A Chilling Backyard Discovery
When John Sims purchased his new home in suburban Tucson, Arizona to lead a quiet life, he never expected it to become one of the most epic moments of his life.
It all started with a tantalizing rumor about something mysterious buried underground, divulged to him by the former owner of his new home. As the rumor held, John’s backyard held a creepy secret that heralded back to frightening memories.
So without any direction whatsoever, he began to dig feverishly, tearing up his backyard. What he was about to discover was far more than John Sims had ever bargained for. Read here to find out what this incredible backyard discovery turned out to be.
Moving Day
John Sims bought a new home for himself in midtown Tucson, Arizona.
The previous owner was a friend of his, so he knew he was in good hands. But as his friend handed over the property, he had a strange message to pass on about the house.
There was a mystery surrounding the property, something huge yet to be unearthed. Little did John realize that his friend’s cryptic message would turn out to be the beginning of a chain of events that would soon have the whole state talking.
Rumor Has It
John’s friend gave him a tantalizing hint about the backyard. He said that the house John had acquired had more to it than meets the eye. Rumor had it there was something buried there, deep beneath the ground, but he’d never fully investigated it himself.
Now that the property was John’s, he could do as he pleased. But even as he set about moving his belongings into the home and arranging it to his liking, the gears in his mind started moving. The desire to know more was consuming him.
Building A Mystery
As anyone who had a secret lurking beneath their fingertips would likely feel, John was going wild with curiosity. The second his friend had passed this information to him, even if it was possibly just a fool’s hope, he was intrigued.
Only half-jokingly, John had asked him immediately for a shovel. And while they’d laughed it off, John knew he had to pull out the proper equipment he would need to put the rumor to rest. He had an idea.
Getting Started
It took him a bit more time to get things underway, but John was determined to discover what secrets his backyard held if any.
He wondered what he would find, if anything, and how intact it could be. The possibilities were limitless.
Even though it would mean messing up the clean, orderly appearance of his backyard, it was only a minor setback. In order to settle the score once and for all, there was only one way to find out. He started to dig.
Summer In The City
As John set to work on exploring his backyard, the elements were working against him. The notorious Arizona heat was absolutely boiling, climbing into the three digits Fahrenheit. John kept on pushing forward, armed with his shovel, hoping he’d find something.
Unfortunately, despite all his intensive labor, his search kept coming up dry. There was nothing to show for his efforts. Was it possible that his friend just been leading him on all along? He could have given up. But things were only getting started.
Honing In
Though he dug four different holes and tore up his backyard, John Sims found nothing. If there really was something under the grass, there was a distinct possibility that by now it was totally destroyed, collapsed, or enclosed by bricks.
The initial disappointment could have put him off continuing his search, but there was no way he was about to let this slip through his fingers. Whatever it was, he would have to think outside the box. John suddenly had an idea how to better locate it.
Official Documentation
John had found what could be a key resource: municipal records for his part of Tucson. He scoured old documents until he hit the jackpot. In addition to the record of his house itself being built, there was something else.
Now he knew how to hone in on his quest. According to the documentation, it would appear that the company Whitaker Pools had built something there in 1961. But even if it appeared in the records, it was still bizarre.
Why would a swimming pool be underground? What he was about to discover would prove truly unbelievable.
Taking It Up A Notch
John decided that he had to go about his backyard expedition less haphazardly. After all, while he had initially been working on a hunch, now he had documentation. He wanted to do things in a smart way, so he hired consultants to come over with metal detectors.
Now he was getting serious. The team arrived with the proper gear, and they combed the backyard together.
At first, there were no results, and with each quiet moment, he waited, tense, to see if anything might trip them. Then, suddenly, the detectors went off.
Marking Territory
To John’s absolute delight, the metal detectors that the experts had brought went off not once, but twice.
John took chalk and marked an X in the grass of his backyard over the two sites which had triggered them. Now, his search would no longer be blind.
The professionals had helped him focus his search, and what’s more, now he knew that he wasn’t going after something that couldn’t be found. Filled with expectation, he started to dig.
It didn’t take long before his shovel struck something. What had he stumbled across?
Striking Gold
Whatever John’s shovel had clanged against was clearly metal. Even though the discovery was thrilling, he paused. He thought at first that it could be a septic tank, and wondered if it was a bad idea to keep digging around it.
Now that he had finally uncovered something, he had to work extra carefully, with great precision, so that he wouldn’t accidentally damage it or break a pipe. But he was grateful to discover it wasn’t what he thought it was. It was something else.
The Moment Of Discovery
From the look of things, John had discovered an entrance of some sort in his backyard, shaped like a hatch. He bent down to clear away the dirt surrounding it, excavated even more to isolate it and pried the lid open.
He was careful not to inhale too much. Who knew where it led?
There was a high possibility of mold spores wafting out of the dark unknown, or even worse, there could be toxic gas fumes. John carefully peered in — and was amazed at the sight that greeted him.
The Downward Spiral
Inside the hatch, he’d just uncovered three feet beneath the grass of his backyard, John Sims found what looked like a series of sharp blades. Upon further inspection, however, he realized it was, in fact, a spiral staircase, heading downward.
Most people’s first instincts would be to rush into the shaft to see where it leads. Yet despite his incredible excitement at finally making this huge discovery on his own property, John hesitated — and he had a good reason to do so.
Safety Precautions
John knew it would be foolish to proceed any further, even if he did it with the utmost care. In his background, John is a fire department captain, with plenty of special training to rescue people trapped in tight spaces. He could already predict the risks.
Literally, nothing was stable about the structure he had uncovered.
Because he could imagine several potentially dangerous scenarios happening if he were to enter this shaft blindly, he held back. He had a better plan in mind. But he couldn’t do it alone.
Assembling A Team
John called a bunch of his friends over to help. He wanted to make sure that he not only had backup to proceed with the excavations, but that his friends act as a sort of spotter in case something bad were to happen.
Because John had rescued people before, he knew that if that heavy old lid were to collapse and fall down on him, he’d be a goner. Before they could figure out what the hole contained, they had a task to complete.
The Plan
John was super excited to explore the underground find in his yard, but he wanted to be able to use the space and navigate it safely. There were far too many things yet unknown about the passageway lying beneath the surface.
So he sat down to plan with his friends. Together, they devised a blueprint, and with it, a method as to how to proceed. They had no idea just what the scale of this discovery would be — but they were about to find out.
Step One
The first thing that had to be done was to reinforce and repair the entire concrete structure that surrounded the stairs leading down into the cavern. The stairs were very dangerous because they were rusted through and could possibly give way.
All this was preventing John Sims from discovering what lay ahead inside. But despite the temptation to rush ahead and climb in to find out, he knew he needed to do it the smart way. He just had to know what was down there.
Rock Steady
John and his friends worked diligently to set down several fresh layers of concrete. They wanted to secure the rebar inside the hatch. If someone was going in there, they had to be absolutely certain that the structure wouldn’t just crumble around them.
The work team had to keep constantly pouring new batches of concrete to stabilize everything.
All the while, imaginations ran wild with wondering what was waiting for them inside the hatch, and where it would lead. But something was working against them.
Boiling Heat, Summer Stench
The intense, blistering Arizona heat was a huge, unavoidable problem, hindering their progress.
Worse, nobody could know if that intense, direct heat could impact anything that was inside the hole. The team put up a tent over the backyard in order to protect it, and themselves.
They set up a Sonotube cardboard structure around the entrance, so they wouldn’t damage anything as they worked their way down.
After all that work with cement, it looked like it was finally time to go inside. But they’d need one more thing.
Planning Ahead
As part of their plan to best spruce up the mysterious structure under John Sims’s backyard, he and his friends had to install an electrical line.
Whatever they would discover inside, the team wanted to be able to illuminate it properly and to use power tools for further excavation.
They also put in a black pipe to funnel fresh air in. At long last, their work was coming to a finish.
After more than fifty years, the underground cavern long covered by the hatch and three feet of earth would reveal its secrets.
Ready For Visitors
After their work of widening the entrance, the tunnel was looking in way better shape than when it had first been discovered. They had labored intensively all through the oppressive Arizona heat, and yet almost none of the work had been actual excavation.
John finally felt confident that he could safely climb into this incredible backyard discovery. It was the moment everyone had been waiting for, most of all John himself.
It was time to go inside. And he had a hunch as to what he might find.
Final Troubleshooting
Even though they had reinforced the outside of the structure, the stairs were still not to be trusted.
Covered in rust, even if the structure around them had been secured, there was no way of knowing what weight they could sustain.
Unlike the area surrounding the hatch, there would be no way to repair the stairs from up above. Any alterations would have to be made from inside the mysterious hole. John had to find another way in. There was no stopping him now.
Tomb Raider
John had to get inside the backyard cavern but without using the stairs. It was too narrow and too deep to jump, and he could get badly cut up by the rusty blades of the stairs. Instead, he carefully inserted a ladder.
Ever since he’d heard the crazy rumor from his friend, he’d dreamed of completing this moment, of solving the mystery and climbing into his backyard discovery.
Filled with the wildest excitement, he descended the ladder. What he was about to see through the gloom was beyond his wildest imagination!
First Explorer
As he reached the bottom rungs of the ladder, John knew well he was the first person to behold this sight in more than half a century. He went down into the shaft and was excited to discover that there was an entire complex beneath the ground.
It had not been filled in with earth and would require no further excavations. In fact, the room was in relatively good condition. John walked across the floor of the structure, and through a dome-shaped door.
What he would see would leave him aghast.
Shreds Of The Past
Inside the tunnels of the underground chamber, the ceiling was covered in old fiberglass, which was coming apart.
Instantly, John knew that despite all the work they had done from above, the structure still wasn’t safely secured, and would require more work.
If the fiberglass came off, it could be harmful to bare skin, and it could impact breathing. But now that he had seen what treasures lay beneath his backyard, there was no way he would give up now.
He finally understood what his friend had meant. But there was even more to uncover.
A Huge Find
Long buried underneath the earth of John Sims’ backyard, this treasure had likely never been used by the house’s former inhabitant. Despite the wear and tear to be expected after half a century of neglect, the structure was in incredible condition.
And though the structure was practically bare, with no furniture, John Sims and his colleagues understood what it had been.
According to the building blueprints, Whitaker Pools had built it. But this wasn’t a swimming pool. The company had another purpose.
Historical Relic
What John Sims had in his backyard was a nuclear fallout shelter!
It had been built at the height of Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, and the mass paranoia that had come as a result.
Whitaker Pools, behind the scenes, had expanded its business model to build something else that people in the Cold War era wanted in their backyard other than swimming pools: bomb shelters.
As John learned more about the new treasure on his property, he learned that he was not alone.
Fortified Tucson
The Tucson area was apparently filled with these kinds of bomb shelters and nuclear fallout shelters. From a cultural perspective, back when they were built, if a man decided to have these installed in his backyard, he wasn’t seen as overreacting out of hysterics.
Rather, a man who commissioned building a bomb shelter was regarded as a responsible family man looking out for his loved ones. The threat of all-out nuclear war between the superpowers was very real. And the Tucson area had one more unbelievable secret.
Rocket Town
Tucson, Arizona had once held 18 different ballistic missiles, capable of traveling across continents. Each rocket was 110 feet in length and 10 feet across. They could destroy an area of 900 square miles, and they could be scrambled to launch in just 58 seconds.
On the tip of each, a 9-megaton nuclear warhead had been fastened. It wasn’t just a town of shelters — it was a weapons silo.
Obviously, the mission had been kept top secret, but now that the Cold War was old news, the question arose: were there any of these missiles still around?
Long Gone
Fortunately, since the threat of war had gone away, almost all of the rockets had been disabled. Just about all of the nuclear shelters in the Tucson area were destroyed or sealed in the early 1980s, a time when relations between the USA and USSR were cooling down.
Built in 1961, John’s nuclear fallout shelter was constructed precisely on the heels of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the closest the United States ever came to nuclear war.
John had a historical relic in his hands. And he had no idea how big the news of it would become.
Cold War Community
After posting on a Reddit page about his finding, John’s backyard discovery went viral. And as proud as he was of his new attraction, he knew there were others like him.
He has connected with other people in the Tucson area who also have fallout shelters on their properties.
John’s friends have suggested that he should turn the backyard nuclear fallout shelter into a wine cellar or a cigar bar, but John has a bigger goal.
He’s devoting himself to collecting Cold War memorabilia and furniture, and bringing this relic back to life! But just how did he plan on doing that?
Go Fund Me
In order to fulfill his dream of bringing his backyard bomb shelter back to life, John Sims set up a GoFundMe page pitching his story. “Hi, I'm John and I need some help restoring a vintage Fallout Shelter that I have uncovered in my backyard,” writes Sims.
While the interior is in pretty good shape, his plans were to rebuild the upper entryway with a large concrete pour in order to secure it before working inside.
He also wished to replace the metal staircase. The results of his renovation are nothing short of amazing.
A Man Cave
John Sims wasn’t about to make such an incredible discovery and not do anything about it.
As soon as he lay his eyes on his very own bomb shelter, John immediately decided to turn it into an awesome man cave, HAM shack, and Civil Defense Museum.
John started vigorously researching the Cold War period and what prompted the Tucson civilians to build these shelters.
He believed restoring the shelter would serve as a great memorial of a significant time in history.
This is why he started to source Cold War memorabilia to put on display such as vintage HAM radios, Geiger counters, sanitation kits, as well as water supply barrels.
Finished Staircase
The story received 430 shares that led to helping John Sims raise enough money to start with the renovations.
He set a goal of $2,000, of which he has already made $350, proving that many people believe in his important initiative.
With the funds he initially collected, John Sims managed to complete the staircase with safer reinforcements and materials. Now it’s easy for him to climb in and out without worrying about the structure collapsing on him inside.
He even shared his step-by-step progress with his donors.
Back To Life
John Sims took a lot of time off to fix his steps into his very own bomb shelter. He made the top step two to two-and-a-half times wider than the others and secured it to the concrete wall, which helped solidify the entire staircase.
This process has made it much easier for John to refurbish the inside and convert it into a habitable place and ultimately a man cave. People were really impressed with the progress he made and decided to donate to his cause.
Sources: newsd.co, Arizona Daily Star
Further North, An Elderly Man Guards Another Mystery
Decades ago, he fled across the border from his home, and began to amass a collection of old school buses. Acting mostly alone, and fed by impulse and fear, he said he needed them on account of their reinforced steel roofs — and he began to dig.
In a massive pit in the ground, he began to form a mysterious labyrinth that few have ever been able to see.
But this is no mere hoarder. So why did he take on this colossal project, and what is he hiding inside? Read on to find out what exactly Bruce Beach is up to.
Canadian Oddity
Somewhere beneath the snows of a rural part of Ontario, Canada, an 83-year-old man has created one of the most elaborate and bizarre structures in North America. He’s acting purely on a vision, and out of a sense of purpose — and fear.
Authorities are trying to stop him. You can’t see its extent from above ground and chances are, it might be harder than you think to get in.
That man is named Bruce Beach, and his convictions have pushed him into creating something miraculous. So, what exactly is it that he’s up to?
Red Dawn
Bruce Beach originally hails from the city of Winfield, Kansas. He spent his young adult years in one of the tensest eras of American history.
Behind the scenes of the Vietnam War lay the terrible specter of the Cold War, and its menacing atmosphere was all too much for Bruce.
Bruce Beach eventually decided that desperate times called for taking drastic measures.
He packed up his belongings, took his wife and family, and crossed the border to Canada. There, he would embark on a mission no one could have anticipated.
Canadian Refuge
Bruce Beach didn’t just choose a random spot in Canada to set up base in 1970. In fact, he relocated to his wife Jean’s hometown of Horning’s Mills, a small village in a rural corner of Ontario two hours outside of Toronto.
Bruce was certain that this was the safest place to be in the world. And he hadn’t just gone to Canada in search of safety.
He had huge plans in mind! If a certain calamity was imminent, he was going to do something about it in the most incredible way.
Metal Menagerie
Between 1980 and 1985, Bruce began to do something particularly unusual.
The 83-year-old started to collect old and retired school buses wherever he could find them, purchasing each one for about $300! He ordered them directly to his home address.
In the end, Bruce managed to amass a total of 42 school buses! It had been a costly venture, but he was convinced it was necessary. The task he had in mind was of the highest possible importance.
Rural Ontario might have plenty of open space, but where did Bruce plan on parking all of them!? What’s more, what would he do with his strange collection?
Digging For Safety
Bruce wanted the buses for a specific reason: they had been built covered with reinforced steel roofs. In his mind, this meant they were blast-proof. He arranged them systematically, side by side, with precise plans for each one. Then he dismantled them, connecting each bus to one another.
On a wide space of land stretched out over 12.5 acres near his property, Bruce created a massive pit in the earth around his impressive bus collection. With some help, he dug until the huge hole measured 14 feet underground, and then completely covered the buses.
The reason Bruce buried them underground would leave most people utterly dumbfounded.
Encased
Now that his school buses were totally covered under 14 feet of earth, Bruce finalized his plan. He had the pit containing the buses sealed in by two feet of solid concrete, never again to see the light of day.
This collection was not for showing off. Bruce had better plans.
He opened each bus and connected all of them into a labyrinth. Together, they form an underground shelter of proportions that is nothing short of astounding. But why did he build it?
Ark Two
When he finally completed his project, Bruce Beach had built one of the most massive underground structures in North America. He christened it Ark Two. This enormous underground maze consisted of a staggering 10,000 square feet – quite the undertaking!
Inside the protective walls of Ark Two, Bruce can fit a maximum capacity of 500 people — if you are lucky enough to be let in!! He designed it fully believing that many people would need to use it.
The biggest mystery, however, is the purpose this labyrinth of buried buses serves.
Screening
Bruce Beach had to think very carefully about what kind of people he was going to allow inside Ark Two, and under what circumstances. He is afraid of sick people getting into his underground creation, especially anyone who carries an infectious disease.
Even if people appear to be physically healthy, Bruce wants to screen them under strict standards.
They could bring in contaminants from above ground, and as he sees it, Ark Two has to be absolutely sterile. He had to find a solution.
Decontamination
Bruce built Ark Two with not one, but seven separate entrances. But before anyone can be allowed into the area, they will have to be checked out for being a risk to others. That means a rigorous screening and shower immediately upon entry.
Bruce will only admit people into Ark Two after they have passed through the decontamination chamber he’s designed. He has to be certain his new arrivals won’t endanger the survival of the others.
No disease will enter the Ark Two facility on his watch! Bruce went about implementing this strict rule from the get-go for a very specific reason.
Proper Protection
Upon first glance, the concept of a bunch of old buses thrown together in a pit in the middle of nowhere sounds quite haphazard. Thankfully, in the process of constructing his dream project of Ark Two, Bruce Beach has had more than a little help.
According to Bruce, the bunker is structurally sound. Everything was constructed under the supervision of a structural engineer with all the necessary licensing required for a job of this nature.
But what convinced the engineer that this seemingly bizarre project was worth taking part in?
Reinforcing The Labyrinth
Trust Bruce on this one — he says the person who helped supervise construction of Ark Two was none other than the very same one who built the subway system in Toronto! And if it’s good enough for Canada’s biggest city, then certainly it’s good enough for what Bruce intends.
The place comes stocked with diesel generators that can last up to three months with the fuel supplies Bruce has managed to gather and save. There is a fully equipped and functional plumbing system.
But what about all the facilities for a human being’s most basic needs?
Basic Necessities
It’s great that there’s a plumbing system, but what about an even more basic need? First and foremost, for what Bruce intends his bus labyrinth to become, any person who would need to get inside the hidden tunnels of Ark Two will need fresh water to drink.
Bruce has engineered his own well for the drinking water supply. For the circumstances in which Bruce would need to get inside, Ark Two will absolutely have to be self-sufficient.
As he foresees the future, he can’t rely on outside water because it might be contaminated! But Bruce has an even more intricate plan up his sleeve.
Subterranean Kitchen
Ark Two has a massive soup tureen, as well as a working oven. Bruce has drafted a friend who is a cook to be on the guest list for Ark Two when the time arrives.
The way he envisions it, there will be a constant supply of freshly-baked biscuits for everyone.
Stocking up enough food to feed an entire population inhabiting Ark Two is not without its difficulties. Bruce has been frustrated because he has had to throw out a lot of food over the years.
But he’s careful to keep it well-stocked. He’s thinking ahead.
Separated For Their Own Good
For the living quarters that comprise a decently large part of Ark Two, Bruce has a system in mind in order to keep things in check. He has devised a strict policy of having men and women sleep separately for a particular reason.
According to Bruce, having families stay together in the sleeping chambers wouldn’t allow enough space for others. He’s trying to maximize the number of people the bunks can fit.
If his future guests don’t want to follow the gender segregation rules, they won’t be allowed in! Why all these strange rules, though? What is Bruce preparing for so meticulously?
Child’s Play
Over the past four or so decades that Bruce has spent constructing Ark Two, he has had time to think outside of the box. He doesn’t want it to have to be bare bones essentials, and certainly not for the younger generation.
He wants any child coming in there to be able to continue their learning as best as possible. He has chess sets for them, a play area with toys and tricycles, a nursery and classroom, as well as children’s bunks. And that’s not all.
Additional Features
Besides living, the area comes with some extra bonuses. Bruce has had many long years to think up different objects and accessories that the people under his care might need.
He even has a dentist’s chair, a mortuary — and a brig for anyone who disobeys rules!
Discipline is key, and to maintain order, he made and installed three security monitors. Always thinking creatively, Bruce has even converted a rusty old exercise bike into his own wheat-grinding mill, powered by a person pedaling!
But you can’t stay down there forever…
Is There Anybody Out There?
Even if someone has gone voluntarily into Ark Two, Bruce knows it’s still important to understand as best as possible what’s happening in the world around them. Even if Bruce Beach is preparing for holding 500 people beneath the earth, he still needs to be in touch.
To achieve this, Bruce has rigged up an entire radio communications system. It is capable of broadcasting both AM and FM frequencies and has a wide-enough range that it could reach all of Canada and the United States.
Why would Bruce need to reach that many people? What’s he up to?
Preppers
Bruce Beach belongs to a category of people who call themselves “preppers”.
These are a band of characters who are convinced that the apocalypse is coming and it’s high time to get prepared. There’s a variety of reasons they feel this way.
Some believe the end is near for religious reasons, while some pointed to the Ancient Mayan calendar’s predictions in 2012 (since passed, of course).
Bruce left the United States nearly half a century ago and built Ark Two, but his terror stems from something else entirely! And he’s far from alone.
Banding Together
There’s strength in numbers, and seeing as the majority of people around the “preppers” don’t believe them, they band together. They hold Annual Preppers Meetings, but these are not for emotional support.
These people want to learn from each other how best to prepare for the worst.
The meetings run like workshops, teaching participants how they can best deal with living in the shadow of the apocalypse. They have classes such as “Zombie Survival Camp,” “Surviving In The Wilderness,” and “Dispatching And Skinning Rabbits.”
So what do Bruce’s fellow survivalists think about Ark Two?
Off Limits, For Now
Getting inside Ark Two is a rare gift. Bruce Beach is very protective of his masterpiece. Any tour of the facility is not free. Even members of the press who have visited trying to report on Ark Two will have to be deemed worthy to do so.
Some journalists were not allowed inside Ark Two until they had performed something that could benefit Bruce, or his future refugees. They got on his good side by doing a chore: chopping firewood.
Once in, they discovered that not everything underground is fine and dandy.
The Costs Of Ark Two
Being the owner and protector of Ark Two has come at a cost for Bruce Beach and his family, and not just financially. Maintaining such an enormous structure for such a long time, and doing it more or less by himself, is a never-ending challenge.
Rats found the bags of wheat that Bruce had been storing, and once they had gorged themselves, destroying his supplies, they ran into his home. He’s also had to deal with fires, floods, and theft. And there are problems from outside too.
The Opposition To Ark Two
The local government in Ontario is not happy about this structure. In their eyes, it’s one huge dangerous hazard. Never mind what Bruce views as his service to the greater public — they’re not having it. As far as they’re concerned, they want it destroyed.
Every part of Ark Two was built without permits, though not for Bruce’s lack of trying to get them! He’s been taken in court more than 30 times, and the local government has spent over $250,000 to try and shut him down.
And he’s made enemies on the ground, all in the name of his vision, which is driven by one particular reason.
Closing Ark Two
Bruce’s local fire department in his corner of Ontario is more direct than the government. Rather than waging legal battles, they’ve taken action.
Fire brigades have come and physically sealed off the structure off twice, leaving Bruce the job of figuring out how to reopen it.
In 2015, during a gathering of Canadian survivalists on Bruce’s property, the fire department threatened to shut down Ark Two a third time.
For Bruce, these interventions are merely preventing him from doing his job of saving people from destruction. So what does his family think?
Help From Home
Not just anyone would go along with Bruce’s idea, which is that a nuclear apocalypse is knocking at our front door.
Luckily for him, he’s got a partner in his wife, Jean. She’s 90 years old, and hard of hearing, but she still helps him with inventory and planning.
Fortunately for Bruce, Jean has supported him this whole way through and isn’t about to stop. The Cold War has long since ended, but that has done nothing to soothe their fears.
But Bruce has children — how do they feel about this incredible plan?
Skeptics From Within
Bruce’s children are adults now, with children of their own. They’re not shy about expressing that they have had enough of their father’s apocalyptic worldview, and are done participating in it.
You can’t necessarily blame them; imagine growing up in that sort of environment!
Never mind the fact that Ark Two is equipped to shelter children from a nuclear attack: it must be exhausting having that heavy and frightening atmosphere dominating and defining your life from such an early age. But how does their opinion affect Bruce?
True Motives
Many years have passed, with the threat of nuclear war rising and falling. Bruce Beach will do what he knows how: prepare to survive. He doesn’t care what people think about him. He believes he’s doing his best to try and help society. But it goes beyond that.
Bruce even thinks a lot of “preppers” are selfish in their motives. He says some of them are far too focused on their own survival, and not thinking about helping their fellow man. But that’s not his goal.
The way he envisions things, Ark Two exceeds their visions. How?
SAFE
Ark Two is also known by the name SAFE, which stands for “Safe America For Everyone”. In Bruce’s far-reaching vision, Ark Two is meant to be a true melting pot to shelter those in need, open to people regardless of politics, religion, culture, race.
As the manager of the largest nuclear shelter in North America, in the event of an actual catastrophic attack, Bruce would be responsible for managing an entire society of hundreds. He wants it to be clear that all are welcome: you just have to get in! But for how long can it last?
A Temporary Solution
By his estimates, Bruce thinks that Ark Two should be able to hold people for up to three weeks. But that’s strictly under the worst-case scenario; ideally, he hopes people would be able to refuel, rest, and continue on to the next safe place.
Granted, although Bruce Beach has done — and continues to do — the best that he can in order to help others, his vision doesn’t exactly take into account the real-life effects of a nuclear winter.
What does he think will set this off?
Bruce Predicts
