.. The Oregon Star Party, 1988-2008
OSP 1998. 166 Happy Astronmers
pose for the annual Group photo. The Swayze-built 40 inch Dobsonian
Telescope gives eye-popping views of the heavens to anyone brave
enough to ascend the somewhat shakey silver staircase to the stars...
OMSI, Oregon's premier science museum,
helps sponsor the event.... The
Rose City Astronomers,
Oregon's largest club, is also heavily involved (see more at bottom
of page)... I have been the official Group Photographer since
1988, and all the past years' photos are available for ordering.
OSP 2007 Group
Photo Information----
the images I took on Saturday look good. (check out the web-sized
version below). The prints are finished and were all mailed by
about October 2nd...... I plan, as usual, to attend the annual
RCA Christmas Party and can deliver custom orders at that time
(such as for larger versions of the 2007 group photo, or reprints
of previous year's photos....Please click on OSP 2007 below, and
you'll also be guided to three brand-new pages I've created about
various OSP topics of interest!
OSP 2006
click image
OSP 2005
click image
Oregon
Star Party History Section
Panoramas and Binocular
Astronomy!
Here's the promised 360-degree
panorama of the 1999 Oregon Star Party, taken from high atop the
roof of Chuck and Judy's RV. See if you can pick out your campsite
and scope, and those of your friends!
See a Panorama
of this author's (former) astronomy property located 12 miles
south of Prineville, Oregon (about
30 air miles southwest of the OSP site).
April 2008. Click below for the latest news and developments
from Highgate Farm Star Party. This site is a 100 acre farm on
the southern fringe of the Portland Metro Area that is being considered
as a permanent "nearby" viewing site by RCA.
The Strongs
originally found our OSP site at Indian Trail Springs! Click here
to visit Juniper
Sky, Gary
and Carolyn Strong's year-round version of OSP, and a neighbor
of Canyonland!
Go to
the summit of
Mauna Kea, Hawaii,
and witness 200 brave OSP astronomers!
Upcoming OSP will be August 28-31, 2008
OSP 2007
was held August 16-19, 2007
For further information
please contact the
Oregon Star party,
Inc. at their official website:
Mail them at their
snail-mail address: 16016 SE Division, PMB 307, Portland, OR 97236-1925
Call them at their
voice mail box at (503) 306-2992
or e-Mail them
at:
Page Last Revised
4/02/2008
Bruce Johnson's
Mileage Log to and from OSP
(Ochoco Mtns, at
Indian Trail Springs (ITS)
Olympia, Washington
to OSP site = 426 miles, via Hwy 12 (White Pass) to Yakima, and
thence along Hwy 97 to Prineville (compare with just 200 miles
from central Portland
to OSP, or to 225 miles from Canby to OSP)
OSP TO OLYMPIA
via the shortest route = 300 miles, which is over Government Camp
and
up I-205 and I-5.
BEND TO OLYMPIA,
via Government Camp, I-205, and I-5 = 266 MILES
(compare to 392 miles taking the route along Hwy 97 to Yakima,
and over White Pass
on Hwy 12)
PRINEVILLE TO OSP
(Indian Trail Springs, "ITS") = 48 miles
PRINEVILLE TO PORTLAND
= 146 MILES (taken from the Highway Dept. road sign as you
leave Prineville headed toward Madras on Hwy 26)
Add the above figures, which gives 196 miles between OSP and Portland
(but which
side of Portland is this?). Just call it "about 200 miles"
is my vote.
OSP back to downtown
BEND = 88 miles (via the "back way" where you cut off
at Powell
Buttes and come in near the Bend airport, I call this route "the
Alfafa cutoff")
BEND TO GOVERNMENT
CAMP ON MT. HOOD = 106 miles
BEND TO PORTLAND
(via Government Camp, and to the junction of I-84 and I-205) =
156
miles.
BEND TO OLYMPIA,
WA, via Government Camp, I-205, and I-5 = 266 MILES (compare to
392 miles taking the route through Yakima and along Hwy 97)
BEND BACK TO EAST
SIDE OF PORTLAND (junction of I-84 and I-205) = 156 miles
Olympia
to Goldendale, WA, elev. 1,600 ft = 246 miles. Goldendale is site
of the
Goldendale Observatory
and of Skyview
Acres. (this is
a whole lot further than from Canby to Bend!)
Some
Route Details:
Olympia to the
turnoff to Yakima (I-5 to junction of Hwy 12) = 38 miles
(here the highway sign states it is 140 miles more to Yakima)
Olympia to the small town of Morton at 900 ft. elev. = 70 miles
(compare to Canby to Timberline Lodge is only 73 miles)
Olympia to the turnoff to the road that goes up to the north side
of
Mt. St. Helens (Windy Ridge viewpoint) = 84 miles, and an estimated
25-40 more miles up to the Mtn. itself.
Randle, 900 ft. elev. 88 miles from Olympia
Olympia to turnoff
to the Goat Rocks Wilderness-- turnoff is shortly before Packwood,
and is labelled to Walupt Lake. Turnoff is 100 miles from Olympia,
and is 1,000 ft
elev. est. another 20 miles to trailheads (therefore at about
120 miles, this is twice
as far way as hiking on Mt. Hood from Canby)
Olympia to the
cute little resort/mountain town of Packwood is about 105 miles,
elev.
of Packwood is about 1,200 ft. The road branches left to the southern
entrance of
Mt. Rainier Park about 5 miles east of Packwood (at about 110
miles from Olympia)
Olympia to White
Pass and White Pass Ski Area (see below)
Mileage Log going
east via Hwy 12 and Yakima, Hwy 97, and then up to OSP site.
Olympia
to White Pass, 124 miles (compare to 63 miles from Canby to Government
Camp)
Olympia
to Yakima, 176 miles (compare to 135 from Canby to Bend via Hwy
22 and Santiam
Pass, or compare to only 90 miles from Canby to Kahneeta!)
Yakima back to
White Pass, only 52 miles (don't they have a great deal
to get up to a good ski area!)
Olympia
to Goldendale, WA, elev. 1,600 ft = 246 miles. Goldendale is site
of the
Goldendale Observatory
and of Skyview
Acres. (this is
a whole lot further than from Canby to Bend!)
PRINEVILLE TO OSP
(Indian Trail Springs, "ITS") = 48 miles
PRINEVILLE TO PORTLAND
= 146 MILES (taken from the Highway Dept. road sign as you leave
Prineville headed toward Madras on Hwy 26)
Add the above, gives 196 miles between OSP and Portland (but which
side of Portland is this?). Just call it "about 200 miles"
is my vote.
OSP BACK TO downtown
BEND = 88 miles (via the "back way" where you cut off
at Powell Buttes and come in near the Bend airport)
BEND TO GOVERNMENT CAMP ON MT. HOOD = 106 miles
BEND TO PORTLAND (Via Government Camp, and to the junction of
I-84 and I-205) = 156 miles
BEND TO OLYMPIA, WA, VIA GOVERNMENT CAMP, I-205, AND I-5 = 266
MILES (compare to 426 miles taking the route through Yakima and
along Hwy 97)
BEND BACK TO EAST
SIDE OF PORTLAND (junction of I-84 and I-205) = 156 miles
OSP BACK TO OLYMPIA
VIA GOVERNMENT CAMP, I-205 AND I-5 = 300 miles.
4/02/2008
click image
click image....
click image
click image.