Skunk Works

Early in the morning long before the sun came up, the wind stopped blowing in Palmdale. That was good. What was not so good is the temperature dropped. It dropped all the way to 29. Three degrees below freezing, and the only good thing aboot that was that it had not rained, the roads were dry, and the hotel had a toast bar, so I really didn’t have to leave for a while.

The hotels toast bar offered the tiny cheese omelets that seem to appear on so many hotel toast bars. They must be made in a factory in some far away land, by industrial machines, and with food products that may or may not have come from actually barn yard animals.  

Next time I’m looking for the hotel with the real food brand.

 

Real Food Here

Blowing into town yesterday I rode right past the skunk works, The works is the home of the Lockheed Martin factory that built the super-secret cold war black planes.

Skunk Works Hanger

Neatly displayed at  Blackbird air park are SR-71A together with its predecessor A-12, along with the once ultra-secret D-21 drone and the only remaining U-2 “D” model in the world.

Secret-- Look Away

 
Also on display is the 747 that once packed the space shuttle from Edwards back to Florida.

Thanks NASA

Years ago I actually saw this aircraft in route back to Florida. It was impressive to look up and  see the space shuttle atop this massive airplane…

Heading north out of town on highway 14 the cold was holding its ground. Turning west on highway 138 I had more oil pressure than air temperature.

Highway 138 cruises through the Antelope Valley California Poppy reserve. No poppies were in bloom this morning but out in the desert were acres of solar panels and wind turbines along the foot hills. Green energy on line. In Alaska where the oil companies own the republicans in our state government, we are in the dark ages with carbon free green  energy…

Desert Energy

Once when snow blocked my path over Tehachapi Pass I had taken highway 138 to get to Barstow, but today I was heading back to the bay. My non topographic paper map showed a road west of the dreaded I 5 heading north west through Frazier Park, and  Pine Mountain, ending up right where I needed to be in Maricopa for a north bound run up highway 33.

I had no idea that a 6000 foot pass lay ahead with patches of Ice on the road. This was a very exciting white knuckle ride that I will NEVER do again in the winter.

It looked like rain clouds were over my regular route so at Blackwell Corner I turn west and  head towards 101. Two lane, four lane. Traffic. Farm fields and the Salinas Valley. San Jose, I 280, and in the garage before it rains.

 

Pure of heart mostly wins the day again....