Milky Way Rising over Big Bend National Park
April 12, 2019.....3:00 am.... Location: “The Contrabando Movie Set” Ghost Town, Big Bend Ranch State Park, Hwy 170.
My sister, Debbi, and I made a super fun 2400 mile Photo Road Trek to Southwest Texas April 7 in search of Dark Skies for our Milky Way shot collections.
During our “Scouting” and wandering, we happened upon Hwy 170 - the River Road - which winds its way, starting at Lajitas, Texas through Big Bend Ranch State Park alongside the Rio Grande, at one point cresting over 1000 feet above the river below. Described by National Geographic as "One of the most scenic drives in the United States".
We found this location during the day and using our iPhone Sky Apps determined the location the Milky Way would rise over this abandoned building - a location with zero light pollution.
We donned our rattlesnake leg garters and returned at 2:15am. After making a lot of test shots for exposure and light painting, we began “building” the final image. We were shooting until about 4:30 when the Milky Way rose out of the frame. This “pano” is composited from 8 individual images.
