Geocaching



I did something new today, that combines gadget geekiness with map reading and hiking. It's called geocaching and is a modern version of the treasure hunt.



It requires a GPS receiver and information about the location of a geocache, which is usually a small weather-resistent plastic container filled with little knick-knacks and a log book. When you find the cache you open it, take a little trinket, leave one of your own and sign the log book. Then you hide it in the same location.



It's pretty fun and combines physical exercise with a little brain power, trying to use the GPS receiver to locate the geocache.



Today I hiked all over the Calaveras Hill area, which is south of 78 and a little east of College Blvd. The hill itself is a 20 million year old volcano plug and the view from the top today was great - I could see from the ocean all the way to Mt San Jacinto and the San Bernardino mountains.



I found 3 of the 4 geocaches I set out to look for; there are three or four others in the area I didn't even set out to find.



http://www.geocaching.com is a good place to start.

Another fun weekend wraps up. Mom and Dad came down on Friday and we drove out to Anza Borrego Desert State Park on Saturday. I had heard that the wildflowers were blooming in a big way, but when we got there it was very hot and the flowers were out but not really in what I would term "abundance." We took some photos anyway, hung out at the Vistor's Center and then drove back home.



They stayed the nght and then Dad and I finished the work bench, Mom did some gardening for me and then they went home.



An hour later Ed called me because he had an extra David Wilcox ticket that night at the Belly Up, so I agreed to go. I t was a really great show and I am glad I was there to see it.



The opening act was local faves Berkley Hart, who are enormously talented and unfortunately for them one of them is also enormous so they'll never get a lot of interest from record labels.

I was in LA yesterday; at LACMA actually. I saw two shows: "Ansel Adams at 100" and "John Singer Sargeant." Both were very interesting shows. Ansel Adams in particular was very interesting from both an aesthetic and a technical viewpoint. The large format film that he used is able to bring out an incredible level of detail and that is what people are reacting to with his photos, I believe. Sargeant worked in both oils and watercolors and used Italy as his subject. The exhibit has an entire room devoted to his paintings of Venice, for example, but the favorite painting of both myself and my friend was one of a Carerra marble quarry.



We had a great day together starting with brunch and a little bit of antique shopping and then the museum and some conversation afterwards.



On the drive back home to Oceanside I decided to stop by what I knew was the no-longer-existing B-2 plant in Pico Rivera. I exited Paramount Blvd and headed north. How many times had I driven on this road? Well, not as many times as I'd driven Washington Blvd or Rosecrans, but a lot nonetheless. Under the railroad overcrossing and... wow! Rex Road is a real road; nicely landscaped, lots of streetlights, unlike what it used to be, which was basically an overgrown alleyway. Where the old gym, track and softball fields were is a new industrial/warehouse building and more being built across on what used to be the West Factory. I could see some other buildings way up front to the north.



So, I turned onto a brand new street called "Stealth Way", that was probably on or near what used to be the access road into the south turnstile area and drove all the way to the north side of the lot. What used to be the front lobby and the first few corridors (and maybe even the big and main cafeterias) is now a Lowe's and bunch of other retail stores. The road into the shopping area is the same road that was the front entry way road.



The only area that may in fact be original is the front corner at Washington and Rosecrans - the lawn that had the N O R T H R O P sign and had the secret outline of the B-2 on it. It was fenced off and I didn't get out of the car to take a look.



It was very... what, exactly? Very strange to know that what was for roughly 30 years a Ford assembly plant and was then recycled for another 20 years as a secret aircraft manufacturing plant that had launched so many careers of people I knew and employed 11 000 people at its peak was now relegated to a quiet recognition via the name of a street in the back of the complex.



And so now what do I say for my resume?



"1986-1996, Northrop Grumman B-2 Division 8900 E. Washington Blve, Pico Rivera CA, 90660 (No longer exists)."