LOS ANGELES (Nov. 30) — This area of the world is one of the most remarkable for experiencing natural phenomena. I spend my summers in the San Fernando Valley — northwest of downtown L.A. — and have twice felt earthquakes in the past couple of years, including a doozy of a tremor almost four months ago… the 5.4-magnitude 'quake that was centred about 45 miles southeast of here, in the desert. Most of you have undoubtedly read (or seen videotape on the news) about the wild-fires that occur in the canyons north of Los Angeles at this time each year. When it pours rain for days on end — as it often does in January — there are mudslides that threaten to block major thoroughfares like the scenic Pacific Coast Highway.
But, nothing is quite as astonishing as the phenomenon I experienced for a second time this afternoon — actually, 20 minutes before this writing. I was on the back-patio of my in-laws’ house, chatting with several of their friends, when a gigantic boom-like explosion stopped all of us in mid-sentence. Within two or three seconds, the people that live out here said, “Ahh, it’s just the space shuttle” and went back to their conversations. I wasn’t quite so blase about the sonic-boom that rocked the area. I immediately turned on the TV and watched the shuttle land a few minutes later at Edwards Air Force Base — in the Mojave Desert, about 60 miles north of here.
When the shuttle is lining up to land at Edwards, it passes directly over the San Fernando Valley and the city of Calabasas, where I’m located. At the time, it is traveling [actually gliding] faster than the speed of sound, thus the unanticipated but spectacular double-boom that echoes through the valley and Santa Monica Mountains in the distance. The “veterans” of this area — including my in-laws — have heard it numerous times over the years, so it hardly phases them. For an easterner, however, it is astounding to experience, even for a second time.
The first — a couple of summers ago — wasn’t unexpected, as I saw on the news that the shuttle would be landing at Edwards. But, it happened in the middle of the night, around 2:45 a.m., so it scared the heck out of people that weren’t aware of the shuttle’s approach. Police and TV stations were inundated with calls from worried residents.
The noise sounds like a double-clap of the loudest thunder you can imagine… but with no warning. And, in a valley such as this, it echoes for five or six seconds afterwards. If you are watching a storm in the summer, you can anticipate hearing the roar of thunder so many seconds after a flash of lightning. But, this comes out of nowhere, and it happens on a crystal-clear day like today. The shuttle is still far enough above land when it passes over here – about 70,000 feet — that it’s impossible to see any evidence of the sonic-boom. And, as mentioned, the vehicle glides to a landing, so there is no engine noise, as with a jetliner. Just incredible.
Anyway, time to start work on this trip. I’m heading to downtown L.A. in a few moments and will watch the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers play basketball at the Staples Center tonight. Tomorrow morning, the Leafs have their day-of-game skate, before starting their three-game trip against the L.A. Kings.
Didn’t see last night’s win over Philadelphia, but I’m told the boys were rather aggressive, and that Vesa Toskala played well for the second consecutive game. Let’s see if the trend continues here in the west.
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