Hey, Boeing, don't have a meltdown, I'm going to give it a glowing review.
Did you know there was a partial nuclear meltdown just 30 miles from downtown Los Angeles? Back in 1959, we almost had our own Chernobyl in the Chatsworth/Simi Valley area at a location named the Santa Susana Field Lab ("SSFL").
Not only was there a meltdown, they were testing rocket propulsion systems and dumping highly dangerous rocket fuel into the ground.
I visited the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit and tried to take pictures.
Many didn't turn out well due to using a cell phone in bad lighting, and also because it was packed. I spent probably a few hours total in various lines, and there was only one item in Koine (Biblical Greek, something I can kinda somewhat sorta read). I know a few words in Hebrew but I can't read it; I should at least try to learn the script if I go there again. I was told the exhibit will change to some different documents around late June, so I might go back.
Getting the Delaware Highpoint was perhaps my most dangerous high point ever.
And, that was because it's on a busy road and, to make sure I got the actual highest point in that state, I walked across the road and up and down the center line.
As it's only 447.85' above sea level I didn't take Diamox, nor did I hike to it, I just parked along the side of the road. There's some debate over whether a nearby mobile home park has the actual highest point, but as that's private property the sign is the official spot and that's good enough for me.
One of the top questions I get is, "Are there really bison in Santa Clarita, California?" And, the answer is yes, there are.
They're at the William S. Hart Park. It's part of the L.A. County system and it was donated by the silent-era western film star. It has various attractions including a petting zoo and a nature trail that circumnavigates the 265-acre property.
I failed to bike Mount McKinley, failed a hike to the Pinnacle, but I did see the Aqueduct Cascades.
So, the plan for this day was three events: I'd bike Mount McKinley via Gold Creek (link), then I'd go see bison in Santa Clarita, then I'd cap it off by seeing the Los Angeles Aqueduct. Obviously, it didn't work out that way.
Near Yermo, CA in the Mojave desert in California, there's a sculpture park against communism, censorship, and the current mainland China regime.
My visit was timely because they were protesting a fire that destroyed an RV and an outbuilding; they allege it was started by a CCP agent. One of their sculptures allegedly suffered the same fate a couple of years ago.
While some might wonder why such a park is in the middle of the desert, it's actually a good location. The park is right off the freeway so thousands of people bound for Las Vegas or L.A. see it every day.
I'm sacrificing my healthy eating for you, the least you can do is reimburse me for the $7.60.
First, I watch what I eat as I desperately try to drag myself below 200lbs (down from 286lbs several years ago).
Second, I try to avoid post-hike hunger pangs by having something lower in calories, like an orange or a "Fat Free Tuna Salad" kit (tuna + crackers) from Aldi that, while it has a lot of ingredients, is just 150 calories total.
Is there a prosaic explanation for this sacred site? Goal Hiking investigates!
Just across the border from Needles in Arizona lies the "Topock Maze", a small patch of land with a series of lines etched into the desert floor. Even though it meant yet another trip through the agricultural checkpoint, I decided to check it out.
The local Fort Mojave Tribe claims it has spiritual significance and there's a plaque to that effect. However, others offer a more prosaic explanation that the lines were created by wheelbarrows or similar that were used to collect large stones.
Known as the home of Spike and as the Paris of the Western World, Needles is also home to a historic railway station.
If you haven't been busted for bringing bug-laden fruit into California, El Garces makes for a good stop because it hearkens back to when California was actually good. See this for the history.
The original Del Taco location is located in Yermo, not far from Barstow in the Mojave desert. Unfortunately it was closed the day that I was driving by.