Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
launch of
SpaceShipOne
, the first privately funded human space flight, thus laying the
groundwork for commercial space tourism. Dozens of aerospace companies are hard at
work here developing the latest aeronautical technologies, including SpaceShipTwo for
Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic.
A replica of SpaceShipOne is on display in the airport's small
Legacy Park
, along with
a huge Rotary Rocket, which was an early reusable civilian space vehicle developed here
in the late '90s. The
Voyager Cafe
has some great old photographs.
The Air & Space Port is also home to a huge
airplane graveyard
(off-limits to visitors)
where retired commercial airplanes roost in the dry desert air waiting to be scavenged for
spare parts.
There are national chain motels along Rte 14 in Mojave, but locally owned
Mariah
Country Inn & Suites
( 661-824-4980;
www.mariahhotel.com
; 1385 Hwy 58, Mojave; r incl
breakfast from $89; )
is by the entrance to the Air & Space Port. Immaculately
kept rooms have early American-style furniture, and there's a pool, small hot tub and a few
fitness machines.
Boron
Off Hwy 58, about midway between Mojave and Barstow, this tiny town (population
2253) catapulted onto the map in 1927 with the discovery of one of the world's richest
borax deposits. Today, it is home to California's
largest open-pit mine
, operated by the
global mining concern Rio Tinto. At 1 mile wide, 2.5 miles long and up to 650ft deep, the
mine looks like a man-made Grand Canyon and supplies 40% of the world's demand for
this versatile mineral (used in everything from glass to detergents). Historically, Boron
was where Death Valley's famous 20-mule teams deposited their huge loads of borax at a
dusty desert railway station, hauled from over 165 miles away.
Sights
Borax Visitors Center
MUSEUM
(
760-762-7588;
www.borax.com
;
Borax Rd, off Hwy 58; per car $3;
9am-5pm)
