11 Aug 2022 - Grand Forks Air Force Base

 11 Aug

This morning we drove about 18 miles west to Grand Forks Air Force Base (GFAFB). I was never assigned here and never had the need to do temporary duty here.  In my day Grand Forks was not necessarily considered a "desired" choice of assignments, but I guess neither was Loring Air Force Base in the northern tip of Maine where I was stationed.  Assignments, no matter where you are or what you are doing,  are what you make of them!

This base was built in the late 1950's during the Cold War, and the Air Force assigned KC-135 refuelers and the F-101 B fighter interceptor here.  By 1962 the first B-52 aircraft arrived.  Soon it would become the home of Minuteman II Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles.  Over time the B-52's departed and the base hosted B-1 bombers.  

B-52 static display outside the main gate

In 1998, all the Minuteman III missiles were shipped to other locations and the silos were imploded, leaving aerial refueling as the base’s primary mission. At one time, Grand Forks Air Force Base supported 48 KC-135 Stratotankers under the Air Mobility Command, making it the first supertanker wing in the Air Force.  

Today the base's primary mission is the Global Hawk High Altitude ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance)  and the High Frequency Global Communication System. 

Grand Forks has some beautiful, up-to-date facilities.  Most of the buildings look fairly new.  We drove around and made our way to the FamCamp (campground) where we decided NOT to stay.  The electrical service is indeed quite a ways back from the site and although I think we could have made the connection, we made a good choice staying where we are staying.  

Gravel/grass sites, more or less level.

The electrical connection on each site is quite a ways behind the rear of the site because this used to be a trailer park.  This makes connecting to many modern-day RV's a challenge and may require an extension cord.

I did not take any pictures but we made the "obligatory" stops at the Base Exchange (BX), Military Clothing sales, and Commissary,  and we did but a few grocery items there.  

On the way back to the campground we stopped for fuel.  I use an EFS/TDS fleet fuel card which gets us a discount at certain stations.  I found a station here with $4.799 for diesel and with my discount I paid $4.177.  That is the least expensive fuel we have seen on this whole trip.  Let's keep that trend going!

Back at the campground I took some time and ran a sanitized cycle on my water system and changed out both filter elements.  We have had some nasty water recently so it was time to do this.  The sanitize process uses a diluted bleach mixture and we will leave that in our tank and throughout our water system for 48 hours.  It is still usable for the potty, but we will shower in the campground facility and drink bottled water in the interim.  

Tonight we have been watching the Chicago Cubs play the Cincinnati Reds at the Field of Dreams near Dyersville Iowa.

Tomorrow we will further explore Grand Forks and make preparations to depart on Saturday morning.