After brief overnight stops in Elko, NV and Ogden, UT we met up with Hoss and Janet at Colter Bay Campground in Grand Teton National Park. We hadn’t seen them since we left Texas back in February and were glad to spend time with them again.
It was drizzly and rainy for much of the trip but that didn’t stop us from sightseeing in Jackson Hole. The first day we traveled North to Old Faithful and the southern loop around the park.
Late April found us back in Reno at the Bordertown RV Park. Bordertown was a smaller park than the KOA in Verdi but the people were friendlier, the park was very well maintained, and it was a lot closer to the kids.
The highlight of our trips to Reno is spending time with the kids and grandkids and his was no exception. We managed to take in a Reno Aces game where they beat our team the Tacoma Rainiers but it was still a lot of fun. Rose and Audrey did a great job and we’re pretty sure they had a great time as well. Continue reading Reno with the Shafers
The cruise was over and it was time to get ready for the upcoming wedding of Sam Shafer and Susan Miller.
It was our pleasure to welcome Susan and Kevin into our family on the 29th of March 2018. After a couple of hiccups, the wedding was conducted at Susan’s church followed by a reception.
It was fun spending time with the new couple and we’re excited about their future together.
Dan and Juan came all the way from Washington and Adam drove in from Reno for the wedding. It was great spending time with them as well!
Before leaving Las Vegas for Reno, Susan invited us over for a tasty dinner of chicken cordon bleu. MMMMmmmmm!
We’ll be keeping in touch and sending Kevin postcards of our travels so he can keep up with us.
It was 43 years ago that my Army buddy Steve Sawyer convinced me to go to Hawaii and spend a week there with him at his dad’s place at Pearl Harbor. On a trip from Pearl to Waikiki Steve’s brother asked a couple of girls in the car next to us if they were lost…they were.
The first stop in Hawaii was Hawaii, the big island!
We booked a bus tour that would take us to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Needless to say Ilene got her National Park Passport stamped and we had the opportunity to see an active volcano (which began erupting in May!) and learn how the volcanoes were such a part of Hawaiian native history and culture.
The beauty of this island comes from volcanoes and we were in awe of the flowers and vegetation wherever we went…remember, we’re from the desert! Continue reading The Big Island and Volcanoes
What do you do when you’re out at sea for four straight days? The answer is: Stay Busy!
The Star Princess offered a number of activities, restaurants, entertainment, and hang outs.
One of the highlights of this cruise is the talks given by Mark Harris. A naturalist who has worked around the world with National Geographic and a number of scientific groups. His daily talks on the way to Hawaii prepared us by featuring the flora and fauna of the four islands we would visit with a few sightseeing tips thrown in. Continue reading Four Days at Sea
The morning after the Buzzard Reunion…did I say morning? I meant VERY early the next morning, Ilene and I jumped on Southwest Airlines and flew into LAX for our 15-day cruise to Hawaii.
We decided not to travel light on this one since we’d be spending a total of 9 days at sea so we each dragged a bag as well as a backpack filled with goodies to keep us occupied on the Star Princess.
It’s a 40 minute bus ride from the airport to the seaport and fortunately it was on a Sunday so traffic wasn’t too hectic.
Greeting us as we pulled into the port area was the USS Iowa and well-appointed and well-organized terminal.
The first part of our trip to Las Vegas was filled with reunions. First we had the opportunity to see Sam and meet his fiancee Susan and her son Kevin.
We had a pleasant lunch at Olive Garden and came away feeling blessed that Susan and Kevin would soon become part of our family.
Las Vegas was the home for the 510th Fighter Squadron 75th Reunion. We served in the “Buzzards” when we first arrived at RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge in 1987 and after a short time with the 78th Fighter Squadron (Bushmasters), I served with them until the were moved to Germany after Bentwaters/Woodbridge closed in 1993.
It was nice catching up with old friends like Bill “Senator” Rial, “Coach” Allison, Rodger Flotta, and Tom. Needless to say a few toasts were made, a few whiskies were had, and most of all it was great seeing the traditions of the A-10 Buzzards are still around with the F-16 Buzzards now stationed in Aviano, Italy.
We stopped in Tucson for a few days to meet old friends and get reacquainted with our old home.
Ilene and I stayed at the Lazy Days KOA and although a bit “pricey” we really liked the park. Spaces were ample-sized and dotted with orange, lemon, and grapefruit trees which gave it a nice tropical rather than desert feel.
We popped into Davis-Monthan for a trip down memory lane and stopped by my old squadron, the 354th “Bulldogs”.
They say you can never go back and in this case we went back to our home on Tanque Verde and to be honest we were disappointed in how the new owners had let the property run down.
No trip to Tucson would be complete without a run down to Tombstone and this trip was no different. We spent a nice afternoon walking the streets that Earp, Clanton, and Holiday once trod.
Keith even had a full straight-bladed shave at the Tucson Mustachery by a barber dressed up in his 1880’s garb complete with six-shooter.
Fort Stockton was a historic place to stop and we decided to spend a couple of days there exploring the actual US Army fort and the Annie Riggs Memorial Museum in the historic downtown district.
This was the first stop where it was warm enough to wear short-sleeved shirts and shorts and we took full advantage of it by sightseeing and spending precious moments outside.
We stayed at the Fort Stockton RV Park on the East side of town but within short driving distance of the town. As an added bonus, the RV park has a restaurant open for dinner and breakfast each day and the first night we had the opportunity to try it out.
Ilene had a burger and I had the chicken-fried steak (I had to since I was in West Texas) and we weren’t disappointed. The food was tasty, the servers were pleasant and the atmosphere was pure Texas.
The next day we visited the fort and learned this was once headquarters of the 1st and 8th Infantry Regiments and 9th Cavalry Regiment “Buffalo Soldiers”. Yes, the same 9th Cavalry Regiment that fought along side Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders in Cuba!
The fort has a small museum as well as some of the original buildings from the 1860’s including an enlisted barracks, kitchen and officer’s quarters.
After our walking tour of the fort we drove downtown and took in the West Texas architecture and stopped by the Annie Riggs Memorial Museum. Annie Riggs ran one of the nicest boarding houses in the region and the museum has many displays and you can wander through the rooms learning about the history of Fort Stockton and the women and men behind its growth.
No stop in Fort Stockton is complete without a visit and snapshots at Paisano Pete. Pete’s the official mascot of Fort Stockton who measures 11 feet high and 22 feet long.
All-in-all, our stay in Fort Stockton was enjoyable and we’d recommend it as a stop for any of our friends and family.
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