Photos

That’s not a telescope

This is a telescope. Couldn’t even get the whole thing in frame.

This is the 36-inch refractor telescope at the Lick Observatory just east of San Jose. Built in 1880-something, it’s often described by astronomers as ginormous. Oh, and Bay Area philanthropist James Lick is entombed in the telescope’s foundation.

As much as the building looks like it should be surrounded by a campus, it sits fairly alone on the remote peak of Mount Hamilton, 4300 feet above San Jose. There are several other observatories clustered nearby, but bugger-all else but a sickeningly tortuous road that winds up the mountain. I lost count of the hairpin turns. The road would be a blast to drive if it were any more than about 12 feet wide.

And in a moment that made me regret my no-cameras-while-driving policy, I passed my first coyote on the way down. Looked like a large, unwashed dog with huge stiff ears that stuck out like Bozo’s hair.