It’s not often I get the opportunity to visit an active military base so when Janna mentioned that her friend Alex works at Vandenberg Space Force base I immediately asked if we could get a tour. We spent the better part of Sunday touring the base. During the meandering tour, We saw a number of smaller launch pads which are used for smaller rockets and payloads.

The larger pad, SLC-6 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vandenberg_Space_Launch_Complex_6], was originally developed for Space Shuttle launches but was never used for such. Today, it’s used to launch Delta-5 rockets. Unfortunately, there wasn’t one on the pad. Nevertheless, we were able to walk around the immense facility. The sheer size of the facility is hard to describe. Without the aid of pictures, because it was a no-photo-zone, you’ll have to trust me that the place is HUGE!

Alex did a fantastic job as a tour guide - 5 of 5 stars!. We drove all over the base, seeing some of California’s magnificent coast with SLCs (Space Launch Complex for you space nerds) as a backdrop.

You might notice in the pictures that the fog rolled in. Apparently, even though we had beautiful weather inland, the base experiences many days of fog and rain. Ewwwww.

We also got to experience the commissary, which was a first for me. Apparently, they stock numerous international delicacies because when abroad members of the military grow accustomed to them. I felt the need to purchase a German snack that consisted of a thin waffle cookie smothered in chocolate. Yummmm.