Last July 3rd, a friend and I decided to go shooting the Milky Way out in the middle of nowhere - well KOFA, KOFA National Wildlife Refuge (almost 700,000 acres) out in the middle of the Arizona desert. We shot till about 1.30am and decided it was time to drive back home home (3 hours away). As we were driving out - down the dirt road to the main road, we decided to try to get the traditional road shot with the Milky Way rising into the sky. So we pulled over an parked, pulled everything out of the SUV to setup.
We had taken the sky frame, when we heard the high pitched wine of tire noises, so we picked up everything and moved to the side of the road, over by the road signs (didn't want to get run over - road kill). A couple of minutes later a big Ford F350 crew cab, 4x4 jacked up goes speeding by, brake lights come on, slows down quickly makes a big U turn and comes back, then all the lights comes on. Border Patrol and Customs. The truck pulls up with the windows down and the gentleman smiles and says "Gentlemen - Your standing by the side of the road, Do you need some help"? I replied - "Well, we were standing in the middle of the road, but we heard you coming and decide to move over here". He looks at us really funny - " You were standing....... in the middle...... of the road"? You could see the cogs spinning really fast - what kind of dumb idiots do I have here at 2 in the morning in the middle of the &^%#ing desert? What mental institution did they escape out of?
I replied - "We were trying to take pictures of the Milky Way, rising out of the road way". He laughs and smiles - and actually takes notice of the big tripod, big camera and big lens we were holding on to, replying - "Now, That makes a lot of sense". So, we talked for about 15 minutes there - about the weather, the pictures, other good places to shoot. The gentleman was really nice, had lots of information and excellent location suggestions.
We actually missed the shot by about an hour as it turns out. By the time we decided to pack up and leave, the Milky Way had moved past being due south and was moving west, so we got close but not the exact perfect shot...
The folks you meet out in the middle of the desert at Oh dark hundred in the morning
Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!! 
Post #1 by interested_observer
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