Gribblenation

Back in 2012 I took a form of transportation I don't believe has been previously covered on the Surewhynotnow blog; the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway from Coachella Valley in Sonoran Desert to the vicinity of San Jacinto Peak. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is located a couple miles northwest of downtown Palm Springs on California State Route 111.  Access to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is via the amusingly named Tram Way. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway begins it's ascent through Chino Canyon at 2,643 feet above sea level at the Valley Station to 8,516 feet above sea level at Mountain Station.  The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway was first proposed in 1935 but construction didn't begin until 1960.  Helicopters were largely used during the construction of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway which opened in 1963.  The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway provides easy access to San Jacinto State Park in addition to Santa Rosa and San Jacinto National Monument....

Back in 2012 I spent a considerable amount of time exploring the Mojave National Preserve located in northern San Bernadino County, California.  Of particular note was Kelbaker Road which leads traffic from Historic US Route 66 northward through the derelict reaches of the Mojave Desert to I-15/California State Route 127 in Baker.  Kelbaker Road essentially serves as the main park road for the National Park Service through the Mojave National Preserve.  The grade from US 66 north to Kelso is relatively new having popped up sometime in the late 1970s/early 1980s according to historicaerials.com.  The asphalt quality section of Kelbaker Road south of Kelso is decent but far from the best, at minimum it is paved which is often more than can be expected in the Mojave. Kelbaker Road has a junction with the Kelso Dunes a couple miles south of Kelso.  The Kelso Dunes cover an area of 45 square miles with dunes rising as high 650 feet above the desert floor....

Back in 2012 I was working in the Riverside Area when I stopped at the March Field Air Museum to view the Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird on display. The March Field Air Museum is located off I-215 on Van Buren Boulevard in the March Air Reserve Base.  The March Field Museum first opened in 1979 and was quickly moved to the former commissary building by 1983.  Since 1993 the Museum has been located just off I-215 on Van Buren Boulevard. The main attraction on display at the March Field Air Museum as stated above is 1 of 32 SR-71 Blackbirds ever built.  The SR-71 Blackbird was in production from 1964 to 1998 and was the fastest plane that ever existed.  In 1976 SR-71 61-7962 set a speed record of 2,193.2/Mach 3.3 and an altitude record of 85,069 feet. The SR-71 was designed to be a stealth reconnaissance aircraft that was capable of evading surface-to-air-missiles.  The SR-71 was powered by Pratt & Whitney J58 turbo jet engines capable of producing 32,...

Back in 2012 I visited the London Bridge located in Lake Havasu City just off of Arizona State Route 95. The 1831 London Bridge is a granite arch design which once was over the River Thames.  Construction on the 1831 London Bridge started in 1824 and took seven years to complete.  By the 1920 the 1831 London Bridge has sunk approximately 4 inches which spurred interest in a replacement span.  The 1831 London Bridge was originally 928 long and 49 wide when it spanned the River Thames. In 1967 the 1831 London Bridge was closed and sold to Oil Chairman Robert McCulloch and shipped to the Pittsburgh Point in Lake Havasu City.  The 1831 London Bridge was rebuilt from 1968 to 1971 over dry land.  Once the 1831 London Bridge was rebuilt the Bridgewater Canal was dredged underneath which essentially converted Pittsburgh Point into an island. Today the 1831 London Bridge carries McCulloch Boulevard from the main land of the City to Pittsburgh Point.  ...