Trip Report: Crazy from the Heat
First published in 1998. Reformatted 2025. Second hottest summer on record in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex (so far). Good time to get away for a few days, preferably to a cooler climate. Let's see, Colorado was nice a few weeks ago, and I still had plenty to see in that neck of the woods. 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.Thursday, 23 July 1998
Las Animas Auxiliary Field CO, 38-08-45, 103-15-30. I was able to go north on the dirt road leading from town, but was stopped by a fence and gate where I would have turned west to the field. The road leading to the coordinates was little more than a pair of wheel ruts. I snapped a picture of the ranchland in the general direction, from one mile east of the listed coordinates, and backtracked.General view La Junta AAFld CO, 38-03, 103-31. This is now the La Junta Municipal Airport (LHX). Not much remains on the airport from the WWII days. One hangar and a few smaller buildings have a vintage look to them.
Hangar and beacon
Building La Junta Radar Bomb Scoring Site CO. The site, which is still active, is situated at the southeast corner of the La Junta Municipal Airport ramp. The main building is labeled LeMay Tech Ops Center.
View from outside fence
Friday, 24 July 1998
I drove right past Francis E. Warren AFB back in 1981, but this was my first stop. Visited the civil engineer and obtained small but useful copies of layouts for the Pole Mountain and Encampment annexes. Looked over the base, which has lots of historical buildings. Toured the museum, which has some nice Atlas and Minuteman displays.Saturday, 25 July 1998
Francis E. Warren AF Missile Site #10 CO. To the untrained observer this former Atlas E site would be unrecognizable. The fence posts of the security fence still stand, but the chain link fencing is down. The access road leads in, and starts down toward the missile bay--then ends in a huge pile of dirt. Yes, this site is buried--the entire front door (missile entry), overhead door (missile exit), and flame pit are covered with earth! Only a few feet of the right-side retaining wall are visible, confirming that they were not demolished. Other piles of dirt seem to be randomly scattered, but to the trained eye they correspond with various ventilators and other protuberances. The only obvious features are the fence line with gate, access road leading down the ramp, one well house, a concrete pad, the spray pond, and the communications silo. Although not marked with any signs (not even a Keep Out), I believe this site is owned by the U.S. Forest Service, as part of the Pawnee National Grassland.General view
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Spray pond
Communications silo Francis E. Warren AF Missile Site #12 CO. This Atlas E site is in Greeley, Colorado. This site is part of a county park and open for visitors by appointment. Viewer James Kirkpatrick reported the number is now (970) 356-4000, extension 4831. The park itself is on the outside of the security fence, which is still very secure. I walked the perimeter and photographed what was visible. The security fence seems to have been partially relocated, as the spray pond and communications silo are outside the present fence line. A water system building still stands. Inside the fence, most of the original stacks and vents appear intact. In a nod to an earlier time, part of the parking area of the park is covered with PSP! This Atlas E site transferred directly from the USAF to the county, and the county has used it continuously. It has been spared the neglect and abuse many former missile sites have suffered.
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Non-historic signage
Non-historic signage
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Spray pond
Water system building
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Perforated steel planking
Civil defense water barrel
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General view Lamar Communications Facility Annex CO, 37-55-23, 102-36-41. It is 11 miles south of town, to the east of Highway 287. USAF signs are still in place, although the facility has been closed for many years. The newest lettering proclaimed it as "OL A, NORAD COMBAT OPERATIONS CENTER, HF TACTICAL RADIO STATION, LAMAR COLORADO." The still-visible lettering underneath this said "NORAD ADC, TACTICAL RADIO STATION, 47 COMMUNICATIONS GP." I was told by locals this facility was built in 1966, at or nearly at the same time as the adjacent AT&T microwave facility. This former Cold Warrior was gated and locked. Note the two UHF Ground Entry Point antennas and the nuclear blast detector on the neighboring AT&T site.
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Controlled area sign
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Sign
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AT&T site adjacent to annex
Sunday, 26 July 1998
Dalhart Ground Gunnery Range TX, 35-58-45, 102-31. Drove along the western border and along part of the southern border. No traces of AAF use were visible from the public roads.General view Dalhart AAFld TX, 36-01, 102-33. Two of approximately six original hangars still stand. Lots of foundations are still present. The most distinctive feature is the large, concrete, cylindrical tower with a slightly-overhanging platform on top. This unusual tower supported a water tank. A prison has been built on the southwest part of the airport.
Hangars
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Building foundation
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Building foundation Dalhart AF Auxiliary Field #1 TX, 36-01, 102-41. Gated and locked, with the concrete sides of a demolished hangar visible. The concrete water tower still stands--a landmark visible for miles. A lone tractor-trailer rig was parked in the distance, and there were several large piles of gravel nearby. Unable to determine ownership or use.
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General view Dalhart AF Auxiliary Field #2 TX, 36-05-45, 102-25-45. In use as Miller Field (2E1). Again, my first visual clue of the field was the concrete water tower. I didn't notice it until years later, but one of my photos captured the remnants of the Norden bombsite storage and maintenance building!
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Concrete tower for water tank
Norden bombsite storage and maintenance building Amarillo AFB TX, 35-14, 101-42. Not much here to remind one of the Air Force. This airport, Amarillo International (AMA), has a modern terminal and control tower, and a multi-level parking garage. I saw no sign of the former AC&W area.
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General view Quite a jam-packed four-day weekend--my favorite kind! Covered almost 2,000 miles. Updated January 26, 2025
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