For all the purported incidences of paranormal stuff in Wyoming, very little has been done to investigate these things with a scientific outlook.  A buddy of mine founded a group here in Cheyenne to do just that! Not a whole lot on the site at this point, but he’s got several surveys in the works. Paranormal Investigation Team - Wyoming

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Took Glor out (early morning) to the local Nat’l Wildlife Refuge. Quite the haul actually! 3 new birds, and some other interesting things!

First, a quick collage of some of the birds I photographed.

Okie, top row from L to R. Ferruginous Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Baird’s Sandpipers. Bottom row, L to R.
FAT House Wren, Virginia Rail, and the RARE and AMAZING Levitating Sparrow which does not need wings to fly!

When Glor and I went to Vail for a friend’s wedding, there was a preponderance of Gray Jays also called Camp Robbers for their obvious fearlessness.

Here’s another shot of the Virginia Rail, striking it’s rare and dramatic “Hitchcock Pose“.

Also quite a few White-Tailed Jackrabbits. They go boing.

And finally, the surprise of the day for ME, was the magical and sudden appearance of a Tiger Fatamander (Ambystoma tigrinum fatamandera) who came out from under a cactus to greet me.

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I’m pretty excited by the clips turning up for this programme - too bad I live in the USA and I’ll have to wait to see the whole thing.

But check out some of the interesting critters they turned up on this expedition:

Buff-faced Pygmy Parrot:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8236000/8236410.stm

A tree kangaroo (is it a new species or an old one?):

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8234000/8234539.stm

Giant rat:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8210000/8210394.stm

Good stuff! Hopefully I’ll be able to see the documentary some time.

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So, yesterday we were going to venture into the bowels of Cheyenne, specifically the storm drain system. However, in the early afternoon a large storm front rolled in from the east and there’s NO way we’re going into those things when there’s any possibility of a storm being in the area.

Example. We arrived at our entry point to find a normal lite trickle of water leaving the city. Literally within 3 minutes, it progressed to what you see below. Had we been up in there, we well could have been killed - as the diameter of that pipe is over 6′.

So in any event, we decided to do something safer and went exploring some of the bunkers and remnants of the Artillery HQ for Camp Otis/F.E. Warren Target and Maneuver Range.

More photos behind the cut!

The outside of the Meritt Hill Observation bunker.

View from the inside, looking out across the target range. Most of the equipment has been removed, all that remains are mounts for various things.

An old sink in the entrance to the Bisbee Hill bunker. Not sure what it was for, as it’s right in the doorway.

Some graf art inside and out of the Bisbee Hill bunker. There were other pieces perhaps NSFW.

Some of the remains of the foundations of Camp Otis HQ area. Not much remains, though satellite imagery of the area shows the clear outline of the camp. The area is strewn with asphalt roofing tile, old broken coke bottles, broken insulators and terracotta pipe fragments.

We also tracked down a set of decaying pre-WWII trenches and wooden bunkers. The area is strewn with discarded 1903 Springfield stripper clips making this site older than 1936.

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Thought I’d share the recipe for the delicious stew I made last night. It was kind of on-the-fly so the measurements are rough estimates.
Ingredients:

~2 lbs stew meat (or steak cut into cubes)
1 32oz. box of beef broth
1 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 cup (or whatever) chopped green onions
1 cup water
1/2 cup soy flour
1/2 tsp. black pepper (to taste)
1 tsp Essence
1/2 tsp oregano

Mix all ingredients into slow cooker/crock pot and cook for about 6 hours or until beef is tender.

Enjoy!

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If you knit or crochet (or needlepoint, or whatever), you’re probably keenly aware of the need for a threader to get the yarn through the eye of your yarn needle when you need to weave in ends on a project or sew something together.  But if you’re anything like me,  you may find yourself in a situation where a “real” needle threader just isn’t available and there’s no thin gauge wire in the house.

What to do?

Here is my quick, easy method for making a DIY needle threader!

MATERIALS NEEDED:

matches or lighter

1 twist tie (from a bag of bread, for instance)

1 pair pliers (to hold the wire so you don’t get burned)

STEP 1 - Straighten out your twist tie

STEP 2 - Grip one end of the twist tie with the pliers

STEP 3 - Using a lit match or lighter, apply flame to the free end of the tie. Alllow the flame to burn down the length of the tie.  If necessary, repeat this step from the other end (gripping the now bare end of the tie with the pliers)  if the flame did not remove all plastic from the tie.

STEP 4 - Hold the wire under cold water to cool it and clean any ash from it.

Now you have a short length of bare wire perfect for threading yarn through a needle! Note that the eye of your needle must be large enough to admit this piece of wire - but most of the yarn/tapestry needles I have used are plenty big enough.

Just a handy tip that has worked for me for quite some time - hope you find it helpful too!

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I haven’t posted here in a while. The main reason being that I am currently stationed at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica. I’ve been here for the past few months and am preparing to redeploy to New Zealand in about 2 weeks.

I’ve been keeping a blog about my experiences over here at ICE with lots of photos and details of the trip! Feel free to check it out.

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So, this past Monday, a friend and I visited one of the local Atlas-D missile sites in the Cheyenne vicinity.

The site originally looked similar to the following photos when it was operational. (Photos borrowed from www.siloworld.com). They were called “Coffin Top” launchers due to the fact that the missile lay flat in the bunker, rather than vertically in a typical underground “silo”. This specific site was designated 565-B and was attached to the 565th Strategic Missile Squadron out of F.E. Warren Air Force Base.

Many thumb-nailed pictures and embedded video behind the cut!

Normally, I’d prefer to do a more in depth article on this site and some of the fascinating history of the US Ballistic Missile program, however I’m moving out of the country in a week and I need to spend my time on more productive things - like packing.

During the past twenty years, the site was used for a failed recycling operation which resulted in thousands of tires being left to rot on the site. Most of the tires were removed, however hundreds remain along with numerous other pieces of junk of unknown origin. Engine parts, discarded computers, pipes, drums of hazardous materials and other debris cover the entire property. Little of it (like the decomposing computer dating from the 1980s in the second photo below) relates to the site’s time as host to ICBMs. Many of the Atlas sites had parts scavenged and sold off to perform other duties, such as the tower in the photograph below hosting the sign to the Eagle’s Nest Bar, in Cheyenne. Few people know it started life as the erection tower for Atlas missiles, perhaps even at this location.

The Gate
At one time, a guard shack stood sentry over the access gate to the facility. Only its foundation remains.

The Launch Facilities
There are three launch facilities on the site. For ease of presentation I’ve combined photos from all three into one heading.

Outside:

The rear of the bunker.

Hundreds of tires lay piled up, ready to be shredded and recycled.

The main access door to one of the three launch buildings.

The missile exhaust trench, used to vent hot launch gasses away from the facility during liftoff.

The trench extends for quite a distance away from the launch building.

Interior:

A few dissected cars lay in the darkness of the main launch building, slowly accumulating pigeon droppings over the years..

Looking in the main door of the building.

The track for the missile erection apparatus.

An access door to the side of the building, bearing rusty bullet impacts.

A thrust pre-heat pipe.

An air conditioning unit for the launch building.

A number of leaking drums, no doubt carrying some sort of hazardous material, though I doubt it’s related to the function of the missile site.

A large tank once sat on mounts in this pit adjacent to the shielded launch building. Piping through missile fuel - in this case either the liquid oxygen oxidizer or kerosene - into the building for fueling.

The Launch Operations Building

Exterior:

More debris in front of the main entrance to the Launch Operations Building. The main blast door was blocked.

A cable/piping trench leads into the back of the Launch Operations Building.

The entry to the below ground portion of the bunker.

Interior:
The main blast door was blocked, so we were forced to enter the below-ground level through the stairway pictured above. That entrance was partially blocked by debris, however we made it inside where the little available lighting quickly faded into pitch black.

Though I didn’t notice it in the dim light of my flashlight at the time, this room appears to have been the location of a fire, probably long after the site was decommissioned.

The heat peeled the paint on the inside of the door, and scorched the window glass.

I doubt the alarm button was active when the safety glass was broken.

The Launch Operations Building was full of large rooms and with piping for a ceiling. Some of the rooms were full of junk and equipment related to the location’s second life as a failed business. Some, like this one, were mostly empty.

This stairwell led to the upper level of the facility, previously blocked by a locked blast door.

At the top of the stairs a desk and a soda vending machine were situated in a hallway. On the desk were some newspapers and magazines, all from different decades in the past.

From the hallway above the stairwell were a few stripped shower and restroom facilities.

This open blast door and damaged office door led to a large, dark room full of broken ceiling tiles, paper and other debris. It once most likely held computing equipment and command offices.

Some of the papers that littered the floor included a Remington Rand computer punch card, a page from a military technical manual, and a walk-through sheet dated May 1961, with the grease pencil still indicating status of “Launch Coolants Normal”.

A collection of hubcaps line the dark hallways of the upper level of the facility. One adjacent room contained refrigerators, washers and even some gas fireplaces lined up along the wall.

The Satellite Link

Exterior:

The mount for what I assume to be (based on the gear system and other associated debris at the site) a tracking antenna, probably for satellite communications. It was probably covered bya dome at one time. The insulation is falling off and blowing away in the Wyoming wind.

Interior:

View from below one of the tracking antenna mounts.

The catwalk has collapsed here.

The Shack
Next to the Operations building sits a dilapidated mobile home that was for at time used as an office by (I assume) whoever was running the recycling business.

A board with photos of vehicles for sale and names and contact numbers is yellow with age.

The living room is stale and dusty. Perhaps a Bob Ross original painting decorates the wall? I’m not holding my breath.

A bedside table in the bedroom holds a few religious mementos, a Gideon Bible and a stack of yellowed tabloid newspapers.

And finally the closet holds a few dreary suits. Too bad they’re not my size.

The Generator Building
A generator building and diesel storage tanks stand a distance away from the Operations Building.

The usual assortment of debris litters the parking area.

While inside, things are just as cluttered.

A Dictaphone unit, probably for recording voice communications sits among other unrelated trash.

A view past the diesel generator mounts and other trash claims the Wyoming prairie beyond the broken out windows.

The Microwave Building

Amazingly, after 40 years, the microwave antenna is still standing. The reflector at the top probably transferred signals from the ground to a command center on or near Warren Air Force Base, or perhaps another launch site.

Pigeons have found roost in pretty much every building except for the Operations Building.

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Okay folks, I feel this is very important and it involves each and every one of you, so you might want to listen up..

Now… I’m not the alarmist sort. I’m not the “conspiracy theorist” sort or the apocalyptic type. However, I AM someone that likes to be prepared for any eventuality, and that includes being prepared for MORE than we might consider “the worst”. I write this now, because it’s something that’s been on my heart for a while, and I think that now is the time to bring it up.

I would like everyone reading this to consider the following: how prepared are you for an emergency that would strip your access to everything you reply upon to live. This means family, transportation, food, shelter, employment, etc. Seriously, what would you do if you suddenly lost your ability to secure one or all of those things?

It may seem like an anachronistic question in this day and age of instant communications, SUVs, Craig’s List and Walmart. I’m guilty of falling into the complacency of that dismissal myself. However – THIS DISMISSAL CAN BE FATAL.

This was evidenced by the dead-horse-beaten events surrounding Hurricane Katrina. It can happen today, and it can happen to you. That proved it. With populations of urban centers in this country being as high as they are, and so many of those people in day-to-day reliance on the systems in place there, the potential for one event to cascade into catastrophe has, in my opinion, never been higher in this country.

So that leads us to one final conclusion – a conclusion that’s been lost with the reliance on society that’s developed as a result of adapting to an ever changing technological world. And that is, ultimately, when the chips are down (wait for it).

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOURSELF

The government, the Red Cross, your friends, your neighbors… in times of need they may all TRY to help. But again, as Katrina showed us, this is a LUXURY and BLESSING that should not and CANNOT be relied upon. Indeed it sometimes does more harm than good.

So here’s what I’m asking from you if you’re reading this: First – don’t blow off this warning as alarmist or fear-mongering. Indeed, there’s far less to fear if you’ve prepared (even a little bit) for some of these unforeseen possibilities. Second – take a little bit of time to think about alternatives to getting the things you need to live. This means knowing routes out of your population centers, talking to your family/friends about the whole “where to meet if something happens” gig, and deciding ahead of time on some contingencies. And third – once you’ve decided on things you might need in an emergency and don’t have, take a little bit of time and little bit of money to procure/arrange them in manageable increments. Most people wouldn’t have a problem spending 5 dollars per supermarket trip on some non-perishables to shove into the closet, or lamp oil and an oil lamp/candles. If you just take the time to think about it a LITTLE bit, and keep it in the back of your mind once in a while, you’ll have an edge up that could make a terrible event more manageable.

There, that’s my spiel! If you’re still reading, I’ll go into more detail on my own planning and reasoning behind why I feel this is important, and especially so right now.

First, I want to go over what I see as the basics. If you’re going to prepare (as I’ve mentioned) you ought to prepare for the worst. If something happens and you’re out of food for 3 days (because of say, a snow storm or an earth quake) you might be fine with what you’ve got in the pantry right then. But if it happens the day before you’re planning to head to the supermarket and your cupboard is bare, you’re kind of out of luck. And if something inconceivable happens that’s disrupts services longer than that? Weeks? A month? Things may occur that necessitate leaving your home for your own safety and wellbeing, and that should be something you’re prepared to face as well.

Basics:

Food - Most people in this world live off of rice and noodles and that sort of thing, so can we if we need to. Ramen is SO cheap, there’s not really any excuse not to keep a tonne of it around. Keep in mind what food you’re keeping stored because if you have to get up and move, you’re going to want to take it with you. MREs are nice, but they weigh a lot. So is SPAM.

Water - Most water can be made okay if you boil it first. That’s the cheapest way. Of course, you can do things like add a few drops of bleach, or buy portable filters and/or chemical treatment pills. If you’re planning on staying home and not going anywhere, it might be worth it to keep a few jugs of water in the closet with your food – but these go fast. Best to have another option too.

Clothing – you can usually take off clothes when you’re hot, but you can’t put them on when you’re cold if you don’t have them. Have at least 1 good “winter” jacket, even if you don’t live in an area that gets harsh winters. They’re harsher when you don’t have a choice but to be out in them. Also, one good set of wet weather gear is vital. A pancho will work if you want to sit and wait out a storm, but if you want to get anything DONE a downpour, you need a dedicated top/bottom durable rain suit. Good, strong, boots are a MUST. You can’t do ANYTHING if your feet are not in top shape.

Weapons – Some people are not comfortable around guns or other weapons. I respect this, however someone else may not. I would HEAVILY advise people to at least LEARN the basics of firearms operation, if not retain, train with and properly store one. We’re preparing for the worst here, and the worst may include you having to know how to use/deal with a weapon – whether you like it or not.

Camping gear – If you have to leave your home (and it may not be a choice) you’re going to need a least a shelter o keep you dry, a sleeping bag/blankets to keep your warm and stuff to prepare your food with. By FAR camping gear is designed to be more efficient and easier to transport than the equivalent household items. A basic tent, sleeping bag, mess kit will keep you FAR more comfortable than sleeping wrapped up in a thin blanket in the rain and all three can be had quite cheaply now days. This also includes anything else you’d usually take camping including toiletries, stuff for starting a fire, even a hatchet or trowel.

Literature - You might think it’s weird that I’m putting this under basics, but it really is vital. It all goes back to the preparation bit: things in an emergency are going to be a WHOLE lot easier on you if you’ve got courses of action plotted out ahead of time. And realistically, many of the resources we’d use to prepare are NOT going to be available when we need them unless we also plan ahead for that. The internet, TV, phones and even public libraries might not be available, even BEFORE the onset of a real crisis. So you either do without, or you sort/prepare/prioritize and keep that information with your other basics. Things to consider: maps (both road and topographic), medical guides including basic first aid and home medicine books, survival guides and books (these cover everything I’m writing about and more), nature guides (for identifying plants that might be edible/useful or insects/reptiles that may have bit you) and various know-how guides including vehicle manuals, woodworking and agriculture books that might be useful for longer duration emergencies.

Long term:

If we’re preparing for the worst, it may entail us being prepared with more exotic gear and/or skill sets. When I consider “advanced” preparation, I think of long term survival situations where you have to live and survive on your own, off the land, in hostile terrain.

Tools: - A good hatchet or axe is at the top of the list here. Not really an advanced item, but certainly necessary. A trowel/shovel for digging is also vital. You can also get into signaling mirrors, lasers and flares if you think you’ll be seeking rescue. Depending on your specialties and strengths, you might want to bring basic trade tools for skill sets that might be valuable. Basic tools for working on motor vehicles, communications gear, weapons, or woodworking kit. Fishing tackle is also a must.

Navigation: - GPS systems are easy and reliable. The drawback is that they rely on two things: batteries and satellites. Lose either one of those things and they’re no good at all. Proper navigation requires accurate maps of your area and a good compass. An orienteering course might be nice too, I need to learn more about this.

Weapons: - If you’re considering advanced and/or long term preparations, I’m going to assume you’ve gotten over any squeamishness regarding weapons. At this level they’re a must – whether for hunting or defense against wild animals and hostile persons. At the MINIMUM I would suggest a light and accurate .22lr rifle. .22 ammo is cheap, light and designed for taking small game. Easy meat on a regular basis. A hunting shotgun might also be a good idea if you have one, as you can take both fowl and larger game w/ buckshot and slugs. Larger caliber rifles are handy in a defensive role and if you plan on taking larger size game like bears or moose. I would argue that an assault rifle would not be out of the question. Its primary role, of course, would be defense of yourself and family against hostile persons. In a chaotic and possibly lawless atmosphere it is vital to advertise yourself as NOT a potential victim. Nothing says “we’re not victims” like a group of people armed with assault rifles. Displaying such weapons in an environment with an active military presence is to be avoided at all costs, however. Handguns also, are mostly useful in the role of personal defense unless you’ve got one designed specifically for hunting.

Communications: - Of course, your cell phone is going to be the first refuge, whether for seeking rescue or contacting friends and family. If the cell network is down, or you’re out of its effective range, then it’s not going to do you a whole heck of a lot of good. Emergency satellite phones are available now, and are actually somewhat affordable, but I wouldn’t invest in one unless you’re a globe trotter that needs that flexibility. Just like the GPS, the sat phones need both satellite and batteries, though some also work on cell networks. Handheld radios, even the FRS (Family Radio Service) radios are good ways to keep in communications with members of your party. Hand-held HAM radios have much greater range. Once again, most of these require battery power. A hand cranked shortwave system like the kinds used by remote posts in WWII would be ideal, but I’ve not looked into it.

My own personal plans:

If you can’t tell, I’ve put a lot of thought into this over the years. I have some very specific reasons I’ve begun to take it seriously again. I should make it clear again, I’m not fearmongering here, and I don’t expect anything catastrophic to happen in the near future, however there are things that make me want to prepare for the worst case with a little more urgency.

My own preparedness level is not yet where I’d like it to be, so I’m trying to take my own advice from above. Little by little, I plan on adding to what I have set aside for emergencies. I also have a pretty specific plan to collaborate with those I care about should things go down hill and if they don’t look as though they are going to recover any time soon. In situations such as these, banding together with like minded people can be vital to the survival and comfort of those involved. Different skills and strengths can be brought together in a disaster situation just as any society regrouping during chaos. Preparedness in this case is also a great benefit to the organization of such groups. I tend to think that I’m located in an optimum place from which to take the next steps should such a wide ranging collapse occur.  It definitely bears thinking about ahead of time.

Online resources - There’s plenty more that I’ve not covered here. There’s ALWAYS more to be covered. Here are a couple of good websites I’ve come across lately that impart some good information. The views expressed in these sites may not reflect my own. ; ) This subject is something I consider to be common sense for EVERY person on the planet, regardless of political affiliation or country. However, it can tend to attract some of the “dissident” sorts I don’t particularly subscribe to. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t have some good information to impart.

Probably the best site I’ve found for down to earth wilderness survival. This guy’s got a lot of insight and detailed documents.
M4040.com

This guy is an expert forager and this site has good and precise information for getting food out of the wilderness.
Wild Man Steve!
This site has some more “revolutionary” inspired training and documentation, but a lot of good stuff for the average person to know as well.
Civilian Defense Force
This is a group that takes serious disaster preparedness and presents it against a somewhat whimsical backdrop of Zombie Apocalypse. (Are zombies whimsical?) They do a lot of charity work and seem to be good, down to earth people that like tohave fun while stressing being prepared for ANYTHING… even… well… the undead.

ZombieHunters.org

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