Perseid Meteor Shower

On Monday, I cut out of work early and drove up to Los Padres National Forest. It was supposed to be peak viewing of the Perseid m eteor shower, so I decided to head to where there are few lights. I drove to Pine Mountain, but the campsites were either full or tree-covered.

I drove to the end of the long, dirt road, and stopped at the trailhead to Reyes Peak. I at a cold dinner at the car, then loaded a light pack and headed up the mountain. I found a wonderful clearing with a pretty good view of the northeast sky (N34.63435 W119.28684, 7124 ft). It was a bit windy, so I set up my little tent.

I watched the beautiful sunset, then crawled into the tent out of the wind for a few hours sleep. The moon was very bright, so I had to wait for it to set before the shooting-star show would really be visible.

It was amazing. I awoke just before the moon set, and watched the orange orb disappear over the horizon. Then I pulled my sleeping bag and pad out into the clearing and watched the show. It was absolutely amazing! I watched until about 4, then grabbed a couple more hours of sleep.

I woke just in time to watch the sun rise (and find my camera battery dead) - I could see a layer of fog several thousand feet below. I hiked back to the car then started the long drive back to Ventura (from sun into the fog below) and a full day of work.

I was pretty tired on Tuesday, but it was SO worth it!