The Bush Ranch

Prairie Chapel Ranch is a 1583 acre (6.4 km²) estate located seven miles outside Crawford, Texas. It is the home of President George W. Bush. Then-Governor Bush bought the land in 1999 shortly after earning a $14.3-million profit from the sale of the Texas Rangers. Based on fair-market land prices at the time the deal was closed for an estimated $1.3 million.

The land includes seven canyons and three miles of frontage along Rainey Creek and the Middle Bosque River. It is a part of land settled in the mid-19th century by German immigrant Heinrich Englebrecht, who raised turkeys and hogs there and donated some of it to found the Canaan Baptist Church (the "Prairie Chapel").

President Bush uses the ranch for vacations, occasional meetings, and entertaining foreign dignitaries. An August 7, 2001 article in the Washington Post noted Bush spent all or part of 54 days, including many weekends, working and relaxing at the ranch between his inauguration and Labor Day 2001. In 2002, the ranch was wired for what Bush described in a 2003 tour of the ranch as "real time, secure videoconferencing" to be used for his briefings from the CIA and Dick Cheney.

Description of house and grounds

Buildings on the land built by the Englebrechts were refurbished for new uses, such as Secret Service quarters and guest houses.

Bush and his wife had David Heymann, an associate dean of architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, design a 10,000 SF (930 m²) honey-colored native limestone single-level home on the site. Over half of that square footage is from a ten-foot-wide limestone porch that encircles the house. The house was built by members of a religious community from nearby Elm Mott, Texas and wasn't completed until after his inauguration.

The passive-solar house is positioned to absorb winter sunlight, warming the interior walkways and walls of the residence. Geothermal heat pumps circulate water through pipes buried 300 feet deep in the ground. A 40,000-gallon underground cistern collects rainwater gathered from roof urns; wastewater from sinks, toilets, and showers cascades into underground purifying tanks and is also funneled into the cistern. The water from the cistern is then used to irrigate the landscaping around the four-bedroom home.

After 911, a special steel reinforced underground bunker was added to the complex, which now has quarters for Secret Service guards, communications specialists and a large staff including representatives of key government officials.

Bush added an 11-acre man-made pond that is stocked with 600 bass and thousands of bait fish.

Front gate of the Bush ranch at Crawford, Texas

Original plan of Presidential bunker/bomb shelter at Crawford ranch- 2002

The Presidential limousine

With 5 in. worth of ballistic armor under its skin, and added height and length, the presidential limo tips the scales at close to 4 tons. It's probably based on a modified Escalade platform, riding on run-flat tires. The dark leather interior is environmentally sealed against chemical attack.

An examination of its exterior suggests that the only stock components are the headlights, taillights and wreath-and-crest emblem atop the grille. Like DeVilles at your Caddy dealership, this one has Night Vision--but the camera has been moved from its spot in the middle of the grille to an undisclosed location. And, the drivetrain behind the presidential grille isn't the Northstar system. It's an all-wheel-drive setup based on what's underneath a Cadillac Escalade, with some intense modifications.

Note that even the standard DeVille's flush-style door handles have been replaced by a loop-type design apparently borrowed from the 1992-99 generation Buick LeSabre, providing added leverage for opening the extra-thick, heavy doors and doubling as grab-handles for the Secret Service agents running alongside the car.

Every inch of the limo's metal skin is backed by military-grade armor, which offers the highest level of protection with the least weight and bulk penalty. The car's windows—which do not open—are actually transparent armor. All the car's armor is at least 5 in. thick, giving the president maximum protection in the event of any attack. The interior is also environmentally sealed to protect the occupants from chemical and airborne germ-warfare terrorism.

Careful study shows that the wheel openings are larger than stock to accommodate the size of the Goodyear run-flat tires. The front fenders, which carry the flag stanchions, have small spotlights to illuminate the flags. The car's front bumper houses foglights and special flashers--a red one on the driver's side, white or clear on the passenger's side. Connected to the trunk lid are five antennas.

Inside, there is room for six people to join the president, all on leather seating. Two sit up front, flanking a console-mounted communications center. In back, behind a glass partition, there are three rear-facing seats with cushions that can be folded up separately against the partition. The president and another passenger sit in the individually reclining rear seats.

A folding desk separates the two rear seats, and storage compartments in the interior panels contain communications equipment. The presidential motorcade includes a special rolling communications center, so the limo need not carry as much communications equipment as Air Force One. Since the glass surrounding him is so thick, blocking out most natural light, the president gets needed light from a fluorescent halo lighting system in the headliner.

And naturally, the president has his own switches for the climate-control and sound systems.

VC-25A - Air Force One

The presidential air transport fleet consists of two specially configured Boeing 747-200B's -- tail numbers 28000 and 29000 -- with the Air Force designation VC-25A. When the president is aboard either aircraft, or any Air Force aircraft, the radio call sign is "Air Force One." Principal differences between the VC-25A and the standard Boeing 747, other than the number of passengers carried, are the electronic and communications equipment aboard Air Force One, its interior configuration and furnishings, self-contained baggage loader, front and aft air-stairs, and the capability for in-flight refueling. These aircraft are flown by the presidential aircrew, maintained by the Presidential Maintenance Branch, and are assigned to Air Mobility Command's 89th Airlift Wing, Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Point of Contact: Air Mobility Command, Public Affairs Office; 503 J Street, Suite 214; Scott AFB, IL 62225-5335; DSN 576-5003 or (618) 256-5003.

Schematic view of Air Force One