On the Road to SSSP

Lynn is flying to Ottawa to visit her family in Hawkesbury, Ontario until mid-month. I, on the other hand, found myself on the road to SSSP 2005 -- the Saskatchewan Summer Star Party, my annual Mecca located in the Central Block of the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park near Maple Creek. The drive was uneventful, but i am always intrigued by the names of towns in the West. I drove through or by: New Sarepta, Hay Lakes, Armena, Camrose, Ohaton, Bawlf, Daysland, Strome, Killam, Sedgewick, Lougheed, Hardisty, Amisk, Hughenden, Consort, Monitor, New Brigden, Oyen, Acadia Valley, Hilda, Schuler, ....

Here are two cheesy tidbits.

For those of you who always wanted to know, but were afraid to ask: the Town of Bawlf, pronounced "bAwlf" to rhyme with "golf", was named after a Norwegian immigrant who moved to the area at the start of the 1900's and established a grain elevator.


Just south of Oyen i saw a sign for a pet boarding service: the name was "Sloppy Kisses."

Arriving at the Cypress Park Resort Inn, i checked in and immediately headed up to the Meadows, the site of the star party, to visit the other pilgrims. Thursday was supposed to be the early bird start, but observers ("amateur astronomers") were already filling the field in great numbers.


So the first evening was clean-up, registration, getting some grub and most importantly getting my telescope and equipment set-up. I choose to set-up with my friends from the Edmonton centre. The evening looks good, except for a few high cirrus clouds, the temperature very warm.


My set-up (not the scope with the blue tarp).