One more day till my spring vacation.
My plans have changed a bit over the course of the last few days.
I have decided not to drive out west this time, as gas out on the west coast is unbeleivably alot higher than around here in the midwest, which would have added another 200.00 minimum to the cost of said trip, plus a loan I was counting on didnt come through as expected.....so......I am going to take a "Train Trip" instead, and hopefully see alot of the good old USA that I wanted to on the road trip...from the comfort of an "Amtrak Lounge chair with a picture window".
The cost of the trip I have mapped out via the train is amazingly inexpensive and it will give me time to relax and rest and recharge my batteries.
The trip will also give me a chance to read some books that have been gathering dust on my bookshelves (the trip out is 44 hours, 17 hours on another leg, and 52 hours back home after spending a few days out in Nevada), and a chance to view some (from what I have heard)of the most amazing scenery that this nation has to offer....along the way.
I plan on taking my laptop and will write about my experiences and post them to my blog as internet wifi access becomes available here and there and am hoping to borrow my friend's nice digital camera to take as many photos as possible of all the vistas along the way and back which I then can include in my blog so everyone can see some of the things I am seeing. I am also bringing along some DVD movies and TV shows that I can pop into the laptop to watch if i get bored by the views....I doubt I will though.
Hopefully all works out where I will be leaving via the Choo Choo (the California Zephyr)sometime on tuesday, heading out west over the Plains, across the Rockies and into CA.
I would like to be out west by thursday or friday and do not know for sure where I am going to jump off, I may just play it by ear to see how I feel once I am on my way. Right now though, the plan is to disembark in Los Angles CA and rent a vehicle to drive to Nevada for the Memorial Day weekend to drive out to the Area 51 celebration in Rachel NV (see media release below all this barrage of useless info) which is in the high dessert about 2 hours northwest of Las Vegas....and then back to California for the return trip home...up the West Coast to Portland Oregon on one train and then to embark on another train called the "Empire Builder" in Portland and a 50 some hour trip back home via Oregon, Idaho, Montanna, the Dakotas, Minn and back into Wisconsin. I am going to play with the Amtrak site a bit more in a few minutes to see how much more money I can save and what the best route will be.....and good times for my traveling...
Stay tuned for more definitive updates yet this weekend and starting early in the week (hopefully) some trip reports via my blog here.
Hope this post also finds my friends the "Minor's" having a good weekend. Thanks for all the info on things in and around Vegas. I appreciate it.....
PS: What's with the weird news story about Sadam and his underwear (tune in to CNN Headline news for more)..doesnt the News Media have any better stories to report??? I just dont get it....hmmmmm. Oh well.
Happy Saturday....
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Area 51 celebrates its 50th Anniversary - public gathering on May 27, 28 and 29
PRESS RELEASE - May 20, 2005
Marking the 50th Anniversary of "the operating base near Groom Lake" (official name of the popularly known Area 51 base), several celebrations are being held this month in various locations. The construction of this sprawling aerospace complex in Nevada, the world's most well-known but misunderstood "secret base", began in the month of May of 1955.
Some of the"official" celebrations, closed to the public, were already held at the base itself.
Other "private" celebrations also were already held at diverse aerospace facilities both in Nevada and in Southern California, including the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, whose Detachment 3 operations are said to be tied in with the Nevada base.
Aside from these private gatherings, there will be a "public" celebration marking the Golden Anniversary of Area 51. On Saturday, May 28, 2005 a public gathering will be held adjacent to the eastern boundary of the base alongside Groom Lake Rd. and will be headed by Joerg Arnu, webmaster of Area 51 - The Dreamland Resort, the world's largest online source of information on Area 51.
Supporters and "aficionados" of Area 51, including military aviation enthusiasts, are expected to celebrate outside the eastern boundary of the base with a camp-out, barbecue and live music entertainment along with various speakers. A mini-stage will be set up at the site.
According to Arnu, May 28 was selected because it coincides with the Memorial Day weekend and thus it would be easier for the public to make it to the celebrations. Some participants will begin to arrive at the site in the late afternoon on Friday, May 27. The celebrations will continue throughout the weekend.
Some of the news media will be present at the event and the BLM Rangers (Bureau of Land Management) are also expected to participate by helping with the coordination of parking and other logistics needed to make the event safe and successful.
Those who wish to attend this event should go to: Area 51 -50th Anniversary Campout Celebration
For the past 16 years or so, Area 51 has been popularly and erroneously (and "conveniently", according to some theorists) associated with false rumors of "alien technology" and conspiracies.
Norio Hayakawa ( Civilian Intelligence Operations ), a supporter of the importance and necessity of this vital base for our national defense, states that "the operating base near Groom Lake" is a real aerospace complex which was originally not intended to be established as a top-secret, classified base. (go to the bottom link to read the excellent article on this by aerospace historian, Peter Merlin).
According to Hayakawa, it only became a "secret base" mainly through paranoia resulting from false rumors which began circulating in the late 80s and persisted throughout the mid 90s.
Area 51 today is a vibrant aerospace R & D conglomerate test base, employing anywhere from 1800 to 2400 defense contractor employees, working in shifts on diversified projects. Some of the contractors include Raytheon, Lockheed, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, TRW, E.G. & G. and General Atomics.
One of the best recent color satellite photos of the base was taken on Thursday, July 24, 2003: Color Satelllite Photo of Area 51 taken on Thursday, July 24, 2003
Finally, perhaps the best history of Area 51 was recently compiled by Peter Merlin, an aerospace historian who resides near Edwards Air Force Base in California:
Area 51 Was Never A Secret, Classified Base.
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And to some of that stuff, I have to say "Ya right.".....Watch the XFiles, Stargate SG1, AND just "google" Area 51 some time and click on over to this website:
http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3369879&nav=168Xa5j7
and watch the video titled "Bob Lazar: The man behind Area 51" by clicking on the video link on the website
( you must click on the first link and then on the video link on that site..and the video will play)
... theres lots of info out there that some may just think that there just MAY be something else going on behind those warning signs.....and I AM GOING TO GET AS CLOSE TO IT AS I CAN.....Hope someone (anyone) is willing to bale me out of Lincoln County jail in Nevada....if I "accidently" cross the Do Not Tresspas sign.......oops officer, I just slipped and fell..across that line...I am Soooo sorry. (Just kidding...but I do want to stand right up against that sign. I cant wait........
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