Recent Trips
Washington DC
A week and a half after getting back from Arizona, I headed to New York for the holidays, and then to Washington DC for this winter's AAS Conference. While there wasn't much particularly amazing at the conference (at least photography-wise), I did spend a few days afterward wandering around Washington DC. A bit colder than California, but I didn't mind too much (well, perhaps the mid-twenties temperature with brisk wind was a bit low for wandering around the Mall). I did stop by the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress, and spent half a day at the National Zoo (where not all the animals were hiding because of the cold). Plus, I got to see the original spectrograph from the Palomar 200" telescope at the Air and Space Museum, which made me very glad that we now use computers at observatories.
Arizona-Sonara Desert Museum
After getting back from Kitt Peak and spending a day at Saguaro NP, I spent the next day (just before returning to LA) at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, which is really more of a zoo than a museum. While there were certainly plenty of the cacti I had seen the previous day, the primary attraction is getting to see the wildlife that aren't that easily seen at the national park. Besides all the desert wildlife, there was also a controlled flight demonstration with some Harris hawks, which was very interesting. Definitely an interesting destination.
Saguaro National Park
After getting back from Kitt Peak, I spent weekend in Tucson exploring the desert. The first day I went to Saguaro National Park, which contains one of the densest populations of the "classic" cactus - the Saguaro. It wasn't the most amazing park I've ever been to, but the Saguaros were definitely interest, and the landscape is definitely different (even compared to Joshua Tree). But, the cacti were definitely fascinating.
Kitt Peak and the University of Arizona
I was invited to join an observing run at the MDM Observatory on Kitt Peak, and so got to spend a week in Arizona (1 night in Tucson, 4 nights at MDM, and then another 2 nights in Tucson). The first day I got the opportunity to look around the Steward Mirror Lab and see the mirrors currently being worked on for LSST and GMT. Then, we headed up to Kitt Peak, where we got to experience a fun storm the first night (including losing power) and eventually got to observe two out of our four nights. When not observing, the Kitt Peak National Observatory was a cool place to explore, and the views and sunsets from the top of the mountain were amazing.
Emerald Bay
We sailed down to Catalina Island for a day on our club's trimaran, Sea Wing (which is the fastest boat). We spent a few hours snorkeling and eating lunch at Emerald Bay before stopping Two Harbors to pick up some extra gas. Emerald Bay was gorgeous, with very clear water and amazing snorkeling. It definitely makes me want to buy a waterproof case for my camera. A fun trip, and a place I'd love to return to soon.
