Nevada and Eastern Oregon are pretty much the only large swaths of the USA left (outside of central Montana, some of Nebraska, Southern Utah, and the Dakotas) where the new moon skies are black as ink, according to the 'dark' spots as shown on the Dark Sky Finder' site. I've been way way out in the great open empty parts of my state when there's no moonlight at all and it's like being locked in a closet to the point where it seems that you can't see your own hand in front of your face. There's 'dark' and then there's 'Nevada dark'.
That's the way to see the Milky Way in the summertime. I have Nikon 10-20x50mm binocs with a steadying foot rope attached for stargazing from a folding chair.
That’s a very cool tool. I grew up in NJ, so compared to where I grew up, the skies I see in NC are very dark, but obviously WAY less dark than the skies you enjoy in NV.It does amaze me that parts of western NC, which SEEM pretty remote, still apparently have lots of light pollution. I had no idea.
“I’ve been way way out in the great open empty parts of my state when there’s no moonlight at all and it’s like being locked in a closet to the point where it seems that you can’t see your own hand in front of your face. “
A friend of mine drove through the Dakotas last week over night and described it exactly as you did.