Soakie-Tex 2018 was my first OTSP. I got there on Saturday, and saw my first star on Wednesday. Afternoon. When the sun came out for 20 minutes. Never put up a scope. But still enjoyed it a lot!
I’ve got some pics from Soakie Tex somewhere around here. I’ll see if I can find them. Hang in there. Wind, rain, cold, warm, cloudy, or clear, the show must go on. 
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Sorry. I’m waxing a little nostalgic. I wish I could remember who took this shot but it’s totally awesome and showcases what’s possible at the Black Mesa. It had to be 2000 or 2001 (again memory is a little foggy).
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I believe I’ve pinned down the date for the aurora to Tuesday, October 1st, 2002. I still can’t determine who took the pic tho. Maybe someone else will recognize it? Anyway, it was an extraordinary night.
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1998 was Soakie-Tex I? So 2018 was Soakie-Tex II, eh?
Steve, I added 1998 to the title so folks won’t think that this year is another Soakie-Tex. It’s not.
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Yeah, that’s when the nickname was coined. It was the 15th anniversary of the star party and everyone wanted to celebrate at the Prude Ranch. A miserable week for observing (I don’t think I untarped my scope a single night) but a good time was had by all.
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That’s fine. I wasn’t aware that 2018 was a washout too! Maybe create an Okie-Tex History topic and move all of my stuff there? I dunno🤔
A slide show video of Okie-Tex 1998 - 2001.
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Good Times! Thanks for the memories!
Here’s one of 5 astrophotos taken Sat morning Oct 24, 1998 at 3:54 am CDT. Kodak Royal Gold 400-2, 18" F/4.5 Newtonian. Olympus OM-1 camera, 15 minute exposure. Negative scanned 16 bit, PI and PS post processing. According to my log, it cleared up after 1:00 AM that night. That Soakie-Tex was no great loss.
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What a Great Group. And I enjoy the history pictures that follow.
This pic is over in the main Okie-Tex category as well but I’ll repost it here because it is ‘history’ after all. From Okie-Tex 1991:
That’s my daughter Stephanie at 6 months old.
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Is that the aurora? If so, didn’t Perry H take that pic?
Yes, it’s the aurora. Someone, maybe the photographer, sent it to me a long time ago. I really don’t remember where it came from but I thought it was cool enough to save.
Aurora has happened more than once at Okie-Tex, above is October 2nd 2013. That is Jay Ellis scope on left, John Davis in the middle and my setup to the right. The display that night wasn’t as strong as the 2002(?) picture above but you could see grayish curtains slowly moving on the north horizon.
I kind of miss the old days where nobody setup the wind blocks like most of us do now. I see Joe got me in his 98-2001 slide show, 2001 party I guess since 2000 was the only Camp Billy Joe year I did not attend.
That is a really cool photo, thank you for sharing
Here is some Aurora from Okie-Tex last year. I see faint green sky glow / weak green aurora almost every year at Okie-Tex because I stay up all night most nights taking nightscapes and time lapsing.
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