Taco de Baja - 9-20-2010 at 09:02 AM
Went up to the SPM at the end of May this year for about a week, I had not been up there for about 10 years. Very easy drive now that it is paved all
the way up. We had great sunny weather, and the coldest night was 45, but it was usually warmer than 50. During the day it got up to 75-80. There
were only a few other campers so we basically had the place to ourselves. Camping fee was something like $3-$4 per person per day, and you have to
camp in designated areas. Lots of skeeters due to the wet meadows; but there were also a lot of little toads to eat the little buggers, that my niece
and nephew had fun catching. Got a tour of the Observatory, which is something I had not taken the time to do in the past, man what a view from the
cat walk…not recommended it you are afraid of heights 
Road up the mountain
Views of our camp (just over 8,000 feet here)
View of Diablo a short hike up from camp
Meadow a short drive away
Another meadow
And Another
A Snow plant (Sarcodes sanguinea )
These California toads (Bufo boreas halophilus) were in the meadows by the 1,000s
Inside the Observatory
Outside
Diablo from the catwalk
Plaque
A visitor during the night: Ceanothus Silk Moth (Hyalophora euryalus)
Just kidding on that road to the top image, it's not really that steep.....
Also if you look closely at the image of the observatory you can see a small camera on the platform below the catwalk. That is a webcam that can be
accesses here http://132.248.4.10/~observa/simon/
If you are interested in weather trends up there here is a cool link as well: http://www.astrossp.unam.mx/weather15/
k-rico - 9-20-2010 at 09:13 AM
Great place to camp and explore. And now of course there is a new option in the area, The Baja Dark Skies Inn.
A few shots of Tequila and then gaze back in time.
http://bajadarkskies.com/
[Edited on 9-20-2010 by k-rico]
David K - 9-20-2010 at 07:55 PM
Wow Taco de Baja... great photos!!! No problems getting an inside tour?
BAJACAT - 9-20-2010 at 08:32 PM
David on my visit it was as easy as ask for a tour, free didn't cost me anything..we did the catwalk a a few of my friends chicken out.. I don't
blamme them...one of this days I will go back...
[Edited on 9-21-2010 by BAJACAT]
Mexitron - 9-21-2010 at 12:03 AM
You're killin' me...............we've got to move west this year. Nice pics Taco, I remember going up there in 1978 in my two wheel drive Toyota
pickup, getting stuck in the deep sands several times on the way in through the Rio San Telmo/San Jose riverbed...the observatory was still being
worked on and we most definitely had the place to ourselves.