0:00:02 > 0:00:07I have crossed the Atlantic to ride the railroads of North America
0:00:07 > 0:00:10with my faithful Appleton's Guide.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15Published in the late 19th century,
0:00:15 > 0:00:18it will direct me to everything that's novel, beautiful,
0:00:18 > 0:00:24memorable, and curious...in the United States.
0:00:24 > 0:00:25Yee-ha!
0:00:26 > 0:00:29As I travel through this vast continent,
0:00:29 > 0:00:34I'll discover gold and silver, movies and microchips,
0:00:34 > 0:00:36oil and oranges,
0:00:36 > 0:00:40and learn how America's most famous railroad
0:00:40 > 0:00:42conquered the wild landscapes of the West.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26My journey will soon conclude at the southernmost part
0:01:26 > 0:01:28of the Californian coast,
0:01:28 > 0:01:32near the Mexican border, and the Mexican town of Tijuana.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36As I travel south, the light and the coastal beauty
0:01:36 > 0:01:38seem to get ever better.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42And I shall indeed sample a tourist attraction.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44But, it's not all plain sailing.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47Water is not just for recreation.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51It's a vital resource that cannot always be relied upon.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56And, beyond the ocean lie perceived dangers to the United States
0:01:56 > 0:02:00that keep its armed forces ever in a state of readiness.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11I'm nearing the end of my exploration,
0:02:11 > 0:02:14which began 1,000 miles back in Reno, Nevada,
0:02:14 > 0:02:18and will end by the Mexican border in San Diego.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Today, I embark upon the final leg,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25which starts in the coastal town of La Jolla.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28I'll then travel to the green heart of San Diego City,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31before exploring the surrounding hillsides,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34and ending in the bay at Pacific Fleet.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40On my travels, at the birthplace of Top Gun,
0:02:40 > 0:02:42I get ready for action...
0:02:42 > 0:02:45So, the theory is that there might be something in that pipe
0:02:45 > 0:02:48- and it just spurts out when I take it off?- It could, yes.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52..get a sense of proportion at a very big small railroad...
0:02:52 > 0:02:54Would it be unfair to say that you people are a bit fanatical?
0:02:54 > 0:02:56Oh, yes, yes!
0:02:56 > 0:02:57HE LAUGHS
0:02:57 > 0:02:59Very easily so!
0:02:59 > 0:03:02..and find a novel way to play the organ.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05Ha! You've got it!
0:03:06 > 0:03:08That was such fun!
0:03:12 > 0:03:16"Los Angeles is connected to San Diego", says Appleton's,
0:03:16 > 0:03:18"by the Southern Pacific Railroad."
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Now operated by Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner,
0:03:21 > 0:03:24and you can see how it takes the name.
0:03:24 > 0:03:30The book tells me that the points of interest include La Jolla caves.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34Well, no journey is worth the name unless one's ready to venture deep.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39'Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,
0:03:39 > 0:03:43'we're now arriving at our next destination of Solana Beach.'
0:03:43 > 0:03:47The La Jolla line was closed several decades ago,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50so I'm alighting at Solana Beach.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55The caves to which my Appleton's refers
0:03:55 > 0:03:59are along a stretch of spectacular sandstone coastline,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02which was becoming a popular destination
0:04:02 > 0:04:03at the time of my guidebook.
0:04:06 > 0:04:11I'm meeting Carol Alton of the La Jolla Historical Society.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17Carol, this is a remarkable spot, an extraordinary rock formation.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20We're actually on top of one of the caves, are we?
0:04:20 > 0:04:22Yes, we're on top of the cave called the Sunny Jim Cave.
0:04:22 > 0:04:28Sunny Jim is named after a cartoon character from the early 1900s.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32The Sunny Jim was actually developed so that people could view
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Sunny Jim Cave from the inside,
0:04:34 > 0:04:36and actually see the silhouette of the cartoon character.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38How are the caves marketed to tourists?
0:04:38 > 0:04:41They were marketed through the railroad.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44The first railroads were built here in the 1890s.
0:04:44 > 0:04:45They came from San Diego,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48and the railroad would bring people up to La Jolla,
0:04:48 > 0:04:52and they would post when the low tides would be,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55and so people would come during the low tide and be able to walk
0:04:55 > 0:04:59all along these beaches, and look at La Jolla.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05Following in the footsteps of those 19th-century visitors,
0:05:05 > 0:05:08I shall wend my way gently towards the beach.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18- Hello!- Hey, good morning. - How are you doing?- I'm very good.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20Get a lot of tourists coming in?
0:05:20 > 0:05:22- We do.- What are they attracted by, do you think?
0:05:22 > 0:05:25The beauty of the environment here.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30You know, this has quite a migration of seals and sealions and birds,
0:05:30 > 0:05:34and whales and dolphins that tend to just love this environment.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37So, you think people are highly attracted by the wildlife here?
0:05:37 > 0:05:40- Completely.- Yeah.- Completely. It's a haven.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48Today, as in Appleton's day,
0:05:48 > 0:05:52the best way to explore the caves and to see the wildlife
0:05:52 > 0:05:54is from the water.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56Then, they used rowing boats.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58But I'm going to paddle a kayak.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02Nick McManus is my guide.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05- Oh, we have a little harbour seal out there.- Yeah. That's very cute.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13- Woo!- Good thing you're wearing that jacket!
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Getting close to the caves now.
0:06:22 > 0:06:23We are.
0:06:24 > 0:06:29These cliffs are almost 75 million years old.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32And today, there are seven caves to explore.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35One of the reasons why this is one of my favourite caves is
0:06:35 > 0:06:37you just look at it and it looks almost like a movie set.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39An old-time pirate cave.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42During prohibition in the US, that's what this was used for.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44It was used to smuggle alcohol up from Mexico.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48Do you think, if we breathe deeply, there'll still be some fumes?!
0:06:51 > 0:06:52Wow, look at these rocks!
0:06:52 > 0:06:56So many different colours in here, purples and yellows and greys.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58Vivid, vivid colours.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01And you can see the geology piled up, can't you?
0:07:01 > 0:07:05You can see the millions of years that this thing took to develop,
0:07:05 > 0:07:07and then later to be hollowed out.
0:07:08 > 0:07:13And the cave now opens out, the colour of the cave changes.
0:07:13 > 0:07:14It's been quite dark until now.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19And...round we go.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23Oh, that's lovely, Nick. That is a fantastic circuit.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25Very pretty.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37Leaving the coast, I'm back on the rails.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43My last stop will be San Diego, which, Appleton's tells me,
0:07:43 > 0:07:48was founded by the Roman Catholic missionaries back in 1769.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51It lies on the north-eastern shore of a bay
0:07:51 > 0:07:5415 miles north of the Mexican border.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58And the harbour is, next to that of San Francisco,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00the best on the Californian coast.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05I'm sure I'll find lots to grab my attention in this temperate city,
0:08:05 > 0:08:11a place of great strategic interest to an institution founded in 1775,
0:08:11 > 0:08:14the United States Navy.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30As a natural deepwater harbour on the Pacific Ocean,
0:08:30 > 0:08:35the city of San Diego has long been an important defensive location.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41But it wasn't until the Transcontinental Railroad arrived
0:08:41 > 0:08:45in 1885 that the city really began to expand.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10San Diego has some beautifully preserved buildings
0:09:10 > 0:09:12from the late 19th and early 20th century,
0:09:12 > 0:09:15and, like Los Angeles, it's got great weather, the beach,
0:09:15 > 0:09:17the ocean, and mountains.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19But it's much more compact.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23So, if you want a Los Angeles without the endless freeway journeys
0:09:23 > 0:09:25San Diego's your place.
0:09:30 > 0:09:36My Appleton's of 1891 notes the rapid growth of San Diego.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41The phenomenal expansion of the city in the late 19th century
0:09:41 > 0:09:43was in large part down to one man,
0:09:43 > 0:09:48industrialist and property speculator John D Spreckels.
0:09:48 > 0:09:54I've come to the city's old heart to meet Spreckels expert Ross Porter.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56Hello, Ross, I'm Michael.
0:09:56 > 0:09:57Hi, Michael, nice to meet you.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59It's lovely to be in San Diego.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01I'm impressed by the city.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Tell me about John Spreckels.
0:10:03 > 0:10:09He was the eldest son of the sugar baron, Claus Spreckels,
0:10:09 > 0:10:11the founder of the West Coast Sugar Trust.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14John expanded his father's business,
0:10:14 > 0:10:17and along the way he found San Diego,
0:10:17 > 0:10:20he found his way here, and fell in love with the region.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23What kind of things did he invest in to make the city grow?
0:10:23 > 0:10:26Well, starting with the coal concession,
0:10:26 > 0:10:29he then bought the daily newspaper, the Union Tribune,
0:10:29 > 0:10:31and began to be its publisher.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35And he created a water supply system for the city as well,
0:10:35 > 0:10:37with a couple of dams and reservoirs.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40I take it that railroad connections became important.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44Very much so. The only connection was north to Los Angeles.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48So the idea of a rail connection directly to the east
0:10:48 > 0:10:50across these rugged mountains,
0:10:50 > 0:10:54was what Spreckels envisioned with the San Diego and Arizona Railroad.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57And they called it the "impossible railroad"
0:10:57 > 0:10:59because the landscape was so rugged.
0:10:59 > 0:11:05They finally finished it in 1919, but it almost cost him his business.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11When the Panama Canal opened in 1914,
0:11:11 > 0:11:15Spreckels and the city leaders were quick to promote San Diego
0:11:15 > 0:11:18as the first port of call in the United States.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28Balboa Park was built with Spanish colonial pavilions,
0:11:28 > 0:11:32and included the largest outdoor pipe organ in the world.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38Today, it's played by Alison Luedecke.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41ORGAN PLAYS
0:11:55 > 0:11:57Bravo, bravo, bravo!
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Alison, that was absolutely marvellous. I'm Michael, by the way.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02- Thank you, Michael. - Wow, what an instrument!
0:12:02 > 0:12:05I mean, this organ has bells and whistles.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07It has every conceivable sound.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09- It does. - ORGAN BLASTS
0:12:09 > 0:12:10It certainly does!
0:12:10 > 0:12:14And the way you play it... I mean, I don't know how you do that.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16It's like, you know, having to do this,
0:12:16 > 0:12:18with your arms and legs all over the place!
0:12:18 > 0:12:20How on earth do you become accustomed to it?
0:12:20 > 0:12:22Lots of practice!
0:12:22 > 0:12:25I can believe it. Show me how you produce some of those things.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28So, when we hear the crash cymbal, there are a couple of ways to do it.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31But one, we can do it over here with just the toe stud.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35It's what we call the toe stud under there. So, fun effects.
0:12:35 > 0:12:36Some of them are there,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39some are these little buttons on the side here. We have a police whistle.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42I think you need a sense of fun to play this!
0:12:42 > 0:12:44- And you have one, don't you? - Indeed! It is a joy.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47Would you be able to show me some things you can do?
0:12:47 > 0:12:50I would love to teach you how to go from the roll cymbal
0:12:50 > 0:12:51and the crash cymbal...
0:12:51 > 0:12:53So, the crash cymbal is right here,
0:12:53 > 0:12:56and you're just going to try and roll into the crash.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59I'm just going to try it now. So, I go right to left, here we go.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01CYMBALS CLASH
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Anything that reminds us of trains?
0:13:04 > 0:13:06If we wanted to do some trains,
0:13:06 > 0:13:08plant your foot over as many notes as you can get!
0:13:08 > 0:13:11- OK, we're pulling out of San Diego...- Yes!
0:13:11 > 0:13:14..and we're heading towards Los Angeles. Here we go.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16CHUGGING SOUND
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Picking up steam now!
0:13:20 > 0:13:23You got it!
0:13:23 > 0:13:25CHUGGING GETS FASTER
0:13:25 > 0:13:26ALISON LAUGHS
0:13:26 > 0:13:29- Wow!- I think you made it to LA!
0:13:31 > 0:13:32That was such fun!
0:13:37 > 0:13:39Before I leave the park,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42I've learned that one of the pavilions here
0:13:42 > 0:13:46houses the world's largest operating model railroad museum.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48That's got to be worth a visit.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Based on two Californian lines of the 1950s,
0:14:00 > 0:14:05the Cabrillo South West and the San Diego and Arizona Eastern,
0:14:05 > 0:14:08the layout is 262 feet long,
0:14:08 > 0:14:12and represents 28 scale miles of railroad.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20The museum is full of different models
0:14:20 > 0:14:25representing diverse environments and places.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27This is Tehachapi in California.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31The attention to detail is exquisite, almost obsessive.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Every tree, every detail of the track.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37And here, an enormously long freight train
0:14:37 > 0:14:40is making its way slowly up the steep gradient.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43It will go over the bridges, it will go through the tunnels,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47it will wind its way around and up into the mountains.
0:14:51 > 0:14:52Hello, I'm Michael.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54Michael, nice to meet you. Bob.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Very good to see you, Bob. This is a remarkable bit of layout, this.
0:14:57 > 0:15:02It's from Tehachapi loop between Bakersfield and Mojave, California.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06And when they built the railroad back in the late 1880s,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09they came to this point, and it was too steep.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13So the engineer figured out that if he did this helix, or spiral,
0:15:13 > 0:15:15that they could make it work.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18This makes the point then that everything that you do in here
0:15:18 > 0:15:20- is actually modelled on reality. - Right.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28These models have been under continuous construction
0:15:28 > 0:15:32for 35 years, and are valued at nearly 3 million.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40All the painstaking work is done by a team of enthusiasts
0:15:40 > 0:15:42like Bill Kellan.
0:15:42 > 0:15:43Very good to see you, Bill.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45And what are you working on here behind the scenes?
0:15:45 > 0:15:48Behind the scenes we're laying some turnouts here.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51A turnout is where there are points and where the lines begin to...
0:15:51 > 0:15:53- Separate.- Diverge and separate.
0:15:53 > 0:15:54Wow. Are you a volunteer?
0:15:54 > 0:15:58Oh, yeah, yeah. Been coming down here for 25 years.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01- You're kidding. - It's a labour of love for me.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Would it be unfair to say that you people are a bit fanatical?
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Oh, yes, yes.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08Very easily so, yes.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10Bill, I want to thank you,
0:16:10 > 0:16:12because the railroads that you and other people have built
0:16:12 > 0:16:15- have given such pleasure to people. - We get pleasure out of it too!
0:16:15 > 0:16:18- I know! Thank you very much indeed.- Thank you.- Bye!
0:16:56 > 0:17:00This morning, following a recommendation in my guidebook,
0:17:00 > 0:17:05I'm making an excursion out of the city to a huge structure.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09San Diegans living in the dry climate of Southern California
0:17:09 > 0:17:13have depended on it for the last 130 years.
0:17:16 > 0:17:21The famous Sweetwater Dam, finished in 1888,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24built of solid granite and Portland cement.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27A capacity of six billion gallons.
0:17:27 > 0:17:3390 feet high, 46 feet thick, 396 feet long.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36From this immense reservoir of 700 acres,
0:17:36 > 0:17:41San Diego, National City and Chula Vista obtain their water.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43Thanks to my Appleton's,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46I've climbed this rattlesnake-infested mount
0:17:46 > 0:17:50and been rewarded with this spectacular view.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02I'm meeting Jim Smyth,
0:18:02 > 0:18:06who used to be general manager of Sweetwater Authority.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11Jim, for all its many delights,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14San Diego has a problem with a lack of rainwater, is that right?
0:18:14 > 0:18:17That's exactly right. We just don't have that much rainfall here,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20so it's imperative to have a dam so you can store that rain when it does
0:18:20 > 0:18:24come, and the region just came out of a very severe drought these last
0:18:24 > 0:18:27five years. This past winter it rained a heck of a lot,
0:18:27 > 0:18:29and we were able to get some water.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32This was down to about 10% full. Now we're up to about 50%.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35- Did 10% have you pretty worried? - Yes, absolutely.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37And it was state-wide.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40When Sweetwater was built in 1888,
0:18:40 > 0:18:45it was the tallest masonry arch dam in the United States.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48Built to store huge volumes of water,
0:18:48 > 0:18:51its curved design gave it extra strength
0:18:51 > 0:18:54to withstand extreme pressure and water surges.
0:18:54 > 0:18:59In 1916, it was put to the test with some of the worst floods
0:18:59 > 0:19:01in Californian history.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03Part of the land washed away,
0:19:03 > 0:19:08but the strength of the arch allowed the dam itself to hold.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14Jim, I had no idea from the waterside just how dramatic
0:19:14 > 0:19:17this curve and this drop was going to be on this side of the dam.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Now, how was it that it was first built?
0:19:20 > 0:19:24So Frank Kimball, he came to this area in 1868,
0:19:24 > 0:19:27and he wanted to develop this property.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30He bought almost 27,000 acres, and he said,
0:19:30 > 0:19:34"If I'm going to develop all that acreage, I need water."
0:19:34 > 0:19:36He had the National City rail built.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38Down to Chula Vista.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41He had a rail that came up called the Sweetwater spur line
0:19:41 > 0:19:44that came up the valley here, as we see down below.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47And so that train brought the materials for this dam.
0:19:47 > 0:19:52April 7th, 1880, he finished, at a height of 90 feet.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Where we are today is much, much higher than that.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56Ultimately it went to 112 feet.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00- Do you need to make any changes in the future?- Yes.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04The state of California has a term called "probable maximum flood".
0:20:04 > 0:20:08If it should occur, it's going to be well above our heads here.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11So, there's going to be about 7 million of improvements
0:20:11 > 0:20:13that will occur on this dam
0:20:13 > 0:20:16to prevent damage to property down below us here.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18So, after all these years, you're still wrestling
0:20:18 > 0:20:21with the two problems, drought and flood.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24That's correct. And drought is far more prevalent than the floods.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40I'd made my way back to the city.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43And my final destination on this journey
0:20:43 > 0:20:48is to one of the most important military bases in the United States.
0:20:48 > 0:20:53I'm riding the San Diego trolley, what I would call a tram,
0:20:53 > 0:20:55to the stop called Pacific Fleet.
0:20:55 > 0:21:01Now, Top Gun was filmed at the Miramar Naval base in San Diego.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03Takes my breath away!
0:21:13 > 0:21:18This stretch of land has been set aside for military use since 1852,
0:21:18 > 0:21:24and today, San Diego is the mainland home of the US Navy's Pacific Fleet,
0:21:24 > 0:21:27the world's largest fleet command.
0:21:30 > 0:21:35The Navy embraced aviation early in the 20th century,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38and the elite flying academy, known as Top Gun,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41began here during the Vietnam War.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48I've been given special access to naval base Coronado
0:21:48 > 0:21:51to meet Captain Timothy Slentz, its executive officer.
0:21:53 > 0:21:54May I interrupt you a moment?
0:21:54 > 0:21:57- Ah, Michael. - How very good to see you.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01An amazing panoramic view of a very substantial naval base here.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04Why did the military first choose this area?
0:22:04 > 0:22:09As we look out the window around us, the Pacific ocean is to my right,
0:22:09 > 0:22:11your left, and then there's a channel that comes in,
0:22:11 > 0:22:15so it's a protected channel, which is wonderful for the Navy
0:22:15 > 0:22:16from a defensive standpoint,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18with the high mountains of Point Loma,
0:22:18 > 0:22:20and the low trajectory here of North Island.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22So it's a natural fit for the Navy
0:22:22 > 0:22:24to have those geographic features here.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27The Wright brothers, flying for the first time in 1903,
0:22:27 > 0:22:29but just a very few years later,
0:22:29 > 0:22:32we're talking about using aviation for the Navy.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34That strikes me as quite a step forward
0:22:34 > 0:22:35in a very few number of years.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38Correct. As he governments became interested,
0:22:38 > 0:22:42and wanted to have aircraft used at sea to help with spotting and so on,
0:22:42 > 0:22:47Glenn Curtiss developed the first naval aircraft. It's called the A-1.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51And it had the capability to land on dry land, as well as a float
0:22:51 > 0:22:55capability to land in very calm water, but could do both.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58When did we first talk about aircraft carriers?
0:22:58 > 0:23:01They modified existing ships with a flight deck around 1911,
0:23:01 > 0:23:05and that first launch of an aircraft from one of those ships
0:23:05 > 0:23:09came in 1911, which we recently celebrated in 2011,
0:23:09 > 0:23:11the 100th anniversary of naval aviation.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14What are your missions out here in the Pacific?
0:23:14 > 0:23:17Our aircraft carriers support our fleet commanders.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20They go forward and do all kinds of maritime missions
0:23:20 > 0:23:23while they're out there, whether it is just maritime patrol,
0:23:23 > 0:23:25freedom of navigation operations,
0:23:25 > 0:23:28they obviously could conduct strikes if they needed to.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42I've been to many military bases in my time.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46The difference about the American ones is the scale.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51They don't have one or two attack helicopters, they have dozens.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54And out here is the Pacific Ocean.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57It is the United States' enormous back yard,
0:23:57 > 0:24:03and its combat zone in World War II, and the wars in Korea and Vietnam.
0:24:08 > 0:24:13The power and might of the US military depend on the thousands
0:24:13 > 0:24:17of dedicated service men and women who make up its ranks.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25I've donned my overalls to meet some of them.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29- Hello.- Hi.- I see your name is Parker, but what's your first name?
0:24:29 > 0:24:32Sarah. I'm an avionics electrician.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35So I work on the electrical components of the aircraft.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37Wow. What made you join the Navy?
0:24:37 > 0:24:39I'm from Jacksonville, Florida. It's a big military town.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42- Has it been a good choice? - Yes. I have a different job.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45I do different things every day. It's not boring.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47I'm going to leave you to your avionics.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49- Thank you so much.- Yes, sir. - Bye-bye.- Thank you.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56- James?- Hello. Hey, how's it going? - Hi, I'm Michael. Good to see you.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00Tell me what it is that you have to do on this part of the base.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03This part of the base, we fly out here.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Our main missions here are search and rescue, logistics.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09What kind of missions have you been on recently?
0:25:09 > 0:25:12Recently we were out in Texas, as they currently have the hurricane.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15Hurricane Harvey passed through Texas, so our squadron was helping,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18bringing water, food, over to people that needed aid.
0:25:18 > 0:25:19Was it quite emotional as well?
0:25:19 > 0:25:22Were you getting involved with the tragedies of the people you were
0:25:22 > 0:25:24- dealing with?- Yes, it's hard not to.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27One house had written "Help me" on it.
0:25:27 > 0:25:32I think it was way past the point of anyone helping them at that time.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35It's definitely not easy to keep your emotions,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38but one of the parts of the job is to stay kind of level-headed.
0:25:41 > 0:25:46To fly these important missions, the aircraft must be in top condition.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50I've been invited to help Petty Officer Reed Coleman
0:25:50 > 0:25:52change a fuel pipe on this helicopter.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55- Hello.- Hello.- I'm Michael. - Nice to meet you.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Welcome. I'll give you the apron first.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00- There's that.- Thank you very much.
0:26:00 > 0:26:05- I'll tie you up at the back. - Wow, this is a heavy rubber apron.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07Yes, it resists all the chemicals in the fuel.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11And then last but not least, face shield.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13So the fear is that there might be something in that pipe,
0:26:13 > 0:26:16- and it just spurts out when I take it off.- It could, yes.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Now, we'll go in here.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24And then here are our tools.
0:26:24 > 0:26:25This is called a Y tube.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28It's part of the fuel transfer system for the helicopter.
0:26:28 > 0:26:29Right now, what we're doing is,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32we're incorporating a technical directive to replace this part.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35So we've got to take this one off, and put the new one back on.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39Loosen this back one right there.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42- I think I'm on. Is that doing it? - Yes. You see the fuel coming out?
0:26:42 > 0:26:45Once we get that line all the way off, it should come out.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48Ah, oh, look. Fuel is pouring out of the pipe now.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52And the stuff is running out over my rubber gloves.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56Do the last few turns...
0:27:00 > 0:27:02- There it is.- There we go.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07The part has at last come out, and appears to be pretty clean of oil.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10- Yes.- And you are going to put a replacement part in.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13Yeah, I got the new one right here. I'm going to replace it.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16OK, wow. Good job, I really enjoyed that, thank you.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20- Thank you for your help.- I'll leave it to you.- OK!- Thanks.- Thanks.
0:27:46 > 0:27:52Appleton's guidebook of 1891 was overwhelmed by California.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55If all the natural wonders of the old world
0:27:55 > 0:27:58were collected in one state of the union,
0:27:58 > 0:28:02they would fall short of the variety, majesty,
0:28:02 > 0:28:04and charm of California.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06In little more than a century,
0:28:06 > 0:28:11this state went from the gold rush, through oil and oranges and movies,
0:28:11 > 0:28:13to silicon chips.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15The creativity in its valleys
0:28:15 > 0:28:19gave the world a shared entertainment culture,
0:28:19 > 0:28:21and applied to digital innovation,
0:28:21 > 0:28:24it has shaped the way that we all live.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26If you want to know the future,
0:28:26 > 0:28:32abandon your crystal ball, and look instead into California.