Area 51 / ET Full Moon Fun Run

Area 51 / ET Full Moon Fun Run

I like to think that I am a runner. I'm not of course. Run, walk, jog is my speed. To be honest I do the best I can for a t-shirt and a finisher medal. I have done many runs here in AZ and a couple in Califoria so I thought I would really take a drive and to Nevada for out of this world experience and the Area 51 Fun Run did not disappoint. The 'ET Full Moon' run is hosted in Rachel, Nevada which a tiny town in the middle of nowhere Eastern Nevada (and adjacent to the famous 'Area 51' of Groom Lake - a special detatchment of Edwards Air Force Base). Rachel is home to the Little A'le Inn which is a charming little motel in the middle of a wide-open valley dissected by State Route 375 which has been named the 'Extraterrestrial Highway' and this highway is the route of the ET Full Moon run which started at midnight and you run 5K, 10K, 1/2 or Full Marathon, or the 51K run.

The drive to Rachel from Las Vegas was long but included many interesting spots to stop along the way including a few natural springs, a large riparian preserve, and several great photo op spots (especially the 'Extraterrestrial Highway' sign). Another potential photo op *may* occur along the road to Rachel which is an open cattle range and you may encounter some cows standing next to, or even on, the highway (so drive with care). Once you arrive in Rachel there is very little to do or see other than the Little L'le Inn which is the town's hotel, bar, grill, and giftshop. The folks at the Little A'le Inn are very friendly and can share stories about life next to Area 51. You will also want to gas up whereever you can along the way because the nearest gas station is many miles away in either direction.

The night of the run was cloudy and then turned to a light drizzel with the full Moon occasionally breaking through the clouds. The run attracts people from across the country and many of them are dressed in appropriate costumes for the run's theme. Since you're running along a highway at night you're required to wear some reflective gear ... or some people wore green glow sticks which only added to the eeriness of the run with a long line of green glow up and down the highway. When you finish the run you get your cool ET medal and can wait for the pancake breakfast, but we decided to get a few hours of sleep before hitting the road for the 7 hour journey home.

http://calicoracing.com/events/et-full-moon/

www.aleinn.com

La Brea Tar Pits - Los Angeles

La Brea Tar Pits - Los Angeles

We were in Los Angeles for another reason but had some free time before heading back to Arizona and decided to look for something "new" in LA to see and found that the lauded La Brea Tar Pits were nearby. The La Brea Tar Pits are seemingly in the middle of LA - a large open greenspace with the strong odor of tar which was an odd juxtaposition with the tall buildings surrounding the park. The tar pits are still actively seeping oil tar and still being actively excavated to reveal fossils from thousands / tens of thousands of years ago. You can walk around the park grounds and view several pits of different sizes and depths.

There is a museum in the middle of the park with displays of fossilized animals who had the bad luck of wandering into the tar and was unable to escape. There are displays that allow you to try to pull a simulated foot or limb from the tar which helps you understand just how dangerous the areas were and how futile they may have struggled to free themselves. The museum includes life-size versions of the animals and their skeletons recovered from the pits which illustrates the diversity of life in the area long before Los Angeles was ever founded. The tar pits may not appeal to everyone and if you have an aversion to the strong smell of tar it may not be too enjoyable. If you find yourself in LA with some free time and are a fan of archeology or sabertooth tigers or crude oil, then you may want to plan a visit.

https://tarpits.org

Biosphere 2

Biosphere 2 - Oracle Arizona

Biosphere 2 is located on Biosphere 1 (the Earth) about 25 miles Northeast of Tucson, AZ just a few miles outside of Oracle, AZ. Biosphere 2 is a working environmental sciences laboratory that attracts scientists and educators across the globe. Biosphere 2 was built in 1987 as a dedicated self-sufficient laboratory to help scientists understand how to create and maintain a 'closed ecosystem' such that would be used for eventual outposts on the Moon or Mars. From 1991 to 1993 Biosphere 2 hosted eith scientists / mission members who lived within the sealed Biosphere unit - growing their own food, breathing recycled air, drinking recycled water, and conducting experiments to help them understand what future explorers will need to do to survive.

The tour for Biosphere 2 starts with a short movie about the history of Biosphere 2 and its various missions and then you start a journey throughout the various different biomes - rain forrest, ocean, wetlands, fog desert, savannah, farmland. You also get a tour of the technology systems that keep Biosphere 2 running - the air and water recycling systems, power systems, and the 'lungs' of Biosphere 2. At the end you tour the crew quarters to see how they lived for the 2-year missions sealed inside the laboratory.

The University of Arizona now owns and operates Biosphere 2 and continues to draw researchers from across the globe.


http://biosphere2.org/