Just the other day, I was talking with a friend who told me that, when he was younger, he used to go with a group of enthusiasts, with their telescopes and camera equipment, to open fields hundreds of miles "from civilization" here in Spain. The results were the same that you just described. I just realized that I've never "truly" seen the stars and, somehow, is something that I really need to do at least once in my lifetime. Thank you for reminding me!