Hamburg State Park, GA
The Oglethorpe Astronomical Association (OAA) of Savannah, GA was invited to do another "astronomy program" at Hamburg State Park, near Mitchell, GA. Once again this was the perfect opportunity for Beth Ann and I to go camping at our favorite campground. We left Savannah after 3pm, Thursday. About three hours later we arrived at our destination.
We settled in to our campsite, site #30. It is a nice, private, spacious, site, overlooking the lake. The weather couldn't have been better.
For supper, we ate sandwiches that Beth Ann picked up at Leopolds's before we left Savannah. We settled in for the evening.
Friday was a beautiful day. There was a gentle breeze. Beth Ann decided to grill burgers for lunch.
After lunch, we explored and roamed around the campground. Around 6:30pm Beth Ann cooked some hot dogs.
After eating supper, I went to the ball field to set up my 4-inch TAK refractor for the astronomy program. Many OAA members had already set up their equipment. The rangers had erected a light shield between the parking area and the ball field. The weather was cool and the sky was clear. It was a great night for observing. An estimated 40 people showed up for the Friday night program. You could hear the "oooohs" and "ahhhhhs" from amazed visitors viewing objects through a telescope for the first time. We also saw Comet Swan in the western sky. After 10pm, the crowd dispursed and I returned to the camper around 11pm.
Beth Ann and I woke up late Saturday morning to another beautiful day. We had a late lunch and then drove in to Sandersville for a dessert at Dairy Lane. We arrived back at the campground around 3pm. I took some pictures of the lake and grist mill to show the low water level.
Around twilight, I rode to the ball field for the astronomy program. The sky was clear, but there was a chill in the air. OAA members were about ready to uncover and set up their scopes for the night.
There were around 30 people that showed up for the Saturday night program. Around 10pm, we saw a display of meteors until clouds moved in shortly thereafter. I returned to the camper. With temperatures in the upper 30's, we turned on our small Arvinair Wallhugger II electric heater located under the dining table, and then went to sleep. It began to rain during the night.
We woke up Sunday morning to a comfortably warm camper. The little electric heater did its job. We got up. By 1pm, we were ready to go. We stopped to eat lunch at the Dairy Lane in Sandersville, then headed home.
We made it home safely around 5pm.
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