Before the name Nike (after the Greek goddess of Victory) became a staple name for athletic shoes, there was the US Government's Nike Mission.
Motivated by the threat of Soviet's developing nuclear weapons and facilities, these facilities were built to defend cities in the US of an attack during the Cold War era. Strategically placed in certain US locations, the missiles were placed to intercept enemy missiles.
By the 1970s the last of its sites were shut down, such as the one that we went to in San Ramon, CA. At one time, it was used by defense contractor Tracor Aerospace.
Presently, it is being used by a colleague of ours as a studio for their band. Our colleague has experienced sounds and shadows. He told us that one time while the band was practicing, he noticed three shadows at the far end of the "lobby" move from left to right and he would always hear voices here and there.
The typical Silo site has two parts namley the Intergrated Fire Control area (IFC) and the Launcher Area.
We investigated the Launcher Area and what was interesting was, the building was built around the Launcher site. It is a one-story building but there is also a set of staircase that leads to the basement area. There is an incredible 12 feet by 10 feet (I think that's the size)world map on the ground-level floor from the 80s where it stil showed the USSR, East and West Germany and Czechoslovakia. I want this map in my living room :D.
I wanted to kick myself for not bringing a camera during our walk through when all the lights were turned on. We were lead to the basement to an area where there is now a trap door (yes another level below the basement - crazy, right?) that served as the missile magazine and well then there were steps that lead to up the bay doors. These features were truly preserved and it's interesting to note that they built vent and insulation around it, as well as ceilings and staircases (again I want to kick myself in butt for not bringing my camera during the walk through).
Down at the basement, we were then lead to a series of heavy 6-inch thick heavy metal doors to a room that was described to us as the firing room. The room itself was I think 6 by 4 feet. Upon research though, these sites have firing rooms that were up to 6k yards away - so that room could not have possibly been the firing room. But what was this room for? The corridor and the room were soundproof rooms with a narrow hallway where there is another heavy metal door that leads to a room with another heavy door with an iron ladder bolted into the wall the top is boarded up - a secret bullet proof escape route should these silos be attacked by enemy forces perhaps?
We didn't stay long downstairs because it was underground, the damp air and the cool temperature provided a breeding ground for black mold - ugh.
There was also a Faraday Room that, according to our colleague of the building, mysteriously closed when they had a stopper to it to make sure it doesn't close. The only way to open this room again is by a combination lock - no one knows the combination. My understanding is, this room can go undetected by any spy satellites and it keeps the inside of this room neutral from electromagnetic surges and interference.
We did this investigation old school style. No dvr system set up - just hand held cameras and recorders :D.
While we were in the small metal room which we were told to be the firing room, we heard what sounded like a disembodied voice -twice, but we have to review our recordings to rule out the possibility that it might be an owl. But looking back, I just realized how can we hear an owl when we were below ground level? I have to listen to my audio see if we've captured it.
I thought I would hear voices but maybe it's just my mind playing tricks on me. I think my concern for the black mold is somewhat taking away from my focus last night as well.
While we were on the ground-level floor and I was standing behind W when he opened this one wooden door to check out what was behind it. He had to struggle with this door a bit because it has a heavy spring, as soon as he opened that door I felt cold water splash behind my calf and above my ankle, it startled me so I gasped a little and lifted my right leg and turned around and looked up in the ceiling fully expecting to find the source of the leak (although it wasn't raining) and my pants soaked - but there was no water, no source of it either. The water splash behind my leg felt as though I was wearing shorts and it went straight for my skin past the fabric of my pants , so yeah it was odd. It was a full moon and the night was clear. It is still winter and the temperature outside was about 30-40 degrees Fareneheit. There is no heater inside the building but the temperature inside is probably 60 degrees farenheit, so this water splash I felt was so much colder than the ambient temperature, it was significant enough to startle me.
I've always felt water drop on me from time to time when I'm indoors (randomly, not investigations per se) only to find no drops on my skin or any sources of leakage but I've always dismissed it It's a first I actually felt a "splash". I'm starting to wonder if those were really water drops I've been feeling all along.
They say that when spirits manifest they draw the energy around them including heat enery which is why they say, people experience coldness.
Hopefully we can go back there and do another investigation :)
This site is surrounded by hills with a few pine trees. Last night was a full moon and it beautifully illuminated the surrounding whilte still casting mysterious eerie shadows. It was a clear night as well. When we concluded our investigation and stepped outside, I heard a dog bark and I got a little concerned and thought to myself that if this dogs goes all Kujo on us and charges, I'm going inside the car.
I don't know what made me and D keep the car doors open when we put our stuff inside, but I'm sure glad we did.
D said that she thought she heard footsteps coming down the gravel road slightly to the right of us. Directly in front of us is like a little ravine with bushes and a big tree and despite of the moon, it was really dark and I think it is the threat of something hiding in the bushes unseen by yes that kind of made me a little nervous and was already thinking of what weapons to use if we are attack by a wild animal or a crazed wandering psychopath :D.
So while we were standing outside and D's back was turned towards me, W was at the driver side of the car outside smoking a cigarette. Suddenly, D turned around with her eyes wide with fear and she bumped into me , I then saw her start to climb inside the passenger rear of the car and that was when I heard this loud rustling and twig snapping in the darkness and bushes and trees in front of us and that also made me jump inside the shotgun seat and closed the door. By the time we were inside D and I were both laughing at ourselves and I was saying " Oh no..we left W outside.." A few seconds later W also went inside the car and was saying "...let's get out of here." He said that he was laughing at us as we both ran inside the car but his laughter died down when he heard what sounded like running steps (made by a creature standing erect ) towards him and it was so loud he can it the twigs snapping,the bushes rustling and the stones and pebbles of the gravel being kicked and turned.
He turned the car on and because he has a four-wheel drive, it was easy to maneuver the car but we also decided to shine our high beams at the are where were heard the noises from and I said,
"Now if it's an animal - which could might as well be, we should see the eyes as the light reflects back ." Like a deer you know. But all the high beams revealed was a big pine tree and bushes.
Mountain lions are known in this area too but, them being of the feline family - aren't they built for stealth to easily catch their prey off guard?
During the drive out of there, W was uncharacteristically shaken up by this experience and D was also saying she felt strange. I just wanted to get out of there and do our closing prayer at the town proper which we did in front of a CVS Pharmacy , away from the hills and the darkness of Bollinger Canyon Road.
It could very well be a wild animal , but what was it? A deer perhaps? A mountain lion? I sure didn't want to stick around to find out and I'm glad we made the wise decision to leave.
As for the old Nike Missile Launcher site - a mold-ridden and forgotten, former shell of its old shelf. May it stand as a reminder of a time when this country felt so threatened that felt the need to build a defense like this.
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