Lancaster California Travel- Adventuring To New Heights

Adventure is defined as "an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity." So an Air Show in Lancaster seemed the perfect place to experience something new! I headed there a day early to see what the town and surrounding area was like and to get into some nature.

Lancaster, California is about an hour north of Los Angeles in the Antelope Valley and is famous for a few different reasons and one of them is the Poppy Reserve. This protected area is the best place to see the beautiful state flowers on full display. The poppy bloom season varies each year depending on the weather, and is usually between mid-march and early May.  Unfortunately, when I was there the poppies weren't blooming yet and a local expert told me that there wasn't enough rain during the wintertime and they may not bloom at all this year. Even without the bright flowers though, this park has some beautiful trails that take you through the rolling green hills of the Mojave desert.

After a lovely morning hike I decided to head downtown and check out the sites. But not before a quick drive (or 6) on the Musical Road. In 2008, Honda created America's first musical road by using grooves at different heights and distances so that when you drive 55 mph over it, it plays the William Tell Overture, or as most people know it, the Lone Ranger theme song. The road is located between 30th and 40th street west and you have to make sure you're in the far left lane to go over it. I tried twice on the wrong side and couldn't understand why it wasn't working! It's a lot of fun and I definitely made a few rounds.

Walking around downtown Lancaster, the biggest surprise to me was the amount of art and culture. There were kids playing instruments on every corner and multiple museums and galleries. It was really unexpected and a pleasant surprise. There's also a lot of military and aviation pride found around the city. Bravery Brewery not only has some amazing beers to choose from, the wall of bravery is an amazing dedication to those who've served and sacrificed for our country. Monuments and murals dedicated to honoring veterans and the aerospace Walk of Fame recognizing amazing feats in aviation make this town special.

Speaking of aviation...Lancaster has multiple air parks with some incredible airplanes on display! Everything from retired air force jets to NASA transport planes this place really is amazing to walk around. It's tough to get an idea of the scale of these giant jets until you can get up close and personal like I did at the Joe Davies Heritage Airpark.

The next day I headed to the L.A. County Air Show and I gotta admit, I didn't quite know what to expect. As soon as you walk in and see all of the aircrafts and the energy buzzing around, it's exciting. There's demonstrations and airplane tours, actual NASA astronauts signing autographs, and a glimpse at the technical aspect of flight; it was pretty cool.

The main event kicked off with skydivers descending with the American flag and the trick flights began. Watching the Red Bull plane do mulitiple flips and turns, even the helicopter doing barrel rolls, wing suit jumpers, and trick planes flying upside down; it was all super exhilarating. There was a military tribute with the Planes of Fame Air Museum Warbirds display, a NASA high-altitude aircraft, and the world's first single engine jet fighter The Vampire. The real energy kicked in as the Marine Osprey came out followed by the F-22 Raptor. The sound of the Raptor racing by is unlike any other and watching grown men jump up and down and cheer with each pass with amazing.

For someone who knows absolutely nothing about aviation, this was an incredibly fun and high-energy experience! For the avid aviation fans and air force veterans, this was heaven! Talking to fans who'd followed certain pilots of planes around to watch them perform was such an honor and this really was a unique adventure that anyone and everyone can enjoy! Check out the full episode below.

To learn more about Lancaster check out www.destinationlancaster.com