OSP '98, Ochoco Mountains, near Prineville---- In 1992 we moved our site over a 100 miles closer to civilization, and now revel in Expresso, a mini-restaurant, a remote Internet provider, and Vigorous showers! Click here to see Mary at work in THE CHUCKWAGON. Click here for a looks at our 2007 fancy expresso stand and our remote ISP provider!

OSP '95. Pat Lewis wins again in the Ochoco Mountains, this time Grand Prize! Although you'd need a microscope to see her, she can also be seen in the 1992 Group Photo below! Also, click here to see a grainy enlargement of her from the 1992 Group Photo! ....The OSP 95 Group Photo also is the one featuring two nationally famed astro-personalities-- John Dobson and Richard Berry, both very visible in the front row of the picture! (6x6 Fuji Reala, neg 6)

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First Ochocos Group Photo is one of the Largest!

We are at our new Site at 5000 feet in the Ochoco Mountains! It's OSP '92, and we are at Rob's Tree. Adult pre-registration prices stood at only $10 per adult. 1992 was the year that the tradition of OSP door prizes began, with Candace Pratt as "Door Prize Director."

193 people (and two dogs) are in this shot from 1992. As of OSP 2016, that represents the third highest OSP Group Photo attendance. 1993 is the record holder at 248 people, with 1994 close behind at 233....!

Click here to go to a much larger version of Group Photo 1992, plus a Door Prize picture

Requiem: Rob's tree was felled by vandals sometime in late winter 1995, or spring of 1996. Click for a large picture of "Chuck's Tree," its Replacement! ..And then Click this link for Rob's "Dead Tree Chronicles, " Rob's own extensive historical take on Rob's Tree, Chuck's Tree, and lore on the dangers of mountain lightening.... The 1996 OSP Group Photo shows Rob mournfully holding a huge chunk of his beloved tree.

DARK SKIES AT OUR NEW OCHOCOS SITE BRING MANY WOWS (1993)

OSP 1993 WAS INCREDIBLE: My old friend Stan Seeburg writes below about his memories of the insanely dark skies of OSP 1993 .... Stan is one of the masterminds, maybe even the actual founder, of the Vancouver Sidewalk Astronomers (VSA)..... When I met him in the late 1980s, it was in the dark (of course), and we were perched over scopes high on the oak-covered hill that shelters the Goldendale Observatory. It was a big Mars viewing night, and he'd brought a large group over from Vancouver. WHY WERE THE SKIES SO TRANSPARENT AT OSP 93? The answer is a bit grim: an enormously powerful thunderstorm with intense heavy rains and booming lightning hit the site the night before the night Stan remembers! A large Ponderosa pine at the north end of the site was hit and demolished during the night, sending dangerous pieces flying, nearly hitting the tent of this cowering writer at about 2 am. It was so memorable that a "I Survived the 1993 Oregon Star Party" T-shirt was made!

Stan exclaims in the VSA newsletter: "DON'T MISS THE OREGON STAR PARTY ! This year's (2007) marvelous Oregon Star Party will be held in Central Oregon between August 16 and 19 and is an event not to be missed! Many of you know about it already, but for those who don't, it is a great opportunity to get away from the common things of life and to truly experience the grandeur of nature and the wonders of the universe. You will be with like-minded folks and will find yourself immersed in incredible beauty. We have been to three of these awe-inspiring events. The one in 1993 was something we'll never forget. A crystal-clear afternoon slowly dissolved into evening twilight. To the east a huge swath of the Earth's shadow was manifesting itself. As it slowly faded from view the first celestial lights appeared. Long before the end of evening twilight the great band of the Milky Way made its appearance. The sky darkened further, and there it was, in all its glory, an edge-on view of our great galaxy. It stretched across the sky ending up brilliantly in the south where it was suddenly cut off by a black horizon. Word simply cannot describe that truly celestial experience! " .... Stan doesn't mention how beautiful OSP mornings can be, so I've included a "Start of the Day" picture from OSP 2009: WOW. THIS IS PEACE.

OSP 1995 Draws National Astro Celebrity Folks like John Dobson and Richard Berry (includes both '95 and '94 Group Photos)