Old Station, CA - Searching for ET

The Hat Creek Valley apparently is a very special place. Anything can happen here. And has. Our campground is on the site occupied by the 20th Calvary. We were warned that some have seen their ghosts in camp. And, at night we have heard taps being played...several times. We've met a gentleman who claims he has been abducted twice (from this valley). And hikers coming off of the 2,600-mile Pacific Crest Trail (which runs alongside the campground) have had strange stories to share as well. So when we heard that the Hat Creek Radio Observatory had a SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Life Institute) program, we thought it might all be true.

We went and took a tour of the observatory. They currently have 42 Allen Telescope Arrays, and will eventually have 320. They can use these radio telescopes to create images from radio waves. The telescopes can be used individually or as a group to get the information they are looking for.
Most of the discussions revolved around what new data they've acquired on the galaxies. They didn't talk to much about any conversations they have/have not had with ET. But Hat Creek Valley was chosen because all of the volcanic rock eliminates radio interference from terrestrials, giving them a better opportunity to reach the extraterrestrials. No wonder no cell phones work in our campground.