The sky over Tierra del Sol can be unpredictable. Lacking any mountain ranges to its west to block the moist airflow off the Pacific Ocean, the site sometimes experiences severe ground fog and dew. While this can create excellent seeing for lunar and planetary work, it can be disastrous for deep-sky photography. I have unfortunately experienced this situation more than once. But if wind conditions are reversed, with a slight breeze coming off the desert, the conditions are extremely dry with good transparency.
Power is available for anyone running computers or CCD cameras.
One person very familiar with the Tierra del Sol site is the current SDAA president, John Laborde. After a night of manually guided photography, Laborde turns to his computer, first to scan his negatives, then to enhance them using Picture Window and Adobe Photoshop . Some 15 to 20 miles northwest of Tierra del Sol is a mountain range that many consider to have the best astronomical conditions in North America. The Laguna Mountains, part of the Cleveland National Forest in eastern San Diego County, generally exceed 5,000 feet in elevation with some of the higher peaks reaching 6,000 feet. Combine this elevation with a high percentage of clear nights, low humidity, excellent seeing, and dark skies, and you have what many astrophotographers would call paradise.