Possible trip to Kitt Peak 3/7/09

Update 2/23

Click here for a route guide, including instructions on how to get to the starting point.

Our thanks to Mike Hunt who did all the work on the agenda. 

Remember, there are no restaurants so we plan to pack our own lunch. There is a convenience store in Sells, AZ and we'll be stopping there for a comfort break. I have no idea what kind of food they have available. 

I suggest you bring a jacket because it may be chilly up at the observatory at 6875 feet elevation. 

Please remember your club radio and your name tags.

Update 2/11

I have been informed by Kitt Peak they no longer have special, group guided tours. They have their regular tours at 10, &11:30 AM and another at 1:30 PM. Apparently each of these 3 tours, tour a different telescope installation, so if you want to see the most of what is there, you would have to go on all 3 tours. The facility closes to the public at 3:45 PM. There are actually 24 optical and 2 radio telescopes on the grounds so it is impossible to see everything. Admission is $4 per adult per guided tour and apparently, you can tour on your own as well. We will have to work out our arrival time and see how it interfaces with the scheduled, guided tours. Mike Hunt is currently working out the detailed tour guide and I'll forward all the info to you as soon as possible.

For those of you who do not want to pack a lunch, there is a convenience store in Sells, AZ and we'll be stopping there for a comfort break. I assume they have the usual variety of cold sandwiches, they may have some hot micro waved foods as well but I really don't know. We're going to play it safe and pack our lunch.

Original notice follows:

We're considering a tour of the Kitt Peak National Observatory on Saturday, March 7th. The best way to see everything and have it explained is with a special, group, guided tour. This requires a reservation in advance and a deposit for the group.

I would like to know how many of you are interested in attending this event so I can either schedule it or discard the idea. If you want to attend, we will need payment in advance and it won't be refundable. Depending upon the size or our group, I believe the fee will be about $4.00 per person and this will include a guide. Some of the installations are as much as ½ mile from the visitor center so there is considerable walking involved. I will check and see if wheelchairs are available in case we have someone incapable of all the walking.

We will have to pack a picnic lunch because there are no eating facilities in the area, the closest being south Tucson, about 52 miles from Kitt Peak. They do have picnic tables on the grounds and one way or the other, I'm sure we can manage to deal with the lunch arrangement.

I also need close to a month lead time to set up the group reservation so I'm pleading with you to send back your RSVP right away. Later on, I'll let you know what the results are and whether we're going or not. Assuming we will go, the tour details will be emailed out later.

Thank you for giving this your prompt attention.

Paul Ebeyer, President

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