First Flight

First Flight        

TORONTO’S FIRST FLIGHT  
Toronto 
Our first flight with Toronto was a new experience for us! We arrived at the Portland, Oregon airport just after 5 am to board a JetBlue airship to Reagan International in Washington DC via Boston. We were the first to board and sat down on the left side in the first row, just behind the bulkhead. This selection gave Toronto a little more room to stretch out. The passenger in our row did not mind that Debby had me take her seat, nor that Toronto occasionally lay on her foot.  
    With a 2 hour layover in Boston, we had ample time to get Toronto to a doggie relief station on the way to our next gate. He did not need it so we continued the long walk to the far end of the concourse. We found our gate just in time for an announcement about a gate change. We found our new gate, which was verified by a young lady sitting across from us. Debby left me with the luggage while she went to find us something to eat. After wolfing down a sandwich, they announced pre-boarding so we did. The flight to Reagan international was barely an hour and a half. I sent John a text that we had landed and we began to make our way towards baggage claim.
   Our cousin, John, picked us up at the curb right on schedule! He was happy to have us in the car. His 45 minute commute home with us in the car allowed him to drive for free in the HOV lanes, saving about $15 to Stafford.
   The next day we rested. John had to work. Lisa needed to make a hurried trip to SaInt Louis on business. Deb and 
   On Saturday, John drove us out to see Great Falls. It wasn’t far away; a pleasant drive. As we drove north on I-95 in the HOV lanes, we saved another $15. The entrance fee into Great Falls National Monument was another $15 savings, flashing my Codger Card to the Ranger on duty. It occurred to me that we are worth a few bucks to have around!
   The Falls were beautiful! The entire Potomac River tumbles down across ancient granite lava, dropping nearly 90 feet in elevation in several places, forming several smaller Falls. From our observation decks we noticed a pole with posted levels identifying former flood levels. It was unbelievable !
    We drove to the airport to pick up Lisa. We were a little early so we waited in Security’s Parkin lot because the cell phone waiting area was closed for repairs. As we waited, a black squirrel came down a large tree to have a look around. This was my first black squirrel sighting since I was a teenager living in Kansas. There was one area along a small creek where I could often spot one in the big trees as we drove by.
   We enjoyed going to church with John and Lisa on Sunday. The congregation was not very large but the people were friendly and the service was great! Toronto took a nap.
   Almost every day I would take Toronto out for a stroll of one to four miles, depending upon how lost we were! Actually the trails were paved and easy to explore. The trail along the golf course ponds was nice but way too short!
   On Wednesday, Debby and I rode in with John to DC. We took the Metro train into downtown and made our way to the Zoo. We went in and walked around for an hour or two. Debby wanted to see the Pandas. They were not very active this time of day but we enjoyed an informational lecture by one of the young zoo keepers. She was very knowledgeable on the Pandas but kept rocking back and forth, like she was taking a step forward, then quickly rocked back, only to repeat the act. This went on the entire half hour. During her question and answer period, some jakeleg late comer stepped up and began asking her questions that she already answered had he been on time. Very annoying!
    We took a bus part way and got off to walk along the White House, the Washington Monument and The War Memorials square. There was a lot of construction going on in the back of the White House. Tourists milled around taking pictures while a lone man with a sign that said, "Build the Wall", quietly informed everyone of what to do. They are building a wall. Yes. They are constructing a 13 foot high steel fence to replace the old 6 foot kind. We did not get to see the Donald, er, Mr President. I’m sure he knew we were there but with his schedule and all, we weren’t able to have coffee with him. Maybe next time!
   Walking along the dark granite wall with the thousands of inscribed names is very emotional. I cannot help but to feel blessed that mine was not among them. At the same time, seeing my friend’s name etched in the black marble is even more emotional. Michael Ray Conner, a friend and fellow Airman was shot down over South Vietnam in the summer of 1970. I was also flying that day in a nearby quadrant. The events of that day are forever etched on the gray matter of my brain.
   We flagged down a bus that took us to the Metro. Before boarding a southbound commuter to rendezvous with John, we grabbed a sandwich and sat down beneath the high vaulted ceiling while Toronto stretched out on the worn white marble floor to cool down.  
   John picked us up at the train stop and back on the HOV to Stafford. Lisa would work from home part time a couple of days a eek so we had time to go out for morning coffee with her. That was nice. She is a very busy lady!
   We borrowed Lisa’s RAV 4 on Friday and drove a couple of hours away to New Market/Timberville area to visit with my younger brother, Cliff, and Katie and kids. Cliff bought a beautiful place on a ridge top looking over into the Shenandoah Valley and mountain range. He has 5 acres with a barn, chickens and a cat. He said he was going to get some goats. The sprawling house with it’s 80 foot long deck was spacious and unique. We nicknamed it the Thomas Resort!  
   We really enjoyed our visit with them. We rented a motel nearby as their house was full with kids and Katie’s Mom.  
   The Day’s Inn in New Market turned out to be a dive so we checked out the next morning and got a room in the only other motel in town. Across the freeway was a much cleaner feeling place with more room.  
   We returned the car to Lisa Sunday night as she worked on Monday and needed it. Deb and I hundred down for a little rest and relaxation. I managed to get in some more walking time with Toronto. He loves getting out and about. The only problem is that he wants to stop and play with every dog that comes down the sidewalk. He strains and tugs on his leash and sometimes lunges toward another dog. It’s very frustrating to me to have him act this way. I try to correct him but every day is the same. He seems to do better wearing his head collar then he does without it. But he despises having to wear it. He keeps trying to rub it off. If I was totally blind I would probably send him back to boot camp for a refresher course! I will work more intensively with him after I get home this week.  
      On Thursday we asked our things and got ready to go to th airport. We had a leisurely morning. Lisa slept in . Took Toronto outside and gave him a grooming. He likes to be brushed. I always wipe down his fur with a large wet wipe cloth we get at the pet store.  
   We stopped on base at Quantico to do some shopping at the PX and Commisary. Lisa needed some groceries and things. Afterwards, we decided to go out to unch. Lisa knew off this shopping area in Woodbridge, so we chose Firebirds wood Fired Grill. It was not rowed but seemed like thy had just opened. The dining room was large and open. The lights were turned down and it seemed dark inside. The air smelled of burned wood. The waitress sai we woul need to sit outside I the patio area because of my dog not being allowed inside. Lisa told her he was ADA approved and my Guide Dog. That did to matter to her as she turned and opened the outside door for us. We reminded her that Toronto was allowed anywhere, etc. Debby, not wanting to dissent with her agreed to go outside; that it would be fine. I decided to agree to sit outside with Debby, so we followed the waitress/hostess . Lisa called over the manager and told him that we were being escorted outside. The manager admitted that, as an ADA go, we could sit indoors. The manager sent another hostess out to let us now we could sit indoors if we wanted. We said no. I told Lisa I old all 9
      We had a good lunch an then headed on to Ronald Reagan International to easy ourselves for our trip home. We have a few hours before we board but we needed to arrive early I order for Lisa to make her afternoon appointments. We went ahead and checked our luggage an printed our boarding ticket for our First Class rie on Alaska Airlines, ire the to Portland.We found the ogre relief a station and let Toronto sniff around before he took his leave.
   Thanks again, Firebirds Wood Grill of Washington DC for your considerations. No, I will not report you.
   TSA today was a pain. For some reason the line moved very slowly. The agents were very thorough, complete with xrays and pat downs! Toronto and I made out pretty good. They didn’t bother us with the X-ray machine. Probably because they couldn’t get him to stand upright and plead his front paws! I also held his leash so the X-ray couldn’t work or us. They did send us through the magnetic sensor to detect metal. I had no trouble and Toronto, as well. I was surprised his collar did not set it off as it contains a double chain with rings for the metal leash clip. Even the TSA agent was surprised it did not go off! I told him if it had he would have needed to pat down the dog. He agreed.
   As we waited at the gate for our plane, it arrived direct from Portland. On board was half a plane load of World War II, Korea and Vietnam Honor Flight recipients. Dozens of wheel chairs rolled down the walkway to bring in these old timers from WWII and those who needed it. As they rolled by us, the applause from onlookers in the waiting area was very moving. Some of the old vets expressed shock at the reception they received.The applause continued until the last veteran walked through the road of well wishers. It was a very moving experience for all of us. What a welcome they reek ed! The thought occurred to me; {What if we had received such a welcome the day we came home from Vietnam?{. I believe that if our soldiers got such a welcome home, much healing would have been accomplished in an   





   Welcome home, Soldiers. Welcome home.

Road Trip 2019

Road trip 2019    

   This year, our road trip; adventure included friends and family.  Our grandson, Aaron and our son, Eric decided to tag along to help drive the more than 2000 miles to Missouri.  We decided to leave in the late evening and drive all night.  Aaron said he loved driving at that time, so we agreed to pack and go.

   I do miss driving; always loved to drive the highways.  My vision loss has eliminated that from my life so now I just go along for the ride. 

     It was about 10:00 pm, the end of April, when we took to the road.  I had climbed into one of the two back seats behind the driver and adjusted my pillow to get comfortable.  No sooner had we merged onto the interstate, I fell asleep.  I remember waking up in Pendleton as we refueled, asking where we were.  Back on the road and back to sleep I next recall waking up and asking the same question.  Someone said we were on the other side of Boise. 

   The first formation I wanted to point out to everyone was an oddity rock formation known as "the devil’s slide".  It is a granite rock formation that looks like a spine running down the side of a steep hillside towards the highway.  The two prominent vertical formations, running parallel to each other were separated by a few feet of normal hillside, resembling a gigantic slide.

   The countryside was gorgeous as we cruised through Utah and into Wyoming.  One could see a myriad of pronghorn, deer and small animals along the many miles of flat and level.  One could also see a familiar sighting of the illusive coyote, looking for his next meal.

   We pulled off the highway in Green River, Wyoming, a little town and rented a motel for the night.  Huge, massive monolith rocks dotted the steep hills and two of them rested on the hilltop behind our motel.  Aaron and I decided to ascend the ridge and take a closer look.  The huge rocks appeared to have been hewn from an even larger mountain by God. 

   As we neared these monoliths, they became larger than life.  We were impressed.  The walk up onto this ridge was certainly worth the effort.

   As we headed out the next morning towards Colorado, the mountaintops began to show signs of a dusting of fresh snow.  A couple of days before we arrived here, a freak snowstorm dumped ten to twelve inches of new snow onto the roads and caused a few traffic problems.  Fortunately, today was clear as was the interstate.      

   We began to see more and more snow as we continued into Colorado.  Our destination was Estes Park, a gorgeous town in the mountains.  Estes Park is 7,500 feet above sea level. We had reserved a condominium in this little resort town and planned to do some sightseeing for a few days.  Remnants of snow lingered in town, including the decks of outdoor patios at the resort.  I released the leash from my Guide Dog’s neck collar and let him run in the snow on our deck.  He was funny and showed his enjoyment of the white slush. 

   We entered the condo and discovered it was much too small for our needs.  We checked with the office and found they had other condos available.  Debby got on the phone with the main office with Worldmark and changed our reservations to a much better unit.

   The next morning we met a driver out front at  
 0530 and readied ourselves for a guided tour of the area.  We wanted to go out and find some large game animals.  Jared was an apt guide.  He certainly knew his stuff and knew exactly where and when to go for the best viewing.  We spent the next 3 or 4 hours going from one area to another to find a different animal.  We were able to get close enough for good photos.  We were able to get close to Moose, deer, elk, big horn sheep and wild turkeys.  One gobbler in particular was still trying to impress the ladies, even though mating season was just about to end; this big fellow still put on a show by puffing up, dragging his wings and strutting his stuff.  A couple of ladies showed up to check him out.  He looked pretty snazzy but the ladies were not interested and trotted off back into the brush.  All this happened right beside our vehicle on the road.  Tom didn’t care that we were snapping pictures.  Maybe he liked being on camera!

    We occasionally found ourselves over the 8,000 foot level.  I could tell that my heart was having problems as I became exhausted; like I had been working!  Nevertheless, I made the best of it and enjoyed the resort, especially the outside hot tub!  I would often take Toronto out for a walk.  Eric, Aaron and I asked around and got directions to the best BBQ place in town.  It was real close to our resort.  We had a spread of food that actually lasted three meals!  Elk roamed the town like bums looking for a handout.  Their hair was shedding its winter coat and they looked pretty gnarly.  They often stopped traffic and took up most of the road.

   On our last morning when we were checking out, I took Toronto out for his morning constitutional and noticed the big trash can next to the office had been turned over and dumped.  The lady in the office who had worked the night shift said it was not uncommon for a bear roaming around at night would check out the trash cans.  She had seen this one on the security camera.

   It felt good to descend back down off the mountains to a more comfortable elevation.  We had skirted around Denver and descended from Estes Park and were well on our way towards the Kansas border. 

   Sightseeing Kansas is pretty cool.  You don’t even have to get off the interstate to see most of Kansas; it’s so flat out there!  There’s a lot of farmland in western Kansas.  The crops were looking good, especially the sunflower fields; quite yellow!

     We made our way to Branson, Missouri where we have family, stopping only to stretch our legs and take a personal break or refuel.  Aaron’s mom drove up from Tulsa to pick up Aaron for a few days’ visiting.  The rest of us remained in Branson.  In a few days, Eric flew back to Portland to get back to work. 

   Debby and I were soon back on the road again.  We were ultimately headed for Abilene, Texas to see our grandson, Daniel graduate from Abilene Christian University.  Debby and Nancy headed for Texas to meet up with some other girl friends for a few days of pampering.  Ron and I hung around Springdale a couple of days before heading to Texas to meet the girls.

   We visited a couple of Fried Chicken and Barbeque joints.  Ron took me to a local Botanical Gardens place.  It was very nice.  Toronto liked it.

   The morning we took off for Texas, early rush hour traffic was heavy.  We entered a road construction area and a couple of traffic lanes were closed off, guarded by those large white and orange barrels that could have been filled with water or sand.  Lucky for us they weren’t!  As we merged onto the freeway, a large semi-truck was taking up the lane to our left and the barrels were merging into our lane from the right.  Ron thought he could put the pedal to the metal and scoot around the semi on his right.  Not a good idea!  He was driving his wife’s little 4 cylinder and it had no get up and go like his truck.  He sideswiped a couple of those barrels and almost got knocked into the right side of that semi.  That would not have turned out too well for us!  I’m sure the truck driver was not happy as we cut him off out of necessity.  I kept kidding Ron that Nancy was going to get him for denting up her new car!  The rest of the trip into Waco was uneventful.  We met up with the girls and found a burger joint to have lunch.  Afterwards, Ron and Nancy headed back to Arkansas in her car.  I kept an eye out to see if the fur was going to start flying but apparently she didn’t see the damage.

   With my daughter, Ami and family, in our Sienna, we headed for our motel waiting in Abilene. 

   In Abilene, we met up with Daniel and his girlfriend, Cloe to see the campus and find out what was happening.  The ACU campus is very nice!  We also attended a dinner for the graduating class of 2019.  It was a very nice event and we met many of Daniel’s teachers and friends.

   The next day, the graduation was in a huge facility.  We were high up in the south end of this north bound oval stadium, back up there in the nose bleed section.  There were many people in attendance!  This place was amazingly huge, but most every seat taken!  It was fun to watch Ami as her son graduated from this famous university. 

   Early the next morning, we all packed and loaded up for a quick trip to the Dallas airport.  Ami and family would be flying back to Portland but we were continuing our road trip.  Ami dove the long busy highway to the terminal.  We dropped them off and said our goodbyes.  Debby got behind the drivers wheel and we took the interstate to Oklahoma City. 

   We arrived at the Memorial Drive church of Christ in Oklahoma City just in time for church services to begin.  There, we met up with our son, Matthew and spend the rest of the day with him.  We drove over to our good friend’s house, Brian and Sharon, where we would start a couple of days.  Sharon was currently in Portland and we didn’t get to see her on this trip. 

   It was great visiting with our son and our friends.  Time went by quickly and it was time to head north.  Back on the road we headed to9 Branson and made it there in late evening.  We unpacked and remained here with Debby’s sisters and mom, catching up as we could.  We got to spend a day walking around old downtown Branson on the new riverfront called, Branson Landing.  It was very nice.  We ate out at some of the local restaurants and visit with other family.  Debby’s younger sister was in the process of opening up a new candle shop at Shepherd of the Hills.  It’s a gorgeous place where visitors can come and be entertained with shows, events and shopping. 

   As we neared Memorial Day, it was time to pack up and head for Kansas.  I was on my way to attend our 55^th high school reunion in Americus.  It’s a tiny town sporting 9 graduating from my 1964 senior class.  I did not graduate from that school but my heart has always rested there as if I did.  These kids were my friends and I wanted to be a part of their reunion.  As it worked out, with bad weather, family illnesses, other family events and such, only 3 of us from the 1964 class were there.  But it was still a great visit with Joanne and rose!

   On our way back to Oklahoma City, we drove out of our way to stop off in Branson because other family members had come into town and Debby wanted a family photo taken while her mother is still able to do that.  We spent the night and had breakfast, visiting some more as we could.  Then we loaded up and headed to Tulsa where we met up with our daughter.

   We had lunch with Teresa before driving the two hours on to Oklahoma City.  We, once again stayed with our friend, Brian.  Our friends from Portland, Greg and Dottie, had been spending time with their grandchildren in a nearby town, but were meeting up with us in OKC to drive back to Oregon with us.  That evening, all of us went out to dinner and including our son.  We had a good visit and met up with some old friends from Oklahoma Christian University that we had known in Oregon.  It was all good.

   On the morrow, we loaded up with Greg and Dottie and headed for Santa Fe where we would stay in a condo a few days.  We have always liked Santa Fe.  There’s something about it that just makes you want to come back.  Our Worldmark condo was perfect.  We enjoyed going down town and into the town square to see the locals tending their jewelry and crafts displays.  We went into the old mission church and really enjoyed the architecture.  We enjoyed shopping and eating in the local restaurants.

    One of our highlights was driving out to see Bandelier National Monument, an extinct village of Indians who lived inside carved-out rooms in the huge  sandstone cliffs.  They were known as cliff dwellers.  We walked the sprawling area where many hundreds of these cliff dwellers made their home along the river.

   We checked out and continued our road trip north.  We were amazed at the many rock formations and cliffs that one could see from the road.  Amazing architecture by God, the Grand Master.

   We HAD to stop at Four Corners, a tourist trap where four states intersect borders in one strategic spot in the world.  Here, one can stand on the intersection of borders of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah.  This is another place, out in the middle of nowhere where you can visit one of the Indian’s selling their crafts and jewelry.

    We made our way into Utah, driving through the amazingly beautiful and picturesque Glen Canyon.  It is amazing what erosion and time has done to these colorful sandstone cliffs.  We took many pictures and made memories.

   Our next stop was Zion National Park.  This was another location where we had a nice condo, courtesy of our Worldmark association membership. 

   The girls wanted to relax in the condo and visit the swimming pool and hot tub, so Greg and I took off for a day of sightseeing the National Park.  My handicap parking pass came in real handy here as parking was scarce.  With my Guide Dog in tow, we boarded a park bus and visited a few hiking trails.  It was crowded bit we had a great time seeing unusual sights and water features, as created by God.  It was a long day but we got to see much and of course, took many awesome photos.

      On our way out of the park, heading back to our condo, we found a small café in the middle of town that sold Bumble Berry Pie.  We had never tasted this superb treat and were excited to find it here.  We bought a whole pie to take back to the condo to go with that ice cream Debby had bought.  Following a taco dinner, we had the pie and ice cream for dessert.  It was worth every minute of waiting to taste this luscious treat.  Bumble Berry pie is amazing!

   Our next stop was a drive over to the Red Hills Desert Garden where one can see amazing desert plants and flowers.  It was well done by a garden designer, for sure!  We took lots of pictures and spent much time walking the paved walkways that intertwined in and out among the gorgeous desert plants.

    After the few days in Zion, we headed north for Cedar City, Utah.  It was now June 1^st.  We have been away for a little more than a month now, but there is still much to see.  So today was a day for a trip down memory lane for our friends.    First, a drive over to Cedar City where Greg explored his old home town and a visit to the mysterious Squaw Cave. 

  We drove across the high mountains to find snow-covered roads and along frozen Navajo Lake and on to Duck Camp where Toronto got to romp and run in the snow.  He loves snow!  We returned back across the scenic mountains, nearly 10,000’ 

    We headed for a memorial dedicated to some early wagon trainers who were massacred by a group of Mormons who were bent to rob them.  The monument set in this huge meadow is called the Mountain Meadow Massacre.  Greg had recalled hearing about this years ago and it was something worth visiting.

   From here we cruised through a tiny town and discovered "Tow-mater" was living here!  He is the old pickup tow truck as depicted in the cartoon movie, CARS.

    On our way northward we stopping in Dixie National Forest at Red Canyon to have a picnic.  The hills and rock formations were amazing to see!  We parked near the restrooms so we could take a break.  I took Toronto over to a particular area so he could relieve himself.  When I headed back towards the car, an old woman was coming towards Toronto.  I pulled him aside off the sidewalk and stopped.  She kept heading for him.  I asked her to please not touch the dog as he is working.  She walked very close to him and let the back of her hand touch his nose.  Without even stopping she said, "He licked me".  Ten feet behind her, the woman’s husband followed.  As he went past, he apologized for her quietly said, "She don’t listen to nobody!"

     Our next stop was the Bryce Canyon National Park.  We had never seen this canyon up to this point.  It was one of the most amazing formations I have ever seen.  Looking down into this amazing canyon at the many "Hoodoo’s" standing like a crowd of people was striking!  Apparently, these rock formations called, "Hoodoo’s" are always moving from the winter snows causing them to shift a little each year.  There is no other place in the world where I have seen such a vision.

     We spent the day driving into the Escalante National Monument.  We drove about 18 miles into Long Canyon to view amazing red sandstone cliffs and wind sculpted formations of many sizes and shapes. Along the way to noticed an opening in the tall cliffs so we stopped and took a hike.  It was a gorgeous area of old trees and a huge crack in the cliff known as a slot canyon. Sculpted cliffs towered hundreds of feet above to expose a sliver of daylight.  This canyon was one that a local had told us about when we stopped somewhere along the way.   On our way back to the car, a couple of local hikers came towards us and asked about our hike.  One of them asked how we came to know about this canyon.  We said that a local store keeper had told us about it.  He wasn’t too happy because the locals like to keep these kinds of gems a secret from tourists, else they get overran and crowded. 

   We returned back along the highway to a little town called Boulder for some lunch and a few snacks.  From here we drove north to Midway, Utah, and our next stop for a few days.  Driving this area one is struck by the beautiful Wasatch Mountains near Provo.  Utah has much to see and much to offer if you just get out and look.

   Midway is a beautiful little Swiss village with gorgeous homes and farms.  Our condo was beautiful and spacious.  We were able to get a great rest before the next phase of our trip.

    We took a drive up to the top of a huge cinder cone called Veterans Memorial Mountain.  Atop this perfect hill is a memorial where every branch of service has been remembered, especially the heroes of this area in all of the wars.  It was well done and sports a 360 degree view of the countryside and the gorgeous Wasatch Mountains.    We descended the spiral driveway circumventing the hill several times before exiting the facility.

   We drove over to a cheese factory for a quick visit and to purchase some snacks.  Their claim to fame was they made the best cheese sandwich in the world.  I’m not really sure about the world, but we did order their cheese sandwich.  I must say that it was the best I have ever eaten anywhere! 

   Our stay was relaxing.  Now we were ready to continue our journey west towards home.  As we drove along, we saw many beautiful sights.  Park City is a beautiful city that hosts winter sports events in their beautiful mountains.

My old high school friend, Joanne, used to live here.  She had a beautiful home that looked over to the ski slopes and down on Park City.  Elk and deer used her back yard for a migration route.

   It was a long drive to Portland but we managed to stay on the road, stopping occasionally for fuel and food.  We were like a tired horse who could smell the barn!  There was only one thing on our minds and that was to get home as soon as possible!  We often look back on the pictures we took and of the amazing places we got to visit.  Road trips are nice.