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The Family Tree
Thought for the Month The SunTree Traveler
The May camping trip to the Gila National Forest was not reported in the June issue because that issue was written prior to the trip. The trip was fantastic as there were no restrictions beyond the normal in a National Forest. The Gila was the only one of the New Mexico forests that did not have fire restrictions imposed at that time. The SunTree campsite is located on a spur ridge off of the west side of the Continental Divide with beautiful views in three directions. The forest around the campsite was open, lightly forested grassy meadows thanks to a diligent clearing program performed a year ago by a couple of Thor’s lightening bolts and the resulting forest fires. The site has recovered beautifully. Wild herds of roaming dachshunds visited the campers. There was also an Australian Shepherd who was frustrated in the attempt to herd the dachshunds. There was also a yellow Lab who spent the weekend as a taster of mountain flora (anybody have any doggy Tums?) The camping trip for the club over the fourth of July might be missing the ambiance of the campfire unless the newly imposed fire restrictions are lifted. It is an unfortunate aspect of the start of the rainy season here in New Mexico, that the storms start in mid-June with dry lightening storms with the rainfall not arriving until early July. Before going, be sure to check in with the Gila National Forest to see what the latest restrictions are. On 27 June, a fire warning from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) indicates that most of New Mexico is in the extreme fire danger area. Be careful
In El Paso, TX, Maria and Jesus opened their home to the club members and visitors. The friendly conversation, the fantastic food and the shark-infested swimming pool were the makings of an enjoyable event, even though there was some disappointment when the crowd broke from the event in order to watch the loss of the assumed Triple-Crown at Belmont. Alas. The Pool Opening in Alamogordo was at Doc and Coletta's home. The Saturday event was where the “action” was since many had personal plans for the Father’s Day Sunday. I do not know why I even bother to talk about the food, but it was worth commenting that it was (as usual) fantastic and in great quantities. The size of the meal was such that everybody was reduced to bloated babblers. Only then did the reality hit us that we had not yet hit the deserts including Doc’s annual homemade ice cream.
Is that a Chill in the Air? The reddish planets, Mars and Mercury are in the sky (technically) this month, and they will be extremely close on 10 July. It is really not worth the effort to try to see them, though, without some sort of viewing device. During the first hour of nightfall, in the early part of the month, look for the year's best showing of man-made satellites. Some 300 will be visible, one every minute or two. Jupiter will be sinking very low in the west at nightfall heralding the end of the fantastic grouping of the planets that we have been seeing over the last few months. A noble attempt by Venus to keep planetary activity going occurs when she comes storming back just before dawn. You may remember that last month, she moved from the night sky to the morning sky by pulling her old transit of the Sun trick rather than sneaking around the back way, as she normally does. Venus will get dramatically higher each morning, it reaches greatest brilliancy on 14 July, bright enough to cast shadows if you happen to be in rural settings away from artificial lights. If the White Sands National Monument were open prior to sunrise, that would be a great place to see the Venus shadows. Since they are not, do not bother to look for Venuscreen at this time. With the lack of planets this month, it might be a good time to become reacquainted with the Summer constellations again - Full moons for the month will be on 2 and 31 July according to some people's calendars. The full moon on 31 will actually occur after midnight in Mountain Daylight Time zone, so it technically happens in August. I guess that for us, we will have a blue moon in August (29) whilst folks living west of us will have a blue moon on 31 July. I am sure that the national (and local) TV news people will somehow get this screwed up. That might be something to look for if you are desperate for a laugh. © 2004 SunTree Travel Club - Site updated Summer 2008 |
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Last Month's Camping trip to the Gila National Forest
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