The Moon in June comes up Too Soon ...

... And so will the August Sphere
The latter date should be postponed
To me, at least, 'tis clear ...

It just dawned on me - well, moonrose on me - that the semi-moonlite dinner train currently
scheduled for August 20 is five full days before the fully-full moon on August 25, and tonight's
Summer Solstice evening's moon is five full days before the fully-full moon on June 26, so if you
want to see what the semi-full moon will look like on August 20, just step outside ...

No Fooling, the moon will be fully as full - or as fool - on August 20 as it is this evening, except that on August 20 it will be just a tiny bit further North, just as the sun will be just a tiny bit further South.

Running the moonlight dinner train on August 25 would catch the moon fully full, but is too close to the 40th Anniversary events which begin only two days later on Friday, August 27. Also, it's actually better to run the moonlight dinner train one or two days before the fully full moon, so that the almost full moon is rising above the mountains to the East just as the fully full sun is setting behind the mountains to the West, giving optimum conditions for some really spectacular scenery (and photos thereof)!!   AND, with the SL&RG now promoting a photo special on August 26, having the C&TS moonlight train on the 23rd of August would help fill in the gap between Railfest and the C&TS 40th instead of competing with Railfest's First Friday Festivities.

Additionally, Michael Ripley, Roger Hogan and I are all committed to attending Railfest in Durango on August 19-22, but we could arrange to be in Osier on Monday evening, August 23 - with Michael's lights and John Cole's generators - to give passengers on the moonlight dinner train the opportunity to do some evening and night photography as a special bonus for riding that evening.  IIRC, there are rumors that a Chevy-Roll-Aye Car Club will be in Chama in mid-week as well, so maybe for the sake of people finding someplace to stay - such as in the many hotels & motels in Alamosa - it might be better to run the train from Antonito instead of Chama, and on the 23rd instead of the 20th.

Just some ideas from a fully foaming fan of the C&TS ...

- Russo de los Locos y la Luna Grande

p.s. Here's our Celebration of the Sunset on the Solstice - at exactly 8:00 p.m. - from my balcony here in Ventura, CA:


... And the huge 3/5 semi-fool moon a couple of minutes later:*


  * Note that under the watchful eye of our pal Hank Heron, my buddy Kooky-Pelli - even though somewhat tipsy from using his flute as a straw for the imbibement** of more than his share of Arrogant Bastard Ale*** - had not (yet) tipped off the balcony as of the taking of the second photo, above.

** "imbibement" is not in the NGDF dictionary.   Neither is "imbibification" ...  

*** An arrogant little bugger, Kooky-Pelli comes by his disposition naturally - he is a direct descendant of the Roman God Bacchus and Norse Goddess Freya, and there are rumors that Cupid was also involved somewhere along the way ...



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 06/22/2010 11:21PM by Russo Loco.