Hi Gang. We will hold the field trip at beautiful Indian Creek Reservoir just north of Markleville. I'll provide updated instructions on getting there, maps, etc, a little later, and especially during our pre-trip get together on Thursday eve July 25 6pm to 9:50pm but we'll very likely end earlier, on 
campus. We've camped there before - in fact my first field class - Astro 28A - way back in 1998 was held here. We should have a good contingent of astronomy club people there as well, to help us. It's got a great view of a dark dark sky, a big lake to enjoy, shouldn't be overcrowded like so many places in the Sierra, and is a nice getaway for doing astronomy and some exploring.
The camping fee will be $10/person which you will pay automatically at registration. Covering meals will be discussed at the pre-trip meeting. I strongly encourage you allow me to, prepare and cook for you, as it helps teach team work and cooperative skills. If you want to get a flavor for what my field astro courses are like, please browse through the Astro 28 pages here. Pictures from my previous Astro 25 course, at Sequoia National Park, are here.
Here's a link to the Indian Creek Recreation land it is on. And, a google maps link. We're at the Group campsite, which shows on the map at right as the little purple road offshoot just below the "Indian Creek Campground" icon to the left side of the Indian Creek Reservoir. It's about a 4 1/2 hr drive from Cabrillo College. We'll help you get to know your fellow students for carpooling during the on-campus pre-trip meeting. The area has clear horizons, as well as shady pines where many campsites are. It should have great temperatures for late August, being not too high elevation (5,600 ft or so). There's a lake we can enjoy during the day, and we'll also hike during the day to find nice places to talk about planetary science and the universe too, with examples of Earth right around us.
I'll have more information, hardcopy maps, help with carpooling, when I see you at the pre-trip meeting on Thursday July 25 6pm in Cabrillo College room 705.
Thur July 25 6-9:50pm (but we should be done by 8-8:30pm). Room 705 on campus. Pre-trip meeting, logistics, liability waivers signed, pay vouchers, distribute maps, give time for carpool arranging. Lecture on solar system and star formation, planetarium demonstration.
Friday Aug 2 - Arrive at the Indian Creek group campsite as soon as you can I will be getting there in late afternoon, but no penalty if you get there later. I know some of you have to work. Darkness doesn't start till 8:50 pm, when we'll show you Jupiter, and Saturn, which are are all perfectly placed in the evening sky. Then explore the star clusters, nebulae, and other denizens of the Summer Milky Way
Saturday Aug 3 - 8am: We start with my famous French Crepes breakfast. After breakfast and clean up, we'll take a hike and explain the physical processes that shape planets, with the Sierra to help as an example on our own planet. We'll pause at various locations on our hike and give "micro-lectures" on the evolution of the planets and why the inner planets differ so much in their features. After breakfast, we'll pack daypacks with lunch and drive a few miles to the trail head.
There, I'll be giving a handout which describes the heat and cooling rates of planets, how plates and volcanics differ between the inner planets, and other aspects of planetary morphology relating to heat of formation and cooling rates; for the moon, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. I'll be giving micro lectures at strategic rest stops on our ~4 mile hike to/from a waterfall.
Trails around Grover Hot Springs. Our waterfalls trail starts at the campground and goes left for a mile and a half to the steeper ground where the falls is. |
TopoZone map |
Hot Spring Creek Falls, our destination |
Saturday late afternoon - a bit of rest time, and free time for swimming in Indian Creek Reservoir, right below our camp. The water's delightful, by my memory. If you want to hike more, there's a trail from the campground to Summit Lake.
Saturday evening - 5pm Dinner (my special Asia Rice recipe, with fresh veges and spices, and salad) and astro conversation
Saturday evening - 8pm till midnight; telescope explorations and lectures on stellar evolution, with examples in the night sky. Binary stars, black holes, and then galaxies, galaxy evolution, our own Milky Way as seen from the inside, and campfire lecture on cosmology and the origin of the Universe. We'll have monster telescopes up to 25" in diameter from a panoramic vista near Curtz Lake to examine the summer Milky Way and galaxies of the Spring sky.
Aug 4 - Sunday morning - 8am breakfast of home made gourmet granola, with lots of nuts and yummy cocoanut oils and sunflower seeds. Lecture on the sun, a short hike to the lake for a final talk on cosmology, return to camp, distrubute take-home final exams, Bid farewell by noon.
Aug 10 - Saturday 7-8pm : optional meeting; we'll discuss at pre-trip meeting, Instead, just come to campus by or before this time and deposit your take-home written exam (or snailmail, do NOT email it to me!) at room 706a - leave in the envelope outside my office door, or snail-mail it to me.
Instructor Office Hours: (always reliable to reach me by email as well, see my Salsa page)
Thursday July 25 4-6pm in room 706
Thursday Aug 1 3-5pm at the Observatory
Saturday Aug 10 5-7pm in room 706
* Textbook is "The Cosmic Perspective" by Bennett et al. If you want to buy, get it from a cheap textbook outlet online. Don't pay $100 full price! Any edition will do. Or, just use the web since your exam will be take-home and you'll have over a week to do it. Google is great for finding answers! Your final exam will be handed out at the end of the camping lectures, on Sunday at noon or so. Please read the instructions and make sure you print by computer your essay question responses, and staple those to the hardcopy of the final, with your multiple choice answers circled.!
Grading
Your course grade will be determined by your active participation work ethic, curiosity, any lab exercises and question sessions at the telescopes, demonstrated at each of the meetings and lectures during our hikes (35%) and then by the quality of your final exam (65%). Your scores for these will be placed on the following scale:
85%+.................. A
75%-85% .......... B
65%-75%........... C
55%-65%........... D
less than 55%.... F
If you want to take the class "Pass/No Pass", that's fine. The new rules of the college say that you have to initiate that yourself, in WebAdvisor, before the deadline, which is before the weekend field trip. "The Computer", that runs our lives, likely will not accept my attempt to over-write and give you a P/NP at submission of grades time, like in the past. Likewise, it is the student's responsibility to W from the class before the weekend trip. If you ask me to I can try to W you myself, but that doesn't change the fact that ultimately it is your responsibility to make sure it is done before the deadline. It is not the responsibility of the instructor.
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Students with disabilities:
Students needing accommodations should inform the instructor. As required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), accommodations are provided to insure equal access for students with verified disabilities. To determine if you qualify or need assistance with an accommodation, please contact ACCESSIBILITY SUPPORT CENTER (Formerly DSPS), Room 1073, (831) 479-6379.
