Mason Mill Park Sunset Hike + Optional Astronomy & Stargazing

EVENT PLAN:  Beautiful spring weather is expected Thursday evening, with mostly clear skies and perfect temperatures - low 80s at hike time and 70s after dark.  Hope you can join us for this scenic 2-hour hike with a nice bonus at the end: Sunset + Stargazing and nice views of Venus, Mars and Saturn from a high dark-sky boardwalk!
  We'll meet at 7:00 PM in Mason Mill Park's free parking lot—see detailed directions below.  After introductions we'll hike together via the pretty trail system to Medlock Park and back, stopping often to regroup and enjoy the scenery.  Our total distance will be about 3.5 miles with only a few steep sections. By about 8:30 we should be back at the high boardwalk near our cars where we're likely to see a nice sunset.  At this time all are encouraged to stick around for observing the stars plus beautiful Venus, Mars and Saturn - see more below.
  Bring your well-behaved dog if you like, but please make sure that he or she is leashed and under your control at all times.

ABOUT the PARKS & TRAILS:  Mason Mill and Medlock are two adjoining DeKalb County parks just east of Clairmont Road that are conveniently connected via a network of scenic shady hiking/biking trails and boardwalks.  The mile-long South Peachtree Creek Trail is the main trail that links them, and like the "Silver Comet" was designed and built to the high standards of the "PATH Foundation."  It features a half-mile-long raised wooden deck through the forest canopy above the creek.  Another recently completed portion of this trail is an amazing high wooden walkway and deck that cross the railroad tracks and give hikers nice views of ruins of the early-20th-Century "Decatur Waterworks."

STARGAZING BONUS!  My AOC hikers and I discovered last year that the highest point in Mason Mill Park's huge railroad overpass deck is a great spot for urban Stargazing, since there are few glaring streetlights, etc. nearby.  It's also quite close to where we park our cars.  At the end of this hike we'll include optional stargazing and binocular observing from that high deck and I'll have my green laser pointer along for pointing out the North Star, the Big Dipper, other lovely spring constellations and Venus, Mars and Saturn.  I may bring my telescope, in which case we should be able to view the rings of Saturn and a few other heavenly wonders.

FOR a COLOR MAP of SOUTH PEACHTREE CK TRAIL and its adjoining Mason Mill & Medlock parklands, etc. click on this link:  http://pathfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/south-peachtree-creek-trail.pdf

1. Take I-85 South toward Atlanta about 4 miles and get off at Exit #91 "Clairmont Road."

2. Turn Left onto Clairmont Road (US-23 southward toward Decatur) and go about 2.3 miles to the traffic light at McConnell Drive. (This is the first light south of the much busier junction and light at North Druid Hills Road).

3. Turn Left onto McConnell Drive, go 0.1 mile ahead and turn Right at the stop sign to stay on McConnell (following signs toward Mason Mill Park and DeKalb Tennis Center).

4. About another 0.1 mile ahead, look for the Mason Mill Park sign on your left and turn Left into the large free parking lot.  We'll gather by the stone Restroom building.

STREET ADDRESS and LAT/LON COORDINATES of the Mason Mill Park parking lot where we meet:
  1322 McConnell Drive, Decatur, GA 30033
  33.8079,-84.3066
May be useful in conjunction with the above Directions.  Enter one or the other as your destination for GPS or Google.com/maps.  The McConnell Drive address is a "virtual address" that pinpoints the parking lot entrance gate.