Tag Archives: vacation

Radio Silence in Greenbank WV

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One of the more impromptu parts of our vacation was a realization that without going too far out of the way (adding only about an extra hour of driving to DC) we could hit up the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Greenbank, West Virginia.

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NRAO Greenank Radio Telescope. Dish surface is over 2 acres in size.

The NRAO is home to the world’s largest steerable radio telescope. The surface of which is over 2 acres in size. Beyond just the big dish there are a number of other large scale radio observatories, some run by the observatory directly, others leased out to Universities. Because of an act of Congress, the NRAO has sole licensing authority for commercial wireless in a 100 mile radius (“We’re the reason your cell phone doesn’t work right now”), and complete authority over all types of wireless in a 10 mile range. If your microwave goes hay wire and starts emitting radio signals, they’ve got a truck outfitted with antennas which will help them find your house. They will then attempt to fix it, or will replace it if it’s unfixable.

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NRAO radio emission locator truck

We managed to arrive just as the 4pm tour was starting. We got a great presentation inside the main visitors center, then a tour of the telescope grounds in our diesel powered van. Nothing with spark plugs is allowed within 1 mile of the Greenbank Telescope, as it would generate enough radio noise to mess up experiments. I also have no digital camera pictures within that radius, as the stray RF from a digital camera (both being on and taking pictures) inside the 1 mile zone will show up in the telescope data. They have an observation platform at 1 mile just for that purpose. Our tour guide was pretty awesome, telling lots of great stories about the challenges of running super sensitive radio experiments.

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The EM spectrum. Wavelengths are correct scale, which is a nice detail.

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IR photo of Susan and Me. We also used it to prove her feet are abnormally cold.

Back at the visitors center they had an amazingly good display on the Science of Electromagnetic Radiation. Including displays in IR, Spectrographs, investigations into Pulsars, and many other great exhibits. We spent nearly an hour wandering around there.

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The Overhead display at NRAO, which covers the ceiling of the entire room. This is by far the best visualization of the milkway that I've seen.

This was definitely a great stop. By it’s nature, it’s pretty far away from everything, but the hills of West Virginia are beautiful, so it’s a nice scenic drive to get there. We might go back in the future, as there is some great camping / hiking in that area of WV.

Cleveland’s Beer District – Market Garden Brewery

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We just returned from a road trip of a vacation, where we visited many friends and family. It was sort of like the vacations we’ve taken in far away lands, except instead of jumping on a plane or a train every 2 – 4 days, this time it was our own car. Home to Ithaca, NY to Cleveland, Ohio to Charleston, WV to Greenbank, WV to Greater DC area then home. About 2000 miles in 12 days.

The reason the trip happened at all was because of the Ohio portion. The Market Garden Brewery just opened last month, with Susan’s brother Andy as brewmaster, so we had to go check it out. It’s an American style beer garden, with a few different inside seating spaces, and roof seating in the works for next year.

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Market Garden Brewery - Beer Garden

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Market Garden Brewery - Beer Garden

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Market Garden Brewery - Bar and Dining Area

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Market Garden Brewery - Other Bar which opens into a meeting room

They are currently running 10 taps with 10 different brews going at once. Most are what Andy calls “Session Beers”, meaning 5% or alcohol or less. This goes contrary to the current trend among internet beer aficionados, who are mostly drinking much stronger stuff at home, but for a brew pub, is the only way you can sanely have more than one glass. Over the course of a couple of nights, plus some growlers that came back to the house and to WV, we managed to sample most of the menu. The Cluster Fuggle IPA and Tart Blanche were probably my favorites, with Pearl Street PM and the Strong Ale as close seconds. They also did a great job with the food at the place.

With the Market Garden Brewery, Bier Mart, and Great Lakes Brewery across the street, the whole area is basically now the Cleveland Beer District. This appears to be working well for all parties involved, because you’ve got so many good options right across from each other. If one doesn’t fit your taste, just go down one door to the next.

I suspect that we’ll be making a regular pilgrimage out to Cleveland now. Like I’ve said many times, it’s really a great thing to have a beer maker in the family.