> I'll be changing jobs and moving to Berkely in March. This will put Coe,
> Fremont Peak and
> Dino Point out of desirable range for me. Where else can I observe?
Matthew-
I grew up in the area, and there are several good local observing
sites. One of my favorites (as it's about 10-15 minutes from my house) is on
Bear Creek Road, across from UC's Leuschner Observatory just before you get to
the Briones Regional Park entrance. It's in a valley bordered by Orinda,
Lafayette, Concord, and Pinole........the skies aren't *really* dark there,
maybe 5 or 5.5 on a good night- but will be a lot better than your backyard! One
of the best things about it is that even when the East Bay Hills and the
Tri-Valley are fogged in, the sky over Briones is usually clear- no idea why
though, I'm not a meteorologist! :') It also used to be a good place to go and
"test" the four wheel drive on your vehicle, but that's another story......
Another really good close-in dark sky site is Lake Berryessa, which
is about 45 minutes from my house (with good traffic), maybe 1 hour from
Berkeley. I go 680-to-780-to-80-to-505, and take the Winters exit off 505. Head
west, paralleling Putah Creek which empties out of the lake (good fly-fishing
there also). Cross the bridge, pass the dam, and when you get to a fork in the
road where there's a gas station, restaraunt, etc., go to the right. This road
follows the western edge of the lake, and pick any of the turnouts along the
road that look like they have good horizons. The valley around the lake protects
you from the light domes of Napa, Davis, and Fairfield, and it can get quite
dark there. See you there- Bruce