This is the Mt. Pinos parking lot on Labor Day weekend, 1997. This is a pretty typical scene for a summertime new-moon weekend, where nighttime temperatures usually only drop to the 40's. We often have 200-300 people from all over Southern California with 75-100 telescopes set up, ranging from binoculars to 25"+ dobsonians. The far right is "photoland", where most of the astrophotographers congregate. This image features some famous and soon-to-be famous shooters, including Martin Germano, Michael Stecker, Vince and Maggie Farnsworth, Dave Holland, Butch Trembley, and yours truly. Other regulars at this site who didn't make it this particular weekend include Tony and Daphne Hallas, Bill and Sally Fletcher, Kim Zussman, and James Foster.
This image is of our rig at the site in December 1997. As you can see, the conditions and the attendance are quite different! Actually, there were about 20 astronomers present that weekend. This shot was taken after most everyone had left on Sunday morning.
