That’s because of what Atwater used to be known for, and why the Jeep Wagoneer was currently punching through the 100-plus-degree air along Route 99. Atwater is home to what was once Castle Air Force Base and is now the massive Castle Air Museum. Co-located with the remnants of the old base at Castle Airport, the air museum houses a staggering collection of more than 88 aircraft, ranging from contemporary F-15s and F-16s to World War II–era bombers like the B-17, B-24, and B-29. It also houses an astonishing collection of Cold War aircraft, including an SR-71 Blackbird, a B-47, and a B-52—the latter two of which were stationed at the base during its heyday.

The Castle Air Museum, despite the unassuming surroundings, is a fitting location to house such an extensive fleet. The spot’s history dates to 1941, when it served as one of the Army Air Force’s flight training schools for both service members and Women’s Air Service Pilots (WASP). In 1947, the base and the 93rd Bombardment Wing stationed there were one of the first facilities rolled into the Air Force’s Strategic Air Command—the outfit responsible for dropping nuclear bombs on Soviet Russia and other communist states should the Cold War turn hot. The base was built for the purpose, with nuclear weapons storage (a 1985 report notes well over 220 warheads stored at the base), and a distinctive “Christmas tree” at the end of its runway, where armed bombers would sit staged on alert 24 hours a day, ready to be airborne in less than five minutes.

Taking Flight: Our Jeep Wagoneer Meets a Cold War Legend

Eating up asphalt leads to a chance meeting with some American icons.Christian SeabaughWriter, Photographer

Sep 20, 2024

We’re more than midway through our journey in our yearlong review Jeep Wagoneer three-row SUV, and I had a big problem: At the current rate we’re piling on miles, we may not hit our goal of 20,000 miles. Life and, well, my obligation to often drive other vehicles for work, has persistently gotten in the way of the big multiday trips my family and I so often enjoy. Since I’ve since put those big plans off until fall, I decided it’d be fun to squeeze in a 750-mile Saturday round trip to visit one of the most impressive manmade objects I’ve ever seen in the biggest Jeep yet.

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Atwater, California, is a small city located smack dab in the middle of the state’s fertile Central Valley. Today, it’s probably best known—if it’s known at all—for a federal maximum security prison and the acres of almonds, tomatoes, peppers, peaches, and sweet potatoes sprouting up from the surrounding farmland. It’s also home to what, at first glance, is a mysteriously long 2.25-mile runway.

That’s because of what Atwater used to be known for, and why the Jeep Wagoneer was currently punching through the 100-plus-degree air along Route 99. Atwater is home to what was once Castle Air Force Base and is now the massive Castle Air Museum. Co-located with the remnants of the old base at Castle Airport, the air museum houses a staggering collection of more than 88 aircraft, ranging from contemporary F-15s and F-16s to World War II–era bombers like the B-17, B-24, and B-29. It also houses an astonishing collection of Cold War aircraft, including an SR-71 Blackbird, a B-47, and a B-52—the latter two of which were stationed at the base during its heyday.

The Castle Air Museum, despite the unassuming surroundings, is a fitting location to house such an extensive fleet. The spot’s history dates to 1941, when it served as one of the Army Air Force’s flight training schools for both service members and Women’s Air Service Pilots (WASP). In 1947, the base and the 93rd Bombardment Wing stationed there were one of the first facilities rolled into the Air Force’s Strategic Air Command—the outfit responsible for dropping nuclear bombs on Soviet Russia and other communist states should the Cold War turn hot. The base was built for the purpose, with nuclear weapons storage (a 1985 report notes well over 220 warheads stored at the base), and a distinctive “Christmas tree” at the end of its runway, where armed bombers would sit staged on alert 24 hours a day, ready to be airborne in less than five minutes.

When not prepping for nuclear war, the base was also responsible for air defense, thanks to a nuclear-missile-armed fighter wing, as well as training B-52 bomber and KC-135 air-to-air refueling crews. The base was home to many firsts, too. It was the first to receive the Air Force’s B-52 and KC-135 (both still in service), and its crews were the first to pilot a jet around the world without stopping, heading from Castle eastbound and down around the world, returning to Southern California’s March Air Force Base on the outskirts of Los Angeles (Castle was socked in with weather) 45 hours and 19 minutes later.

I imagine that trip was much harder than the journey in the Wagoneer. Even though Jeep’s reputation leans on off-road prowess, the Wagoneer is a highway king. It’s smooth-riding and comfortable; passing and cruising are effortless. The cabin is sublimely quiet. My wife and I cranked Spotify over the stereo and enjoyed the traffic-free round trip.

As for the museum, it’s truly awe-inspiring. Although it was never stationed at the base, the B-36 Peacemaker was the highlight. One of four left on this earth (and the sole surviving RB-36 reconnaissance variant), the plane looks as if it would dwarf a modern Boeing 777. Gleaming in chrome and with a prominent birdcage canopy, its most distinctive features are its six rear-facing 28-cylinder radial propeller engines, augmented by four podded turbojets—leading to the motto “six turning and four burning” (or among its crew, “two turning, two burning, two smoking, and two more unaccounted for”). These helped the Peacemaker claw its way into the sky in order carry a single, massive, 24-foot-long, 42,500-pound, 15-megaton MK-17 thermonuclear bomb to an overseas target. The museum had one such bomb casing sitting next to its B-36—the ordnance makes the Wagoneer we drove up in look like a Renegade.

Our nearly 750-mile round trip (where we averaged just over 17.8 mpg) served as a reminder that the monotony of life shouldn’t get in the way of experiences. Our next trip was just as big—and served as much more of a challenge to our Jeep Wagoneer. Stay tuned.

More on Our Long-Term Jeep Wagoneer Series II 4×4: 

• Can This Big Jeep Handle Big Jobs?
• The Good and Bad From Our Wagoneer’s 3-Rows
• Going Gas-Backwards From an EV to Our New Jeep
• Family Life in the Jeep Wagoneer
• Beats Flying!
• Is The Wagoneer Any Good Off-Road?