TimeOut

Wandering Around Chollas Heights, Part 1

I discovered today that "Chollas Heights" is the name that someone assigned to a small patch of land about 100 years ago. It bothers me slightly, because this is where I grew up and no one told or asked me about naming it Chollas Heights. If you look at this map, you can see that even though this is Navy property, much of it is dedicated to preservation to offset some of the more (shall we say) mechanical uses, like housing vessels, aircraft, etc.

This is why the first half of the name is Chollas

This is why they named it Heights (about 500 feet above sea level).

This area was far outside the developed part of San Diego when the Navy decided to establish a Communications Station here, 110 years ago. The first of its kind, it had radio range of 12,000 miles. The base and the antenna were operational when our house in Mike Heights was built in 1950 and when I lived here during the Fifties and Sixties, but eventually was closed when more satellite-based communications were possible.

Some years ago the Navy built a small museum to recall its history, but until today, it had never been open when we came around.

Three 600-ft towers were erected here, with aerial wires connecting them, serving as one giant antenna. The museum notes we saw said the parts were hauled in by mules because there were no roads here then.

Here's a scale model that exists in the museum.

View looking up at this giant Erector Set

View from the top looking out at the other two towers.

Man with giant cajones painting the top of a tower with brush on pole!

The size of the top bit, all that's left onsite of the original towers.

Well, okay, there's more inside, like this antenna signal control center!

Original quarters from the base about 100 years old.

In case your tinfoil hat doesnt keep your neighbors from beaming bad vibes at you, consider building an entire room copper shielded and grounded, sitting on lead-filled ceramic insulators!

Twas a sad day when they blew up the towers and hauled everything away. That was about 30 years ago.

Today we walked around all the preserve land.

Of course we had to walk around some of the Navy housing, and we appreciated this sailor chose a color scheme for his 'rod which was consistent with the local foliage.

Gerald Genta Gefica Safari original version

The natives weren't sure what I was up to, with the camera and all...

Vultures looking for a meal from high overhead... I wonder if they got tangled in the wires "back in the old days" or were put off by the radio transmissions?

Chollas Lake is behind the trees over here ... please join us for Part 2 if you'd like to see some water, birds, and turtles.

Cazalea

Wandering Around Chollas Heights, Part 1

Wandering Around Chollas Heights, Part 1

Birds galore 😁👌

Yes, we have been here before (link inside) and there are always birds

Wandering Around Chollas Heights, Part 2

Wonderful variety of birds in Chollas👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

Thanks for the informative photo tour, cazalea.

Very interesting and super pics, as usual. TY!

Thanks for that interesting explanation of what those huge towers were built for. There was barely a place anywhere in town where you couldn't see them from.

Reported by the news articles in the museum to be the tallest structures built in San Diego county!

That painter should have been tethered or had a parachute or been wearing a squirrel suit. Just not seeing the basketball sized bulges in his pants for the cajones that would be