Trip Report: NPS, NASCAR, and NASA
First published in 2010. Reformatted 2025. This was a long one--ten days of exploring. The plan started out simple, visit Nike site HM-69 via a National Park Service tour on a Saturday. Then I noticed that the NASCAR Racing Experience was in Homestead that weekend, so I added a bucket list item that Sunday. Then I noticed NASA was advertising a shuttle launch on the following Thursday. I booked my trip through the following Sunday. Before I knew it, I had a major trip lined up with numerous tours and appointments. Get your popcorn and favorite beverage and enjoy my adventure! Just a reminder PIN means Permanent Installation Number and ILC means Installation Location Code; I include these for Air Force properties when I know them.Friday, 29 January 2010
I caught a 0800 flight from DEN to Fort Lauderdale (FLL). This was Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale in WWII, but I saw no trace of vintage buildings or structures. It was 1545 before I rolled out in my Ford Fusion rental car. Nike HM-03L FL. Nike missile batteries were quickly emplaced in south Florida at the onset of the Cuban Missile Crisis, in late 1962. For a couple of years, the Nike troops worked in miserable conditions at temporary sites. The sites I visited were completed in 1965, operated until 1979, and must have seemed wonderful compared to the mud and tents the units had lived and worked in previously. This former Nike launcher site seemed to be abandoned, but it was gated and locked. The property has most recently been used as a National Guard weekend training site.General view
Access road
Gate Nike HM-84 FL. I photographed the gate of this former Hawk site.
View from public road I stopped at 1830 in Homestead, settling in to the motel that would be home for the next four nights. In 2.75 hours of driving, I covered 94 miles.
Saturday, 30 January 2010
I had made advance plans for this trip with Ryan Meyer, Nike Missile Site Coordinator for Everglades National Park. The Nike sites in the Homestead Defense Area were constructed later than others in the CONUS (due to the urgency of the Cuban Missile Crisis), and are their layout is unique among American Nike sites. Nike HM-69C FL. This former Nike control center is now the Daniel Beard Research Center. The NPS tour of HM-69 started here, with a talk in front of the facility by Ranger Leon Howell and a peek through the gate (the Research Center itself is not open to tourists). I was lucky to get a brief, escorted tour into the compound to photograph the remaining Army buildings such as the sewage facility, water supply building, generator building, flammable storage building, and the radar building.General view
General view
Sewage treatment facility
Water supply building
Generator building
Flammable storage building
Radar building Nike HM-69L FL. From the control site, we convoyed to the launcher site. We moved counterclockwise to see the missile shelter buildings at each of the three sections (I arbitrarily number them 1 thru 3 in my photo captions). The first missile shelter building, also called a section barn, was open and accessible for our viewing pleasure. Five launchers once stood in front of the shelter. The cableways show where control lines once ran. Each missile shelter had an associated underground control center, also called a section room, in the berm behind the launcher positions. Near the control center, this yellow canister was visible; Charles Carter told me this housed the mechanism that activated the fail-safe circuits in case a launch was necessary. I'm thankful for the efforts of Ryan and Leon--they made this tour a great experience and these photos are a result of their outstanding support. Check out the website for more information and to plan your visit. Thanks also to Charles for helping me to better understand what I saw.
Plaque
Missile assembly and test building
Missile assembly and test building
Missile assembly and test building
Missile assembly and test building
Kennel support building
Missile shelter building (1)
Missile shelter building (1)
Missile shelter building (1)
Missile shelter building (1) interior
Launcher location
Control line cableway
Control center (1) interior
Control center (1)
Control center (1)
Control center (1) entrance
Control center (1) entrance
Launch circuit housing
Launch circuit housing
Missile shelter building (2)
Control center (2)
Missile shelter building (3)
Control center (3) Hawk HM-59 FL. I photographed the gate of this former Hawk missile site.
View from public road
View from public road Nike HM-40L FL. Corps of Engineers records show that after this Nike launcher site was shut down, a portion of the land was transferred to the Air Force and used for several years as Key Largo Beacon Annex. The radio beacon was located down this gated and locked access road north of the main entrance. The main entrance to the launcher site was also secured.
Gate to radio beacon location
Access road to radio beacon location
Gate to Nike launcher location
Access road to Nike launcher location Homestead Communications Annex (Transmitter) FL. Now private property, I photographed the access road from the public road.
View from public road
View from public road This was a comfortable day, covering 278 miles in 8.25 hours--and still getting dinner before sunset.
Sunday, 31 January 2010
This day was dedicated to the NASCAR Racing Experience at Homestead-Miami Speedway. I only drove 24 miles off the racetrack (and maybe 12-15 on it).Monday, 1 February 2010
From Homestead I headed southwest to the Keys, leaving the motel at 0530. Rainstorms slowed my progress (I had to pull over and wait out one pummeling precipitation episode) and made it a challenge to get decent photos. Hawk KW-10 FL. Key West was protected by four Hawk missile batteries that operated from the early 1960s until 1979. This former Hawk site is apparently owned by the Navy, and the closest I got was this gate, north of the Naval Air Station.Gate Hawk KW-65 FL. This was a permanent Hawk missile site. The CONUS had only 8 such sites, 4 near Homestead and 4 near Key West. My first stop on the site was a trio of bermed launcher areas, with concrete pads for the mobile launchers, and cableways leading toward the central part of the site. Several vintage radar towers still stand, including one on a built-up area out in the water! A sentry box stands near one of the towers, as does a small storage building. A couple of buildings still stand, as do a couple of open-frame sheds, and this bermed structure. I was surprised to find cableways traveling over open water, but the local landscape (and political urgency after the Cuban Missile Crisis) offered challenges! I noticed this small dome, but I don't know if it is a Hawk artifact, or was placed here more recently. In spite of the rain, this was an excellent visit.
General view
Launcher area
Launcher area showing concrete pads
General view
General view
Radar tower base
Radar tower platform
Radar tower
Sentry box
Small building
Small building and radar towers
General view
Building
Shed
Shed
Bermed structure
Bermed structure and building
General view showing cableway
Small dome and radar tower
Small dome and shed Meacham Field FL. I could see this airport in the distance from KW-65. The field was constructed for the Army early in WWII, but was transferred to the Navy by mid-war. Navy use continued until the mid 1960s.
View from Hawk KW-65 Hawk KW-24 FL. This former Hawk site is securely gated, and a newer fence surrounds the older fence of the compound.
General view
General view
Gate
Gate and sentry box
Gate and sentry box Nike HM-40C FL. After obtaining a Back Country Permit, I hiked into this former Nike control site. As recently as the mid 1990s, the grass was cut and all the buildings and structures were clearly visible. Times have changed. From the large parking lot inside the gate, I could barely see the deteriorating buildings among the trees. Working my way down the trail, I could barely see the radar towers only a few feet in front of me. Looking up, the tops of the towers were difficult to see among the tops of the trees. A building past the towers was a bit easier to see.
Gate
Sentry box
Building
Building
Parking area
Parking area
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Radar tower
Radar tower
Radar tower
Radar tower
Radar tower
Radar tower
Building
Building
Building
Building I made it back to Homestead at 1500, driving 295 miles in 9.5 hours.
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
I was finished in Homestead, so I checked out of my motel room before hitting the road at 0930 (after a leisurely breakfast). It was time to start working my way north. Hawk HM-12 FL. Unfortunately this former Hawk site is now filled with new construction.General view
General view
General view Naval Air Station Richmond FL. Visiting this site meant visiting the Gold Coast Railroad Museum, as their facility sits on the remains of one of the large airship hangars that used to stand here. The concrete supports from one side of the hangar still stand, giving a sense of the huge size of the former wooden hangar.
Historical marker
Concrete buttresses
Concrete buttresses
Concrete buttresses
Hangar door pocket structure
Hangar door pocket structure
Hangar door pocket structure
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building Dinner Key Naval Air Facility FL. This pre-war seaplane base was used by the Navy in WWII. Now, the Art Deco airport terminal building serves as Miami City Hall. Some former hangars are nearby and used for boat storage, but I'm unsure of their vintage. A few smaller buildings are visible near the terminal building.
Terminal
Terminal
Terminal
Terminal detail
Hangar
Hangar
Hangar
Building
Building
Historical marker Pratt General Hospital FL. Known during WWII as AAF Regional Hospital No. 1, or AAF Regional and Convalescent Hospital, the Biltmore Hotel was leased by the Army Air Forces during WWII. On 15 May 1946 it was named Pratt General Hospital. It is once again a luxury hotel.
General view
General view Army Air Forces Redistribution Station No. 2 FL. The Army Air Forces leased numerous hotels in Miami Beach during WWII, for a variety of training, hospital, and personnel processing functions. Redistribution Station No. 2 was composed of a large cluster of hotels in the northern part of Miami Beach, in an area since identified as the Collins Waterfront Historic District. That designation helped me to locate many of the former AAF hotels that were still standing. Note: Some of these photos were taken Tuesday evening, others on Wednesday morning, but I list them together for your convenience.
Alamo Hotel
Archambo Hotel
Arlene Arms Hotel
Atlantic Beach Hotel
Cadillac Hotel
Caribbean Hotel
Clavelon Hotel
Copley Plaza Hotel
Coral Reef Hotel
Embassy Hotel
Grand Plaza Hotel
Greenbrier Hotel
Lord Tarleton Hotel
Monroe Towers Hotel
Ocean Grande Hotel
Ocean Spray Hotel
Patrician Hotel
Pierre Hotel
Private Residence
Rendale Hotel
Versailles Hotel Miami District Convalescent Hospital FL. Three of the hotels I found in Miami Beach served not only the Redistribution Station, but also the Convalescent Hospital.
Alden Hotel
Claridge Beach Hotel
The Glades Hotel I stayed overnight in the former Cadillac Hotel (now the Courtyard Miami Beach Oceanfront), one of the former AAF hotels featured above. This foray into Miami Beach had taken me 5.75 hours and covered 94 miles.
Cadillac Hotel historic sign
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
After breakfast I spent some time on foot documenting hotels in the area; it was 1030 before I was in the car and heading back onto the mainland. Jupiter Missile Data Collection Annex FL. This property has an interesting history. For many years the Jupiter Lighthouse has been operated by the U.S. government. In WWII the Navy took over much of the reservation and operated a secret, signals intelligence facility here. The Air Force operated a data collection annex here as part of the space program, from the early 1950s through the mid 1980s. Since then, the property has reverted back to the Coast Guard, who use the southern part of the property as a housing area with a few amenities (I bought snacks in their small Exchange). The top of the lighthouse offered a distant view of the former Air Force antenna field located on the northern part of the property. The abandoned Air Force compound is accessible on foot through the Jupiter Inlet Natural Area. The main features still standing are two vertical poles.Lighthouse
Building
Coast Guard housing
Coast Guard area
Gate
Non-historic sign
USAF annex viewed from lighthouse
USAF annex sign
USAF annex general view
USAF annex general view
USAF annex general view
USAF annex vertical pole
USAF annex vertical pole
USAF annex vertical pole I stopped at 1815 in Cocoa Beach. This was a 241-mile day, taking 7.75 hours to cover.
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Had the space shuttle launched on its original schedule, I would have enjoyed a great view from my hotel room balcony. Oh well. Since the shuttle had been rescheduled, I slept in--again--and hit the road at 0930. Kennedy Space Center FL. The visitor center has a nice display area including a heavyweight Saturn 1B. An early launch control center is preserved. From the bus tour, the vehicle assembly building was visible for miles.Display area
Saturn 1B display
Launch control center
Launch control center
Launch control center
Vehicle assembly building
Vehicle assembly building
Vehicle assembly building Cape Canaveral Air Force Station FL. I signed up for the "Cape Canaveral: Then and Now" tour at Kennedy Space Center because it takes you across the river onto Cape Canaveral AFS. We stopped at Complex 26 (launch site of Explorer 1, the United States' first satellite) and toured the blockhouse. It is nicely preserved, including the racks of vintage electronic equipment in the interior of the building. Outside the blockhouse, we could see the various items on display (such as the Complex 19 White Room) as well as a nearby munitions storage area. (Note: when I was a kid, access to the museum area was much simpler, and you could spend all the time you wanted exploring. Now you're limited to the length of the stop on the bus tour.) We drove the short distance to Complex 5/6 (Complex 5 was the launch site of Freedom 7, the United States' first manned space flight) and its similar blockhouse. From there, we could see the replica Redstone rocket on the pad. We stopped again at Complex 34, site of the fatal Apollo 1 fire and now a memorial to those three astronauts. From Complex 34 we could see a Delta IV at SLC-37B, scheduled to launch in May with a GPS Block 2F satellite.
Dock facility
Building
Building
Hangar AE
Hangar AF
Hangar AM
Hangar AO
Hangar M
Hangar N
Hangar S
Hangar T
Hangar U
Munitions storage magazines
Munitions storage magazines
Munitions storage magazines
Munitions storage magazines
Munitions storage magazines
Complex 26 blockhouse drawing
Complex 26 blockhouse sign
Complex 26 blockhouse
Complex 26 blockhouse
Complex 26 blockhouse
Complex 26 blockhouse interior
Complex 26 blockhouse interior
Complex 26 blockhouse interior
Complex 26 blockhouse interior
Complex 26 blockhouse interior
Displays at Complex 26
Locomotive display at Complex 26
Displays at Complex 26
Complex 19 White Room displayed at Complex 26
Munitions storage near Complex 26
Complex 5/6 blockhouse
Complex 5/6 blockhouse
Replica Redstone rocket
Water fixture
Launch complex
Launch complex
Launch complex
Launch complex
Launch complex
Complex 34
Complex 34
Complex 34
Complex 34
Complex 34
Delta IV at SLC-37B After 11 hours and 283 miles on the road, I stopped in Lake Park, Georgia, for the night.
Friday, 5 February 2010
I was on the road at 0800, in the rain again. Spence Air Base GA. Much of this industrial park was closed off for a special event. That, and the pouring rain, limited my visit. Two 184-foot Demountable Type DH-1hangars still stand from WWII. The old control tower still stands, seen here with a newer elevated water storage tank. This was Spence Field during WWII. During the 1950s as Spence Air Base, it was a contract flying school operated by the Hawthorne School of Aeronautics.Hangar
Hangar
Control tower and elevated water storage tank Nike TU-28L GA. The Turner Air Force Base Defense Area had two Nike batteries, operational from 1960 to 1966. This Nike launcher site is now a junkyard. The ready building still stands inside the outer gate, and the assembly building stands near where the launchers berms once stood.
Ready building
Ready building
Assembly building
Launcher area Nike TU-28C GA. This Nike control site was gated and secured.
Gate Turner Air Force Base GA. Unfortunately, the remaining airfield features of this former SAC base are landlocked by private businesses.
Gate
Cold storage building
Warehouse
Building Nike TU-79C GA. This Nike control site is now a limited-access residential center. Several vintage buildings still stand, as seen from outside the gate.
General view
General view Albany Municipal Airport GA. Three hangars stand which may date back to WWII, although I'm not positive (contract schools sometimes used existing, non-standard hangars). Two are on one side of the present terminal, and one is on the other side. A historical marker in the parking area confirms that this was an Army Air Forces contract flying school operated by Darr Aero Tech Inc.
Hangar
Hangar
Historical marker Bainbridge Air Base GA. Two 184-foot Demountable Type DH-1 hangars remain from WWII. This was Bainbridge AAFld in WWII and served again in the 1950s as Bainbridge Air Base, a contract flying school operated by Southern Airways Schools. This was the last of my Georgia visits, and from here I headed back into Florida.
Hangar
Hangar
Hangar
Hangar
Hangar
Hangar
Elevated water storage tank Apalachicola Army Air Field FL. This was a WWII field that also served the Air Force into the mid-1950s. Air Training Command listed it as "Apalachicola Air Force Base" in their installation directories from 1951-1953, but USAF records from that period refer to it as "Mun Apt" or "Afd." I found only recent construction, and saw no buildings or structures dating to Air Force use.
General view
General view My stopping point for the night was Apalachicola; motel check-in at 1700 allowed for dinner in the historic part of town before sunset. This was a 358-mile day, taking 9 hours on the road.
Saturday, 6 February 2010
I headed east after an 0715 start. Carrabelle Gap Filler Annex FL. This one was a hike from the main highway up a sandy access road. The gap filler building still stands though it has considerable damage. The three tower supports are extant, as are the concrete saddles that formerly supported a small diesel fuel tank. This was gap filler TM-198A/Z-198A, supporting the long range radar site at Tyndall Air Force Base from 1959 to 1970.Gate
Building
Building
Building
Radar tower support
Building and radar tower supports
Fuel tank saddles Perry Gap Filler Annex FL. This site is on the northwest corner of the former Perry Army Air Field, and the radar tower is used to mount the airport beacon. This was gap filler TM-200A/Z-200A, supporting Cross City AFS from 1961 to 1970.
General view
General view
General view
Top of radar tower showing modern beacon light Perry Army Air Field FL. The airport manager kindly allowed me to drive on a taxiway to the WWII firing-in butt. I don't see many of these in my travels; they were used for testing and aligning guns on fighter aircraft. The concrete structure had sand inside it to absorb fired projectiles, and timber mounted on the exposed concrete would prevent stray rounds from damaging the concrete. I also saw a WWII sewage tank, almost hidden in the trees.
Hangar
Hangar
Hangar
Hangar
Hangar
Hangar
Foundation remains
Foundation remains
Building
Taxiway
Firing-in butt
Firing-in butt
Firing-in butt
Firing-in butt detail
Firing-in butt detail
Sewage tank
Sewage tank Melbourne was my evening stop, after a fun visit to Don Garlits' Drag Racing Museum. I covered 433 miles in 11.25 hours.
Sunday, 7 February 2010
I was up and out of the hotel at 0400, taking a good position to watch the launch of space shuttle Endeavor. Cloud cover postponed the launch for a full day, so I went back to bed for a few hours. I was on the road at 1030, heading toward the airport with but one historic stop left on this adventure. Pinecastle Jeep Range FL. Aerial photos show that the "quad oval" (to borrow a NASCAR term) shape of the berms was neatly cut in two, and the northern half of the berms removed, to make room for a school that now occupies half of the former range. Signs reference the Corps of Engineers. Only a hint of the berm is visible, behind a fence and in the trees south of the school. This gunnery training range served the nearby Pinecastle AAFld during WWII.Non-historic sign
General view of range berm
General view of range berm My trip to the Orlando airport was only 53 miles in a brief 1.5 hours. This airport was formerly McCoy Air Force Base, as I've documented on a previous trip. I was pleased with the Ford Fusion except for one major problem: Difficult to read gauges because of poor lighting on red needles against dark backgrounds. In fact, this was the hardest-to-read speedometer I have experienced, EVER. Shame on you, Ford, for making your gauges hard-to-read. My flight from MCO to DEN was delayed due to weather, and I got home at 2100. The trip totaled 1,757 miles. Updated April 20, 2025
If you like what you find here, please consider making a monetary contribution. Domain name registration, web hosting, and travel cost plenty. You won't find any ads here to annoy you.