| |
Main
Date: 14 Aug 2006 13:00:48
From:
Subject: Seeking news of Vic & Jen Winter
|
Earlier I asked here about what might have
happened to Astronomical Tours, LLC of
Warrensburg, Missouri. The owners are Vic and
Jen Winter, and a little Web searching shows
that they should be known -- possibly
well-known -- in the amateur astronomy
community. For example, see
http://www.icstars.com/index.htm
So...how many degrees of separation are they
away from the regulars here? We were
anticpating details of the September Alaska
tour that they had been planning, but haven't
heard anything. Does anybody else have any news?
--
Charles Packer
mailboxATcpacker.org
http://cpacker.org/whatnews
|
|
| |
Date: 14 Aug 2006 15:51:14
From: RMOLLISE
Subject: Re: Seeking news of Vic & Jen Winter
|
Lumpy Darkness wrote:
> RMOLLISE wrote:
>
> > Vic was very well known in the community as the editor of _The Reflector_.
>
> Hi Rod,
>
> Should that be an "is* or a *was*? I haven't seen the A.L. Reflector
> for a while.
Hi:
"Was"...Kent Marts is the current editor.
Peace,
Rod Mollise
Author of:
Choosing and Using a Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope
and
The Urban Astronomer's Guide
<http://skywatch.brainiac.com/astroland >
The Annual SCT User Imaging Contest is Underway!
<http://www.rothritter.com/contest/2006/ >
|
| |
Date: 14 Aug 2006 13:19:19
From: Lumpy Darkness
Subject: Re: Seeking news of Vic & Jen Winter
|
RMOLLISE wrote:
> Vic was very well known in the community as the editor of _The Reflector_.
Hi Rod,
Should that be an "is* or a *was*? I haven't seen the A.L. Reflector
for a while.
|
| | |
Date: 15 Aug 2006 00:01:24
From: Anthony Ayiomamitis
Subject: Re: Seeking news of Vic & Jen Winter
|
Lumpy Darkness wrote:
> RMOLLISE wrote:
>
>
>>Vic was very well known in the community as the editor of _The Reflector_.
>
>
> Hi Rod,
>
> Should that be an "is* or a *was*? I haven't seen the A.L. Reflector
> for a while.
>
It is definitely "was" ... and this has been the case for at least a
year or so.
Anthony.
|
| |
Date: 14 Aug 2006 13:14:29
From: RMOLLISE
Subject: Re: Seeking news of Vic & Jen Winter
|
Hi:
I don't recall they have ever posted here, but Vic was very well known
in the community as the editor of _The Reflector_.
Peace,
Rod Mollise
Author of _Choosing and Using a Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope_
and
_The Urban Astronomer's Guide_
<http://skywatch.brainiac.com/astroland/index.htm >
Like SCTs and MCTs?
Check-out sct-user, the mailing list for CAT fanciers:
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sct-user >
mailbox@cpacker.org wrote:
> Earlier I asked here about what might have
> happened to Astronomical Tours, LLC of
> Warrensburg, Missouri. The owners are Vic and
> Jen Winter, and a little Web searching shows
> that they should be known -- possibly
> well-known -- in the amateur astronomy
> community. For example, see
>
> http://www.icstars.com/index.htm
>
> So...how many degrees of separation are they
> away from the regulars here? We were
> anticpating details of the September Alaska
> tour that they had been planning, but haven't
> heard anything. Does anybody else have any news?
>
> --
> Charles Packer
> mailboxATcpacker.org
> http://cpacker.org/whatnews
|
| |
Date: 16 Aug 2006 00:37:37
From: Don Bruns
Subject: Re: Seeking news of Vic & Jen Winter
|
On 14 Aug 2006 13:00:48 -0700, mailbox@cpacker.org wrote:
> Earlier I asked here about what might have
> happened to Astronomical Tours, LLC of
> Warrensburg, Missouri. The owners are Vic and
> Jen Winter, and a little Web searching shows
> that they should be known -- possibly
> well-known -- in the amateur astronomy
> community. For example, see
>
> http://www.icstars.com/index.htm
>
> So...how many degrees of separation are they
> away from the regulars here? We were
> anticpating details of the September Alaska
> tour that they had been planning, but haven't
> heard anything. Does anybody else have any news?
My wife and I survived their recent Aegean sea solar eclipse tour. We had
essentially no communication with them before the eclipse, and learned many
details only after we were on board the ship. Essentially all of our
e-mail requests for information, both before and after the trip, were
either ignored or lost. The tour was successful in that we were able to
see totality, but we had so many problems with communicating with them that
we vowed never to go on one of their tours again. Sorry to sound negative,
but their company had a pretty disappointing record of communication,
before, during, and after the cruise. Even aboard the ship, we had to
guess what was going on many times, suffered lots of misinformation, and
nearly missed our flight home.
Don Bruns
|
| |
Date: 16 Aug 2006 08:50:06
From: Lumpy Darkness
Subject: Re: Seeking news of Vic & Jen Winter
|
Don Bruns wrote:
> My wife and I survived their recent Aegean sea solar eclipse tour.
Hi Don,
Sorry to hear the unfortunate outcome of your trip.
Until your posting I had decide to not reply to this thread. But, I
seem to recall someone else, several years ago, posting here that hey
had a horrendous experience travelling with an astronomical tour
company to Bolivia. Their experience sounded terrifying. I don't
recall if it was the same company, but I have my suspicions. I did a
google search for "Southern Skies Star Party" and Bolivia, without
turning up anything. Perpahs someone else remembers more than I do.
FWIW, I travelled to Chile last year with some astronomy friends. We
had an excellent time. Two 10" and one 13.1" Dob came along. Observed
at 6,000 ft elevation in the Andes for five nights, and in the southern
Atacama Desert near La Silla Obseratory. But, we did it on our own, no
tour company. Astro travel is a blast.
|
| |
Date: 17 Aug 2006 06:27:09
From:
Subject: Re: Seeking news of Vic & Jen Winter
|
Lumpy Darkness wrote:
> Until your posting I had decide to not reply to this thread. But, I
> seem to recall someone else, several years ago, posting here that hey
> had a horrendous experience travelling with an astronomical tour
> company to Bolivia. Their experience sounded terrifying. I don't
> recall if it was the same company, but I have my suspicions. I did a
> google search for "Southern Skies Star Party" and Bolivia, without
> turning up anything. Perpahs someone else remembers more than I do.
That is they. You need to drill down into their ICStars Web site to
find that, indeed, they specialize in Bolivia tours. The phone at
ICStars.com has been disconnected, but Fred Bruenjes posted solar
pictures on its Web site in July. He seems to have been a happy camper
on the Niger eclipse tour; see http://www.moonglow.net. I've sent
e-mail to him about the situation. Stay tuned.
--
Charles Packer
mailboxATcpacker.org
http://cpacker.org/whatnews
|
| |
Date: 18 Aug 2006 08:37:00
From: Lumpy Darkness
Subject: Re: Seeking news of Vic & Jen Winter
|
Dave Mitsky wrote:
> I attended the 2004 Southern Skies Star Party and have many unpleasant
> memories of the experience.
Dave...
I found your 2004 posting from Sant Cruz. Yes, that's the trip I was
referring to. The other person who reported his experience was livid
about how things turned out. IIRC, they were caught up somehow in the
political situation during the trip. I also think their hotel and
perhaps travel reservations were mishandled. Do you recall who posted
that back then?
That posting was part of why I decided to go to Chile. I have an
astronomy friend who went on the SSSP, either the year before or after
you did. His was a good experience, but the political stability of
Chile seemed significantly safer to me than Bolivia or other choices in
South America. I had a wonderful experience in Chile.
|
| |
Date: 18 Aug 2006 04:00:50
From:
Subject: Re: Seeking news of Vic & Jen Winter
|
Dave Mitsky wrote:
> I attended the 2004 Southern Skies Star Party and have many unpleasant
> memories of the experience.
Sounds like the advertisement for a horror movie --
terrible things alluded to, but not described.
Anyway, Astronomical Tours is out of business.
I was able to reach the filter manufacturer
the Winters bought earlier this year. The woman
who answered the phone said the tour company was
"closed" and that she wasn't allowed to discuss
details.
The puzzling thing is that the Web site is still
there, and still accepting requests for brochures
through a form page
--
Charles Packer
mailboxATcpacker.org
http://cpacker.org/whatnews
|
| | |
Date: 18 Aug 2006 15:02:57
From: Rick Evans
Subject: Re: Seeking news of Vic & Jen Winter
|
<mailbox@cpacker.org > wrote in message
news:1155898850.889187.140410@i42g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
> Dave Mitsky wrote:
>> I attended the 2004 Southern Skies Star Party and have many unpleasant
>> memories of the experience.
>
>
> The puzzling thing is that the Web site is still
> there, and still accepting requests for brochures
> through a form page
There's nothing especially puzzing here. A
website can exist so long as its registration
with ICANN is maintained. And the brochure
request form is nothing more than a script.
--
Hilton Evans
----------------------------------------------------------------
Lat +42° 11' 07"
Lon -71° 04' 35"
----------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.chempensoftware.com
----------------------------------------------------------------
http://mysite.verizon.net/hiltonevans33050/astroimaging/astroimaging.htm
>
> --
> Charles Packer
> mailboxATcpacker.org
> http://cpacker.org/whatnews
>
|
| | |
Date: 18 Aug 2006 12:13:07
From: Paul Schlyter
Subject: Re: Seeking news of Vic & Jen Winter
|
In article <1155898850.889187.140410@i42g2000cwa.googlegroups.com >,
<mailbox@cpacker.org > wrote:
>
>Dave Mitsky wrote:
>> I attended the 2004 Southern Skies Star Party and have many unpleasant
>> memories of the experience.
>
>Sounds like the advertisement for a horror movie --
>terrible things alluded to, but not described.
>Anyway, Astronomical Tours is out of business.
>I was able to reach the filter manufacturer
>the Winters bought earlier this year. The woman
>who answered the phone said the tour company was
>"closed" and that she wasn't allowed to discuss
>details.
>
>The puzzling thing is that the Web site is still
>there, and still accepting requests for brochures
>through a form page
Web sites often linger around too long -- particularly for companies
who've closed down quickly under chaotic conditions: no-one cares to
shut down the web site properly in such a situation.
>--
>Charles Packer
>mailboxATcpacker.org
>http://cpacker.org/whatnews
>
--
----------------------------------------------------------------
Paul Schlyter, Grev Turegatan 40, SE-114 38 Stockholm, SWEDEN
e-mail: pausch at stockholm dot bostream dot se
WWW: http://stjarnhimlen.se/
|
| |
Date: 18 Aug 2006 02:21:39
From: Dave Mitsky
Subject: Re: Seeking news of Vic & Jen Winter
|
Lumpy Darkness wrote:
> Don Bruns wrote:
>
> > My wife and I survived their recent Aegean sea solar eclipse tour.
>
> Hi Don,
>
> Sorry to hear the unfortunate outcome of your trip.
>
> Until your posting I had decide to not reply to this thread. But, I
> seem to recall someone else, several years ago, posting here that hey
> had a horrendous experience travelling with an astronomical tour
> company to Bolivia. Their experience sounded terrifying. I don't
> recall if it was the same company, but I have my suspicions. I did a
> google search for "Southern Skies Star Party" and Bolivia, without
> turning up anything. Perpahs someone else remembers more than I do.
I attended the 2004 Southern Skies Star Party and have many unpleasant
memories of the experience.
Dave Mitsky
|
| |
Date: 18 Aug 2006 02:20:41
From: Dave Mitsky
Subject: Re: Seeking news of Vic & Jen Winter
|
Lumpy Darkness wrote:
> Don Bruns wrote:
>
> > My wife and I survived their recent Aegean sea solar eclipse tour.
>
> Hi Don,
>
> Sorry to hear the unfortunate outcome of your trip.
>
> Until your posting I had decide to not reply to this thread. But, I
> seem to recall someone else, several years ago, posting here that hey
> had a horrendous experience travelling with an astronomical tour
> company to Bolivia. Their experience sounded terrifying. I don't
> recall if it was the same company, but I have my suspicions. I did a
> google search for "Southern Skies Star Party" and Bolivia, without
> turning up anything. Perpahs someone else remembers more than I do.
I attended the 2004 Southern Skies Star Party and have many unpleasant
memories of the experience.
Dave Mitsky
|
| |
Date: 18 Aug 2006 02:20:13
From: Dave Mitsky
Subject: Re: Seeking news of Vic & Jen Winter
|
Lumpy Darkness wrote:
> Don Bruns wrote:
>
> > My wife and I survived their recent Aegean sea solar eclipse tour.
>
> Hi Don,
>
> Sorry to hear the unfortunate outcome of your trip.
>
> Until your posting I had decide to not reply to this thread. But, I
> seem to recall someone else, several years ago, posting here that hey
> had a horrendous experience travelling with an astronomical tour
> company to Bolivia. Their experience sounded terrifying. I don't
> recall if it was the same company, but I have my suspicions. I did a
> google search for "Southern Skies Star Party" and Bolivia, without
> turning up anything. Perpahs someone else remembers more than I do.
I attended the 2004 Southern Skies Star Party and have many unpleasant
memories of the experience.
Dave Mitsky
|
| |
Date: 19 Aug 2006 19:41:58
From: Bill Cotten
Subject: Re: Seeking news of Vic & Jen Winter
|
This whole thread has me bothered now. I have been saving my pennies to buy
a Daystar filter. (Yes I've looked into Coronado and I still want the
Daystar) Our local club owns a Daystar that I have access to and I recently
tried calling Vic at Daystar with some questions about it but got no
response for quite a while. He did finally call back but by then I had
located the info I needed.
I have had no other experience with ICstars, Vic or their tour company but
threads like this will certainly factor into my buying decision. I sure wish
Del Woods was still in the drivers seat. He is a great guy.
Bill
|
| |
Date: 19 Aug 2006 12:36:28
From:
Subject: Re: Seeking news of Vic & Jen Winter
|
Lumpy Darkness wrote:
... I had a wonderful experience in Chile.
You are only whipping my appetite to go there before air travel will be
more than impossible..
|
| |
Date: 20 Aug 2006 04:53:43
From:
Subject: Re: Seeking news of Vic & Jen Winter
|
Bill Cotten wrote:
> This whole thread has me bothered now. I have been saving my pennies to buy
> a Daystar filter. (Yes I've looked into Coronado and I still want the
> Daystar) Our local club owns a Daystar that I have access to and I recently
> tried calling Vic at Daystar with some questions about it but got no
> response for quite a while. He did finally call back but by then I had
> located the info I needed.
>
> I have had no other experience with ICstars, Vic or their tour company but
> threads like this will certainly factor into my buying decision. I sure wish
> Del Woods was still in the drivers seat. He is a great guy.
My guess, based entirely on what is in this thread
combined with my own communications with the tour
company earlier this year, is that it is being sued
by disgruntled customers. That shouldn't affect
the reputation of the other business. Lawyers apparently
tell their clients not to discuss anything with outsiders,
which of course makes everything seem worse than it is.
I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out that the Winters'
expanding tour enterprise simply grew beyond their ability
to manage it.
--
Charles Packer
mailboxATcpacker.org
http://cpacker.org/whatnews
|
| |
Date: 25 Aug 2006 10:02:14
From: niggley
Subject: Re: Seeking news of Vic & Jen Winter
|
This company, run by Jen Winter took a deposit from me last year for a
cruise trip to Lybia. They cancelled the tour & promised me a refund in
November 2005. Despite numerous e-mails they refused to reply or give
my promised refund. In January 2006 I finally got a response and was
told by Jen Winter that she was processing the refund. Of course this
never happened. This is despite Jen Winter herself cancelling the Lybia
tour and offering me a refund.
After starting legal action, today I finally got a response from Jen
Winter on Tuesday 22 August 2006. A sob story that the eclipse tours
they organised went wrong, $50 000 worth of gift shop inventory was
'given away' and so forth. She now claims she does not have a pot to
piss in and the company is 'defunct' but still signs herself 'Jen
Winter - owner Astronomical Tours LCC'
So answer me this, if all of these problems which forced the closure of
Astronomical Tours LCC happened just before & during the tour (March
2006) as Jen Winter has stated, why was she unwilling to repay my
deposit of $800 in November 2005?
If you would like to see the full letter from 'robbing jen' send me an
e-mail & I will be only too happy to forward it.
mailbox@cpacker.org wrote:
> Earlier I asked here about what might have
> happened to Astronomical Tours, LLC of
> Warrensburg, Missouri. The owners are Vic and
> Jen Winter, and a little Web searching shows
> that they should be known -- possibly
> well-known -- in the amateur astronomy
> community. For example, see
>
> http://www.icstars.com/index.htm
>
> So...how many degrees of separation are they
> away from the regulars here? We were
> anticpating details of the September Alaska
> tour that they had been planning, but haven't
> heard anything. Does anybody else have any news?
>
> --
> Charles Packer
> mailboxATcpacker.org
> http://cpacker.org/whatnews
|
| |
Date: 25 Aug 2006 10:05:44
From: niggley
Subject: Re: Seeking news of Vic & Jen Winter
|
mailbox@cpacker.org wrote:
> Earlier I asked here about what might have
> happened to Astronomical Tours, LLC of
> Warrensburg, Missouri. The owners are Vic and
> Jen Winter, and a little Web searching shows
> that they should be known -- possibly
> well-known -- in the amateur astronomy
> community. For example, see
>
> http://www.icstars.com/index.htm
>
> So...how many degrees of separation are they
> away from the regulars here? We were
> anticpating details of the September Alaska
> tour that they had been planning, but haven't
> heard anything. Does anybody else have any news?
>
> --
> Charles Packer
> mailboxATcpacker.org
> http://cpacker.org/whatnews
|
|
