us as well as we used our flashlights to spot her from time to time.
After the Benezette experience it was back to Dan and Janes to rest up and leave for the next leg of our trip to Beckley, West Virginia which will be in my next post.

See Ya Out There

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