[sac-forum] Re: A bit of SAC History

Dwight forgot to mention one or two other favorite sites from the early days; the closer ones now pretty much under the Phoenix light dome.... (The late) George and Ruth Fessler hosted the club at their 5-acre ranch (now east of Anthem) for several years...
Wildcat Hill.... just east of the junction of Seven Springs Rd. north east of Carefree, at the Bartlett Lake Turnoff.... There was a microwave tower there (now gone).... I remember some great planetary views up there, very still air, and the Perseid meteors in August one year....
We also observed from the top of the hill on the east side of Pioneer Road and I-17 (another microwave tower site, as was the site near Castle Hot Springs); from several sites west on Table Mesa Rd. off I-17; and farther north, from the road leading east from Badger Springs Rd. off I-17. Some of these sites were suggested by Louis Boyd, when he worked for Mountain Bell as a microwave engineer.
Stan Gorodenski would likely remind that the >very first< "All-Arizona Star Party" was organized by him (as President of PAS) at the Community Park in Black Canyon City.
And of course, we should not fail to mention the many pleasant evenings spent at Buckeye Hills Recreation Area, used for many years after we left Fessler's Ranch, before the State Prison was constructed south on the road to Gila Bend... 

Gene Lucas
(17250)

DBogan3220 wrote:
Yep Good Ole Fessler's Ranch we used to go out there every month. The milky way in the summer was viewable all the way to just the underneath the teapot where you met up with the glow of the city that was 20 miles or so to the south. Fesslers was as about as dark as Cherry Rd is today. Another dark sky site we frequented from time to time was waaaaay out in fountain hills incredible dark skies the years were 1976, 77,78. Boy how things have changed. Oh another dark sky place we went to from time to time was a site opposite to sunset point off of 17. This was before heading all the waaaaaay up to Dugas Rd by the gravel pit another great site. Last another place we went to once in a while was Castle Hot Springs Rd out towards Wickenburg our 5 mile meadow :) 
Clear Skies, Dwight L Bogan
In a message dated 01/28/08 21:07:13 US Mountain Standard Time, stevecoe@xxxxxxxxx writes: 

     One of the first things I saw was a mention of a star party at
    Fessler's Ranch, with directions. Based on the map it looks like
    the location is in what is now Desert Hills around 33rd Ave  & W
    Irvine Rd, A bit south of Anthem, but close enough in to make note
    of how Aurora Phoenicia has grown in the past 30 years

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