One dish up close
I was also expecting a big cordon of barbed wire and chain link fence, like at every other government site on the planet. Instead you can just drive on in, pick up a brochure, or not, and more or less wander around at will. No $35 entry fee, no terrorist lockdown, no tourist shakedown. Really refreshing.
I was standing directly underneath this dish, staring up at it, when it suddenly repositioned, pointing towards a different part of the sky. I took a photo. It repositioned again, right back to where it was originally. I looked over towards the control building, picturing some laid-back radio astronomer killing time until sunset by toying with the one solitary tourist wandering around out there.
