Overnight in a Secret Missile Bunker

We are standing at the entrance of a ballistic missile bunker. At the time of commission, missile bases were considered ultra-secret and their mission was top priority. Today, many missile sites are privately owned and extremely dangerous. So, we're gonna spend the night here. No, seriously. Oh, this is quite freaky. So, what is this and how did I find one to spend the night in? During the Cold War, the threat of nuclear warfare from the Soviet Union was a serious concern. So, in the 1960s, the U.S. built secret bunkers all around the country as a place of defense and potential escape if the U.S. had become a nuclear wasteland. Military rockets operate on exactly the same principle as the 4th of July variety. The pressure inside, being equal in all directions, forces the gas out of the chamber at an extremely high velocity. After the fourth accidental explosion in two years, the bunkers were decommissioned and abandoned. Many laid to waste to nature, vandalism, and some were purchased by civilians. In 1999, a distinguished missile speaker, Gary Baker, purchased two of these in the middle of the desert for $110,000. He, with help from family and friends, spent four years and $400,000 renovating one of them. Gary and his wife live right about here, the former control room. They put the former cook's quarters and kitchen area on Airbnb, and that's where we'll spend the night in, 40 feet underground. Alright, we're locked in here for the next 24 hours. Not really, we could go out any time we want. Okay, now we're going to head into our apartment. When I say our and we, I mean you and me. That is where we're staying tonight. Might as well check it out before we go to where the missile would be placed. This is our apartment. Our apartment for the night. We've got a bathroom. This is where I'll be staying. The kitchen. This is where the original kitchen was. Thank goodness, because I was thinking, uh oh, where do I, maybe I should have brought food. But they leave all this for the guests. Alright, let's head over to where the missile would go. So all the pipes and the stairs you see here are original. So this door had to be able to withstand a blast, just in case there was an accident with the missile. To the missile. Here it is. This is where the missile would go. Don't mind my shoes, my feet were sweaty and my boots. And there are the doors. Here's a view of what it looks like from the top. This is the top of the silo doors. Each one weighing 75 tons. So this is where the missile would go. And those springs you see right there is part of the elevator system that would hold the missile on cables. So it would never be touching anything. Just in case there was some type of nuclear attack or explosions up top, you don't want a nuclear missile to be banging around on anything. So down from the floor up to the doors is 186 feet. And in there is part of the ventilation system. Now it's where some bats live. There are the doors to what was once the maintenance shaft. It's kind of sad to see the state it's in now with all this vandalism. And we can't go much further. As you can see, things are kind of falling apart here. So there's Wi-Fi in here. My phone works. They even got Netflix. But here's what I really want to watch. If you're spending the night in a missile bunker, you gotta watch a documentary about atomic bombs. Narrated by William Shatner. Way back in the 20th century, the H-bomb was the ultimate weapon. We are currently 40 feet underground and I am quite hungry. So I'm going to eat some food and take a shower and then watch my atomic bomb documentary in a missile bunker. What? So it's actually a little chilly in here for me. There's no heat or AC, but it stays anywhere from 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit year round. Even when it's 110 in the desert up above, still nice and cool down here. I don't want to get up. I want to stay in this cozy, dark bed. It smells kind of funny 40 feet underground in a steel container. All right, let's go. And because someone always asks me, what the heck is that light on the back of my helmet? 98% of my riding is on the street, so it makes more sense there. One of the most common reasons for motorcycle accidents is for failure to see a rider. So any added visibility I can get, I want. That's where I wear bright gear and a bright helmet. That light flashes whenever I stop or slow down. Wire free. This mounting bracket makes it easy to move across different helmets. I have a discount code for you below. And after using this for two years, when I reached out to them and asked them if they were willing to sponsor this trip, they agreed. So thanks, Break Free, because crossing America ain't cheap. We are in front of the second bunker and there are no lights inside. It's not renovated like the other one, so we've got a headlamp. Raul's going to take me down on a tour. These doors are open. Yeah. Wow. It's a long way down. Is it as deep as the other one? 186. They're the same, yeah. The same. So we're going inside there? Yeah, yeah, yeah. But let me tell you, the other side, you see there. Yeah. You never know. If I came upon this on the desert, I'd never know. I'm ready. Look at the signal. Do not enter ISIS and... Oh, my gosh. Oh, boy. Oh. The door, the five-ton door, that's the goal. Yeah. Glass doors. I'm going to stay on the bed. This level is the same level as your apartment, original apartment. Oh, yeah. But it's original, in original condition. Wow. All this pipe, this pipe is for the bathroom. And the other pipe is for the kitchen. Oh, wow. Do you recognize it, how it looks just like where we were? But this is the original with some local touches. Did Gary do that? Yeah. He did? Yeah. Wait, Gary's a vandalizer too? Yeah. Look at that, Lori and Jeremy. Are you all still together? If you're watching this video, comment below. Yeah. This is quite freaky. Yeah. Oh, we're going to keep going. Okay, all right. Yeah, let's go. I'm going to stay over here on the edge. Okay, I think I'll just, I'll wait for you right here. Yeah, really? Yeah. You're not scared of falling through? Oh, my gosh. Oh, okay. You know what? I'm not, I'm coming. I want to see that. I want to look at it. Is that his nest over there? Yeah, it's the nest. Wow. Whoa. Oh, my gosh. Good thing I'm not scared of heights. Um. This is a strong lift experience. Okay. You are in the motorcycle. It's more dangerous. Oh, no, the motorcycle is way safer than this. Are you kidding? Easy peasy. Okay, we're here. Fragments from bursting shells can do severe damage to personnel and to light structures. Okay. On the other one, the equivalent of what we can walk in is right here only. But here we can walk. We walked all around and we went down the stairs. You don't see all this. It's a lot more still intact in this one. It's crazy how some things you just leave them alone and they just slowly start to fall apart. Back into the light. Yeah. Thank you, Raul. It's my pleasure. I'm in the silo club. We didn't go all the way. I got a little scared. But we went close. That's good. And I saw what you mean by used to play down there. Absolutely. Mr. Gary, Gary 1982. Gary was a missile delinquent and now he's a missile owner. Yeah, there you go. You can spend the night in this missile bunker too. It's on Airbnb. Thank you so much, Gary and Raul. Thank you. If you enjoyed this overnight experience in a slice of America's military history, then you'll really want to see a visit to one of America's most historically deadliest towns. Tombstone, Arizona. See you in the next one.