This week’s Guest Nomad is Bret Sean of The Jetpacker. You can also follow Bret on Twitter and fan him on Facebook.
Think of Orange County, California and you probably think of housewives, plastic surgery and luxury cars. Not the greatest image in the world. But that could soon change.
The OC wants to be recognized as more than just a bad TV show on FOX. And the first step in the right direction is the construction of the “First Great Metropolitan Park of the 21st Century.”
The Orange County Great Park will cover 1,347 acres of land, almost twice the size of New York’s Central Park (843 acres). Where did they find all that space in such a densely populated area?
The decommissioned air base in El Toro. Yes, the same El Toro Marine Corps Air Station where every president in the post-WWII era landed at in Air Force One. Yes, the same base where Lee Harvey Oswald was once stationed. And yes, the same place that served as Will Smith’s home base in Independence Day.
After it closed in 1999, initial plans were to convert the base into a major international airport. But that plan was shot down in favor of turning a portion of the base into Orange County’s version of Central Park. The design features:
–A 165-acre Sports Park with soccer and baseball fields, a rock climbing wall and a skateboarding complex.
–A 60-acre Botanical Garden.
–A 122-acre Cultural Terrace that will include museums, a library, and a 100-foot wide terrace for eating, socializing and playing games of chess with human-sized pieces.
–Groves of citrus and acacia trees in the Great Lawn, where visitors can sunbathe (a daily chore among OC natives) or have a picnic.
–A 2-mile long, 60-foot deep Canyon lined with colorful vegetation and glimmering pools.
–The Great Park Air Museum, detailing the 56-year history of the El Toro base; it will be located inside the preserved Hangar 244 and feature a veteran’s memorial and display vintage aircraft on remnants of the original runway.
–A three-mile long Wildlife Corridor that preserves Orange County’s ecosystem and allows wildlife to migrate from Cleveland National Forest in the north to Crystal Cove State Park in the south.
Right now, you have to imagine how cool it will be because the Great Park’s plans won’t be fully realized for at least a decade. Segments of the park will open piece by piece over the coming years, but the coolest feature of the park has already opened: The Great Park Balloon, one of the largest passenger helium balloons in the world.
Up to 30 passengers at a time can climb abroad the ring-shaped carriage and witness distances of 20 miles away from a height of 400 feet. After a few minutes, the tethered balloon is gently pulled back to the ground.
There may not be much to see yet — not until the park is complete — but rides are free, day and night.
So the next time you think of The OC, think of more than just fake boobs, fake tans and fake people. Think of a real place, full of culture, wildlife… and a balloon that looks like a giant orange.
