Clintons Find Time to Go Stargazing : Vacation: The First Couple has a ‘great time’ spending the day with actor Harrison Ford at his 800-acre Wyoming spread next to the Snake River.

It was billed as the kind of national park vacation enjoyed by countless average Americans. But for President Clinton, apparently it’s no joy to be under a big Western sky with no stars.

In the first evening outing of a planned 17-day trip, the President and Hillary Rodham Clinton holed up until early Friday at the secluded 800-acre ranch of actor Harrison Ford next to the Snake River. Ford is the only bona-fide star in the 20-mile valley, and the visit suggests that a President who once scaled back his Hollywood contacts to protect his image is as fascinated as ever with show-biz celebrities.

The Clintons, who have been staying at the nearby vacation home of Sen. John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), had a “great time,” White House spokeswoman Ginny Terzano reported.

The Clintons spent seven hours at the ranch, at one point taking a long walk with their hosts around a property dotted with blue spruce, aspens and hawthorn trees. The White House said that Ford--the notoriously crowd-shy star of “Star Wars,” Indiana Jones films and Tom Clancy thrillers--insisted that the names of others in the small dinner party be kept secret.

Ford has lived in this northwest corner of Wyoming for the past 13 years, and has been quoted as decrying the way the area’s growing renown has brought crowds of vacationers--like the Clintons--and the attendant commotion-stirring tourist businesses.

Aides said Ford and Clinton had met once before, in 1992. The actor is not an active Democrat, or even, apparently, a Clinton contributor, records show.

Helping arrange the dinner for the Clintons was financier and World Bank President James Wolfensohn, who owns a nearby spread. Wolfensohn and his wife, Claire, have helped set up various outings for the Clintons during their stay. Today, he is playing host for what the White House describes as a “surprise” 49th birthday party for the President at the Wolfensohn home.

Thus far, Clinton has concentrated with mixed success on putting Washington behind him.

He played 37 holes of golf in nine hours on Wednesday, 18 more on Thursday, and another round on Friday.

The Clintons brought along only a skeleton staff, compelling the President to take the highly unusual step of inviting a reporter, Bill Nicholas of USA Today, to join him as a golf partner on Thursday.

The golfing was interrupted frequently on Wednesday, as Clinton reacted to news that Sen. Bill Bradley (D-N.J.) would not seek reelection. Clinton called Bradley from the links, then rewrote a proposed statement on the retirement.

Clinton also was in regular contact with aides in Washington over signs of troop movement in Iraq. Mrs. Clinton, meanwhile, has for the most part remained in the Rockefeller home since the couple’s arrival on Tuesday, working on her newspaper column and her book on child-rearing.

With the arrival of their daughter, Chelsea, on Friday, the Clintons were expected to start some of the more usual Rocky Mountain vacation activities.

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Depending on what the 15-year-old wants to do, the Clintons might go horseback riding, hiking, river rafting or visiting nearby Grand Teton or Yellowstone national parks. There has been talk of attending a local rodeo.

Some aides have predicted the First Family will go camping, an undertaking that would raise a variety of logistic problems. But other aides say the trip would more likely take the form of an overnight stay in one of the rustic cabins maintained by the federal parks service.

Clinton is laying plans for several public events that dovetail nicely with the White House political office’s interest in women’s issues and environmental causes.

Next Saturday, the Clintons will take part in an observance of the 75th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution that gave women the right to vote. Wyoming was the first state to ratify the amendment. On Friday, Clinton will mark National Parks Day with a speech that is expected to argue for the continued strong federal support of federal parks.