The Hiller Aviation Museum

In a place like the Bay Area, there are so many things to see and do that many very worthwhile places get overlooked.

The Hiller Aviation Museum is one of those places.  It's just off 101, on a frontage road near the San Carlos Airport.  In fact, there are windows in the museum where you can watch the airport activity, and speakers so you can listen to the air traffic controller.

The museum has a great collection of aircraft, ranging from a full-size replica of the original Wright Flyer up through modern jets, and a few antique cars to put the aircraft in perspective.  There is a nose section of an actual 747, so you can see the cockpit and even sit in the pilot's seat.   They even have a prototype jetpack, and a NASA spacesuit.

There are several interactive exhibits, including a simulator that allows you to "fly" a Wright aircraft,  and an air traffic control station.

Upstairs the museum has a number of computers running MicroSoft Flight Simulator.  Many of the museum volunteers are pilots, and they are very happy to give kids flying tips and help them out.

This museum is well worth a trip, and once you've visited, you'll find it's a great place to take out-of-town visitors who get tired of driving by tech companies!

Road Trip 4: Downward to Phoenix

I spend a couple of hours in the morning wandering and "old" Flagstaff.  No, this is not the Flagstaff of cowboy legends...  just the old downtown area, consisting of small stores and restaurants in buildings dating to the early 20th century.  It's a pleasant morning, but there isn't a lot to do, so I decide to get on the road to Sedona.

* * * * * * * *

As I leave Flagstaff, the road takes on the character of mountain roads in the Sierras.  It's narrow and winding, and along the way there are pine forests, walls of rock, and dramatic dropoffs.  The rocks are reddish brown, rather than the grey of Sierra granite, but otherwise the drive feels familiar.

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Sedona is amazing!  The main street is filled with busy shops and restaurants, but the bustling downtown can't begin to compete with the beauty of the surroundings.

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The road gradually straightens as I leave Sedona.  It continues to descend, and I once again find myself in desert.  From time to time I pass stands of Saguaro cactus that seem to stretch for miles. This feels like the desert of the old west.

My arrival in Phoenix is anti-climactic.  Traffic builds, and the freeway widens.  There are more onramps and offramps, and soon I am passing by shopping malls and car dealers.

There is a heat alert in Phoenix today.  When I arrive at my hotel, the temperature is 112 degrees. Improbably, there is a basketball court outside my room.  I think I'll skip shooting hoops today.  Maybe tomorrow.  But probably not.

Road Trip 3: Climbing to Flagstaff

Needles, California.  8:00 AM and it's already 90 degrees.  The temperature is predicted to climb to 108 later in the day, and 116 over the weekend.

It's time to get on the road.

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Heading East from Needles, the highway starts to rise.  It is still desert, but the land starts to take on more interesting shapes.  There is more vegetation, and it's a bit more green.  The road twists and turns a bit, following the terrain, rather than lying dead straight.

The Colorado River comes as a surprise.  Suddenly, in the midst of the parched landscape, there is a sleek modern bridge across a narrow swath of incredible blue water.  Midway across the bridge there is a marker:  I am now in Arizona.

Across the river the land becomes dry again, and the road climbs a bit more steeply.  Nothing looks like the mountains I am used to...  the California Sierras.  There are no jagged, rocky peaks,  Instead there are tall hills, brownish red, and buttes like something from and old western movie.

By the time I reach Kingman, the elevation is 3,500 feet.  Seligman, my next destination, is over 5,200.

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Along the way, I have a flat tire, and I call AAA Roadside Assistance.  The dispatcher asks if I have water, and access to shade.  This isn't Silicon Valley!

While I wait, I see a truck with a light bar on top.  I watch as it goes by, wondering if it's my AAA service.  The truck turns around and drives back.  Up close I see that it's a park service truck.  The driver asks if I need anything...  he saw me watching as he drove by.

A bit later another car stops to ask if I need help.  People seem to watch out for one another here.  It's definitely not Silicon Valley.

The AAA driver arrives a few minutes later.  He asks if I have water.

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In Kingman, and again in Seligman, I turn off I-40 onto portions of the old Route 66...  America's first great highway, the mother road, main street of America. Today the old, winding highway has been bypassed, along with many of the communities it passed through.  It's lined with decaying buildings. Small stretches have been rejuvenated as tourist mecca's, paying nostalgic homage to the 40's, 50's, and 60's.

I visit some museums, a couple of souvenir shops, and a diner.  It's fun, and I learn a bit about the history of the road and the communities.

Leaving Seligman, I see a coyote by the road.  I think it's a good sign.

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I arrive in Flagstaff by  mid-afternoon.  Flagstaff is at 7,000 feet, and finally there are trees...  the largest Ponderosa Pine forest in the world.  The trees are refreshing, but they seem stunted by lack of water.  It's like a forest of miniature trees.

I stop at a small cafe for a cold drink before I find a hotel for the night.  Later, I decide to walk back to the cafe for dinner.  Clouds have moved in, and it rains a bit.  It's amazing after the past few days!

The cafe is also amazing.  It's definitely a "foodie" place.  I have a wonderful creamy carrot soup, soda bread, and pasta with mushrooms.

It's been a good day.

Road Trip 2: The Mojave

Traveling from Bakersfield to Needles California means crossing the Mojave Desert.

I drive up through the low lying mountains, and the start across the sprawling desert.  The names are like ghosts from my childhood...  Tehachapi, Mohave, Barstow...

The desert has an austere beauty.  There are few places on earth that are still so empty.

There are turnoffs from the highway every twenty minutes or so.  Forlorn signs promise Gas - Food - Lodging, but I see nothing but desert beyond the turnoffs.  Still, the desert can be deceptive.  Perhaps there is a slight rise, barely visible, and just beyond the rise a prosperous town, complete with MacDonalds, Starbucks, and a Ramada Inn with a sparkling swimming pool.  But probably not.

I made sure I had gas and water before starting my trip; I don't take any of the turnoffs.

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At Barstow I take a small detour to visit the Barstow Route 66 Mother Road Museum.  I've been looking forward to this for days.

The museum is closed.  Perhaps I'll see it another time.  But probably not.

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I have better luck with Calico Ghost Town.  It's an 1880's silver mining town.  Surrounded by 100 miles of desert in every direction, I wonder how people ever found thier way here...  and why?

Now the town bustles with busloads of tourists.  I spend a few minutes chatting with a German family. They are fascinated by a display of old west guns, and each family member takes an individual photo of the display.

I wander through the town, taking time to examine old wagons and mining equipment.  The buildings now sell souvenirs, crafts, and food.  I have a beer and a couple of hot dogs before getting back on the road.

Road Trip 1: The Central Valley

California's Central Valley is BIG.  You can drive for hours and see nothing but road and fields, stretching away in all directions.

It is one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world.  It contains 1% of the total farmland in the US, but accounts for 8% of the country's agricultural output.

And it desperately needs water.  Driving south, I saw many fields that were not cultivated, and had returned to dust. There were signs posted everywhere:

No Water = No Jobs

Congress is Creating Another Dustbowl

Build Reservoirs, not Railroads

I don't understand all the political issues, but it's clear that there is a lot of pain.

* * * * * * * *

I arrived in Bakersfield hot and tired...  I suppose everyone arrives that way.  I noticed right away that I had a flat tire, and pull off the road in a sketchy looking warehouse area.  I called AAA, and waited for the tow truck in the 95 degree heat.

I watched as a man walked slowly up to me.  He looked at the flat tire and asked if I needed help.  I told him a tow truck was on the way.

He said he was out walking because he was out of work, and he pointed up the road to his house.  He said if the tow truck didn't show up I should come and get him.

We chatted for a couple of minutes, and then he looked at me and said, "I've been in prison.  I raped and killed my stepdaughter.  I'm not proud of it, but I did my time."

He said that after prison he got a job working for a local auto parts store, but had to quit because the owner had two teenage girls that were just too much temptation for him.

I didn't know what to say.  I told him something else would probably come along for him.  I think he just needed to talk to someone...  a stranger.

The tow truck came and I sat in the air conditioned cab as the driver loaded my car.  

The man walked away down the road, toward his house.

* * * * * * * *

I was in my hotel room in Bakersfield, lying in bed.  Someone knocked at the door.  I looked at the clock and it was 12:15.  

I went to the door and looked out the peephole.  There was a girl standing outside wearing tiny shorts and a crop top, showing lots of skin.  Through the door, I asked her what she wanted.  She said that she had just talked to me on the phone, and I had given her my room number.

I told her she had the wrong room, and I went back to bed.