Home from Thanksgiving

Friday we all took a long walk on the beach. Again Belle thoroughly enjoyed herself as you can see. After some football we went to lunch at a small, seaside restaurant and ate outside. Cindy and I had she crab soup and shrimp and grits. Durelle also had the soup and a scallop po'boy. I took a few minutes to snap a couple of bird pictures. Huntington Beach State Park is a prime destination for serious birders. There were more foot long Cannon lenses than at Fenway Park...well, almost. Then some more football and each of us (not Belle) had a couple of turkey sandwiches. Saturday morning it was raining, but fortunately (Durelle's idea) we had packed all our outside stuff the night before. Driving home was rainy, but under two hours. To top off a wonderful week, the Dow was up almost 10%! We hope you all also had a thoroughly enjoyable Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day

Well, everything went according to plan, and the dinner was a success. Durelle, Cindy and Belle had a long walk on the beach. Belle was able to get off lead and harass the pelicans. With something approaching 120 sites this place was almost full. In our walks I think I saw three empty sites. Those of you who have been here know that the sites are widely separated, and there is plenty of room for group activities. It was good to see so many large family groups celebrating the holiday. There were lots of bicycles, dog walkers, frisbee throwers and turkey fryers. The weather was pleasantly cool.
I took the pictures of our table, as promised, but...I failed to pack the cable to download the pictures from the camera to the laptop. My bad! When we get home, I'll correct the problem and attach the pictures. Sorry 'bout dat.

Thanksgiving 2008

Since Cindy had three days off for Thanksgiving (She's been with the Post and Courier five years now.), we decided to have our Thanksgiving at Huntington Beach State Park. It's an SC park an easy two hours north of our house. Actually, our first two choices: Edisto Beach and Hunting Island, were full when Cindy learned of her pleasant surprise. We filled up the tank before we started out. It took 90 gallons at a very pleasant $2.559. Our last fill up was in Gulfport, MS. Setting up was uneventful. The dish found the satellite through the trees although I did have to call DirecTV because some authorizations had expired on this receiver.
The next step was to mix up the brine with which to immerse the turkey overnight. Since there were just three of us, we are doing a 6.5 pound turkey breast. We have a less than full sized convection/microwave oven and just two range top propane burners, so some careful scheduling is required. Tomorrow morning Durelle will make the stuffing and set it aside to be rewarmed in the microwave while the cooked turkey is "resting" and I am making the gravy. One of the two burners will be used for a pot of small boiling onions and the other for the butternut squash. We'll skip the potato. The pumpkin pie will be baked while we are eating dinner.
The temperature at 4:00 is 68 and the sky is clear. We expect a cool night of 40 or a little less. Tomorrow I'll post some pictures of the feast.

End of Journey

Yesterday we arrived in Hanahan,SC at about 1430. There was a welcome sign on the door courtesy of the McCants'. The shot of the bus was taken before unhooking and maneuvering it into the driveway for unloading. It was only a 230 mile day, but it seemed longer. With major help from Cindy, we proceeded to unpack. Only the initiated will properly appreciate the task of unloading after five months. Imagine the days when you moved from one apartment to another. We ordered pizza and quit early.
We'll be too busy for a few days catching up on various appointments (to include jury duty) to fully absorb the scope of the trip. I'll have to find out how to turn this blog into a hard copy remembrance. I'm sure that process will refresh a lot of memories. We hit thirty states plus Quebec and Ontario. We went from 11,000 feet on the Bear Tooth Highway to minus two feet in the French Quarter. We covered 10,670.3 miles on the bus plus another 3,000 or so in Jeep. We spent $4,887.41 for diesel fuel or 45.8 cents per mile. Trip mileage was 8.676 mpg. Camping fees were $4,573.41 or $33.63 per day. We didn't stay in any Walmart parking lots. Eating out was $2,307.26 or $19.88 per day and groceries were $1,890.30 at $13.90 per day. The trip cost us a grand total of $130 per day. Considering the extent of what we did, saw and ate, I think that's a totally acceptable number.
We made a lot of new friends (Belle made even more) and, more importantly, we visited with many, many old dear friends from as far back as sixty years ago. Those visits are irreplaceable. We couldn't have had finer weather. We can count the rainy days on one hand. The pictures showed nothing but blue skies. The bus performed admirably, climbing the steepest grades with little effort. We had a safety recall to replace the steering gearbox, and we had to replace a rocker switch in the toilet. I once failed to adequately tighten a radiator cap and I got a low coolant light, but otherwise the summer was completely trouble-free. I didn't even have to add air to the tires, ever.
Would we do it all again? Not tomorrow! We are already looking forward to being seasonal campers next summer at the Moorings RV Resort in Belfast Maine. Nonetheless, it was a wonderful adventure and worth every mile, every dollar, and every sunset watched from lawn chairs, martinis in hand. We're glad to have had you along for the trip.
Frank and Durelle

Back in South Carolina

We are in Anderson, SC, up in the hill country. At one point today, when we were west of Atlanta, Durelle said, "If we go straight through Atlanta, we can be home in seven and a half hours!"). Cooler heads prevailed. We are at a KOA with about 250 miles to go. We thought, initially, that we would spend some time here in the hills. But, guess what, sightseeing is not currently high on our priorities. Unless tomorrow has a lot of heavy rain, we'll head home tomorrow. So we'll stop for the night, relax, watch the presidential debate and have a martini...not necessarily in that order. At this point I should probably make some profound proclamation about our adventurous summer. Unfortunately I don't feel very profound. Perhaps, after we get back to Hanahan, SC, I'll put together a summary of the trip.

Shorter, AL

Today we left New Orleans on I-10. When we got north of the Mississippi coast, we dropped south to travel old route 90 from Gulfport to Biloxi where we lived in 60-61 and 62-63 and where both kids were born. They are busily rebuilding the coastal road and the surrounding establishments. We were able to find some familiar landmarks, but much has changed in nearly a half-century. 340 miles today was more than our usual quota. We are just east of Montgomery in a pull-through site just off I-85. We stopped with the satellite signal strength indicator talking to us. We found a spot with a good signal so that we could watch the Red Sox move on to the ALCS.

Sunday Morning in New Orleans

Ahhh, the "Big Easy"... It is now Sunday morning. We had a great time at the Army-Tulane game. Army had a ten game losing streak going in. Tulane was a 20 point favorite, and it was their homecoming. We won 44-13 (beating the spread by 51 points! Is that a record?). The skydiver picture is not a cadet, it was done by the 82nd ABN division and was arranged by Tulane. It should be noted that he made a standing landing right on the fifty. Note the US and Tulane flags. There is a shot of one of Army's touchdowns and a shot of the scoreboard with an inept timekeeper. Fortunately the clock was not a factor. Our H-2 mini-reunion got severely downsized because Ike removed the Mark Lowrey roof in Houston, and there were several medical circumstance that reduced the attendees to just five. The picture, courtesy of Mark's brother, Freed, shows the newlyweds, Al and Molly Johnson , in front with Durelle and I and Toni MacAulay in the rear. The final picture is taken within the campground showing the Marriot in the rear where the others stayed.

Friday night the five of us dined at the Bourbon House, one of the Brennan restaurants, that was chosen, in large part, because it was a walkable three blocks from the Marriott. It was typical New Orleans cuisine...pricey, but very enjoyable. We walked back to the Marriott through the street scenes and street characters that can only be found in New Orleans. After Saturday's game Durelle and I returned to the bus where some comfort food (Durelle's impossible cheeseburger pie) was a pleasant antidote to the hectic nature of the previous few days. I later took advantage of the RV park's Jacuzzi to sooth my gimpy ankle which is anxiously awaiting some care when we get back.

Speaking of getting back, that event is scheduled for Friday of THIS week. It has been a long haul. As I have indicated on previous posting, the continual touring and sightseeing eventually takes its toll. Next year we'll plant ourselves on the midcoast of Maine and take life a lot easier than we did this summer. We have no regrets, however. We have seen a lot of this great country and are very fortunate to be able to enjoy it as we have.

New Orleans

Today was an adventure! It started out calmly enough. We made a stop in Laurel, MS to have a very nice lunch at the Laurel Country Club with Carolyn Mulloy. Durelle has known her for sixty years or so; I have known her for over fifty. It was a fun visit. From Laurel we drove to New Orleans. When we exited I-10, I told Durelle I wanted the "westbound directions (from Woodalls). In Woodalls it said, "from the west...). At any rate, she gave me the eastbound directions and we turned the wrong way off the exit ramp and quickly got introduced to a section of town that the chamber of commerce does not point out to visiting dignitaries. It was bad before Katrina, and it is worse now. I made some U-turns that rivaled the U-turn on highway 101 in CA. We finally found the RV park. It is astounding. It is an elegant spot, populated by high end rigs, but it is surrounded by a ten foot cinder block wall with electric, wrought iron gates. The guy at the counter that checked us in was wearing a dark blue baseball cap with "police" in white letters on the front. More ominously, he was carrying. I guess if we go into the French Quarter, we can say we went "outside the wire". We are set up. They have all the amenities, and we'll see what the weekend brings. Army almost pulled off a major upset at Texas A&M last weekend, so maybe we can get back on the plus side of the ledger against Tulane.
By the way, I should have mentioned a sign I saw in Gould, AR yesterday. It was in front of a local commercial business and it said, "Pre-Depression Sale".

Clinton, MS

Today we drove 290 miles from Hot Springs, AR (the boyhood home of Bill Clinton) to Clinton, MS. Tomorrow we'll drive to New Orleans by way of Laurel, MS where we will have lunch with a friend of some sixty years, Carolyn Mulloy. Pardon the briefness of this note. Perhaps we can do better in "Nawlins".

Garvan Woodland Gardens

Today's our last day in Hot Springs, so we did a bit of sightseeing. September 30th is probably one of the worst choices of dates to visit a botanical garden. All the spring and summer flowers are gone, and the beds of 'mums have barely gotten a start. In addition they are still cleaning up blow down from Gustave. As a matter of fact, they are using mule teams for some of the cleanup so as to minimize damage to the gardens. Nonetheless, it was still a pleasant visit. We walked the better part of two miles and took a bunch of pictures, five of which are included. There's one of a waterfall, one of Durelle on a stone bridge, a butterfly close-up, some colorful koi, and a serpentine bridge. Notice that the lumber for the bridge decking was bent to follow the curvature of the bridge.

On the way back to the campground we spotted a tiny, four business, strip mall with a barbershop and a small cafe comprising two of the four. My lunch was a chicken-fried steak, fried okra and biscuits and gravy for $5.99. Durelle had a club sandwich. While she finished I got a haircut (for $9) in a three chair establishment with a half dozen trophy deer heads mounted. It was probably not a good place to discuss politics, so I didn't try.

Hot Springs, day 3

Finally...I have some pictures from Hot Springs. The scenic one was taken from a mountain overlook that we achieved via a mountain road. The sign said, "No vehicles over 30 feet". We took the Jeep. The campground is on a hilltop with a nice view. I think our adrenilin level is running down. Tomorrow we will check out some famous gardens, but endless touring is finally beginning to take its toll. We met an interesting couple with an identical Allegro Bus who are full timers. They also post a blog and we almost share a wedding anniversary. They were married on 17 June and we were married on the 18th.

Hot Springs, day 2

I promised some local pictures, but didn't take any. We had a leisurely breakfast...sausage, pepper 'n onions, hash browns, eggs and some grated cheddar...followed by the Sunday paper. I guess that was all calculated to stall the inevitable. At noon I started washing the bus...all of it! Durelle did several loads of wash. Other than finding a Sunday paper, we didn't go anywhere. After the chores, I crashed in a chair outside with a beer and a book. I haven't done that in many weeks. I was tired and thoroughly enjoyed relaxing. I'm about to feed the pup, make a martini and start the fire for a couple of steaks that are sitting in the fridge absorbing some barbecue rub.

Hot Springs, AR

Well, I haven't posted in four days! After the photo op day with the dinner cruise, I didn't take another picture in Branson. There was a seminar day. There were a couple of game days. Yesterday there were four teams for bean-bag baseball. Durelle's team won the event. It seemed that every time I looked up she was rounding the bases with another home run toss. She won the tourney with a walk-off home run. You'ld think she was Big Papi. The day before was horseshoes except that, instead of horseshoes, we used toilet seats; and the stakes were covered with three rolls of toilet paper so you couldn't slide a ringer on. My team was down 9-1. I got two ringers, and we lost 11-10. Oh, well!
Route 65 south from Branson was not my favorite drive of the trip...minimal scenery, minimal mileage, and minimal cruise control. We averaged 40mph. I bought $400 worth of fuel at a place that wouldn't take my check or my credit card. The good news was that they had an ATM, and the diesel was $3.939. The last previous fill-up was in Monument, CO, 917 miles ago. I broke 9 mpg.
Tomorrow I'll get some local pictures and get back on the ball. I hope to do some bus washing tomorrow. The weather couldn't be better.

Branson, MO, day 2

Well, here we are in Branson, MO at a Tiffin Rally. By the way, next year's is already sold out. Tomorrow is a bunch or seminars, but today was a couple of good Branson shows. First, the pictures...one is a shot of a row of Allegros. Ours is the one with the window awnings deployed. There are 111 Allegros here. Another shows the Branson Belle, a 1500 ton stern wheeler that is purported to be the largest ship ever assembled on a landlocked lake. It carries 720 passengers on dinner show cruises. As you might expect, an outfit that has been doing it twice a day for 13 years has it down pat. They put on an excellent combination of music, dance, and vaudeville that seemed to satisfy all tastes. The only discordant note for me was a rendition of "Old Man River" by a white baritone/tenor in a tuxedo. Somewhere Paul Robeson was turning over in his grave! There are a couple of boat pictures...one of Durelle contemplating the scenery and the homes along and above the shoreline and a picture of the flag while looking over the fantail. Believe it or not, the sunset picture was taken through the tour bus window! As I have said before, "I love this camera."

Branson, MO

Again, no new pictures. We arrived at a comfortable hour and set up at what they call "America's Best Campground". Indeed, the members of the Good Sam Club have voted them such for the last six years...and there is a lot of competition out there. We were greeted with a substantive goody bag and numerous brochures. We set up amongst 120 other Tiffin rigs and went to a roast beef dinner in the pavillion. To give you an idea of the popularity of the event, the 2009 version is already sold out. The Tiffin techs will be coming around to make minor repairs, and, of course, there are several new Allegros for sale. No, we are not interested. There is a full slate of Branson shows, riverboat cruises, seminars, silly contests and food. We spent tonight with other retired Air Force folks we met at Ellsworth AFB in early August.

Iola, KS

No pictures tonight. Kansas is not all that photogenic. Today was different. Durelle watched the Ryder cup all day. Even though it has always been available, she has never really watched the TV as we drove before. But, Kansas is a different story. First of all there are few obstructions between us and the satellite as we drive, and, secondly, one doesn't miss a lot of scenic spots while watching the TV. We are in a rural, no-frills, $20 campground which works just fine. Tomorrow we arrive at Branson, MO for a Tiffin Rally...another new experience.

WaKeeney, KS Sat night

Today was a quiet day for me. Durelle, however, had a busy day. She did at least four loads of wash while paying diligent attention to the Ryder Cup. As I said in the previous post, there aren't a lot of photo opportunities here. I did capture a couple of interesting cloud pictures. The campground has a good dog walk area. Unfortunately, it left Belle in a dilemma.

Tomorrow we travel to Iola, KS to put us in easy range of Branson, MO for the Tiffin rally starting on Monday.

WaKeeny, KS

We are now in WaKeeney, KS, but I took a few pictures this morning before we left. There isn't much that is photogenic in WaKeeney (the K is correct) unless you like 360 degree horizons at least 50 miles away. If I had only lived here, I would have joined the "Flat Earth Society". Two of the pictures show the bus at the north overlook #2 at USAFA. One shows the cadet area, and the other shows the "Eagle's Nest" west of the cadet area. Cindy and Mark and I have rolled out sleeping bags on the top of that peak (9,300 ft) and watched the sun come up over Kansas. The third picture is looking east from the same vantage point. I took it to show the amount of development east of I-25. Everything in the picture has been built since we left. Colorado Springs is still enjoying (?) explosive growth.

Last night we had a delightful dinner at the Craftwood Inn in Manitou Springs just west of Colorado Springs. We took the Catalfamos. We had been eating at their place for three days. This was an elegant place that we remembered from 1999. We have traveled over 8,000 miles so far and Durelle chose Manitou Springs, CO to order lobster bisque and grilled scallops. I had a medium rare elk steak which was outstanding with a rich gravy. Phil had roast wild boar, and Laura had Spanish, vegetarian tapas. Karin enjoyed her ribs. It was a very pleasant experience.

It took us a while to get out of the Rockies. We went a little north to get some diesel and headed east through rural roads until we got to route 24 in Peyton. Durelle had to forego the Ryder cup to navigate us until we got to route 24. From there we took 24 to I-70 in Limon, CO and took I-70 to WaKeeney.

I was surprised, as we moved east of the Rockies, how far the area of fine homes, facing west, extended. I will admit that many were for sale. Once we got east of Peyton the terrain changed again to the high plains. It was greener than I had expected. We had ideal driving conditions: cruise control at 1500 rpm, downhill (we lost about 4,000 ft today), but there was still a headwind! We got 8.6 mpg. We'll stay here two nights...it's the Ryder Cup after all. Then one more stop before we arrive at Branson, MO for the Tiffin rally. We have a reservation for Sunday night in Iola, KS.

Colorado Springs

Durelle played golf again today...this time at Peterson Field. That precluded her getting to visit the Garden of the Gods west of Colorado Springs. So I drove through and took a few pictures for her. Then I went by a favorite old restaurant from nearly 40 years ago. There are two pictures in the post which will have meaning to only two people, Cindy and Mark. Mark's perennial order was, "Two beef tacos, a Coke and sopapillas for desert". When we first started going there, it was often the terminus for a Sunday morning trail ride. There was a watering trough and a hitching rail out back of the resaurant. Now it's surrounded by a Best Buy and many others of that ilk. Colorado Springs is still growing at a rapid rate. Then I got ready to leave tomorrow...checked air, fluids, etc. Tomorrow is Wakeeny, Kansas, and I expect Durelle will be watching the Ryder cup en route.

USAFA update

Over the weekend the main event was the 50th wedding anniversary party for Phil and Laura Catalfamo. Not all of you know the Catalfamos, but I think the weekend is an important part of our trip. Phil and I shared an office in Alaska and many other adventures. The many weekends of family camping in the mid-'60s in our Apache pop-up were the start of our RVing escapades. Saturday evening was an extremely well done affair at the Catalfamo's house in the Gleneagle area of Colorado Springs. One of the pictures of Phil is taken on the deck with a view of USAFA and Pike's Peak. You can see that it is a special location. Attendees came from locations literally world-wide. The close-knit, extended families and ex-neighbors from Brooklyn to Anchorage were present as, of course, were their five kids and the grand-kids. The food, as those of you who know Laura would expect, was outstanding. The picture of Phil and Laura was taken while Phil was recounting the story of how he brought his new bride to the Philippines before he had secured any housing for them. It was a hilarious story of musical chairs (quarters) for several weeks before housing was found. It must have been a wild, eye-opening set of experiences for the new young bride from Brooklyn. There is a picture of their daughter, Susan, with Durelle. The picture of Durelle and Laura was taken on Sunday as we had sort of an instant replay of the Saturday evening affair. As you can imagine, many memories were exchanged and updated, and a good time was had by all.

USAFA, day 7

Tuesday I got a guided tour of the electrical engineering and computer department. When I taught there, we had just transitioned out vacuum tubes, so a lot of things have changed. I was escorted by LTC Brian Peterson (class of' 91), shown in the picture making some caustic comments about a cadet's engineering notebook. There are still the small classes and plenty of hands-on and interactive teaching styles. I felt right at home with the format.

Security is a lot tighter than when I was here. Now, in addition to the gates that control access to the academy, there are additional gates controlling access to the cadet area. I required an escort to get to the main academic building, Fairchild Hall. While I was in the cadet area, I took a picture of the portal over the ramp up to the quadrangle. For 30 years or so it said, "Bring Me Men". You can see from the picture that the wording has been changed to more gender neutral sentiments.

USAFA, day 5

No pictures today...just a quick update. We had forgotten that the temperature here typically varies 35 to 40 degrees every 24 hours. Today was 41 when we got up and 76 in the afternoon. The little quartz heater takes the chill off nicely in the mornings. We have a 50 amp site so we don't have to remember to turn it off when we toast our English muffin.
Today, while Durelle was catching up with the laundry basket, I went to the elementary school in Douglass (the double s is correct) Valley elementary school. Both of our kids and most of our grandkids attended. Son, Mark, recalls that when they went to a parent teacher conference for granddaughter, Melissa, in the first grade, the teacher, a Mrs. Olson predicted that Melissa was going to be president of her senior class. I wanted to tell her that her prediction was accurate and thank her for giving Melissa a good start. Mrs. Olson retired last year, but a best friend and fellow teacher took my card, made some notes, and promised to get in touch with Mrs. Olson and get back to me with the results.
Tomorrow I'm scheduled to get a tour of the electrical engineering department. I'm looking forward to it. Durelle is scheduled for a round of golf on the USAFA course where she was once the club champion. This is a very pleasant stop.

USAFA, day 3

Good morning. Friday was one of our extremely rare rainy days on the trip, and it came at a perfect time. After four straight driving days, it was good to relax and do some much needed cleaning. Those of you with RVs know that the rig collects dust and dirt faster than your house does. Last evening we had supper and a visit with old friends and classmate, Buzz and Brita Glenn. Supper was at Ted's Montana Grill, a small chain of Ted Turner's that features bison from his herds of thousands of them. Durelle tried the short ribs, and I had a roast beef after having a lot of chicken and fish lately.

This morning, after walking Belle, I set out to find a newspaper. The morning light was ideal for some pictures, so I brought the camera. The picture of the B-52 is at the north end of the base looking sou'west. Note the bear proof trash container a la Yellowstone. I also got a shot of Pike's Peak with a dusting of fresh snow and Blodgett Peak in the foreground. The Cloutiers have all been on top of both of them, though not recently. The third picture is looking south toward the cadet area.

Today we'll go to the commissary, beauty shop etc. The "etc." includes the Class Six (liquor) store. You know you have been on the road a long time when you have to replenish the Vermouth! It has been 111 days as of today.

Arrived at USAFA

We have arrived at USAFA just north of Colorado Springs, CO. It has been 1200 miles in four days, and we are really ready to park for awhile. We will spend a week here. Even though we spent five years here from ’69 to ’74, we had never made the drive we did today. As soon as we left Grand Junction, we started climbing; gradually for the first couple of hours, then the grade increased to 6%. The first part of the climb was up through Glenwood Canyon, to Glenwood Springs and then through Vail. I-70 must have been the most expensive of the interstates to build. As we approached Glenwood Springs, we watched helmet-clad rafters hurtling down the Colorado River. The canyon is narrow. How narrow is it? Two examples: it’s so narrow that, even with the tall windshield on the bus, you still couldn’t see the tops of the canyon walls, and second, there isn’t room to put the eastbound and west bound lanes of I-70 side by side. In some places they had to be one above the other! Vail is a westernized, enlarged Alpine village. The two pictures were taken west of Vail Pass. The first is looking east toward where we are headed. The second is looking south over the most attactive scenery. There are elegant homes clinging to every outcropping like crows on fence posts. Vail Pass is at 10,600 feet and Loveland pass is well over 11,000. Managing 18 tons up and down those grades took a bit of care. The 400 Cummins had no problems, but managing the speed, both uphill and down, took some attention. Interestingly, the driver’s perspective of the grade is not reliable. On more than one occasion both Durelle and I thought we were descending, but a glance at the river paralleling our route confirmed that it was flowing toward us! I have a two level Jacobs brake for engine compression. I used it a lot. I also used some manual downshifts on the climb.
Denver and the surrounding areas are still growing. The Air Force Academy that we left so long ago still looks familiar. We have a great, full-service site for $17 per day. The warning signs about mountain lions are a bit disconcerting, however.

Grand Junction, CO

Well, we made it to Colorado. First, the four pictures. The one of the two old farts was taken by a person or persons unnamed at Hill AFB in Ogden, UT. The one with the Jeep was at our lunch stop today at 7,800 feet on I-70 in UT (mile 88). There is one looking eastbound on I-70 through Spotted Wolf Pass. It's a 6% grade for about five miles with not one, but two, runaway truck escape ramps. The last shot shows one of MANY triple tandem trailers negotiating the grade and the turns.

We arrived at 1605 after exactly an eight hour day and 380 miles. Believe it or not, I averaged 8.0 mpg. Even without national parks, the steep canyons and red bluffs are still dramatic. We also enjoyed the Salt Lake Valley. It is amazing how much heavy industry is there without spoiling the lush, agricultural nature of the valley. Again, we had a great weather day. We are at a KOA on the Colorado River. Tomorrow we'll go to the Air Force Academy where we will spend a week. After 1200 miles in four days, I'm looking forward to it. I'll keep you posted.

Hill AFB

We’ve had a couple of semi-long days of driving and no touring, hence the dearth of pictures. We did 290 miles yesterday and 330 today. We are at about 4400 feet here. We started at under 3000 and had two or three summits above a mile high. Tomorrow we have nearly 400 miles to Grand Junction, then we cross the Rockies on I-70 into Denver and Colorado Springs. As I recall, that pass is above 10,000 feet.
We dropped in to Hill AFB with no reservation, counting on the fact that they had plenty of overflow parking. They do, but we got the last spot. We have 30 amps and “access to the southern sky” so everything is cool. The picture shows the Wasatch (I think) mountains surrounding the east side of Hill AFB.