Perseids on the Playa 2018 (Humboldt County, Nevada)

Note: Photo courtesy of Facebook

For the third year in a row, I decided to spend the night on the lifeless playa of the Black Rock Desert in order to view the annual Perseid Meteor Shower. An organization called the Friends of Black Rock sets up a group camp every year and open it up to the general public. The group is filled with nice people and most importantly, they bring a port-o-potty with them. I hope the wild fires burning all over the western United States don't spoil the astronomical shooting gallery that is this meteor shower, but there is only one way to know.

I arrived on the playa an hour or so before sunset and followed my phone to the advertised GPS coordinates. Once on the playa, the white, flat surface extends to the horizon in every direction, and so, GPS coordinates are the best (perhaps, the only) way to identify a specific location. After driving a few miles in the general direction, the group of cars and tents come into view. I walk over to the camp "headquarters", introduce myself, and then head back to the jeep to set up camp. 

While I intended to socialize more after getting my tent set up and consuming a subway sandwich I picked up the way out, once I get settled and satiated, the amazing beer, the works of Kitaro playing in my ear, and the simple peace prove overwhelming and I decide to just remain in the comfort of my camp chair to await the show.

As the sun sinks beyond a distant mountain, the stars begin to come into view, but unfortunately, the smoke is having an effect on the visible sky. Massive and deadly wildfires  burning near Yosemite, Redding, and Mendocino have produced unprecedented levels of haze blanketing much of the west. Looking straight up offers some relief as the light must pass through less particulates than when viewing the horizon and so this the area directly above my head becomes the focus of my attention for the next couple of hours. While I do catch site of a few meteors, it's far less spectacular than in years past when the smoke wasn't present. 

Feeling a little disappointed, I crawl into my tent before 11:00 PM and quickly fall asleep. The dry surface of the Black Rock is surprisingly comfortable. Combined with the absolute silence out here, I get a great night's sleep and rise a half-an-hour or so before dawn. I quickly break camp and head out to my next adventure.