"It'll make it!"

...famous last words? We're off on a big drive to Arkansas tomorrow night to spend Thanksgiving with my wife's father and his wife. They own a nice little farm in a pretty big valley, and last time I was there I peered out into the night sky and it was amazing. So, at the last minute I have decided to pack my 6" Dobsonian to take with us. The thing is packed tight in towels within the original box it came with, and is sitting inconspicuously in the back of the car amidst overnight bags and kids toys. It's a 500 mile trip each way, and I'm really hoping it will be okay. The car has good suspension and we don't expect to go off-roading. I imagine the mirrors may be a bit out alignment by the time we get there but I can fix that when I get to Arkansas.

So, we'll see. With any luck the scope will be fine and I'll be able to enjoy some decent dark skies. The worst that could happen would seem to be a badly aligned mirror system by the time I get it home, but that's something I can fix. So, hopefully I'll have a nice Thanksgiving log report to write when I get back.