Got up at 2:30 am (thanks to Lisa's bronchial coughing fit), close in to Washington, DC, and decided to trek out to a darker sky region. I drove out past Frederick, Md. and played around trying to find a good viewing place in the region of Catoctin Mountain/Cunningham Falls (which the rest of the world knows as the area of Camp David). The moon was incredibly bright and drowned out all but the brightest stars and meteors. It was fun traipsing around in the country by the moonlight, which made it very easy to see the landscape, but at the same time made it hard to see the skyscape. Ultimately, I settled down in Lewisville, Md, and allowed the classic silhouette of the 19h century brick church to block the moon's light from where I sat in the churchyard. I saw a few meteors, perhaps every minute or two, but compared to last year (2001) when I saw them coming every second or two, it was VERY disappointing. Boy, I got jaded by last year's storm! And this year, because it was a weekday, I had to fight communter traffic on my way home. I can't believe the traffic jams that form every morning in Frederick at 5:30 am, and am very glad that I don't have to commute from way out in the exurbs.

--Charlie Baum