Astronomy Festival

 We joined the gathering at the Transit of Venus party at Great Basin National Park on June 5. Folks were taking a break from the telescopes to let clouds go by.

Once they cleared, we peeked through the telescopes. To me, the Transit of Venus isn't a spectacular sight, just a little dot in front of the sun. What I do really like is watching Venus move and thinking about the history of what it's represented to the astronomy world.

To see that change in movement, we took a break and went into the visitor center to see the exhibits.

 Desert Girl was ready to run! Her babysitter had done her hair in French braids, and it was absolutely adorable.

 Desert Girl liked the border collie resting under the sheep camp.

 She also liked the kangaroo rat.

The spadefoot toads were another attraction. I always get a little uneasy when Desert Girl pets the fake rattlesnake, and try to make sure she knows that she should never do that in the wild.

Then it was time to head back outside. Ranger Steve was really helpful getting the kids positioned looking through the telescope.

 
We're all set to join in the activities for the Astronomy Festival at Great Basin National Park June 14-16. And as a bonus, the Snake Valley Festival will be held June 15-17, so there will be lots of great things to do this weekend!