Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Back to Boondocking in the BANWR

I left the vicinity of the Dragoon Mountains/Cochise Stronghold yesterday and by Noon I was finishing setting up at a campsite in the Buenos Aires NWR: National Wildlife Refuge.

Saw this at Arivaca Junction as I got off the I-19 Interstate onto Arivaca Road:

Much bigger than the one in Banderas, TX

This is another of several camping trips to this area, I like it a lot, not crowded at all and pretty good views at times.  


Sunset was a non-event, no clouds you see.  However, around 7:30 Pm, I happened to look out the window into the darkness and saw this:

Eye-catching right?  I'd seen similar before while in Phoenix, AZ...I figured it was and had it confirmed later by my loving wife, Martha.  It was a SpaceX launch from Vanderberg Space Force Base.  Cool stuff.

This morning's view of the mountain range crowned by the Baboquivari Peak:

I'll be here a few days, not much planned for today.  I'm waiting for the USPS to deliver a letter from an Ebay vendor via General Delivery in Arivaca, AZ's Post Office.  I'd stopped by there yesterday enroute to camp, no luck.

6 comments:

CCjon said...

What do you call the "vapor trail" from the Space X -launch? Is there another name?

Very cool photo of it.

redlegsrides said...

CCjon, exhaust plume? I read somewhere that it could also be vapor formed by interaction of the rocket fuel chemicals....

RichardM said...

Nice photo of the exhaust trail!

redlegsrides said...

Pure luck, RichardM...pixel phone has a mode called Night Sight, add some post-production and there you go.

Oz said...

I would have loved to have seen the vapor trail! Great photo!

redlegsrides said...

Thanks Oz, it's the second launch I've witnessed in such a manner over the last few years. The first time was in Phoenix, had no idea what I was looking at, and didn't get a picture of it apparently.