Post by RobbW on May 17, 2010 23:15:44 GMT -6
My wife and I are trying to plan a driving vacation sometime this summer. She is being surprisingly supportive of my star-gazing hobby and is suggesting going somewhere with dark skies so I can get a really good view of the night skies. Problem is we don't know where to go that will give me a really good view of the heavens while at the same time provide plenty of things to do during the daytime hours (not to mention offer acceptable accommodations).
We are looking at a driving vacation that would require around six hours of driving. If the destination would provide exceptionally dark skies and still provide plenty to do during waking hours, I may be able to bump that up to seven or eight hours.
I'm looking for a destination that will offer really dark skies, preferably in blue regions based upon the Dark Sky Finder website at www.jshine.net/astronomy/dark_sky/. The caveat is that it must also offer more than "reasonable" accommodations and activities during the daylight hours. We don't want to stay at a Motel 6 or some backwoods "hunters' lodge" in order to get to dark skies. Just as an example, my wife's idea of "roughing it" is not having a jacuzzi tub in the hotel room, or at least a pool or hot tub onsite. Myself, I can tolerate less, but if I want to get to my dark skies, I have to provide something that meets my wife's expectations, if not more.
Currently, we are searching Door County, WI or the Dunes area in Michigan. It appears that Washington Island in Wisconsin just north of the Door County area is in a very dark sky area, but I know nothing about it. Likewise, according to the Dark Sky Finder, there is a very large blue area in Michigan south of Traverse City, east of Ludington, west of Cadillac, and north of Muskegon. But once again, I'm wary of venturing into areas I'm not familiar with, especially when they appear to be deep-country areas with hardly any lighting. Remember, I plan to be out late at night in the middle of nowhere performing star-gazing activities that the locals may not recognize or understand. It's sad to say, but I'm kind of afraid to end up in a situation in many late 70s early 80s movies I watched where the main characters wound up in some desolate, backwoods town where the locals' idea of fun was tying outsiders to a tree and making them squeal like pigs while they inappropriately touched their female companions.
So, given all that, does anyone have any suggestions for nice places to stay in Dark Sky country that offer plenty to do during the day but doesn't scare the bejesus out of you at night?
We are looking at a driving vacation that would require around six hours of driving. If the destination would provide exceptionally dark skies and still provide plenty to do during waking hours, I may be able to bump that up to seven or eight hours.
I'm looking for a destination that will offer really dark skies, preferably in blue regions based upon the Dark Sky Finder website at www.jshine.net/astronomy/dark_sky/. The caveat is that it must also offer more than "reasonable" accommodations and activities during the daylight hours. We don't want to stay at a Motel 6 or some backwoods "hunters' lodge" in order to get to dark skies. Just as an example, my wife's idea of "roughing it" is not having a jacuzzi tub in the hotel room, or at least a pool or hot tub onsite. Myself, I can tolerate less, but if I want to get to my dark skies, I have to provide something that meets my wife's expectations, if not more.
Currently, we are searching Door County, WI or the Dunes area in Michigan. It appears that Washington Island in Wisconsin just north of the Door County area is in a very dark sky area, but I know nothing about it. Likewise, according to the Dark Sky Finder, there is a very large blue area in Michigan south of Traverse City, east of Ludington, west of Cadillac, and north of Muskegon. But once again, I'm wary of venturing into areas I'm not familiar with, especially when they appear to be deep-country areas with hardly any lighting. Remember, I plan to be out late at night in the middle of nowhere performing star-gazing activities that the locals may not recognize or understand. It's sad to say, but I'm kind of afraid to end up in a situation in many late 70s early 80s movies I watched where the main characters wound up in some desolate, backwoods town where the locals' idea of fun was tying outsiders to a tree and making them squeal like pigs while they inappropriately touched their female companions.
So, given all that, does anyone have any suggestions for nice places to stay in Dark Sky country that offer plenty to do during the day but doesn't scare the bejesus out of you at night?
