The Bunker is part secure storage unit, part childish dream of creating an underground structure, part nostalgia for Taiwanese concrete buildings, part bomb shelter (not really) and (at this stage in the game) part done. At the beginning of the summer, the statement “Since we’re going to move overseas, we should build a storage unit at Selah to keep our gear in” seemed innocent enough. It wasn’t until later, after the storage unit began to take shape, that it started getting referred to as “The Bunker.”

The plan seemed straight forward – find a hill of the right size and with the right access, dig part of it out, create drainage, build a concrete structure in the hole and then back-fill some of dirt around and on top of the structure – leaving a roll-up door exposed for access.

After prepping the site by removing trees, installing necessary site support like power and water, being accosted by an angry timber rattler and…

after digging into the night with a kubota (and blowing a truck tire out while returning the kubota) and…

after moving a part of the hillside with a ‘67 pickup truck and a ‘49 tractor and…

after getting 20 tons of 3″+ rock hauled in (and moving about 1/2 of it by hand) and…

after hauling 2 yards of base (and getting cited for being over weight), learning how to fix a jammed starter, forming/packing the floor/footing base and …

after pouring 9 yards of concrete (4 in the bunker floor, 4 in the chapel floor and another yard for entryway project), buying a concrete mixer and…

after creating a slip form, laying rebar, and having my brothers look at me in derision for my ill-thought out plan and…

after installing ventilation and hand-pouring over 2 yards of concrete (note to self: get the 60lb bags vs. the 80 lb bags next time) in the walls and…

after finding that the rear end of the building site had a good source of fresh water running through it, digging a >100′ curtain drain by hand (3′ deep) and…

after realizing one day that Hans could no longer touch his thumbs with his index fingers due to his forearms giving out – we would finally rue the day that we underestimated The Bunker.

At this point in time, somewhere in the hills of south-western Oregon, The Bunker walls are about 1/2 height (4′), and the site is totally covered with the largest blue tarp you can get – but at least all the “hard work” is done. The biggest baddest roll up door is a-waiting installation and the new underestimation is that it will take about two weeks to finish off.

Lana never directly said “I told you so,” although she probably should, and we would have never even gotten this far without help from the likes of Michael, Lenny, Rosemary, Chris, Erich, Dwight, Stephen, Anya, MikeA, Malachi, Maliah, Vicki, Larry and more – thanks all! As for the rest of you – don’t you wish you had been there :-)?

Anyways, that’s the story of The Bunker – stay tuned for a happy ending “some time in the future.”