2018 Madera Canyon and the Missile Museum

Sunday  March 25, 2018

Sunday the choice was between heading SW to Tombstone and Bisbee, or S toward Green Valley to explore Madera Canyon and the Santa Rita Mountains.  We opted for the shorter drive and headed to Madera Canyon. It turned out to be a delightful choice.   We had asked the ranger at the gate for suggestions and she said the Nature Trail was nice, with options of hiking to the top of the road from any of several parking areas along a wooded trail, and since part of it followed a creek, tended to have wildlife along the trail.  Sounded good to us.

We started from a lower parking area for a 1.8 one way hike on a trail along a babbling creek, which wound up the canyon.  With a gradual rise, the trail entered a wooded area on the N slope of the mountain and had lot of wildlife, including a small group mule deer, a ring tail (looks like racoon, but is more cat than coon) and more birds than we could identify.  With about 600' of gradual elevation change and a good trail, it was an easy hike. It had to be one of our slowest hikes as we stopped frequently to check out the birds.  By mid afternoon as we headed down, there were more hikers than wildlife along the trail, so the descent was faster.

Panorama of Madera Canyon from the Nature trail
(High Resolution- View full screen and and zoomed in)

Phainopepla

Female Arizona Woodpecker

With a few hours of daylight left, we headed to the Titan Missile Museum, one of 3 original Titan missile sights manned during the Cold War. With our impeccable timing, we caught the last tour of the day.  It was interesting, especially since we are of an age to remember the Cuban missile crisis as more than a short comment in a history book.

Titan II's Advantage was quick launch

Looking down at the missile from ground level

Silo Details

First Stage Engine

It is thought provoking to realize once the countdown procedure was initiated, it could not be reversed, and within 58 seconds a missile with a nuclear warhead would be launched with unimaginable destructive capability.  At the time, it would have been one of multiple missiles from multiple land, sea and air sources with catastrophic results.  It would appear this missile system, like most of the forts we've visited along the east coast, was constructed as a preemptive measure, with no shot ever fired in anger.

I found the juxtaposition of these simple desert marigolds blooming above the missile pad interesting