Company, Snow and Another Bobcat Photo

Sorry for the slow post's and progress with the observatory.

I had some company up for a few days, the kind of company you have visit when your significant other is away on travel. This type of company also needs preparation time before and recovery time after, you know a guys weekend.

Even the cats needed recovery time.

Speaking of cat here is my latest photo of our local bobcat.

Just missed, I'm still figuring the camera aiming out.

Then came the snow.

 We were able to keep our road open  to February 27th, but that's all over now! We have 10" of new snow on top of  the 4" from last week and more on the way, so our road is officially closed and we're now back to running the tracks.

This is the view from our deck over looking the dock which 5 days ago was completely free of snow. 

I'm not  complaining  though,  we really do need the moisture.

Bobcat and Wolf Photos

Yesterday afternoon I had a bobcat encounter that lasted around 5 minutes.

I scared the cat off the road driving back home, it jump the ditch and slowly walked into the woods about 75 feet in from the edge of the road.

After looking back at me, it then turned and walked a line parallel with the road heading toward our cabin. I just kept pace with its slow walk for maybe 300 feet and during this time the cat would give me the occasional glance to be sure I wasn't a threat.

Talk about blending in, this animals coloring is perfect! With all the down Maple trees on the forest floor and the light snow cover, I would lose sight for a time, only to find it again by detecting movement,. This was my 2nd best animal sighting ever, surpassed only by the Lynx we saw last winter.

After this encounter I pulled two of the game cameras from around the cabin and placed them out on the road just east of the private land. This area of the road has a lot of wolf and cat tracks with pee spots everywhere.

This morning as I left for town around 6:15, both cameras flashed so I knew they were still working. I kept driving even though the road was covered in wolf shit and I knew there had to be new photos.  I  decided instead to pull them after the meetings.

I got to town about 6:45 and  had my usual breakfast at S.O.B.but found myself still too early for the meeting so I took a drive up the Gunflint Trail. I parked in the Pincushion parking lot overlooking Grand Marais and saw this  wolf walk by!

Clicking might make movie bigger

Pincushion is a cross country ski area that is also lit for night skiing,

A suggestion if you are skiing around there, don't fall behind your group and no matter how bad your leg cramps gets try not to look wounded!

Just kidding, we rarely find skier carcasses in the woods, 

although this might explain all the clothing, boots, ski's and poles we uncover.

Returning to the cabin around 2:00 I stopped and pulled the cards from the game cameras and headed to the Observatory's warm room to look over the photos

(Thanks Berry for ordering the card reader in our computer.)

Well say hello to our local Bobcat

You will want to click on this photo and see it large, 

This photo was time stamped 11:58 am, probably on his way to lunch.

Earlier that morning around 2:00 am the wolf pack moved by as well.

Not sure how many  wolves were in the pack,  but according to the time stamp they were around 5 minutes.  I have the camera set to shoot 3 photos per event with a delay of 1 minute between events so I had a total of 15 photos.

Some shots just show glowing eyes in the background and I'm sure the flash startled them, so tonight I reset one of the camera to shoot more across the road rather than down it.

I've  never really shared Jim's excitement over the game cameras.

The man has 3 of them, a sack of batteries and a solar battery pack along with two A.C. chargers.

He'd place them all over in the summer and I would check them when he was gone but  I  never saw the big attraction.

 Hell, he even had a camera on his dock to find out what was crapping all over it and I have to say I didn't care as long as it was crapping on his dock and not mine.

 Well that attitude changed last fall when we started getting some great deer, moose and wolf photos from a salt lick camera. However when it got cold I pulled them because battery life is so short in the winter.

Now I'm running a battery charging rotation, bought more memory cards so I can just change them out and am enjoying the heck out of this. As a matter of fact it might be tough for Jim to get them back

Deep Water, I'm Well Over My Head Now

I knew from the start I was wading into deep water,

turns out I was wrong.

I now realize I've been floating on the surface of a bottomless lake and 2 weeks ago my boat sank.

It started with a dyslexics person's worst enemy, a 400+ page software manual.

What I've learned  

during this project is when you're a novice at anything

 and you choose to start with advanced gear instead of beginner equipment, the learning curve goes from steep to vertical, or in my case it feels like it's overhanging.

We decided to go with Maxim DL Pro software to run our complete set-up including the telescope, dome rotation, auto focusers, camera, guider camera and image processing.

 Maxims manual is written with the assumption the reader is knowledgeable about astronomy and observatory/telescope set ups, so I spend  a lot of time referring to the glossary to figure out many of terms used in the manual.

My  friend Paul is  helping me  comprehend all this information. Paul and I  are completely opposite in our learning preferences, he likes to research and understand the outcome of clicking a tab, while I click the tab and try to figure out what just happened.

Between the two of us we have had some success! 

The warm room computer now communicates with the telescope, both cameras and the auto focusers, this was the result of a lot of reading, downloading 64 bit drivers, unloading then re-loading some software and what felt like some good luck.

Paul will also be invaluable for setting up our observatory/warm room start-up & shut-down routine and the image calibration check lists that will have to be compiled, posted then followed every evening .

So it might be a while before you see our 1st photo. If we get really stuck I'll be reaching out to an astronomy student in Duluth or making a run to the  Thunder Bay Observatory.

No bobcat photo though, we have over a 1000 photos from the 3 game cameras running 24 hours a day, deers, squirrels, birds, bunnies, vols and mice but no bobcat.  Pat had a sighting within  the last 2 weeks but I think we scared it out from under the cabin. Will keep setting cameras, who knows what we'll see!. 

We Now Have a Bobcat Living Under our Deck

We are down to one very nervous looking squirrel feeding under our bird feeder

since the bobcat moved in. 

We have seen the cat twice, it's den'd up under our deck.Right now there is enough snow that two sides of the deck is bunked up blocking the wind nicely, and the small open end is looking out over the ground under the feeder.

I'm sure the cat has been picking off the squirrels, mice, bunnies and birds that ground feed on the spilled seed. 

We decided to put two of Jim's game cameras out and see if we can't get a few good photos.

First night I set up the cameras, unfortunately one without its SD memory card installed and the other with a  SD card installed but locked so needless to say no photos.

After learning how to unlock the card, I charged the batteries, installed the cards and set them back up for the daylight hours yesterday to make sure I know what I 'm doing.

 I pulled them late that afternoon to check photos and recharge batteries and what I ended  up with is 187 photos of birds and that one nervous squirrel. No bobcat, but at least I'm getting photos now so back out the cameras went for the night shift.

You might want to click this photo (squirrel mug shot)

We awoke around 5:30 am this morning to what appeared to be a super model photo shoot going on in the side yard. Every 60 seconds the camera would take two photos with its flash lighting up our entire cabin with that harsh bright light. As we slowly made our way over to the window we were startled by the large deer head that popped up and stared at us for just a few seconds then dipped back down for more seed, setting off another round of photos.

If you're ever looking for close-up deer head or leg shots let me know!

In this shot you can see the opening under the deck that the bobcat uses to hunt. The red under the deck is a concrete blanket we wrap around the base of our cabin to help insulate so all in all it's a very nice warm place to stage a hunt.

Observatory News

Work continues in both the warm room and observatory,

mostly punch list stuff that I have put off for a while. I also have a friend, Paul ,coming over Wednesday to help me with software comprehension and test running equipment.

We have been getting light snow with lots of wind  the past few days making it hard to open the dome. Pat and I have been going out in the truck at night trying to find clear skies for northern lights with no luck. The first trip we drove Highway 61 half way to the Canadian border, another night up the Gunflint Trail but we just  couldn't get out of the clouds. We have had two well below 0 clear sky nights but have seen nothing in the way of northern lights.

My Cook County Blog Has Started

Well last month I promised to stop being political on our observatory blog and to start a Cook County Minnesota blog, 

and it's now up and running and called

We Do Things Different Around Here

 here is the link

differentaroundhere.blogspot.com

This is going to be an open blog that will organically develop with the help and input of others both in and outside of the county.

If you want to become a co- writer, have any suggestions, or have any questions please email me with the link in my profile form on either blog.

Please try your best to stay positive, this blog is looking for constructive out-of-the-box thinking that might help unite not incite.

Observatory news

Bookshelves almost done and the telescope wiring is now complete. We are now heading out onto the lake to look for Northern Lights, should be a great night. 

Cords, Cables, Connect, Repeat and Bookshelves

 I didn't take the first photo by my Jan 14 deadline but I'm all wired up and very close.

I do remember reading in my research books that I shouldn't short myself

on electrical outlets, but

apparently my reading comprehension skills suck because I'm way short in the outlet department.

Here is the power panel in the observatory with both 110 and 12 volt,

the bundle of cables on the right side are communication cables, it's weird but when I work on the panel

I always feel like someones watching.

This is the wiring at the base of the telescope, USB cables are all powered because of their length,

The observatory also has multiple cameras installed so we can monitor everything from inside the warm room. This is the computer that runs those cameras.

Design work on the bookshelf has gone very well and I'm finally happy.

The 1st shelf just above the monitors is oversize, deep and strong, 

this shelf helps supports the 4 corner shelves, 2 per side.

The right hand corner shelves are temporarily spaced and held up by plastic file boxes 

so I could see them in place.

They will get pulled down, painted and installed this week.

First chance I get to open the dome I'll try running everything from inside the warm room but lately we have been hit with nuisance light and blowing snow.

Back On Track, More Cables & Clean Up Fires

I should say back on tracks.

Last week we had a weather prediction of heavy snow followed by cold temps

so we decided to install the tracks on the 

Rodeo on a 30 degree day instead of below 0 day in deep snow.

Track installation didn't prevent the below 0 weather but did keep the snow fall to around 2".

Even though we still don't need them, at least they're on and being ready just might keep the snow away!

Plus you have to admit this is cool.

Although my neighbors some how think there CJ looks tougher,

 I can say Rodeo is one hell of a lot easier to get into.

Jim and Michele were up over the holidays and I was hoping to run the telescope

but no such luck. Over Christmas I had placed a large order for the cables needed to hook everything together and they hadn't arrived,  so in the interim we loaded a pile of software and drivers along with registering everything.

After receiving the long powered USB cables we routed and pulled them through the conduit between

the observatory and warm room. I then started wiring everything together, guide camera to the CCD camera, CCD camera to the desk top, auto focuser to the desk top, 2 web cams to a lap top, all the power cables for  the cameras, powered USB cables, dome rotation motor and  telescope power.

I was feeling pretty smart right up to figuring out I had forgot the communications cable that runs between the telescope and the computer and it seems that one is important.

(who'd thought)

Just a few of the wires and cables, I'm going to need the big container of zip ties.

We have had enough snow to light our clean up fires

During our dirt work this summer Dean stacked up 4 large burn piles of brush, stumps and dead trees

So over the last few days we have burned 3 of them.  I can't help but think I caused great hardship for all the critters that had made the piles their winter home.

That's all for now

Happy New Years All

Healing, Support, and Happy Winter Solstice

I have to say when Cook County wants to come together they do so beautifully,

The support for everyone affected by this event not only from our county, but the entire state, was heart warming to see.

One positive out come from this tragedy could be that this huge surge of  support and caring for others might continue and grow.

People are healing and that's the best news!

Trying hard to stay somewhat politely correct in the "Holiday Season"

I want to wish you all a happy

Winter Solstice

In the world of  astronomy one should be sad with the increasing daylight hours but as a person that lives in a remote setting in the woods I say

YA-HOO

I also want to thank all you readers, 

we are approaching the end of the second year of our 1 year building project so

 "we're right on schedule

and all we're lacking is finishing up".

(my old boss just hated this statement)

This blog started in mid-January 2010 and we are working hard to be up and  running and shooting photos by our two year anniversary.

We will do a entry on that anniversary with a complete list of visits

but here is a little sample:

As of today the site has had

over 8,000 visitors

over 14,000 pages viewed

with visitors from  over 80 Country/Territory's

and well over 300 hours of content read.

So again thanks!

Coming soon will be the .com site for the observatory

and my new blog on Cook County politics.

For all  my neighbors in the small end of the lake,

yes the beavers are hitting you all hard, the new lodge is now built on Lonny's dock

and I have seen very little down my way,

 They must be very happy down there but with the water as low as it is I don't know why.

I'll try to get you some photos.