When we left Sand Point, I knew we were going to have to do something about our Chassis Starting Batteries. The cold weather, were making them loose the store energy, giving me a Low Voltage Fault.
As we continued our travels North on US Hwy 191, we knew we would be changing out the batteries, we were fortunate that there was a NAPA store in town. With Susan guiding me, we located a NAPA. We parked in front of the store, pulled the batteries out, I walked them across and bought 2 new ones. One of the workers, then wheeled them across to the coach, and within 10 minutes, the new ones were installed and we were ready to roll.
So this was really back on Da Road Again.
The road , was good and made for easy driving, both Susan and I shared the driving together. As she drove I managed to take some interesting shots of the scenery as we went along.
Our planned next stop, was a small town called Green River for the night.
We finally arrived at our plan stopped, which was a very large dirt field next to the Wagon Wheel Truck Overflow Parking. We setup, took a walk and checked out the town.
See, everything was ready for the next Rig, as someone left the red chair out.
Even though the town was small, it spanned a very important part of history:
"In the late 1940’s through the 1960’s (when the uranium boom ended followed by a brief recovery in the 1970’s) uranium dominated the economy of Green River. Several trucking companies based in Green River hauled the ore from the mines in the Four-Corners Mining District, the San Rafael Swell, the Henry Mountains, and near Lake Powell.
The U. S. Air Force built the Green River Launch Complex (the new Area 51?), just outside of Green River, in 1964. It was an annex of the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range. From 1964-73 the U. S. Air Force launched 141 Athena and Pershing Missiles from the Green River launching area, near the Crystal Geyser. From those firings research was done to improve nuclear missiles. The Launch Complex brought the town’s population to a high point of almost 2,000 before the closing of the complex in the 1970s led to yet another economic downturn.".
From an IOverlander Camper: Location 38.944632, -110.084230
"If you ever wanted to camp beside an abandoned nuclear missile silo, here is your chance. Still can't believe this.
Several level spots right beside or on the concrete launch pads or in front of the control bunker.
Free, very quiet, good vistas. Gates on all sides are open, seems to be BLM land these days. Needless to say, the place has a bit of an aura of death.
The paved access road is a bit rough. Big rigs should watch out for the washouts (can drive around).
If you keep driving about 300m further than the spot marked here, you'll come to a fantastic spot outside the fenced area. Incredible 360 degrees views from a ridge, level concrete pad, space to turn around your rig.
Disclaimer: I didn't bring my Geiger counter.
Athena and Pershing missiles were tested here until 1979. From what I read online the area has been decontaminated (asbestos, uranium). There is a nuclear waste dump in town. On the web it said the soil right next to the pads was problematic, so maybe not the ideal sandpit for your kids or the dog. Also, asbestos concerns (and shattered glass) would deter me from popping my tent in one of the remaining structures or on that soil".
Finally, some of the shots I took while Dakota and I went for our daily walk:
