Two Days Underground

We spent two days recently underground here near in southern Arizona--literally.  On a very nice, sunny Thursday, we decided to travel just a few miles southwest from here to Kartchner Caverns.  It was recommended by folks at the RV park, and we are really glad that we made the trip.

It is a fairly new park, that has only been open for about twelve years, and it has a wonderful visitor center and great interpretive features.  The thing that impressed us most is how carefully developed and conserved the cave resource is.  Since it was recently developed, the planners were able to look at other caves that have been developed and to avoid things that have degraded those caves. 

No Crawling through This Cave--Wheelchair Accessible

After having a bit more than an hour in the visitor center, we were taken on a tram car up to the cave portal up the hill a little ways.  The entire tour was guided by a very knowledgeable volunteer guide/interpreter.  The next thing that impressed us was the air locks and isolation rooms at the entrance to the cave.  This allows them to tightly control the humidity of the cave and monitor conditions closely.  They even vacuum up all of the lint, hair and other things that come in with visitors at the end of every day.

"Bacon" Formations in Kartchner Caverns

The guided tour was about an hour long and took us through several rooms with outstanding formations.  We have not been to a lot of caverns, but this is the best one we have been to so far, and the conservation and interpretation will be hard to beat.

Large and Colorful Formations in the Rotunda Room Tour

On Friday, we decided to go underground again and drove down to Sahaurita, Arizona south of Tucson to the Titan II Missile Museum for an underground tour.  The installation was a Strategic Air Command (SAC) part of the Air Force, and is the only one that remains with most of the equipment since they were destroyed by the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty.  The missile silos were built in Arizona, Kansas, and Arkansas.  Why those states?  Barry Goldwater, Bob Dole, and we are guessing a Senator from Arkansas.

Cutaway of the ICBM Silo

We arrived in the mid afternoon and spent a little time in the exhibit area and then went on a tour of the above ground fueling, communications and security equipment, and then took fifty-five steps down into the command module (smaller module on right of silo above).  They still have the original command desks and security items and take you through a "simulated launch".  When in operation during the Cold War, it had a nine megaton nuclear warhead, so it was a good thing that it was only simulated.

Titan II Missile and Warhead When Operational

We did not realize that the silos were only staffed by two teams of two most of the time.  There was an Air Force officer and enlisted person on each team, and most areas of the complex required two people to be there at all times.  

Original Launch Control Room 

It was a good tour, and we learned a lot about this era of American history and the technology that was employed to protect the United States from the Soviet Union.  Neil remembers the Cuban Missile Crisis in the   late fifties that had his Dad getting the family ready to travel north from New Orleans to seek safety.  Scary times. 

The Missile Silo Today Has a Glass Top So that Russian Satellites Can See Inside

Today, we stayed put in the RV Park and battened down the hatches for a storm system that is headed our way.  As we look at Juneau's weather, we realize that they are actually getting more wind there than here (45 mph versus the 35 mph here), along with wind chills in the minus forties.  So we are not complaining about the weather here in Arizona.

Sunday, we will be taking a trip up to Tucson to see some sights and do some shopping.  We have plans to visit friends in Bisbee on Monday, and head back to Brenda, Arizona and Desert Gold RV Park on Tuesday.

It is hard to believe that we are already coming up on the first of March.  We hope all is well with you all.

Neil and Pamela