teotwaki
Excelsior!
More photos and narrative here: http://suntothenorth.blogspot.com/2016/10/2016-expedition-trailer-back-in-death.html
Highlights follow:
The deserts began cooling off and it was time to plan another trip to visit some of my favorite places. This time I would be testing the trailer's new spare tire carrier, meeting friends for some desert hikes, watch for fighter jets and try out some radio gear. No plan goes exactly as conceived and pleasant surprises always lay in wait.
I left early on a Thursday and used local surface streets to avoid the initial weekday freeway jams. Between the trailer and the 4Runner I carried 25 extra gallons of gas, 25 gallons of water and two full-sized spare tires.
My first stop along the way would be an eerie abandoned facility that started life in 1952 as a USAF radar station located near Boron, California.
It was a cold war Air Force Radar Station first established as Atolia Air Force Station and renamed Boron Air Force Station in 1953. It went through many upgrades for accuracy and efficiency and the station was eventually abandoned by the Air Force and the radar tower transferred to the FAA in 1975.
The complex was divided into a main site, enlisted personnel living area, a married personnel housing area and a radio site. The main site housed the operations buildings, the radar towers, and the backup generators. The enlisted personnel area comprised the enlisted barracks, the bachelor officer's quarters, the orderly room, the dining hall, the motor pool and various support buildings. The married personnel housing area was a small 27 unit housing complex .
The area outside of the main radar tower was converted into a minimum security Federal Prison in 1979 and was closed in 2000. The buildings have been heavily vandalized.
Highlights follow:
The deserts began cooling off and it was time to plan another trip to visit some of my favorite places. This time I would be testing the trailer's new spare tire carrier, meeting friends for some desert hikes, watch for fighter jets and try out some radio gear. No plan goes exactly as conceived and pleasant surprises always lay in wait.
I left early on a Thursday and used local surface streets to avoid the initial weekday freeway jams. Between the trailer and the 4Runner I carried 25 extra gallons of gas, 25 gallons of water and two full-sized spare tires.
My first stop along the way would be an eerie abandoned facility that started life in 1952 as a USAF radar station located near Boron, California.
It was a cold war Air Force Radar Station first established as Atolia Air Force Station and renamed Boron Air Force Station in 1953. It went through many upgrades for accuracy and efficiency and the station was eventually abandoned by the Air Force and the radar tower transferred to the FAA in 1975.
The complex was divided into a main site, enlisted personnel living area, a married personnel housing area and a radio site. The main site housed the operations buildings, the radar towers, and the backup generators. The enlisted personnel area comprised the enlisted barracks, the bachelor officer's quarters, the orderly room, the dining hall, the motor pool and various support buildings. The married personnel housing area was a small 27 unit housing complex .
The area outside of the main radar tower was converted into a minimum security Federal Prison in 1979 and was closed in 2000. The buildings have been heavily vandalized.
