And the sign said anybody caught trespassing would be shot on sight…

Today being Veteran’s Day I took the day off (I’m a veteran, I can do that) and finally hit one of those ever present TODO items on my mental list: to go scope out the old, abandoned Titan 1 missile bases in the area.
Or put another way, I went off to examine various gates and fences and ponder all the implications of the phrase: “Violators will be prosecuted”.
In short, it was a bust.
My first target was the former site of the 851st Strategic Missile Squadron base at Live Oak. After beautifully scenic 2-hour drive around the north side of the Sutter Buttes (aka, the middle of nowhere) I got quite close.
To illustrate just how “middle of nowhere” I was, I received a call from my boss (yo, day off here) as I was trying to watch the road and my maps but there wasn’t enough signal to complete the call. Can you hear me now? No.

Finally I reached the turnoff from the main road. An encouraging, bullet riddled sign read: “Private Road: use at our own risk” which meant that maybe no one cares and the site would be accessible “at my own risk”. A few more feet and there was the original USAF sign frame, I was almost there…
Then came the gate with the sign, “violators will be prosecuted.” Damnit, so close.
I perused my maps, I was maybe a half mile away if that. I was prepared for such a situation as I’d packed my Army rucksack and some water and had on my trusty boots. Except there was this house, right there, and a guy out front chopping wood. Hmm, mulling over the phrase “prosecuted” in my head I tried another tack, I moseyed up to the guy and asked about the silo.
Apparently I’m not the only one who comes by looking for the site. Yes it’s all on private property and he gave me the guy’s number who owns the land. No, he said, the guy probably wouldn’t let me on. When you think about it, it makes sense: abandoned silos are great places to get injured or killed and the liability must be a nightmere.

I thanked the guy and drove off considering my options. It’s was not outside the realm of possible to just overland it, I was very close and a hiking few miles through the countryside was really an inviting idea (I’m serious, it was quite beautiful up there), but that whole prosecuted thing… I decided to punt.
Next on my list, the boobie prize, was the 851st site in Lincoln. I hadn’t actually planned to go there at all because I’d read it was a parking lot for Placer county vehicles or something (read: local government types with locked gates), so I didn’t bring any maps of that site. I just knew it was near Highway 193 just west of Lincoln and I happened to have it’s grid coordinates in my notes. So I popped the coordinates into my trusty GPS and went for it.
It’s actually really easy to get to, yes it is right off Highway 193, just outside of Lincoln… and yes it’s a parking lot for Placer county vehicles or something. I pulled up to the expected locked gate with the mean, angry signs (”violators will…”) and peered in. Again, so close.

Much like the Live Oak site, while the place was deserted (Veteran’s Day) there was a fire station just right there. Even though I could literally hit one of the silo doors with a rock (the air vent railings were clearly visible), hopping over (”violating”) a county fence within direct sight of a fire station would almost certainly lead to “prosecution”.
Damnit again.
So, the journey wasn’t a total loss. I now have contact info for two of the three former 851st SMS bases (Chico, the site of the third base, was a little too far to drive) so if I ever have a reason better than “Uh, I just want to look around,” I’m sure I can finagle authorized access.
I also got to drive through some beautiful Northern California countryside.
Edited to add:
There are more photos from the above mentioned sites available at SiloWorld.