General Information

Please the following carefully. You are responsible for knowing the information in this hand out.

This is a weekend course on general astronomy by direct observation, and on the geology of Pinnacles National Monument. Upon completion, you will have earned 1 unit of astronomy and 1 unit of geology credit. IMPORTANT NOTE: Pinnacles has two entrances: one on the west side, reached from Soledad, and one on the east side, reached from south of Hollister, WE WILL BE STAYING ON THE EAST SIDE! Don't make the mistake of driving down the Salinas Valley or you will be in for a long trip to our campsites! The two preliminary meetings are very important and everyone is required to attend.

Please go to the websites above for links to the sign-up / registration procedure. Read the link “Important Registration Information for Fall 2008” on the Geology 27 opening page or “Registration Procedure” on the Astronomy 27 opening page for detailed information on how to register for this class. You can not attend this field class if you are not registered. No exceptions.

Monday, September 15th, Room 705, 5:00 - ~ 8:00pm Geology: There will be a geology lecture and slide presentation on the San Andreas Fault, global tectonics and volcanism. We will also finalize meal planning and carpooling.

Thursday September 18th, Room 706 (Planetarium) 5:00 - ~ 8:00pm Astronomy: There will be a lecture on the origin of the solar system and the stars as well as a planetarium show and slides!

We will also talk about camping logistics, meal planning and carpooling.

Friday September 19th – Sunday September 21st.

We will meet at Pinnacles National Monument for Astronomy lectures, discussions, and telescopic observing on Friday and Saturday evenings. Geology hikes, lectures, and discussions will take place Saturday and Sunday during the day. A special Saturday afternoon Astronomy lecture is planned, which ties together the earth and the universe, and meets at the campground pool after the geology walk.

About those Fees… The instructors need to pay ~$500 in advance to the private campground to reserve our sites for the planned weekend. We need to extract $17 for campground fees before you can register. The money is entirely separate from Cabrillo College tuition fees. This is the “camping fee” you saw in the schedule of classes.

• Astron 27 and Geol 27 are co-requisites. You must register for both. We will not grant a space to someone wanting to take only one of the courses.

• Many people ask whether they can bring along a friend, significant other, kids, or dogs. We are limited in how many people we can handle on the trail and at the telescopes. That limit is 28, period! That means that no one will be welcome unless they have registered for the class (i.e. no audits by unregistered people.)

• We want to encourage carpooling, since parking is limited. We'll organize carpools at the on-campus meetings. Dave and Rick should arrive by about 5pm. You can arrive earlier if you like.

• This trip requires camping on Friday and Saturday nights. There are no motels within 40 miles of Pinnacles, and the astronomy portion of the weekend will last until nearly midnight. Be prepared to bring or share:

__sleeping bag

__tent (there are wild boar to watch out for!)

__camp food (keep it in the car unless you're eating it!)

__cooking gear

__warm clothes (it has sometimes dropped below freezing before dawn)

__sunscreen and sunglasses

__binoculars or telescope would be nice if you have them

__field notebook

__daypack for the geology hikes (lots of water, snacks, lunch)

__ lawn chair for relaxing/listening to the lectures

• The campsite is accessible by car so you do not need backpacks. It has water, restrooms, showers, a small store, and even a pool.

• The trip will go, rain or shine. If it's raining, bring rain gear.

• This is an officially sponsored Cabrillo College course. The instructors and the college can get in a lot of trouble if anybody does anything dumb. Please leave your rifles, AK-47's alcohol, and recreational drugs home for this one! Anyone caught with drugs will be subject to an immediate “F” and being sent home.

You’ll receive maps and more detailed hand-outs on the academic material in these courses when we see you at the on-campus pre-trip sessions. Welcome! These are definitely the coolest, most enjoyable two courses in the catalog – you chose….wisely!