FReeper Canteen ~ Road Trip: Area 51, Nevada ~ 14 APR, 2009

Serving The Best Troops And Veterans In The World | The Canteen Crew

[laurenmarlowe]

 

 

 

~The FReeper Canteen Presents~

Road Trip: Area 51, Nevada

Area 51 is a nickname for a military base located in the southern portion of Nevada in the western United States (83 miles north-northwest of downtown Las Vegas). Situated at its center, on the southern shore of Groom Lake, is a large secretive military airfield. The base's primary purpose is to support development and testing of experimental aircraft and weapons systems.

The base lies within the United States Air Force's vast Nevada Test and Training Range. Although the facilities at the range are managed by the 99th Air Base Wing at Nellis Air Force Base, the Groom facility appears to be run as an adjunct of the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC) at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert, around 186 miles southwest of Groom, and as such the base is known as Air Force Flight Test Center (Detachment 3).

Other names used for the facility include Dreamland, Paradise Ranch, Home Base, Watertown Strip, Groom Lake, and most recently Homey Airport. The area is part of the Nellis Military Operations Area, and the restricted airspace around the field is referred to as (R-4808N), known by the military pilots in the area as "The Box."

The intense secrecy surrounding the base, the very existence of which the U.S. government barely acknowledges, has led it to become the frequent subject of conspiracy theories and a central component to unidentified flying object (UFO) folklore.

Area 51 shares a border with the Yucca Flat region of the Nevada Test Site (NTS), the location of 739 of the 928 nuclear tests conducted by the United States Department of Energy at NTS. The Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository is approximately 40 miles southwest of Groom Lake.

The original 6-by-10 mile rectangular base is now part of the so-called "Groom box", a 23-by-25.3 mile rectangular area of restricted airspace. The area is connected to the internal NTS road network, with paved roads leading south to Mercury and west to Yucca Flat. Leading northeast from the lake, the wide and well-maintained Groom Lake Road runs through a pass in the Jumbled Hills.

The road formerly led to mines in the Groom basin, but has been improved since their closure. Its winding course runs past a security checkpoint, but the restricted area around the base extends further east. After leaving the restricted area, Groom Lake Road descends eastward to the floor of the Tikaboo Valley, passing the dirt-road entrances to several small ranches, before converging with State Route 375, the "Extraterrestrial Highway", south of Rachel, Nevada.

Groom Lake is not a conventional airbase, as frontline units are not normally deployed there. It instead appears to be used during the development, testing, and training phases for new aircraft. Once these aircraft have been approved by the United States Air Force or other agencies such as the CIA, operation of that aircraft is generally conducted from a normal air force base. Groom is reported, however, to be the permanent home for a small number of Soviet-designed aircraft which are analyzed and used for training purposes.

Soviet spy satellites obtained photographs of the Groom Lake area during the height of the Cold War, and later civilian satellites produced detailed images of the base and its surroundings. These images support only modest conclusions about the base, depicting a nondescript base, long airstrip, hangars and the lake.

Unlike much of the Nellis range, the area surrounding the lake is permanently off-limits both to civilian and normal military air traffic. Radar stations protect the area, and unauthorized personnel are quickly expelled. Even military pilots training in the NAFR risk disciplinary action if they accidentally stray into the exclusionary "box" surrounding Groom's airspace.

Perimeter security is provided by uniformed private security guards working for EG&G's security subcontractor Wackenhut, who patrol in desert camouflage Jeep Cherokees and Humvees, and more recently, champagne-colored Ford F-150 pickups and gray Chevy 2500 4X4 pickups. Although the guards are armed with M16s, no violent encounters with Area 51 observers have been reported; instead, the guards generally follow visitors near the perimeter and radio for the Lincoln County Sheriff.

 Deadly force is authorized if violators who attempt to breach the secured area fail to heed warnings to halt. Fines of around $600 seem to be the normal course of action, although some visitors and journalists report receiving follow-up visits from FBI agents. Some observers have been detained on public land for pointing camera equipment at the base. Surveillance is supplemented using buried motion sensors and by HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters.

Learn More About Area 51 HERE!!

FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT~Showing support and boosting the morale of our military and our allies military and the family members of the above. Honoring those who have served before. 

Please remember: The Canteen is a place to honor and entertain our troops. The Canteen is family friendly. Let's have fun!

We pray for your continued strength, to be strong in the face of adversity.

We pray for your safety, that you will return to your families and friends soon.

We pray that your hope, courage, and dignity remain unbroken, so that you may show others the way.

God Bless You All ~ Today, Tomorrow and Always

 

 

[Pusterfuss]

Good morning Kathy. (32)

[E.G.C.]

((HUGS))Good morning, Kathy. How's it going?

A very pleasant good morning to everyone at the Canteen and to all our military at home and abroad. Thanks for your service to our country.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT

[beachn4fun]

Good morning, Everyone. Good morning to our AWESOME military, our allies, and their families

Thank you, Lauren, for preparing the Canteen for today’s activities.

Sorry to be so late but I've been doing a little bit of work and complaining to the airlines about some of their new fare structures. If you haven't flown lately and you usually book online be sure to check out the new restrictions on some of the economy classes....such as baggage limit and seat reservations.

Area 51!

Home...home...home......we're visiting our home.

Now for our local DC Metroland weather report

~ Today....RAIN

~Tonight....RAIN

Eighty percent of all people hit by lightning are men.

U.S. Army doctor D.W. Bliss had the unique role of attending to two U.S. presidents after they were shot by assassins. In 1865, he was one of 16 doctors who tried to save Abraham Lincoln; in 1881, Bliss supervised the care of James Garfield.

Time for me to make my rounds. But, you stay right where you are. Don't touch that dial. And, remember – I’ll be watching!

Now remember, the Canteen is ALWAYS

So, come on in and sit for a while. There's always plenty of coffee, pancakes, conversation, silliness, and plain old BS

REMEMBER THEM

DEFENDERS OF FREEDOM

FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT

Showing support and boosting the morale of our military and our allied military and the family members of the above Honoring those who have served before.

[E.G.C.]

((HUGS))Good morning, Beach. How’s it going?

[blackie]

Check this out. ;)

[blackie]

Thanks Kathy!

{{HUGS}}

[unique]

[Tanniker Smith]

G'morning, beachy!

Just checkin' in before the house gets invaded by 12- and 13-year-olds looking to play videogames and eat munchies!

[beachn4fun]

OMG! You are good! I love them all. This is my fav though (don't let Ms. U catch me, please!)

[beachn4fun]

Good morn to you tanniker

((hugs))

Oh boy, lucky you with a house full of kids. Spring break???

[beachn4fun]

Good morning and (((HUGS))) EG. Taking a break from running reports to eat lunch and answer pings.

Whatz up with you? How did things turn out for Chuck?

[Tanniker Smith]

That it is. My son is having a videogame birthday party (his birthday was last Friday). He couldn't have it this weekend because one of his friends in Eastern Orthodox, and their Easter is this weekend. So he's having it in the middle of the week.

Another year or two and they'll be having the party in the basement -- all night. A bunch of them just made their way outside to shoot hoops or play ping pong or something. Let them burn of the excess energy.

[E.G.C.]

Well, the left foot is doing OK according to the doctors. He'll be going back up to the city in three weeks.

Getting ready to go to the Windows Updates webite and download this month's updates.

[SevenofNine]

That true everybody is okay now it freaky accident they put blame on Godzilla maybe his tail did overturn that boat he is big lizard

Well report just broke off SKY News wire Chia Pet kicking out all UN nuke inspectors

[HiJinx]

D.W. Bliss? Interesting, the hospital on Ft. Huachuca is named after Raymond Whitcomb Bliss; an Army doctor who was born in 1910. I wonder if the two were related...?

[HiJinx]

Oops, I misread that - he was born in Chelsea, Mass. (May 17, 1888).

[Kathy in Alaska]

Fortunately, I saw these before leaving for work. LOL! Good afternoon, Official Provost and CEO of Canteen Woohoo's. beachy, you are gonna have to watch out for mrs u! LOL!!

I LOVE it!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good afternoon, Pusterfuss...((HUGS))...mid 30s, but hoping for the predicted rain this afternoon. Do you have white stuff left? Can you see grass? I can see half the front yard now.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good afternoon, E...((HUGS))...did you have a good birthday? Cake? Glad Chuck’s foot is doing ok. Glad you got some rain. We are hoping for some later this afternoon.