High Desert Data Center

Spectacular modernism. Hopefully NYU will keep a portion of this facade.

Camp Cassie, an architectural manifesto non plus ultra by Bill Reid, Chief of Security.

Headquarters as of September 2011, wrapped up for the brutal winter ahead.

Resident naturalist, L. McLennan and Chef and Engineer C. Harper examine the Pilot Valley from above. They note for the record that the town of Montello, Nevada below, “Looks lovely from up here.”

Coyote. The time and date stamp are accurate. This particular pack of dogs seems to have relocated to another ridge over from the Data Center, perhaps due to our researchers’ activities or perhaps due to the addition of two pit bull guard dogs at a neighboring facility.

The all terrain, multi-purpose device after its ascent to Murdock Springs. The 9,000 lb winch on the front end was not needed for this particular trek, though the laser-guided, on-board GPS tracking system was invaluable in locating the elusive watering hole, hidden in a lush tropical canyon on the far side of the mountain.

This is the original USGS map we were given by the seller before we purchased the ranch in 2005. The red square in the center indicates our 40 acre parcel. Notice the bright blue stream running through the center of the site. This is a fictional body of water imagined by an overzealous cartographer at the Department of the Interior. The ancient “Corral” and Murdock Springs shown East NE of the ranch are non-fictional, though hard to recognize unless you are standing directly on top of them.

The new plug in the cistern drain hole. Our workers used forced mechanical exertion to crack the old bulkhead fitting which had been partially fiberglassed into place. The hole was then bored out and cleaned. The new plug should withstand the elements and pressure of the 1000 gallons above.

The existing drain valve and bulkhead fitting on the cistern which leaked and was likely to explode when frozen over the upcoming winter. We decided it would be best to plug the hole. The new tank outlet would be a siphon PEX tube inserted from the top of the tank, eliminating any chance of leaks and accidental draining of the valuable water.

View reflected in the new glass doors.

The view from the fourth highest and most Southern of Murdock Mountain’s peaks. This is looking Southeast from 7800 feet elevation. Notice the section of trees in the middle where a forest fire took out the vegetation a couple of years ago.  Fire is the biggest threat to life and property here in the Pinyon-Juniper forest as 840 acres is consumed per hour in a full blaze. In the lower elevations, where Sagebrush and Cheatgrass dominate, fires can burn 3400 acres per hour and move very quickly in certain directions, namely uphill and downwind. This poses a difficult challenge for the buildings constructed at the Data Center since they are all on hillsides with high wind exposure. The Bureau of Land Management recommends removing all vegetation 75 feet on the downhill side and 35 feet on the uphill side of any structure. The team is working to meet this goal, though our chainsaw is about at the end of its useful life.

An abandoned International flatbed truck looks like it was once used by the Federal Government which owns most of the property in this part of the State, and West, for that matter.

New thermal sliding doors made from a composite material that can be painted or stained. 250 lbs each, these were not easy to get to the site, but they frame the vista beautifully and provide excellent protection from the sun’s radiation.

A neighboring research facility made from materials scattered throughout the Salt Lake Desert.

A 1000-gallon water tank salvaged from the Materials Depot nearby is installed at the rear of the cabin and should capture enough water to be filled in a couple of months over the winter.