We arrived at the base by going in the Lompoc gate. The main entry is set up with deterrent concrete barriers. The Lompoc gate has an area where trucks and RVs can be shunted into an inspection area, and inspect they do!!! This was the first time at any military installation that they made us exit the vehicle, open all the exterior compartment doors, leave the entry door open, and wait in an enclosed area that had no windows! Sort of felt like criminals!!
It wasn’t all that long until we got the go-ahead, and when we got to the camp and got set up, this is how close to our neighbor we were. Tighter than at any previous stop in the last 22 years!
Our neighbor is just a little over his half of the ‘loop’, which made me a tad over on my other side. Turned out not to be a problem, because nobody occupied that side of us. It gave us a little sunlight and breathing room.
We were able to get some great hikes in the area. Here, Eloise takes a break and has a PBJ sandwich. We were geocaching an area that from the air the caches would look like a smiley face. It was a hike like no other and we could only manage to get a dozen of the caches before we were pooped out. Happily we found a trail that took us back to where we started. Never before had we had to bushwhack so much. Once we were in the scrub so thick we couldn’t see how to go forward, reverse or sideways! Quite scary. Somehow we managed to get out of it. The yellow smileys in the picture are the ones we found before we had to quit.
Now here’s a little test for those who have been in this area before. What famous restaurant is this in??
Answer later…
Okay, another puzzle…anybody know what this plant is? There were acres of this right close to the Federal Penitentiary.
Well? It’s artichokes. Neither of us had seen them growing..
This is the entrance to the Federal Pen at Lompoc, CA. In a lot of films and TV series’ the actors mispronounce the name. They say “Lom-pock”, it is actually “Lom-Poke”. Now you’ll know when they mess up! This installation is not very far from the Lompoc entrance to the base.Vandenberg is an enormous base. Of course it is the western version of Cape Canaveral, where missiles and space shots are often made. We were in the RV when we heard a rumble shaking and roar. Eloise opened the shade and looked up to see the missile and its fire. Too late to grab a camera, but you’ve all seen them on TV. If you would like to see the news story about this launch(especially our Canadian friends), you can go:HERE
One of the headquarters buildings.
This is the all-ranks club.
Okay, here’s the answer. We were in the Pea Soup Andersen’s restaurant in Buellton, where you can get a bottomless bowl of split-pea soup!! Yum. We ordered the more conservative bowl and salad though.
Entrance sign to a California State Historic Park, La Purisima Mission [There was a geocache hidden on the sign.] For seniors, the car entry fee was $5.
On the grounds there was a small zoo. This guy (on the right) had really huge horns. Somebody lent us a carrot, and Gary is giving him one…nervously! Never saw such huge carrots! Here’s the end of one going down…
The welcome center was really informative and well-done. It turns out that the Civilian Conservation Corps, or CCCs, reconstructed the mission, using original methods. They made adobe bricks and tiles by the exact way that the original builders, the indians, had done. It’s pretty remarkable. There is a video in one corner that interviews some of the surviving CCCs, and every one of them remarked on how great the food was!! I think most came from impoverished families and it was a treat to simply get 3 squares and a cot! Since my father, George Cunningham was with the CCCs in Wisconsin, I relate well to the project!
We leave you with a shot at the end of the main entrance drive. Yep, it’s big!
(Several have already emailed they want to be included in a group email when we make a new post. Up to you…just let us know).
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