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TIL someone dumped a ton of fire ash near the best stargazing spot in our county park

I went out to Pine Hill Overlook last night around 11pm, it's usually my go-to spot because the light pollution is almost zero out there. But when I got there the whole clearing smelled like a campfire and there was a big mound of gray ash right where I set up my telescope. Someone must have dumped their fireplace or grill ashes there the day before. The wind kicked up and I spent the first 20 minutes coughing and trying to find a spot upwind of it. Ruined my night for tracking Jupiter because I kept getting ash particles on my lens and had to keep cleaning it. I know people think ash is harmless but it's stupid to leave it in a dry grass field near the woods. Has anyone else had their view trashed by something dumb like this at your local spot?
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graym49
graym494d ago
Dude, three camping chairs and a cooler full of half-eaten hot dogs were left next to my usual spot last spring. Someone just abandoned their whole setup after a party. I had to move all their trash ten feet away just to set up my telescope. Bugs were crawling all over the cooler and I could smell old mustard for the whole session. People treat these clearings like their personal garbage dumps.
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jade738
jade7384d ago
Wow, maybe the ash actually kept the mosquitoes away though.
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