Rose City Astronomers: Kah-Nee-Ta Dark Sky Star Party

Rose City Astronomers

RCA Dark Sky Star Camp at OMSI's Camp Hancock

May 2^nd - May 4^th, 2008
Friday 3pm until Sunday Noon
Registration Closed

WE HAVE BEEN ASKED NOT TO ENTER BEFORE 3PM ON FRIDAY!

Directions

Meals

Because of OMSI requirements we do NOT allow drop-ins or visitors, except those that are registered and spending at least one night. Children are not allowed without parents and must be under parental supervision at all times. All fees are per person for the use of the facility and/or bunkhouses.

Due to the limited viewing area within the camp grounds we are limited to 40 people.
Registration will close when we reach 40 paid registrants.

Camp Hancock is an OMSI sponsored field station for the promotion of science education, located 2 miles east of the John Day river in NE Oregon in the Clarno Fossil Beds.

Camp Hancock’s facility is well equipped but rustic. Most of the buildings were built in the late 1960s and are wood with cedar shake roofs. They were designed for summer temperatures and are well ventilated, so bring a warm sleeping bag and warm clothes for the Spring and Fall seasons.

Dining Hall (Berrie Hall) - The dining hall is enclosed, has screened windows, and heat. We all help with setting the tables before meals and the clean-up after. OMSI prides itself on having meals are nutritious and homemade.

Rest Rooms - Both the men's and women's rest rooms have hot and cold running water, showers, heat, and electricity. In addition, there are two outhouses on site, which we encourage all to use as a way to conserve water

Library - The Hancock library has many natural history texts and periodicals.

Camp Hancock Guidelines:

if camping, Camp stoves only, no open fires
NO smoking except at the fire pit
NO PETS (this has been an issue in the past, please respect the Camp’s rules)
No Bicycles in camp or on trails
No camping or parking on the surrounding park service land

Here are some PDF files with more information from OMSI about Camp Hancock:

Info Packet - http://www.omsi.edu/education/oss/PDF/HFSinfo.pdf
Teacher's guide - http://www.omsi.edu/education/oss/PDF/HFSteacher.pdf
Chaperone Guide - http://www.omsi.edu/education/oss/PDF/HFSchaperone.pdf
Field Guide to the area - http://www.omsi.edu/education/oss/PDF/HFSfieldbook.pdf

Driving Directions

The camp is about 150 miles (as the crow flies) from Portland and you have two routes to choose from:

1) Take Hwy 26 east over Mount Hood. Turn left onto Hwy 216, which will take you to Hwy 197 just west of Maupin. Turn right on Hwy 197 and take it south to it's junction with Hwy 97. Turn left onto Hwy 97 and take it to Shaniko.

(Note: there is an alternative from Maupin. At the bottom of the hill just at the end of the bridge over the river is Bakeoven Road. It's a 180 degree turn from the bridge to get onto it and it comes out 1 mile east of Shaniko.)

2) Take I-84 east from Portland to Biggs Junction (exit 104), exit and head south on Hwy 97 to Shaniko.

At Shaniko, turn south onto Hwy 218 (Shaniko-Fossil Hwy) and continue through Antelope and east towards Clarno near the John Day River. Look for the entrance to Camp Hancock EXACTLY two miles east of the John Day River.

Plan on a 4 hour drive from Portland via Highway 26, and 5 hours via Highway 84, plus any stops you may make. Don't forget to gas up, it can be 50 miles between gas stations out here.

Here is a map with the layout of the bunkhouses, restrooms, etc. at Camp Hancock.

The center of Camp Hancock Hill is located at:

44 degrees, 55', 9" north (44.9194n)
120 degrees 25' 34" west (-120.4258w)
Google Map HERE

Camp Hancock is within the National Park Service Clarno Fossil beds. For NPS information look here and here.

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Weather:

Weather is almost always better on the east side than the west side of the Cascades.

The expected temperatures are expected to be around 50-70 in the daytime and 30-40 at night. But then Venus runs about 800 degrees and Mars about -200 degrees, so in the astronomically immediate area, Camp Hancock is always balmy.

Bring warm clothing, it will be very cold at night no matter how nice the day is.

The clear sky clock for the next 48 hours predicts:

However, the weather is often better than predicted.

Viewing:

There are three viewing areas at Camp Hancock. However, the camp at 1500 feet is surrounded by hills as high as 3000 feet, so the horizons are about 20 degrees up, but that helps keep the light pollution down.

Astronomy Hill has four AC outlets, you can drive up and unload your equipment, and then park out on the western edge, or down below the hill.
The Ridge has eight AC outlets, you can drive up and unload your equipment, but there's only room for one vehicle at a time, and you must park down below.
The grassy tent lawn area has no AC outlets, but close to parking.
- Please stay off the Staff's lawn in front of the staff cabins.

The Ridge looking south towards Astronomy Hill

Don't forget the red flashlights, red covers for computer screens, etc. You know the drill.

If you are new to observing, here are some Star Party Etiquette suggestions.

Why we're here, a view of the lights in the area.

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Meals available by registering before the deadline:

Camp Hancock offers breakfast, sack lunch, and dinner for our event (no breakfast or lunch on Friday and no lunch or dinner on Sunday.)

Meals are served family style and we all help with the setting up of the tables, serving, cleaning up and doing dishes.

9 am - Breakfast - $5
10 am - Sack Lunch - $4 - Lunch items are set out after breakfast, Make your own, Keep in refrigerator or take with you.
6 pm - Dinner - $6
Coffee Pot and Hot Water during the night, bring your own midnight snacks (microwave available).

Meals are NOT available other than at designated meal times.

There are NO soda or snack machines in the camp and snacks MUST be kept in critter-proof containers.

The closest food outside of camp is in Fossil (18 miles) or Antelope (17 miles).

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Lodging: There is NO RESERVED lodging except for extraordinary circumstances.

Please inform Larry Godsey at larrygodsey@comcast.net or 503-675-5217, if you have special diet needs or have medical issues.

Bunkhouse Lodging is $20 per night per person

We are in shared bunkhouses first-come, first served (generally we average less than 2 people per cabin).

The Cabins are one room A-frame buildings that are set up as a bunkhouse with built-in bunks, mattresses, limited heat, and limited electricity and you will be sharing the bunkhouse with others. (The heaters are on a 60 minute timer to take the chill off in the morning).

Bring a warm sleeping bag (and extra blankets, if needed), and pillow.

1 Large bunkhouse with 16 bunks
5 Large bunkhouses with 14 bunks each
2 Medium bunkhouses with 8 bunks each
7 Small bunkhouses that each have only one bunk, and three mattresses on the floor

Camping is $14 per night per person

Limited RV parking (Limited electrical hookups - so it's best to plan on being self contained)
Tent camping area with two teepees.
NO camping South of the Water Tower, that area is Park Service land and not part of Camp Hancock.

There are Bathrooms with showers, flush toilets and hot water. The Ladies bathroom is at the west end of the Dining Hall. The men's bathrooms are near the office. There is both men's and ladies pit toilets near the viewing area. Bring your own towels, shampoo, etc.

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Registration:

Registration Closed

When you come to Hancock Please make sure you have the following with you at all times.

Emergency Contact Information - to be carried with you at all times

Emergency contact:
Name - Address - Phone number
Alternate phone number if available

Physician information

Insurance information

.
The Hancock telephone number (541-763-4691) goes to a recorder on weekends
which is only checked sporadically during our weekend
as the office is not staffed during our outings.
.

Refund Policy:

Before the deadline all monies are refundable.

After the deadline meals are not refundable.

After the deadline the lodging amount is refundable, but only if requested and within 2 days after the outing.

Any monies not refunded are used to enhance the Camp Hancock Astronomy program and equipment.
       So what do we do with these funds? We've bought solar telescopes, eyepieces, eyepiece cases,
       repaired telescopes and mounts, purchased mounts, graveled the road to Astro Hill and put gravel
       on the Hill, built Refractor Ridge with a road, electricity, lots of gravel, and other astro related
       equipment and enhancements.

If you have any further questions you can email Larry or call Larry at 503-675-5217.

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