Good report Doug, and glad you found some darker skies!
Must have been a great feeling to see M1 pop into view like that, after all that trying.
I live in a fairly 'dewy' area, and I just whack the EP cover back on whenever my eyes leave it, to consult charts, have a break, etc etc. A few seconds can very quickly become a few minutes. Works really well..... until you forget!!
Cheers -