A few weeks ago, Heath and I headed to the panhandle of Oklahoma for a little getaway before the fall semester started. We picked Oklahoma for a few reasons: 1) I’ve never been there! 2) It’s the 49th state I’ve visited, and 3) the place we stayed is in a Bortle 1 zone, the darkest designation a place on Earth can receive.
We had a great time and we learned A LOT about stargazing, most specifically what NOT to do. For example, lack of moonlight is key to seeing stars and meteors, and, unfortunately, our time in Oklahoma was a few days out from the full moon.
We did get approximately 45 glorious minutes of stargazing one night. During that time, we saw the Milky Way and one meteor. It was enough for us to feel wonder and awe, and inspire in us the desire to see more stars in more dark parks. Unfortunately, our plans to visit a Bortle 2 Dark Park in Colorado on Friday night were thwarted by cloudy skies. But we’re committed to try again!
During the day, Heath and I relaxed and read. It was HOT, so we only ventured out briefly for one hike on the Rock Garden Trail at Black Mesa State Park, and another day we visited the Cimarron Heritage Center.
On our way home, we stopped at the Capulin Volcano in New Mexico. We drove to the top and then walked the rest of the way. We say wildflowers, ladybugs, and caterpillars galore!
We had so much fun on our little trip that we’re planning to do another one in 2026 with an emphasis on stargazing and reading. This plan works well for us because the one night we did stay up late for those 45 minutes, we were quite zonked the next day. Having low ambitions of lying around and reading is the perfect antidote to late-night stargazing.
I’m also hoping we can visit Alaska in 2026 because then I’ll have spent quality time in all 50 states. That might be a stretch because we’re also down to one car and saving a lot for the next several months so we can buy a new-to-us one.
In the meantime, it’s back to work for both of us. The fall semester started this past Thursday, and I’m teaching close to 400 students.
Happy Back to School, everyone!
And if you aren’t going back to school, head to your local library and pick up a book on stargazing. It’s never too late to learn something new.
Love this! And I learned something new just by reading your post – Bortle zones! Cool!
YAY for learning something new, especially when it’s Bortle zones!