Sabrina's Galactic Tour

Welcome Sabrina! Here is your custom made universe 🪐 [[I want to see pretty colors!->Bright Colors]] [[I Wana get ~~~weird~~~->Weird]] [[I wana laugh!->Comedy]] [[I want to explore->Places]]

Alpine Inn Portola Valley, California The Internet Age began with a transmission from this biker bar. <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/alpine-inn/alpin-inn.jpg"> Though the Alpine Inn is considered the site of history’s first internet transmission, this tavern is definitely more Wild West than World Wide Web. A former San Jose mayor built the bar in 1852 on a roadside in the Portola Valley, an ideal spot to avoid various city ordinances against drinking and gambling. Though it passed through various names and hands over the years, it was always a favorite with locals, especially the local Stanford students. But when a Stanford Research Institute van rolled up to the bar (then called Rossotti’s) on August 27, 1976, the researchers weren’t looking to crack open some cold ones. Instead, they lugged a computer terminal into the back beer garden and set it down on a picnic table. Hooking the terminal up with cables to the van alongside the bar, Nicki Geannacopulos typed up a progress report, which was then sent through the packet radio network, to the ARPANET, and then onwards to its final destination, a computer terminal in Boston. This, wrote SRI researcher Don Nielson, was “the first internet transmission.” The researchers chose the bar, affectionately called Zott’s by locals, for a few reasons. It wasn’t too far from a hilltop repeater station, where the message went first. Also, it wasn’t too far from the SRI offices in Menlo Park, where the signal went next, onwards to Boston. While messages had been flying via the ARPANET between universities and research institutions across the United States for years already, they stayed within their individual networks. “While many people trace the Internet’s origins to the ARPANET of the late ’60s, in fact the word ‘internet’ means joining different kinds of individual networks together,” noted the Computer History Museum. In fact, in 1977, the same van that parked alongside the old roadside tavern would be used to send the first three-network internet transmission. “The van where the internet was born” is now part of the Computer History Museum collection, while the Alpine Inn continues to be a biker and student hangout. But now, the old building features a plaque commemorating the events of August 27, 1976, and “the beginning of the Internet Age.” Know Before You Go As of September 2020, the Alpine Inn's outdoor beer garden is open, though there is no indoor dining due to COVID-19 restrictions. The menu features burgers, salads, beer, and the like. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/alpine-inn ___ You've hit the end of the line sweet lady, Do you want to go a [[different direction->Places]]? Or would you like to [[do something else->Welcome]]?

Tehachapi Loop Tehachapi, California Where a railroad loops under or over itself to rise or drop more than 70 feet in a short distance. <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/train-loop/Intermodal_train_on_Tehachapi_Loop.jpg"> Tehachapi Loop is an amazing feat of ingenuity to raise or lower a train a significant elevation in a very short distance. The project was completed in 1876, and has remained largely unchanged today. When the train is going downhill, or generally to the northwest, it begins a descending arc in a clockwise direction. As it goes over a tunnel, it starts a 0.73-mile loop, tightening its spiral to encircle a hillock. As it completes the loop, 77 feet lower, the train circles under itself—through the tunnel that a long train might still be passing over. If the train is going uphill, or to the southeast, the process is reversed, with the engine entering through the tunnel, making the loop counter-clockwise. If you don’t see a train immediately, have a little patience. An average of 36 trains per day use the loop. Know Before You Go From California highway 58, from Barstow to Bakersfield, turn southwest at the Woodford-Tehachapi Road near Keene. The overlook is 3.2 miles ahead and well marked. East of the parking area is a chained-off dirt road that goes north another 100 yards to a shaded picnic table where you can enjoy the view over lunch! https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tehachapi-loop-2 [[Keep Going East->Chumash Painted Cave]]

[[Alpine Inn]]

[[Alpine Inn]] [[Orchestria Palm Court]]

[[Tehachapi Loop]]

[[Soap Plant / Wacko]]

Soap Plant / Wacko Los Angeles, California An expansive book store, art gallery, and curio shop with wares ranging from tarot cards to novelty socks. <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/wacko/D8CEDC4E-B802-497D-AA4A-7D1A8AF66E80.jpeg"> <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/wacko/3809393B-64AC-473B-B03B-574DB28598EC.jpeg"> <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/wacko/P1540516lo.jpg"> Opened in 1971, this iconic Los Angeles shop certainly lives up to its name. The outside of the shop is eye-catching with colorful murals and windows showing off the wild wares within. Once inside, shoppers are bedazzled by row upon row of books organized by interest: occult, sex, death, cartoons, film, etc. You can spend hours in the rows alone. Around the back walls are stuff beyond a gift giver’s wildest imaginings: everything from soaps to novelty toys. The first portion of the name comes from back when it Barbara and Hank Shire first opened a store. Barbara made soaps by hand and sold them, while Hank designed the shop’s graphics. It was a family-run business, and their two sons, Peter and Billy contributed to the operation with their own artistic endeavors—Peter in ceramics and Billy in leather and other textiles. In the 1980s, Billy took over the shop. He moved the store from its original location in Los Feliz Village to a larger place on Melrose Avenue, and widened the store’s inventory. In 1984, he added Wacko to the storefront to house the growing collection of games, toys, and pop culture ephemera. In 1995, the new iteration of the store moved back to Los Feliz, to a location that now houses more than 6,000 square feet of fascinating wares. If you venture far enough into the shop you can find the back room with darker items such as pinned insects and preserved scorpions, turtle shells and deer feet. This part of the store feels particularly occult and is easy to miss. If you have more in mind than browsing for purchases, you can check out the art gallery. This open space features rotating works, and never disappoints. Wacko is a must visit for locals and visitors alike. Know Before You Go Soap Plant / Wacko is open Monday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Check their Facebook page for information about events. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/soap-plant-wacko [[Everything Is Terrible]]

Everything Is Terrible East Los Angeles, California This store is dedicated to unique found footage and the strangeness of pre-internet pop-culture. <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/terrible/Newberry_190714_053.jpg"> In 2000, a group of friends from Ohio University created what would become a YouTube sensation, Everything is Terrible! Taking the internet by storm, the group collected the most outrageous and strangest clips from VHS tapes they discovered in thrift shops or unearthed at yard sales. This newly opened storefront is adorned inside with roughly 500 of their 12,240 VHS copies of Jerry Maguire. This now permanent location allows visitors to dive into the vast world of video oddities. Know Before You Go Only open Sunday from 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/everything-is-terrible ___ You've hit the end of the line sweet lady, Do you want to go a [[different direction->Places]]? Or would you like to [[do something else->Welcome]]?

[[Cafe Ohlone]]

There are som any interesting places to exploe, Sabrina! Pick a Direction! [[North->Cafe Ohlone]] [[South->Soap Plant / Wacko]] [[East->Tehachapi Loop]] [[West->Orchestria Palm Court]] [[Underground->Alpine Inn]]

[[World's Brightest Uniforms]] [[A Pretty Racecar]]

[[The Perfect Couple]] [[Strange Rice Cooking]] [[The Crowd is Dead!]]

https://youtu.be/fQw4Vr74t7I [[Link Can't Text]]

http://kishinev.moldline.net/ [[I want to go other places!->Places]]

[[I want to dig up a time capsule->Virtual Moldova]] [[I want Live feed of lands far away->Oldest Webcam]]

https://fogcam.org/ [[Windows From All Over The World]]

https://window-swap.com/ [[Places]]

https://www.gakiarchives.com/video/492 [[Japanese Box Wall]]

Cafe Ohlone Berkeley, California The back of a Berkeley bookstore hides a restaurant specializing in local indigenous cuisine. <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/venison%20and%20acorn%20flatbread.jpg"> <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/cafe%20ohlone%20overhead%20night.jpeg"> <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/native%20buckwheat%20pancakes.jpg"> <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/native%20greens%20salad.jpg"> The city of Berkeley is home to Chez Panisse, the Alice Waters restaurant widely credited with spreading the gospel of sourcing and celebrating local, sustainable ingredients. But the most profound example of this philosophy can be found just a few minutes away, where foods local to the Bay Area are made and served by the people who first lived there. Cafe Ohlone is a remarkable achievement, the resurrection of the cuisine of local Native Americans by two members of the Ohlone tribe whose ancestors hunted and gathered in the area centuries ago. Vincent Medina and Louis Trevino met at a 2014 conference on native languages, and bonded while listening to phonograph records of tribal-elder interviews from the 1930s. They were struck by the detailed information on culinary techniques, which were disappearing. Their ancestors explained which plants to gather, which fish to catch, and the rituals of making the old dishes. They listened, learned, and then re-created the techniques. After a few years of perfecting the recipes with other tribal members, Medina and Trevino decided to share the experience with the wider community. In September of 2018, Cafe Ohlone’s staff served their first lunch on a patio behind Berkeley’s University Press Books, an academic bookstore. Unlike other local cafes, it is no grab-and-go stop for students hurrying between classes. The experience begins with a solemn prayer in the Chochenyo language and a brief explanation of the history of the native peoples of the East Bay Area, from pre-contact to the present day. It’s a tale of a people who determinedly preserved their language and culture despite indifference and persecution from successive Spanish, Mexican, and American governments. At each meal, Medina and Trevino introduce each of the dishes, which are based on wild ingredients gathered locally by native people. The menu is seasonal, but a typical spring meal includes a salad of watercress with sorrel leaves, blackberries, gooseberries, and popped amaranth seeds. The cress has a mildly peppery herbal flavor that mixes well with the citrusy sorrel and tart berries, and the amaranth adds a satisfying crunch and slight nuttiness. No matter the season, expect multiple courses and refreshment from tea rather than alcohol—often an older family member’s longtime recipe, and always a local herb. Any meal’s flavors will be a true expression of Californian terroir. Meals may conclude with songs, a fast-moving round of an ancient gambling game, or simply time for questions. Cafe Ohlone’s combination of delicious, unique food with a history and anthropology lesson has proved popular, though the difficulties of sourcing wild foods limit how often they can open. Now offering midweek lunches, tea tastings, Sunday brunch, and occasional Saturday dinners, Cafe Ohlone provides an opportunity to savor the first California cuisine and meet the people who brought it back to life. Know Before You Go Cafe Ohlone is inside University Press Books; head to the back of the store and ask any staff member where to go when you arrive. Remember, although the location never changes, Cafe Ohlone is a pop-up and not always open. You can find the schedule and make reservations at makamham.com. The weekend meals often sell out weeks in advance. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cafe-ohlone [[Keep Going North->Wat Mongkolratanaram]]

Wat Mongkolratanaram Berkeley, California Every Sunday, this Thai temple in Berkeley serves a backyard brunch. a <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/Wat-Mongkolratanaram/Chris%20Yang%20thai%20temple%20brunch.jpg"> <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/Wat-Mongkolratanaram/decorativekale-thai-temple-2.jpg"> <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/Wat-Mongkolratanaram/decorativekale-thai-temple.jpg"> <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/Wat-Mongkolratanaram/Visit%20Berkeley%20thai%20temple%20two.jpg"> Russell Street looks like many of Berkeley’s tree-shaded roads: There are cyclists, pretty little houses, and Priuses. But then you’ll come upon a cheery Victorian house made brighter by the red, gold, and blue-painted entryway. A similarly colorful sign reads “Wat Mongkolratanaram,” and beneath that, “The Thai Buddhist Temple.” On Sundays, a little crowd in front waits for the best brunch in food-obsessed Berkeley. Though it’s been active in the Bay Area for decades, Wat Mongkolratanaram transformed the Victorian at 1911 Russell Street into a temple in 2001. Ever since, they’ve served the local Thai and Thai-American community, including students at nearby University of California, Berkeley, by offering religious services, as well as open-to-the-public cultural events, language classes, and a festive Songkran (Thai New Year) celebration each April. But it’s best known for its longstanding weekly fundraiser: a tasty and affordable brunch. When you arrive, you’ll join a line formed alongside the temple that leads up to food stations in the backyard, each shaded by a tent. A dish costs only seven or eight dollars, although you’ll want to come with a group so you can sample several. Then, enjoy your brunch at the long tables laid out on the lawn. The curries, soups, and noodles are served simply on disposable plates. The temple staff often pour Thai iced tea into paper Coca-Cola cups. The surrounding area is fully residential, and complaining neighbors did once try to get the Sunday brunches shut down. In response, a flurry of petitions and support led the zoning board to vote 8-1 in favor of the temple. Defenders of Wat Mongkolratanaram described the weekly tradition as “magical” and “quintessentially Berkeley.” Know Before You Go The brunch is served Sundays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is cash only. At the front of the line, you'll exchange cash for tokens at $1 each. The token system is part of the temple's nonprofit status. But don't worry about how many tokens to get—you can return after your meal to exchange tokens back for dollars. Save room for the mango sticky rice. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/wat-mongkolratanaram-berkeley [[Keep Going North->Donut Hole]]

Donut Hole La Puente, California “It's the quality” (but probably also the drive-through donut tunnel) that has attracted diners since 1968. <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/donut/d1.jpg"> <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/donut/d2.jpg"> <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/donut/d3.jpg"> Since 1968, residents of Puente, California, have been satisfying their sweet cravings by driving right into a giant donut. The Donut Hole is a special kind of drive through. Flanked by a fiberglass donut on each end, the tunnel houses a bakery window that serves up all kinds of delicious doughy discs, from glazed to chocolate frosted to coconut dusted. Originally part of a chain, the building is an example of the mimetic (also known as “programmatic” or, more simply, “novelty”) architecture style that was especially popular in Southern California from the 1920s through the 1960s. With the rise of the car, businesses were looking for new ways to capture the interest of the increasing number of drivers on the road. A simple sign wouldn’t do: In addition to giant rooftop sculptures, some architects designed buildings in the very shape of their products: tamale shops that looked like tamales, hot dog stands shaped like hot dogs, and so on. While the rest of the Donut Hole franchises have since disappeared, the one on the corner of Amar Road and Elliot Avenue—the only one constructed into the tunnel of fried dough—is the sole survivor. Know Before You Go It is often very crowded so try to get there later in the day when it isn’t packed, so you can take in the full experience. ___ You've hit the end of the line sweet lady, Do you want to go a [[different direction->Places]]? Or would you like to [[do something else->Welcome]]?

Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park Santa Barbara, California Colorful Native American paintings are hidden within this small cavern. <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/painted-cave/cave.jpg"> <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/painted-cave/caves.jpg"> Hidden along a narrow, steep, and windy road is a tiny piece of the Chumash Indian history preserved for visitors to view. The state park is small, and doesn’t look like much at first glance. But peek through the bars blocking the entrance to this cave, and you’ll discover striking traces of the past. This little cave has some decently preserved art from before the Europeans settlers really took over California. The colorful symbols are a bright contrast with the pale sandstone surface. Though the meaning of the images is unclear, it’s believed the artwork is related to Chumash cosmology. The age of the rock art is as murky as its meaning. According to some estimates, it may be upwards of 1,000 years old. There’s evidence that the white settlers have known about this spot for years, as early migrants left their mark in the form of graffiti near the enigmatic indigenous artwork. The bars were installed over the entrance and the area was declared a state park to prevent further damage. Know Before You Go While the official address is vague, Google Maps will get you there. Just type in the name of the park. The location is around two miles up on the narrow Painted Cave Road that winds around a hill. It doesn’t really accommodate RVs and other wide vehicles. There are some private residences along the road so expect to encounter at least one other car on your way to or from the location. Also, the trip up the hill includes some great views with some spots to pull off. The cave is just a few steps off the road. Access to the cave is blocked off by an iron grate, but there’s a big enough opening to view the artwork. The exterior of the cave also has some interesting features. There are some places to hike nearby, including Knapp’s Castle. [[Keep Going East->Last Known Carville House]]

Orchestria Palm Court San Jose, California This restaurant's marvelous musical machines include a self-playing violin. <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/mechinstru/mechinstru.jpg"> <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/mechinstru/mechinstru2.jpg"> At most restaurants, music is a mere garnish. But at the Orchestria Palm Court in downtown San Jose, diners can enjoy a buffet of marvelous musical instruments along with their meal. As part of Silicon Valley, San Jose is no stranger to amazing technology. At the Orchestria Palm Court, that technology happens to be 100 years old. Before Steve Jobs and his Apple engineers in nearby Cupertino ever dreamed up an iPod, people still turned to machines for music. Engineer Mark Williams, Orchestria Palm Court’s owner, collected a wide array of such machines and has put them on display in a refurbished auto showroom from 1910. There’s the Coinola electric piano, which can play the hits of the early 20th century. Then there are the restaurant’s two orchestrions. An orchestrion (also the namesake for the restaurant) is a machine that can mimic the sounds of an entire orchestra. Along with piano, mandolin, and various percussion instruments, the establishment’s Coinola X Orchestrion will even play the triangle. Also featured are two early jukeboxes (1926 and 1928) and, perhaps, the most wonderful machine of them all: the Violano-Virtuoso Player Violin. If the magic of a self-playing violin isn’t enough, the machine also accompanies itself with a piano, all using an electric motor and electromagnets. On holidays from Bastille Day to Christmas, along with the birthdays of famous composers, the machines are set up to play the appropriate tunes. While music from the various machines plays, diners can sample a farm-t0-table menu, of which the Austrian goulash and chicken breast saltimbocca are favorites. Orchestria Palm Court also has an old-fashioned soda menu, including malted milks, phosphates, and drinks with names such as Poppy Dew and Raspberry Ambrosia. But if you want to listen to some old-time music and sip an old-school soda, be sure to keep an eye on your calendar. Orchestria Palm Court is open only on Friday and Saturday, from 5:45 to 8:30 p.m., and reservations are heartily recommended. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/orchestria-palm-court ___ You've hit the end of the line sweet lady, Do you want to go a [[different direction->Places]]? Or would you like to [[do something else->Welcome]]?

Last Known Carville House San Francisco, California The sole surviving relic of the San Francisco neighborhood cobbled together from old horsecars and streetcars. <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/cablecar/cablecar.jpg"> <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/cablecar/cablecar2.JPG"> <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/cablecar/cablecar3.jpg"> When cable cars and streetcars began replacing San Francisco’s old horsecars, the Market Street Railway Company needed to purge their outmoded horse-drawn inventory. So in 1895, they began selling the old horsecars for $20, or $10 without the seats. Some creative individuals purchased these horsecars and converted them into houses, offices, clubs, and shops on the outskirts of town. A Civil War veteran named Colonel Charles Dailey began renting three such horsecars from his friend, then-mayor Adolph Sutro, out near Ocean Beach and not far from Sutro’s Baths. Sutro hoped to lure people out toward the beach to sell what was largely undesirable property at the time, made up of sand dunes as it was. Dailey turned the three horsecars into the “the Annex,” a coffee bar decorated with items washed up from the beach. The bar became very popular, particularly among the bohemian crowd, and more people followed Dailey out to the end of the Park and Ocean railway line (at what is now 47th Avenue and Lincoln Way), buying their own various cars to live, work, or play in. The neighborhood that sprang up became known as “Carville” (or “Carville-by-the-Sea”), and was described by one historian as the “the oddest village in the world.” Carville was a very active community for many years, having an estimated population of 2,000 people in 1900. A decade later, in 1910, realtors began to take notice of the area and tried to lure people into normal houses. Pamphlets were made with the title “From Carville to Real Homes” and a symbolic public burning of a horsecar (which was previously used as a clubhouse for the all-female Falcon Bicycle Club) signified the beginning of the end of Carville. The Carville community then gradually shrunk as the “real homes” around them expanded, until it disappeared altogether a couple decades later. All of the known horsecars, streetcars, cable cars, and rail cars of Carville have been lost to history, except for one nondescript house along the Great Highway. Although you wouldn’t notice from the outside, the residence is made up two joined cable cars and one horsecar. The house was built in 1908, but the two cable cars that make up the second story date from the 1880s, and the side room is a horsecar from the 1870s, all of which were previously a part of the historical oddity that was Carville. Know Before You Go Please be respectful when observing the house from the street. It is a private residence. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/last-known-carville-house [[Keep Going East->Encinitas Boat Houses]]

Encinitas Boat Houses Encinitas, California These unusual houses look like giant boats that washed ashore on a residential street. <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/boathouse/boathouse1.jpg"> <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/boathouse/boathouse2.jpg"> Among the bungalows lining the street in a California beach city are two most unusual houses. The buildings are shaped like boats, making them look like they’ve accidentally washed ashore and crashed within a residential area. The S.S. Encinitas and S.S. Moonlight, collectively dubbed the “boat houses,” are located at 726 and 732 3rd Street. Local architect Miles Minor Kellogg paid homage to his sea captain father by creating the Encinitas Boathouses in 1928, using the reclaimed and recycled lumber from a landmark nightclub. From 1888 to 1925, the Moonlight Beach Dance Hall and Bathhouse stood as a North County San Diego landmark. Unfortunately, the local establishment fell victim to the dry years of prohibition and closed its doors. Seizing the opportunity, Kellogg re-purposed the lumber from the nightclub and began constructing the two certainly non-seaworthy boat-shaped homes. The Encinitas Preservation Association acquired the unusual abodes in 2008. The houses still stand and are still lived in today. They’re impressive feats of vernacular architecture, and there are future plans to restore the buildings and potentially offer public tours. Know Before You Go There's plenty of street parking. Please be respectful of tenants as both Boathouses are currently renter-occupied. [[Keep Going East->Tustin Blimp Hangars]]

Tustin Blimp Hangars Tustin, California These enormous World War II relics are some of the largest wooden structures in the world. <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/hangar/hangar.jpg"> <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/hangar/hangar2.jpg"> <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/hangar/hangar3.jpg"> <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/hangar/hangar4.jpg"> These two mammoth blimp hangars were built in the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor to house the manned airships that patrolled the coast of California looking for enemy submarines. At 17 stories high and over 1,000 feet long, they tower over the houses in the Orange County town of Tustin, and are still among the largest freestanding wooden structures on the planet. The Tustin military base was built in 1942 to keep and maintain the lighter-than-air (LTA) airships operated by the U.S. Navy. The giant hangars were made almost entirely of wood as steel was in short supply due to the war effort. Each hangar covers about 7 acres of enclosed space, enough to house six lightweight helium blimps each about 250 feet long. The sheer scale of the structures would earn them recognition as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, not to mention some impressive film and TV cameos. After the dirigibles war program was shut down in 1949, the obsolete blimp hangars were used for Marine helicopter training with the outset of the Korean War. The base, then known as the Marine Corps Air Station Tustin (and nicknamed “Hangar City”) operated until 1999 when it shut down for good. The disused hangars still stand today, though the future of these historic relics of airship warfare is uncertain. Know Before You Go Take the Jamboree exit off Interstate 5 at Tustin, California. The former Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) is now a planned community called Tustin Legacy, adjacent to The District shopping center. One of the hangars is currently open and rented out for events; the other was closed after the roof was damaged in a storm in 2013. Check with the Tustin Chamber of Commerce's website for activities inside the hangar. In March there is a Half Marathon and 5k that runs through the South Hangar. In November they hold a Food & Wine Festival. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tustin-blimp-hangars [[Keep Going East->Bats of Yolo Causeway]]

Bats of Yolo Causeway Davis, California Each summer, the migratory bats living beneath the bypass form "batnadoes" at dusk. <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/causebats/causebats1.jpg"> <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/causebats/causebats2.jpg"> The first Yolo Causeway was built a hundred years ago to take motorists across the marshy flatlands of the Yolo Bypass. In the 1970s, another species joined commuters in making use of the elevated roadway: bats. Every summer, roughly a quarter-million migrating Mexican free-tailed bats nestle between the Yolo Causeway’s expansion joints. Kept warm by the concrete overhead, they give birth to baby bats between flights where they feast on insects above the bypass. The nightly flights are a spectacle that draw Californians looking to enjoy the show. Sometimes called “batnadoes,” long ribbons of bats leave the causeway at dusk every night, even flying miles up into the air to chase their prey. The bats have ample food to choose from and are fairly well protected. The air above the wet, marshy landscape—which is said to be of one of the largest wetlands restoration projects in the American west—is thick with bugs. Know Before You Go Tours to see the bats at their best are given by the Yolo Basin Foundation. They cost $14 per person, and children under 15 attend free. However, the tours, which run June through September, sell out extremely fast. There is, however, a way to see the bats on your own. When driving west on the Causeway, take 32 A towards E. Chiles Road. Park outside the gates of the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, and go up on the levee for the best bat view at sunset. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/yolo-causeway-bats [[Keep Going East->Mojave Megaphone]]

Mojave Megaphone Baker, California No one's quite sure why there's a metal megaphone bolted on two rocks in the middle of the Mojave Desert. <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/megaphone/megaphone.jpg"> <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/megaphone/megaphone2.jpg"> Was there an actual purpose to this strange metal megaphone attached to a rock in the middle of nowhere in the Mojave Desert? Maybe it was a weapon? A drum? An antenna? Or is it just a prank that some joker took the time to set up and wait for someone to notice? No one seems to be exactly sure. This large, megaphone-shaped mystery object is bolted to two rocks on top of a 100-foot hill along a remote strip of desert between the towns of Baker and Ludlow. Some say it’s shaped like a venturi — though they normally are hour-glass shaped — and its shape is more like a rocket nozzle. It’s about 8 feet long, made from thick strips of iron welded together. Many travelers and historians alike have searched for an explanation of how it got there, and for what reason. But while theories abound, the answer remains elusive. One theory suggests that the megaphone was used to amplify a siren that alerted locals when the U.S. Army was conducting secret chemical or gas testing in the area. Another wildly different theory posits that visitors would hike out there and stretch skin over the ends of the object to play it like a drum. Whatever the origins, catching a glimpse of this mysterious “megaphone” atop the rocks is a strange and unexpected sight indeed. Know Before You Go The megaphone can be found atop a 100-foot hill, west of Crucero Road (a dirt road), about 14 miles south of I-15. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mojave-megaphone [[Keep Going East->Abandoned Toy Town]]

Sunvale Village Twentynine Palms, California In this roadside "community for the small," abandoned toys gain new lives. <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/toy-city/toy1.JPG"> <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/toy-city/toy2.JPG"> <img src="https://erl.neocities.org/sabrina-glaactic-tour-images/toy-city/toy3.JPG"> Along a stretch of dirt road is a unique desert village. You won’t find people dwelling here, though. This is a home for discarded toys, called “smalls.” The artist behind the community uses the smalls to make commentary on significant contemporary issues such as the environment, gender biases, politics, ownership, and gentrification of communities. The thread of commonality for the smalls is their past experiences of rejection, abandonment, and isolation. Most smalls were found in the desert at decaying homestead cabins or illegal dump sites. There’s a detailed, imaginative story for each small regarding its past, passage to the village, and rationale for becoming a resident. Each personality serves a purpose for the small community. The first three figurative toys established Sunvale Village, a community for the small, in April of 2017. They included a plastic toy from the site, now known as Small Dog and the original homesteader; Dogu, an abstracted clay figurine who has become the Goodwill Ambassador; and Peppe the Pink Pig, a found pepper shaker (he and Salt’n had broken up) and cousin to Ms Piggy, who joined the village later to become a minor rehabilitation officer to those who had been screwed up by show-biz. Since those three smalls started the village, its population has continually grown. By the summer of 2018, the population of Sunvale Village increased to 56 residents. Each small has a custom-built home reflecting its personality. Currently, there are 34 homes and two community use structures. There are also privately operated but community shared places, where the smalls can spend time together. Know Before You Go This is located in a rural area, on a dirt road. There is no official parking available. Photo images and their corresponding narratives that document the development of the residents of Sunvale Village, a community for the small, are posted regularly on the Facebook page, Sunvale Village. ___ You've hit the end of the line sweet lady, Do you want to go a [[different direction->Places]]? Or would you like to [[do something else->Welcome]]?

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