Observatour

This weekend was a good one, albeit hot. We spent Saturday atop Palomar Mountain, camping with some friends that are fixing to move to Florida. When you only have forty to fifty regular members in your church, losing a young couple is tough. But he is a Marine, and move they must, and so we bid them farewell with a camping trip.

On Saturday morning, we set out for a five-mile hike to the Palomar Observatory. Between the heat and the altitude, I became keenly aware of my severe lack of stamina. But we made it.

Throughout the high country surrounding Palomar Mountain, there are beautiful plateau grasslands. The yellow grass contrasted with the dark green oaks is just gorgeous. It is a kind of beauty I never recognized as a kid--serene, quiet and understated. I highly recommend a day trip through the northeast portion of San Diego County so you can see what I'm talking about. Specifically, try driving up Palomar on South Grade Road, checking out the observatory, then descending via East Grade Road, which drops back to Highway 76 at Lake Henshaw. You won't be disappointed.

I had not visited the Palomar Observatory, which is built around the Hale Telescope, for at least fifteen years. Unlike most impressive things that I saw during my childhood, the dome was much larger than I remembered it. I have always loved astronomy, and the thought of spending just one hour looking out the telescope into deep space gave me chills. For more information about the observatory, click here or check out the Palomar Observatory Wiki.

Here is a shot of the inside of the facility, including the bottom portion of the telescope, which holds the mirror. Turns out the 200-inch (16.7-foot) mirror is actually made out of Pyrex. True story.