April 22, 2013

• Point Concepcion -- Part 2

  Leaving the populated central area of Vandenberg AFB, we drove out through what once was the housing area of a very large Camp Cooke.

  

  

  

  and past the marquis for the National Reconnaissance Office building

  

  to undeveloped land.

  

  The trees were actually all planted as windbreaks to protect the buildings on Camp Cooke -- otherwise this area would be quite scrubby, similar to the foreground in the next shot.

  

  

  The ceanothus was in bloom, as was some of the iceplant; otherwise there were few flowering plants.

  

  Off in the distance, barely visible, the shore appeared.  The quality of the next few shots is not very good due to the amount of fog present -- we could barely see the shore here, and until we were right there.

  

   

  

  We came to a crossroads.  In front of is the area where the missile silos and launch sites are -- the entire area is closed.

  

  The only way the general public can enter the area is on the train -- Amtrak runs through the base on what must be a gorgeous run from Santa Barbara north to San Luis Obispo.

  

  At the crossroads, we turned right, towards the sea.

  

  

  

  We crossed the train tracks, and came to this gate, just back from the shore.  It was still fairly early afternoon, so we chanced continuing on, hoping that the gate would stay open until at least 5 pm -- there were no signs indicating what time it would close, and we wanted to get down to the beach.

  

  

  This was basically the end of the road.  The road turned right, and ended in a parking lot alongside the shore, behind which was a wall that was once used by the Army as part of a shooting range.  I don't know who the car belonged to -- perhaps somebody who didn't want to get caught on the wrong side of a closed gate, or perhaps a volunteer patrolling the beach.  There are numerous warning signs here about the use of the beach.  A very small bird, the Western Snowy Plover, nests on the sand from this point southward around Point Concepcion and Point Arguello.  Because it is an endangered species, people are to stay away from the nesting area.  From March to September each year, the beach is subject to closure if there are more that 10 'violations' of the birds' space at this beach (a restricted area with little public access anyway -- at Surf, which is Lompoc's public beach, it's 50 violations within a 1/2-mile stretch).  The beaches have been closed since about April 1, and, in Lompoc, there is a huge discontent over this closure of the only public beach within 20-25 driving miles. 

  

  

   

  We walked to the red and green sign, and went no farther.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Driving back, it was more evident that the natural state of the land is scrub, with some iceplant.  The reddish iceplant was introduced, and has somewhat taken over.

  

  

  

  This looks like a white lupine -- there wasn't very much of it.

  

  

  

  We took a  small road detour to the base's gun club

  

  While we were there, an Amtrak train went by.

  

  

  

  

  Back at the main entrance to the Base, we stopped to take a few shots of their iconic missile.

  

  

  

   

  

  Driving out, along the side of the Base, we passed FCI (Federal Correctional Institute) Lompoc, a Federal penitentiary established on the edge of the base.  This prison has had various uses, including a low-security, white-collar prison, and now a maximum security prison.  There are signs along the road warning against stopping, picking up hitch-hikers, and I took that also to mean no photography!

  • 5:46 pm
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