A long time ago on a continent far away, I went camping for the first time in the High Sierra Nevada mountains in California. We camped at this place called Mosquito Flats at an elevation of about 3,050 meters (10,000 feet).* Camping there was just loads of fun in all respects, at night however the view of the sky was just amazing. Being so high up and so far from any source of light pollution, you could see so many stars. I believe it was the first time I saw the Milky Way. I recall being so amazed at the sheer size and brilliance of the galaxy, it was in a word spectacular.
* The name Mosquito Flats is an apt description for this place. There were plenty of mosquitos around and bug repellant is a very good friend.
Eldoret sits at an elevation of about 2,400 meters (~8,000 ft), plus or minus 300 meters. So, I was looking forward to seeing more stars at night and hopefully catch a glimpse of the Milky Way. I can certainly see more things in the night sky here than back home, but light pollution is a reality here too. It is a problem in more-and-more places all over the world. Modernity comes with a price.
I am not advocating for turning off all the lights and returning to some world of old. My work and life consume vast amounts of power and I do prefer having my computer, iPad, lights, refrigeration. Still, it is nice to see the stars. So, when it comes to a power outage at night, I get a bit excited. Given how high up Eldoret sits, I was actually looking forward to my first power outage. It happened last night, I experienced the first power failure last night. It didn't last long, maybe 30-40 minutes total.
Great!
Except for the one thing that made it impossible to catch a glimpse of the night sky, clouds! It was overcast. I was a bit disappointed.* I guess it could have been worse.**
* I realize that I need to buy some candles and candle holders.*** I ended up folding the laundry and it is not easy to do so with only a flashlight.
** Two things (a two for one):
One of my all time favorites movie lines comes from "Young Frankenstien", when Gene Wilder as the "Young Frankenstein" and Marty Feldman as his assistant "Igor" are digging the monster from the grave.
Frankenstein, "This is a filthy job".
Igor: could be worse.
Frankenstein: How?
Igor: Could be raining. (cue thunder and rain)
Two, experiencing the Northeast blackout of 2003, I can say worse is 90+ degree weather with like 70-80% humidity constitutes "worse".
*** I was at the Nakumatt yesterday shopping and saw the shelf filled with lanterns. I thought they were neat but discounted the need to have one. I am now reconsidering. BTW, Nakumatt is a local version of an all-in-one supermarket. You can get everything from groceries, to hardware, clothing, electronics, kitchen stuff, and motorcycles. It is sort of like a brick-and-mortar Amazon.com.
I am trying to categorize last nights non-event event in baseball terms. A black out, at elevation with cloudy skies. Is that a strike, ball, a 500 foot line drive that just hooks foul? Hit by pitch? Not quite a rain out.
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