24 Miles outside of Pahrump NV

[OldGuy]

These two google earth images show the spot where I first saw a B-1 Bomber on his Radar Evasion Course out of Nellis AFB. This is exactly 24 miles out of Pahrump and on a 12 mile stretch of rock road maintained by BLM. Today it is a nature and game reserve, up until the 80s it was still Ranch Lands that have been there for way over a hundred years. It has natural fresh water underground springs that come above ground in several Historical spots. When you reach the end of this road you are at a 400 acre blue water lake that was man made by an older closed silver mine. It is still not well known to most people living out there. It is hot in the summer around 120 in the sunlight but the lake always has a perpetual wind blowing and I would take the two dogs and brother there on weekends to let the dogs swim an hour, then go home and get under the water cooler for the rest of the day. We always had a cooler with a 12 pack and some sandwich stuff. I would drive about 15 miles an hour just taking in the beauty and peacefulness of the area. So on the way out one afternoon I saw my first B-1 coming down this road which appeared to be dead on but he was actually starting his evasion route at 200 or 300 hundred feet. I thought it was a small Cessna aircraft just flying low level because there is a small air park at Pahrump. It moved over to the bottom of the mountain range beside the road and it was a big beautiful B-1 just coasting on autopilot. It reached the opposite end we were facing which it the 2nd photo and it nosed up and climbed over that mountain range. You could not hear this plane until it was directly off to the side. I have no doubts if it is ever used in wartime it will accomplish it's mission, without radar tracking an enemy would be hard pressed to target this plane. I love that area and really miss it, old today and I wonder why I left it.