That’s so cool and funny about your dad. Tehachapi is beautiful! I knew a few ppl that had worked at Edwards, but lost touch with them over the years. I use to work in California City for a few years. When my Great Uncle retired, he lived in Boron and use to watch the shuttle land on the far easternmost runway at Edwards from his house. I was never able to get off work to go watch with him. China Lake is in a world of its own, they all weird up there. I had an old friend that worked there, he filtered the emails or sorted them to the person that they were suppose to go to. Thats all he had really told me and that was back in the mid 90s. He wouldn’t talk much about what went on up there. But he did give me a small tour on the base, which was cool. I always watch the sky’s out here, never know what you might see being by Edwards, China Lake, Ft Irwin and 29 Palms. the military flys more off radar, than on radar out here.