Visited the last Titan II Missile installation which is 20 miles south of Tucson. This is the last installation of 54 Titan II ICBM missiles of the Cold War. These missiles could travel 6000 miles and deliver a 9 megaton war head with a launch time of 58 seconds. The war head would directly have an effect on a 17 mile radius from the landing point.
We got a one hour tour down into the site including the control room and missile launch silo.
This is one of the seven blast doors each weighing 6000 pounds which can be closed by a single hand lightly pulling on the door handle.
This is the main control panel where the watch officer sat.
Here is one of the main passages within the complex.
Here is the missile from an access point that was cut into the silo so we could see what the missile looked like inside it’s silo.
Picture from the silo.
Here we were looking done into the silo.
The launch missile site.
This is a picture of Titan II missile launched from an above ground launch site.
It was a very interest tour and we are glad we went.
The museum is just east of Tucson and is a history of aviation.
Starting with the Wright Brothers and continues into space.
They have several iconic B-52’s and they are massive planes.
This is one of the planes we flew on out of Danang, C-121.
I know a lot of these pictures of the same plane, however this may be the last time I get to see one of these.
We also flew on a P-3 nose number 31 and 32.
Ok, last picture of a P-3, I actually did pretty good and only took 200 pictures during the day. We took 3 one hour tours: 1 & 2 were walking tours through hangers and the third was a tram tour outside where many planes were parked.
One of the buildings was build by the
This painting on the wall shows what it was like inside the plane.
The gunner’s position under the plane.
The actual position.
This is 1943 Ford jeep, I had a 1942 one of these during high school. Note the gas tank under the driver’s seat.
These are some of the original beams that were then covered with saguaro cactus internal wood ribs and then adobe.
Tucson got cold a few years ago and killed many Saguaro’s
Here is some more pictures of cactus.
Hank and I thought it was a warm day but we have a great time.
Yes, I’m one of those people who will ask people who are leaving a GREAT site if I can have it when they leave. This is one of the two end sites over looking the river.
We have had thunder storms off and on all day. I did get out to take these two pictures.
Here is one of the river.
This guy and a girl used the site next to us to pack their boat yesterday. They are going to be on the river for 21 days. Between now and the end of October they are going to see a lot of weather changes. We have been in rain storm for the last hour and I see no end in sight and it is still 83 degrees.
We usually have one of the two campsites that directly over look the Colorado River, no such luck this year.
I think these a over 2000 feet high.
This is a rock that rolled down from the cliffs a long time ago and the ground around it has eroded away. The pickup belongs to a lady who is using the rock for shade to sell her jewelry.
This is a house which was built under one of these large rocks, great place to stay cool.
Here is the campsite picture, site 5.