Activated on December 20th & 21st, 2024
This park run, I think it’s what it’s called, is not something I normally do. In fact, this was my first time. And I learned a lot and drove a lot. It felt even more of an adventure than when I drove about three hours to activate Joshua Tree, as I knew I was not going home at the end of the activation. In fact, I had five activations planned. Three of those parks were centered around Delano, CA, at the junction of CA-99 and CA-155.
Friday, my plan was to visit the parks in this order; US-0204 Pixley National Wildlife Refuge, US-3421 Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park, and US-10875 Kern National Wildlife Refuge. My intent was to activate the furthest north park and travel south as I activated the parks. I was going to spend the night in the great micropolis of Lost Hills, hugging the west side of the intersection of I-5 and CA-46, at the end of my first day. On Saturday my plan was to hit the last two parks, US-3583 – Tule Elk State Natural Reserve and US-3483 – Fort Tejon State Historic Park. Then, home. The plan was simple. Mother Nature had other plans and Fortune smirked.
After an early breakfast at the International House, I punched into my nav app the destination of Pixley Nature Reserve and blindly followed directions up I-5. As I was passing the turnoff for Bakersfield, I started running into fog; parts of it pretty dense. This situation forced me to slow down as I did not want to tangle with big rigs. Eventually I needed to hit a rest stop or truck-stop.
Now, let me explain this comedy of errors. I realized I was going to miss my exit for the stop as I was in the wrong lane, and I was not going to maneuver wildly to exit. So, I thought, I’ll get off at the next exit. I turned right, right into almond country, square miles of almond orchards, where roads not meant of the orchards are tens of miles apart. This was no simple exit-turn-right-drive-a-block-and-turn-left to get on the road you missed. This was “almond country”, in dense fog, with denuded trees on either side of the road, and 70 meters of visibility. Thirty miles an hour was my top speed.
It was a little less than an hour when the truck-stop came into view. I stretched my legs, got cold because of the humidity, and went into the store to get a snack. That meandering side-trip was pretty intense because I had not been in that Steven King-like fog in decades. Better yet, it was like the forest north of the ice wall in Game of Thrones. Sort of…creepy. Well, for a city boy.
No more than thirty minutes later I was exiting to hit the first park. In the back of my head, I knew something was wrong because it seemed too soon, and I was not on CA-43. Yet, I could see in the nav app that the park was just ahead. Sure enough, there was the park, Kern National Wildlife Refuge, the third on the list. Wow, was I off! I was looking for where to pay when I saw a sign that read “Tour Parking” and followed the arrow.
Still under dense fog, I followed the road out into the reserve. The road was atop high berms that separated marshes on either side. I continued following the signs, made a 90 degree turn to the right and continued for about half a mile. At this point the road made a hard left, but the sign pointed right. I decided this was a good spot and parked on the side of the road itself.
US-10875 – Kern National Wildlife Refuge
Setting up was easier than other times, as this was the fourth time I was setting up my LEFS antenna. Still the mast and antenna wire were moist with condensation. Getting the inside of the car configured was also not a problem…repetition. Looking around before settling in the car, the fog was very present as it battled against the light of the sun. In fact, the sun looked like a weak streetlight in the sky. As the humidity weighed down on me, I was distracted by the sounds of ducks quacking and wings beating against the water.
I made twelve contacts form the park. There are few callsigns I recognize, and fewer still where I know the operator’s name. Most of the time when I get a response with my name, I get embarrassed because I either do not recognize the call, or the name, or both. This time, however, I recognized Judy AA5UZ because we had a couple of classes on Zoom with LICW. So, yeah, it was cool to hear her call. There was another call that made me sit up, but for the wrong reason.
The last exciting call came from New Hampshire. I thought that I just got my WAS certificate from POTA. I whooped and stopped short from hollerin’ when I realized that certificate was for hunters, not activators. Please don’t repeat this as it’s the second time that has happened to me. Finally, I did get one DX call from Canada. Yes, Canada is DX, but it’s like kissing your sister. The jokes will stop there.
Thirteen contacts in 46 minutes.
Activation Statistics
| Location | DM05os26, 35.77532, -118.81653 |
| Activation Attempt | 83 |
| Date | 20 December, 2024 |
| Park | US-10875 Kern National Wildlife Refuge |
| Park Activated? | Yes |
| Previous Attempts | None |
| Park to Park Contacts | None |
| Number of Contacts | 13 |
| DX Contacts | 1 – Canada |
| Historical Contacts | 13 |
| Mode | CW |
| Radio | Elecraft KX3 |
| Antenna | Chameleon Light End Fed Sloper (LEFS) |
| Tuner | Internal |
| Power | 5W using a 3Ah Bioenno battery |
US-3421 – Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park
I was on the road again for about 40 minutes. The fog had generally lifted as it was now mid-afternoon when I got to the park. In fact, because of all the meandering, fog, and stops, I arrived at the park right around 1510. I was concerned because my activations are never that quick. You see, I had about 45 minutes before the start of the new Zulu day. It was 2315Z and I needed to activate before 0000Z. However, I was hoping Mother Nature would grace me with an activation. Off the bat I got W4SK. I recognized the call because I have a few Qs with him, but did not know the name. Frustrating. Maybe next time I get him I will remember that John is his name.
The highlight of my activation was my third call, this time from Alaska. Not because of the DX, but because, as I found out later, this was Steven KL5SL’s first QSO in Morse Code! Yes, once I realized I had a new operator, I put a lot of Farnsworth when sending code. Let’s say 16/8. I forgot that I could easily change the speed on my KX3 because of my excitement. Later in the day I received an email from him thanking me for his first QSO in Morse Code and for slowing down.
I was quite pumped that I activated before the stat of a new Zulu day. This never happens by intention, rather by happenstance. Then again…no, I will not second guess my win. I’ll take the “W” and move on.
Eleven contacts in 28 minutes.
Activation Statistics
| Location | DM05hv05, 35.87270, 119.38982 |
| Activation Attempt | 84 |
| Date | 20 December, 2024 |
| Park | US-3421 Colonel Allensworth State Historical Park |
| Park Activated? | Yes |
| Previous Attempts | None |
| Park to Park Contacts | None |
| Number of Contacts | 11 |
| DX Contacts | 2 – Canada, Alaska |
| Historical Contacts | 11 |
| Mode | CW |
| Radio | Elecraft KX3 |
| Antenna | Chameleon Light End Fed Sloper (LEFS) |
| Tuner | Internal |
| Power | 5W using a 3Ah Bioenno battery |
US-0204 Pixley National Wildlife Refuge
I arrived at Pixley about a quarter to five in the afternoon because it was literally about 5 miles from Allensworth. It was getting late in the day, and my timing is off. Ever since the time change, it seems much later to me than it actually is. This is the first time I have noticed this. So, when I got to Pixley the sun was low in the sky. I quickly started my set-up routine. My laptop was out of juice, so I dug out my big battery to get it going. I was ready.
Once back in the car, I realized that it is now pitch dark! Where did the sun go? It went thattaway…. I got out of the car and packed up my antenna and got ready to go. The one thing I forgot at this park was that it is open sunrise to sunset. I could not see the sun, so I figured….
Lost Hills and the Motel
I had a 46-mile drive south to the hotel. The fog came back in a vengeance, and I drove for way over an hour to get to it. There is a certain alertness you achieve when there are no lights but yours, you can’t use your high beams because it causes a whiteout, and you can’t tell what that is ahead of you. Cars ahead of you seem to appear like ghosts, and you must avert your gaze to the right shoulder, so you are not blinded by their headlights. I’ve been here many times before, decades ago. Snow makes this activity much more exciting. Still.
About half-way to the hotel, I could only drive about 30-35 miles per hour. Still, I had a guy tailgating me because I was too slow. It really was not safe to go faster as the visibility was about 30-40 meters. Eventually, the fog cleared up, I was out of Almond Country, and the lights of the micropolis shined beckoningly.
By the way, Lost Hills has a population of 2,400 or so as of 2010. The funny thing is that over 90% of Lost Hills is arable land! It is not a city, but a census-designated place. While in the National Guard, I passed through that place over 100 times in the 80s and 90s. So now I know.
US-3583 Tule Elk State Natural Reserve
The drive was so much nicer to get to Tule Elk State Natural REserve. Yes, it was overcast but it was clear with great visibility. Since my stay at the hotel was not pleasant, I overslept. I needed the rest. I got to the park around 1030-ish. I only saw one car parked, but no owner. The park amenities are laid out in a circle, with the restrooms in the center, picnic tables under shelters, and RV parking in the outer ring. On the north side there is an elevated gallery where you can see the elk over a run of tall tule grass.
It did not take long to set up now, as I am getting better with practice, and the equipment was not totally put away. Just so, my first contact came in at just over 1100. I got another DX from Canada, that sisterly kiss, and managed to get the activation done in under an hour. My contacts went from sea to shining sea. Not much in fly-over country, however. After I packed up and was ready, I went to the raised gallery to see if I could see some elk.
It was at this point that I met Julia, the only park staff on duty. She was a delightful young lady who loves what she does. We spoke for about 45 minutes to an hour. She showed me where I could have a better look at the elk. The Alpha-Male was majestic with his horns standing in the field, facing his harem of cows lounging not far off. Other males were not to be seen, but would soon join the herd after mating season, which was soon to end.
Twelve contacts in 41 minutes.
Activation Statistics
| Location | DM05hh69, 35.33204, -119.36350 |
| Activation Attempt | 85 |
| Date | 21 December, 2024 |
| Park | US-3421 Colonel Allensworth State Historical Park |
| Park Activated? | Yes |
| Previous Attempts | None |
| Park to Park Contacts | None |
| Number of Contacts | 12 |
| DX Contacts | 1 – Canada |
| Historical Contacts | 12 |
| Mode | CW |
| Radio | Elecraft KX3 |
| Antenna | Chameleon Light End Fed Sloper (LEFS) |
| Tuner | Internal |
| Power | 5W using a 3Ah Bioenno battery |
US-3483 – Fort Tejon State Historic Park
As I remember, it was going to be an hour-drive to get to Fort Tejon, so I settled in for the long drive. As the miles passed by, I felt my energy draining. So, by the time I got to the park, which is literally just off the interstate, I just waved at it as I continued towards home. The previous night at the hotel was quite sub-optimal and unsat, and I was tired. Another hour-and-half drive and I would be home.
Thoughts
I think I did okay for my first POTA Run. I’ve been wanting to do this for a couple of months now. It did not go perfectly, but it turned into more of an adventure than I thought. The north-of-the-wall feeling, and views at Kern Reserve were awesome. Driving around Allensworth gave me hope for a resurrection of that town. Pixley Reserve was interesting because, even though I could not see any wildlife, I could sense them in their rustling and hooting. Finally, Tule Elk Reserve was wonderful as I got to see the majesty of that lone Alpha-Male.
Yes, prior planning prevents poor performance, and I did some to be sure, and another saying is that a plan does not survive first contact. In this case with me navigating to the wrong park, Mother Nature and her blankets of fog, and a bad night at the hotel. But don’t let that be the takeaway! The experience was outstanding. I loved the foggy views of Kern Reserve, the tranquility of Allensworth, and the view at Tule Elk. All that added color to my activations, and in the case of Kern Reserve, drained the color from my activations. But the excitement didn’t fade.
I got home very tired, but very satisfied.
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