February 9 - March 11, 2024
We spent a month at Vandenberg SFB famcamp. We thought we'd give any snow a little more time to melt before heading north and west to California's mountainous national parks. Vandenberg is a huge base, and much of it feels remote, dotted with launch pads here and there.
During the month we were there, Vandenberg had five launches. Two were daytime; two were nighttime; and one was a daytime launch with booster recovery. What a show! The advantage to being on base is a prime viewing spot that allows you to see the launch pads. The public access viewing spots don't have that advantage, though they may actually be a bit closer when they aren't blocked off. The roads were blocked for the booster recovery launch.
The base has several beaches. One, Surf Beach, is accessible to the public and is an Amtrack stop. We toyed with the idea of taking the Pacific Surfliner just to see the shoreline. Beaches are somewhat restricted during snowy plover nesting season. Vandenberg makes a strong effort to preserve wildlife habitat. Judging from the wildlife we saw, they're doing a good job.
 |
| From the campsite |
 |
| Launch view area |
 |
| Remember hearing about those CA rains? Road closed. |
 |
| Elephant seals |
 |
| A big cat |
 |
| One of many coyotes |
 |
| Taking the Jeep ducks for a swim |
 |
| Sticking the handle |
Where Are We Going Next?
No comments:
Post a Comment