View from Above

 A crystal clear sunny day , and the view from our flight south from San Francisco was a lesson in geography . We followed the edge of California’s Central Valley where man’s impact was so evident . The valley is totally farmed , and ALL the fields were rectangular running in a NW-SE direction . There were virtually no natural features . Here was agriculture and its’ irrigation at its most efficient ; no wonder they can underprice virtually anyone else in the world .  The main water source was from a canal which runs 444 miles down the valley , and clearly visible from  the air . Not visible were another 1600 miles of other pipes and Aqueducts taking water from  the Sierra Nevada to Californian cities; and the ground water abstraction that is busily draining the main aquifers. That and climate change is making the whole enterprise unviable in the medium term . This is serious , the valley provides 25% of USA agricultural produce . 

Skirting the mountains , we headed South east , crossing the deserts of Arizona , New Mexico thence into Texas . The principal change from arid nothingness was small plots of cleared scrub , some kilometre apart; stretching as far as  this eye could see from 38,000 feet. There appeared no buildings on these ;  no clue as to their purpose . Subsequent investigation using Google Earth revealed that they were all oil derricks ; a principal source of USA’s energy security . 

Now to get a truly magnificent view of earth , something more serious than a commercial aeroplane is required . On the ground in front  of us was  just the thing ; a Saturn 5 rocket. It was actually three rockets on top of each other , designed to boost the lunar module  out of earth’s orbit . There was also a small rocket thing on top of the capsule which contained the astronauts, which was a sort of ejector seat to clear them in case of catastrophic launch failure . The whole rocket stood 360 feet tall , but the one in front was on its side in a giant barn to protect it from  the elements . Each launch cost over $1 billion in todays money , so having achieved a lunar landing , and some more ; the final launches in the series  were cancelled,   leaving these bits which were now housed in the Space Centre Museum in Houston Texas . 

“ This is one small step….” ; Neil Armstrong’s words echoed around the actual lunar command centre . We were 50 years too late for the spoken words , which were now replayed to us tourists  as we watched those final steps played out as it actually happened , the control screens full of the technical  information . The Space centre is a huge tourist location , we had broken our journey on route to Quito , just to visit it . Now it’s prime purpose seems to be to convince the American tax payer to fund a trip to Mars , via a Moon based launched centre . Given that Elon Musk also wants to go there , he has ( or perhaps, after Twitter ,had ) the money,  and affordable technology ; perhaps it will happen . Just to prove the point , one of his reusable rockets , which had returned to earth intact , was parked out front . Not sure how all this is going to save all , but those few on Mars , from the effects of Global warming.

Houston we have a problem …where are you all !

A seriously big rocket

A Space Shuttle parked on top of a 747, an odd sight indeed

Houston airport : if you allow dogs to travel by plane …then they need the appropriate facilities!

Ferry Across..

 It’s not Gerry Marsdon’s ( and his Pacemakers ) Mersey , but one half a world away , physically and economically : Frisco Bay . We were staying across the Bay from San Francisco proper, just a ferry ride away . This area is effectively the  north end of Silicon Valley , and our suburb, Sausalito, very genteel. This was indeed monied, although in a restrained way. The local traffic wardens were equipped with three wheeler scooter things . Policing with refinement and politeness . 

It wasn’t always so . The gold rush kicked off development,  no doubt  in a very raw way . This spawned San Francisco , which remained desirable , despite the earthquake and subsequent fire. Sausalito developed into a place for week end cabins , and a commute , initially by ferry , then bridge. The Second World War invoked a revolution . US Army Corps decided that it was a perfect  location for a ship yard . Starting with a swamp and hillside , a shipyard exploded into the locale ; producing it’s first ship in an incredible 6 months . Frenetic activity continued , and the yard produced 120 ships , most heavily armoured petrol tankers , before the war’s end . 

Then suddenly the yard closed , with corresponding unemployment . Desperate for accommodation , redundant material was converted in homemade houses on stilts and boats ; avoiding the need to prove land ownership.  There then ensured a twenty year battle between the well healed permanent residents , and the hippy commune that grew up on the waters edge . Growing  affluence determined the outcome . The stilts and house  boats now command nearly 7 figure sums ; and the sea around is filled with yacht marinas . The yard itself is now the locale for consumer support for that affluence , principally yacht maintenance. 

The ferry commuters now spend their time on pre-office  work , although surprisingly the ferry does not provide wifi. I suppose it is always in range of phone towers. On our way we pass close to Alcatraz , after a ferry change , our tourist destination . The prison island was indeed as bleak as expected. The cells were stacked three high in four long rows . The ‘ doors ‘ were grills offering no privacy. At the end of the rows was a gallery , barred off , not for minstrels, but gun toting wardens .  The only cells with doors were for those in solitary, these excluded all light ; indeed a hell hole. The prison was closed not long after three inmates dug their way out with spoons , and escaped the island in an  inflatable boat built from macs. They were never seen again. A developer proposed a hotel and shopping mall for the redundant island . However a group of Indians invoked a treaty clause that said redundant federal land should  revert to them . The government , not renowned for honouring Indian treaties , declared the prison a tourist location ; thus denying the  Indians ownership.

Our ‘tourisma ‘ continued on a Big Bus circular route , where we passed the Google bus transporting  those few remaining employees actually commuting . Another local IT company couldn’t get out of its office lease , so the MD instructed all employees to return from home  to avoid a white elephant syndrome. A third resigned ; the MD was fired. The bus crossed the Golden Gate Bridge , those of us stupid enough to remain on the open top upper deck had a suitably scary ride , and with the immediate return crossing  , totally frozen . We alighted to seek warmth in a very upmarket city centre mall . Wondering why each shop had an armed guard? ; the answer : the homeless had also decided it was a place of warmth. The returning cable car traversed the switch back roads , whilst we wondered if the driver was really fit enough to pull the enormous brake and clutch levers , and what would happen if he collapsed . Perhaps the second man at the rear has an emergency brake .

Man , or American man , has fundamentally changed the nature of the Bay , its offshoots and the  two main river deltas. Soil from hydraulic mining for gold has substantially  silted the bay , despite its size ; the deltas drained  for farming , and substantial land reclaimed for development . In the 1960’s a monster of a proposal was to virtually enclose vast areas from the sea. Congress approved , as a first step , the construction of an hydraulic model to verify feasibility. It wasn’t. Computerisation has replaced this model , which covers an acre inside its own giant shed. It is now open as a visitor centre for tourists . An eventual fate for all redundancies ?. 

Our time  concluded with a visit to the last remaining giant redwood glade ( its not big enough to call it a forest ) . These 250 feet monsters are the tallest living thing on our planet . They have survived the dinosaur extinction climatic event  , and then were saved by Presidential decree.  It is to be seen if they survive man’s cataclysmic impact .

Gateway to the promised land 

 …or hell for others!

Genteel policing 

A generational change in transportation.

Will the sun continue to rise on these giants of nature ?

RIMPAC

Rim of the Pacific Exercises ( now for all !)

 The red had changed to white, and suddenly the crossing was filled with scantily clad surf boards . This is Waikiki after all , the surf capital of Hawaii. Bikes, cars and scooters all seemed to be sprouting surf boards , heading for that next big wave . It is true , there is continuous surf here as there is nothing between here and the Antarctic ; thats a lot of ocean . I was 50/60 years too late join in this brigade without looking distinctly out of place ( and shape ) . We were still feeling sore after effectively been indicated to leave from a yuppy bar in Sydney . The waitress had given us the bill before we had finished our first drink ! The rest of the clientele looked good in their Lycra. 

But back to that surf .  Now wait , that surfer is running parallel to the wave , with his board above the water and no gliding sail. Not possible you may say , but there it was . Some seemed to be jumping up and down , while others stood still on their board . Further investigation revealed that these boards had 1 metre long hydrofoils under , which miraculously would raise the board up , and then with drag reduced,  would speed up , and with energetic jumping would retaining elevation and momentum. Whilst sun bathing , one of these boards emerged to reveal both hydrofoil and battery powered propellor . It would seem that the surf itself was now redundant !

The climate is one of paradise , all year round warmth and showers . No doubt it was just that , until that is they decided to become the 50th state . Northern Americans developed with enthusiasm a holiday location for which they didn’t need a passport. This island , of which Honolulu is the capital , has a 6 lane motorway the full length , and development to match . The capital represents Manhattan by the sea. If you get a sea view from your expensive hotel , its a bonus . Somehow 300 acre of green in the middle has escaped the voracious constructors . Our hotel is at one end giving us an open view of this , and an extinct( hopefully ) volcano . A sea view exists between adjacent tower blocks . This hotel ( ( Lotus Honolulu ) has just been voted number one in Waikiki, not bad for one which offer no breakfast any day ,or bar only for 5 days. It’s the staff that has won this accolade !

As a non- surfer , then a visit here must include a trip to Pearl Harbour . ‘Let’s take the bus to see more of Honolulu’ . Well indeed we did . I keep forgetting that although USA may be one of the richest places on earth , it has a widely disparate sharing of that wealth . Some of our fellow passengers exhibited that , the driver had long ago realised that the agro from restricting these passengers was just not worth it . One particular ‘ bag lady ‘ was trying convince herself ( others were studious trying to ignore her ) , that she was an airline pilot with an MBA in business studies on her way to Guam . This particular pilot did de-bus at the airport , but perhaps it was the 2 litre bottle of vodka which shattered that illusion . …We took a taxi back !

Leaving numerous rough sleepers behind in a commercial area , we entered the manicured headquarters of the Pacific fleet  and thence to the memorial site . Beneath these ‘waves ‘ is the USS Arizona where 1177 died ,1102  of whom are buried along with the ship. The attack brought USA into the war , thus determining its outcome . Winston Churchill slept soundly that night,  now knowing he was not alone . We visited the USS Missouri,  the last ever battleship , parked behind the Arizona. 

With its 9 , 16 inch guns it is a fearsome sight . These can fire 1 tonne shells at the rate of 2 per minute PER gun . These have a range of 23 miles , so the second salvo is on the way before the first arrives . The Mighty Mo , as it was nick named ,  was launched at the end of the war seeing active service throughout until its decommissioning and mothballing in 1955. However perhaps its most famous role was as the venue for the formal Japanese surrender to General MacArthur . For me its the sight of Cher sitting astride one of those big guns belting out “ if I could turn back time “ 

The ship was refurbished and recommissioned in 1968, mainly now as a platform for Tomahawk missiles .; which it fired in Dessert Storm . The important addition was AC ; just think before , those sailors had to endure tropical heat inside a tin can whilst all around were trying to confine them to a watery grave . I always wondered how these warships could still function when the most exposed part , the bridge had been destroyed . Our ship’s  tour was a fount of knowledge. So inside the bridge on this ship , was a sort of ‘pill box ‘ with 500mm thick steel sides in which the ‘ fire control ‘ could still function. The other insight was that guns had to be fired broad side , to avoid incinerating the ship from the explosive flames . . They were also fitted with some clever gas  absorption to stop the ship being blown over by  the recoil .

Our exercise on this bit of the Pacific is drawing to a close , as we sit on the balcony watching enthusiastic junior soccer squads , bigger beach volleyball, expectant surfers and a passing sailing fleet . Our gin bottle is empty , so we depart tomorrow for ‘Frisco bay ‘ 

All mod cons for US sailors

Now that’s impressive , see why they fire broad side .

Is this really a surf board ? , for which you now need a safety helmet and a battery!

1st world war memorial…Hawaii style … a sea swimming pool …sensible

 Where else?

Incredible, cockerel and family lived wild next door