As a kid and living in the mountains between El Centro and San Diego I use
to hike down to the base and camp out just to watch the Blue Angeles
practice. I always had my trusted J.C. Higgins 22 rifle and I really
enjoyed watching them. In the winter it would get pretty cold at night and
I would build a small fire. It was just to hot in the summer and they were
not there. I would follow the old train tracks out of Grease Gorge
(mountain springs grade), stop of at old man Millers place (garage &
towing) at the bottom of the grade in Ocotillo. He had an old Cessna and
sometimes he would take me up for a ride. This was the days before the
freeway. On the way back at mountain springs grade there was an old hermit
know to me only as Happy. He lived down there among the rocks and lived off
of items from the truck wreaks, going down the grade. I normally would
visit with him for a couple of hours and then take the old stage couch route
back up the grade. And then head back into what is now McCain valley
recreation area (BLM land). From there I would normally go over and visit
with Old Tulle Jim McCain, he would always have something for me to do.
From there I would head back through the Manzanita Indian reservation
stopping to visit with the different Indian family's. There was an old dam
and if it happen to be hot I would stop and take a swim. There was Brucy,
and Atiline, and the Eleits. They always welcomed me, and at Jinks place he
would give me a grease gun and I would go up and grease the old wind mill.
I guess I must of traveled about 150 miles total and always caught hell when
I got home. But it was worth it to be able to lay out there in the desert
and watch the Blue Angeles, how I dreamed it was me up there.
Clyde
"Mike Weeks" wrote in message
oups.com...
Surely this is a typo ...
"El CENTRO, Calif. (NNS) -- The Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the
Blue Angels, performed for more than 200 spectators at Naval Air
Facility (NAF) El Centro March 11, marking the beginning of the Blue
Angels' 60th anniversary season."
http://www.news.navy.mil/search/disp...story_id=22709
MW