Should I Put Some Public RV Hookups at My Nuclear Missile Complex?

[Ford Fan]

I was a Titan II Missile Combat Crew Commander based at Little Rock AFB and pulled over 350 alert tours at the missile sites in Arkansas. Do you know which missile complex you are developing? How much of the underground facilities are still there? Being a missile crew commander was exciting/boring/challenging/rewarding/terrifying. I would love to visit your complex and show it to my family. Good luck.

[PKI]

The more businesses that build a few RV sites to encourage folks to drop by and experience their environment, the better the RV community will do over time. Continuous travel is not as exciting as visiting new places. The exception is revisiting places where we have had good experiences.

It's not a new thought, but it's true - BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME!

[jsto1]

We would stop as an RV or consider using the B&B. Are you at Silo 374-5? does the B&B have a website?

[kcdogger]

Originally Posted by PKI

It's not a new thought, but it's true - BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME!

That was a movie, the number of struggling and abandoned attractions along the interstates are a testament that isn't always true. I don't believe the goal of the original poster was to provide a charity for the RV community, I think he was looking at ideas to improve his business. Considering he admitted he hadn't even thought about the possibility people would want to stay in the B&B for more than one night and how that might impact his tours indicates he is still in the planning and investigating stage. Building out something like his project takes a lot of money, and it isn't in anyone's interest for him to lose that investment. A business plan of "Build it and they will come" isn't a business plan, it is the simplest way to plan to fail.

[n2zon]

Originally Posted by AJMike

I am not really sure why ducking under the desk is so misunderstood. It was never to protect the children from a nuclear blast itself, it was to protect them from flying glass and falling plaster if they were far enough away from the blast to survive the fireball and radiation.

I also grew up when we had to do that in school, but I was told why we were doing it when someone asked.

Good point!

Where I went to elementary school, we were three miles or so from a major SAC base. We could tell when tensions were higher than normal because the B-52 and refueling tanker air traffic picked up noticeably. I was told when growing up that we were #5 or so on the USSR's hit list, and they very likely had several nukes targeted at that base. A direct hit or even a near miss on that base would have taken out the base, the city, the schools, the hospital, our house...and they still made us do those stupid drills.

[GTHill]

Originally Posted by jsto1

We would stop as an RV or consider using the B&B. Are you at Silo 374-5? does the B&B have a website?

Originally Posted by Ford Fan

I was a Titan II Missile Combat Crew Commander based at Little Rock AFB and pulled over 350 alert tours at the missile sites in Arkansas. Do you know which missile complex you are developing? How much of the underground facilities are still there? Being a missile crew commander was exciting/boring/challenging/rewarding/terrifying. I would love to visit your complex and show it to my family. Good luck.

We own 373-9 - We are about 15 minutes from Conway, AR which is on I-40.

The silo was imploded from the top so we haven't ventured in there - just too much $$ involved.

We have about 4000 sq ft developed into living / event space.

L1 is the master bed / bath, L2 is open and can be configured for most anything and L3 is the kitchen, club and movie theater.

I've been told (understandably so) to not make my threads commercial in nature so if you'd like more info feel free to PM me. I very much appreciate the help here and I don't want to be a bad forum member. Thanks!

GT

[Alan_Hepburn]

Originally Posted by AJMike

Do you have any specifics about the site location? I have never seen the inside of one of those old missile silos and I would be interested in doing so, and I expect we will be in the South Dakota area next summer so North Dakota would not be much of a stretch.

He might be talking about the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site: https://www.nps.gov/mimi/index.htm

We had planned on stopping there this summer until that little virus showed up...

[W5CI]

We would love to come take your tour as we are only about 30 minutes away

[edaa53]

Originally Posted by GTHill

Dump station would be easy b/c I could have a local company empty it for me. It's not the plumbing for the sewer that's the issue... it's the septic system. I'll do some more research and budgeting. Thanks!

GT

Might consider a dump service - comes once a week and pulls the sweet stuff directly from the trailer. You would offer this for a fee - campers choice to take or leave. Simple and easy at no cost to you. If possible. Regards. Ed

[ChristmasMtn]

Originally Posted by n2zon

Good point!

Where I went to elementary school, we were three miles or so from a major SAC base. We could tell when tensions were higher than normal because the B-52 and refueling tanker air traffic picked up noticeably. I was told when growing up that we were #5 or so on the USSR's hit list, and they very likely had several nukes targeted at that base. A direct hit or even a near miss on that base would have taken out the base, the city, the schools, the hospital, our house...and they still made us do those stupid drills.

I remember those drills! Alarms sounded - "Everyone, get under your desk!"

[tvschultz]

Fantastic idea, go for it start small but I would advise a least a dump station, Im in California sounds like a great road trip, good luck ,Tim

[RVPioneer]

I think it is a great idea. Personally, I wouldn’t bother with septic, dump station, holding tank, pump service or any other option to deal with that stuff. If someone is in a pinch and needs some water a single garden hose will suffice. Maybe start with the 5, 50A spots and add more if needed. 30A is plenty for many RV’s.

If you follow a HH type arrangement, visitors know what to expect. No water, no sewer, electricity for a fee. HH generally has a one night policy, although some hosts are open to longer stays. We stayed at one for 3 nights, with no hook ups, and then bought 3 cases of wine.

How long do you expect guests to stay? A night or two? Just about any rig can dry camp for a few nights. Establish generator run times and separate those using generators from those who are plugged in.

As far as scheduling tours and B&B stays, you must have a history of occupancy dates. If the B&B tends to be occupied more frequently, say, Thursday-Sunday, tours could be scheduled from Sunday afternoon, after checkout through Thursday morning prior to check in. RVers tend to be more flexible with their schedules than B&B occupants, so perhaps the tour schedule could be variable. Sort of a “Tours by appointment” or “Call in advance to schedule a tour’ policy. It’s nothing too difficult to solve.

[kcdogger]

Originally Posted by GTHill

We own 373-9 - We are about 15 minutes from Conway, AR which is on I-40.

The silo was imploded from the top so we haven't ventured in there - just too much $$ involved.

We have about 4000 sq ft developed into living / event space.

L1 is the master bed / bath, L2 is open and can be configured for most anything and L3 is the kitchen, club and movie theater.

I've been told (understandably so) to not make my threads commercial in nature so if you'd like more info feel free to PM me. I very much appreciate the help here and I don't want to be a bad forum member. Thanks!

GT

Are your renovations consistent with a Titan Missile silo or are you renovating space that used to be part of a silo, there is a big difference. You mentioned people are not able to access the actual Silo, and if the command, control and servicing areas have been converted to bedrooms, a theater, a club and a multipurpose room then a tour really wouldn't be a tour of a missile silo, it would be a tour of some underground rooms. When this thread started, I had a vision of your property as the sleeping and eating quarters were the same as they were when the silo was active. Furthermore I thought you were restoring as much of the look and feel of an active silo, but now it sounds more like you are repurposing the spaces. That may very well work for a B&B , but I don't see it as an attraction to be advertised as an authentic missile silo.

[GTHill]

Originally Posted by kcdogger

Are your renovations consistent with a Titan Missile silo or are you renovating space that used to be part of a silo, there is a big difference. You mentioned people are not able to access the actual Silo, and if the command, control and servicing areas have been converted to bedrooms, a theater, a club and a multipurpose room then a tour really wouldn't be a tour of a missile silo, it would be a tour of some underground rooms. When this thread started, I had a vision of your property as the sleeping and eating quarters were the same as they were when the silo was active. Furthermore I thought you were restoring as much of the look and feel of an active silo, but now it sounds more like you are repurposing the spaces. That may very well work for a B&B , but I don't see it as an attraction to be advertised as an authentic missile silo.

I don't and never intended to advertise it as a restored Titan II missile complex since there's a fully preserved one in AZ and it's amazing. My place was full of water for 30 years after it was gutted of most of the interesting equipment. The top of the silo was destroyed and the entire inner silo was filled with debris.

The pictures on my website and videos on Youtube clearly show that it isn't a restored Titan II.

However, don't mistake the fact that you very much know you are in a missile complex when you are inside.

For those that want to see a Titan II in its original glory I highly recommend the Titan Missile Museum south of Tucson. It would cost many millions to restore one of the other 53 Titan IIs that were decommissioned.

As an alternative, I have turned the complex into a space that people can experience in a very different way.

And not to diminish your statement but I can assure you that it's way more than " a tour of some underground rooms".

GT