When night falls, the world can seem magical . . . even more so during a motorhome trip. Below, FMC readers paint some great visual pictures to answer the Rear View question this month:
Where’s the best place to view the night sky when you’re camping?
In general, the best place to view the night sky is in national park campgrounds. There tends to be less ambient light than in others. Specifically, we stayed overnight at Fundy National Park in New Brunswick, Canada. Fundy has been declared a Dark Sky Preserve by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. It definitely was dark! We arrived in the early evening, had dinner, and were going to go for a walk. When we stepped outside and shut the motorhome door, we came to a dead stop. We literally couldn’t see each other . . . or anything else! The next night we did the ranger interpretive program “Milky Way Madness,” which was great. We could see the Milky Way, along with several planets, with the naked eye. Another amazing sight were all the falling stars — I counted at least 25 of them in 1 1/2 hours, and missed some! We also viewed objects through the ranger’s telescope.
Jon & Sharon Miller, F415845
Dillsburg, Pennsylvania
One of the best places we camp is along the Mississippi River at Tom Sawyer’s RV Park in West Memphis, Arkansas. The sites right next to the river allow a beautiful view of the city, but at night the bridges and lights of the city of Memphis are just great! If a huge barge comes down the river at night, you may be awakened by a very bright light shining through the coach. I am prone to having kidney stones. I had one while we were parked there once, and I was up sitting in the front seats early in the morning. I also happen to be a guy who some 30-plus years ago told Fred Smith (who started FedEx) that he was crazy thinking he could fly boxes around. Well, from 4:00 to 5:00 a.m., the FedEx complex fired those jets out, one after another . . . almost as good as a fireworks show.
Steve & Cynthia Ecton, F287228
Heber Springs, Arkansas
Remember Comet Hale-Bopp? We were so lucky to be in the “right place at the right time” to view this celestial event! It was mid-March 1997, and we were camped for the night at a rancho in the middle of the Catavina Desert in Baja California, Mexico. The area is in complete darkness, other than the glow of your campfire. You are about 125 miles away from a town of any size. We were not aware of what we were about to see: the comet Hale-Bopp, a lunar eclipse, and extra-bright planet Mars, all in the same evening. What a night to remember and, better yet, a story to tell.
Weta Berger, F205425
Brownsville, California
Future questions:
1. Provide a tip or trick that makes setting up camp easier.
2. Describe a stop you’ve made for fresh, local produce that you enjoyed during a motorhome trip.