My Fellow Chasers,

As most people know, I am a hopeless geek. I have been a Trekkie all my life and there is very little in the world of Trek I don't know. It's always a bit of a shock to find out new knowledge about Star Trek, things I've never known before. Well this month I discovered a whole new item I never knew before. Back in the early 50's a man named Ralph Helfer purchased 1500 acres in the dessert of California. Highway development threatened his animal preserve there so he moved 10 miles away to a park he called AfricaUSA. The original place is known today as Vasquez Rocks, the site of Friday's Child, Shore Leave, and most-famously-Arena-where Kirk fought the Gorn!

Helfer trained animals and allowed Hollywood to film on his property. Back in 1966, Star Trek brought the production crew out to film "Shore Leave" at AfricaUSA. They filmed in and around a natural lake bordered by high rocks, blocking out the vistas of modern day California-a perfect setting for an alien planet. Helfer supplied horses and tigers and there had been talk of an elephant. Bill Shatner wanted to wrestle the tiger at one point but they settled for Kirk fighting Finnegan.

Now for the part I had never heard before... In January 1969, Africa U.S.A. was devastated by a powerful storm over Soledad Canyon which dropped large amounts of rainfall in the region. This resulted in severe flooding and mudslides in the canyons. 20 of the 1,500 animals of the ranch were killed by the torrential flooding and the park never recovered.

The land sat vacant until 1983 when it was purchased by actress Tippi Hedron and opened as a big cat sanctuary called Shambala. Author Kris Smith relocated to Southern California and needed a new home for her pet serval Deaken. Tippi agreed to take him in. Kris was friends with actor DeForest Kelley and they went out to visit Deaken. Upon arrival at Shambala Kelley immediately remembered the filming location and even pointed out some fake rocks that had survived the filming and floods and were still there 20 years later.

Shambala is still around and you can visit and tour on weekends. For more details on the filming angles please visit startrekhistory.com

Our thanks to Tippi Hedron, Kris Smith, the good folks at Trekcore, and Curt M. for their generous cooperation, knowledge, and genuine belief in IDIC that all creature deserve dignity and respect and that the best chance we have to communicate with alien life forms is right here on Planet Earth. When all is said and done, they aren't aliens at all but our kindred souls.

Shambala Today

Until next time "The DABO Wheel is closed..."

George "Stompy" Hollo
President, The Official Chase Masterson Fan Club
www.chaseclub.com