Message posted by Joe on April 23, 2007 at 11:54:15 PST:

Just back from my yearly trip to Las Vegas for the National Association of Broadcasters meeting a week ago today. Saw SPAMALOT at the Wynn (fire alarm stopped the show twice, and the second time I led the audience in singing "Always look on the bright side of life . . ."

Left early to go to another conference near Yosemite, which saw me driving past Edwards. Spent a night in my RV at a rest area just across from the base, but saw nothing unusual (and didn't look for long as I was tired and went to sleep early).

Snow has the roads over Yosemite closed, so I headed south, bout a book on Hot Springs of the west, and decided to find the Miracle Hot Springs near Lake Isabelle. Disappointing as many of the original tubs were apparently filled with concrete sometime after the book was written.

Saw a billboard for a Naval Museum and drove over to China Lake. As far as I could tell the former visitor's entrance was closed, and there were no other signs in the area for a museum, so I headed back to HWY 395 north, the Keough Hot Springs north of Big Pine and eventually Tonopah.

Thought about heading toward Rachel, looked over varoius maps, including Street Atlas, which I had running on my laptop with a GPS, and the Hot Springs book, and decided to head into the Monitor Valley, past the "ghost town" of Belmont (looked like lots of folks were fixing up the houses there), and on to a hot springs named "Diana's Punch Bowl," which the author described as his favorite.

I also figured that anything interesting flying around the area would need lots of room, and the Monitor Valley looked like a good place to see stars and anything else that might need room.

Found Diana's Punch Bowl just before dark, a hot springs pool at the bottom of a 30 foot opening in a mineral deposit dome. Camped out in my RV nearby, and watched thick clouds move in to block the sky. By yesterday morning (Sunday the 22nd), the RV and dirt roads were covered in a thin layer of ice, and I was getting worried about getting caught in a flash flood or heavy storm.

Had a late breakfast in Eureka, headed north to Elko, and on home across I-80.

Nothing to report, other than a question: How far away from the base do they test stuff? Was it reasonable to assume it could be as far away as the Monitor Valley?

Joe

Replies: