Where to go...

[TXDigiSLR]

So, I just recently got my new scope, read all about it, learned about astrophotography, and finally had a few clear (although COLD) nights.  I polar aligned my scope as close as I could before dark, and when I could finally see Polaris, I did a more accurate alignment.  I looked through the scope at the moon, and a few planets, and loved what I saw.

Then, the neighbors Christmas lights came on.  The other neighbor turned their back porch light on as they let the dog out to go potty, and finally the street light flickered on and off as cars drove by.

UGH....

I love what I saw, and I'm anxious to try to do some photography with my DLSR.  As you can see, light pollution is a problem for me.

I researched on line and found some local community parks that are away from the city and kind of secluded, but they all close at either 10 PM, or even earlier at sundown.

How do you guys go find dark areas to set up your scope?  Is it ok to just go set up in some farmers field late one night and hope nobody bothers you?  I have some State Parks not too far away from me, but they are all wooded.  I might be able to find a clearing, but they all charge fees for overnight camping that I'd like to not really have to pay since I'm not camping, even though I would be there over night.

Maybe I need to go look for a cheap plot of land out in the middle of nowhere that I could buy for a few dollars...  Somewhere in a floodplain, or swamp might work.  Nobody goes there and it would certainly be dark.

[baggywrinkle]

If there are farms nearby, talk to the farmers and explain what you do and why you would like to use a cormer of one of their fields.

It would probably be more secure that just doing an ad hoc set up..

[swamp thing]

You could try finding your local astro society, they may have a dark sky site that is open to members of an evening

[itmo]

First thing to do is to ask your neighbors to have a look at something wonderful with your scope and "oh, could you turn the light off so we can see better" . Second thing to do is to get something to block the lights from directly hitting your observing spot. a large black cloth or something. I just go behind a fence and a building to block the direct light. Then add a stray light shield for your scope and a monk hood for your eyes. 

[acey]

The situation in Texas may be rather different from UK - I imagine that landowners over there are more likely to be prepared to shoot at humans (in UK the main nocturnal danger in rural parts is if you happen to get mistaken for a fox). But the general idea is to find a bit of ground as far as possible from any large towns, where you aren't likely to get disturbed or cause any upset to the locals. In the UK it means pretty much any rural place you'd be prepared to go to in daytime. Recognized public places (parks, lay-bys next to roads, car-parks at beauty spots etc) tend not to be good since you won't be the only person who knows about them. I've observed at dark places in various countries and never had any bother, but you've got to use your common sense and think about the sort of situations that might arise. Joining a club could be a good idea, or finding friends to go with.