On to Utah

Sunday morning we are up and out early to Heber City, UT. Timing is important as we are to rendezvous with another airplane called a Harpoon over a lake near Park City and fly in together in a formation of sorts. We stop for fuel in Riverton, WY, and as is often the case, we have erred on the side of safety and are early. We enter the FBO like a hoard of Huns, hit the facilities, pop tons of popcorn and put a strain on the drink machine. After wreaking havoc, we regroup, load up and are gone, leaving the residents to wonder....what was that all about?
The mountains in Utah are greener than the last two states we have been in and that is a surprise. Somehow Utah seemed like a place that should have tall craggy orange-red peaks. There are also more trees. Gene and David are our pilots for the morning. The passengers are watching the time for 2PM is the appointed time and sure enough, at that exact time Zane comes back into the cabin to tell us that the other place has appeared and we all rush to that side to see and take pictures. We make some passes over Park City before going on to the airport at Heber City.
We have a welcoming committee there of Tony DiSantis and Jeff Selby who have flown into Salt Lake City earlier in the day plus Jane Gorrell and several friends. This airport is situated with a picturesque lake at the end of the runway, curving between two mountains. The Heber Valley/CAF Air Museum is housed in a hanger at the edge of the airport and we all gather there.
It is a small, but well done museum and features two Stearman bi-planes. Jane and her friend, Bambi Knight have arranged a hamburger cook-out for us there. Bambi has installed a Victory Garden behind the hanger and our dinner features produce from the garden.
After dinner, David recruits Peggy and I to take rides in the Stearman. In this type of plane, the passenger rides in the front. It has an open cockpit....think Snoopy and the Red Baron. First I squeezed into the tiny cockpit and then David started snapping me in and pulling straps tight. When I felt like a mummy, he said, "Well that is your parachute, now lets work on the seatbelt." ??? He also gave me instructions on getting out in case of emergency and I thought, yeah, right. I cannot even move and I am supposed to extract myself from a falling plane in midair and pull a parachute??
The route of this ride goes up through the pass over the Heber City reservoir, over Robert Redford's Sundance home and wanders around and amongst the peaks and valleys,turning back at Utah Lake near Provo. It is an incredible experience, that reminded me of IMAX movies where you swoop over peaks and down into valleys. There were lakes and waterfalls. A ride like this would cost $300, but we ride free.
Being members of the Flagship Detroit Foundation gives us the opportunity to experience incredible things at very little cost. Sure, we work hard also, but at something we enjoy. Many of our table conversations are about history and Peggy pointed out that were we not all interested in history, we would not be in the group.
This night the group scatters. Gene and I are staying with the Gorrells. Peggy and Jake are with Dave Ashworth, an old Navy buddy of Jake's who live in the same neighborhood. The remaining crew are in a nearby resort hotel.
Monday morning, David and Gene go open the plane to tours, while Jane, Peggy and I take a long walk. The two of them are younger and in better shape and I was really panting in the altitude, but kept up. Zane and Deanna enjoy sleeping in. The whole gang reconvenes at the airport in the early afternoon and are entertained all afternoon watching a camera crew photograph models with the vintage aircraft. These models were not what one imagines when thinking of that word. They were supposed to be making a calendar for the museum. There is a small but fairly steady stream of people who come by to tour the Flagship and some make generous donations. We are a non-profit and have to feed this hungry airplane constantly. She drinks 100 gallons of fuel and a gallon of oil for each hour of flight.
At 6PM we make a membership flight with 13 passengers, both stewardesses in uniform, and Gene and David at the controls. The stews do a real song and dance take off on the standard briefing given by today's flight attendants. Jane has made chocolate dipped strawberries to serve the passengers as they board. They take the same route up through the pass as the Stearmans and both pilots declare it to be one of the most scenic flights ever taken. The passengers were absolutely giddy and ever so grateful for this opportunity. Gary Brubaker has shown up with many stunning photo prints from the day before, including shots of the Stearman flights, which he generously hands out.
Fourteen of us end up at Adloph's for dinner. The crew is augmented by Dave Ashworth, Linda Belgiano, Bambi Knight, and Chris Roon who were with us at the airport. The chef of this restaurant is Swiss native and the food is more than excellent. However, it is after 11PM when we close the place down.

Wings and Wheels

Another early morning to make the trip from Cody to Powell for the air and car show. But it seems there was a late night text the previous evening saying that since we now have two vehicles, the females can sleep in. Since Jake is the only one who checked his phone in the middle of the night, Peggy is the only one who sleeps in. However Deanna and Sheryl do enjoy the extra free time. As they make the drive, they pass the Heart Mountain Japanese internment center which is having a museum dedication today. Wishing they could see that, but there is no time.
Powell is a very small town and the people there are so grateful to us for bringing the Flagship there. The land around Powell is just flat fields with mountains on the horizon. They grow B's here: beans, barley and beets.
The show includes airplanes and cars and there is also an acrobatic air show. We have a good number of people come through the plane. They are all interested in the history of our airplane as are the well behaved children who accompany them. The organizers of the event are also glad to have us there and are paying for 17 memberships for the helpers. We sell some shirts in spite of the fact that our size range is limited. The flights are split into two because of the high altitude and heat. Air is thinner here and the warmer it is , the thinner it is. All the things we haul around with us, like the tent, tools, ladder and so forth have been removed from the plane to make it lighter. The show organizers are helpful in providing a truck for this and help load it.
Peggy plays stewardess and makes the flights fun with her clever banter. The reward for all the work are the wide smiles and enthusiasm of the passengers as they leave the plane. Many of the male passengers are pilots and some of them have taken a few minutes in the right seat. Afterward, a few of them get their logbooks and have Gene sign them off for 8 minutes or so instruction. We like Powell and they like us.
We are surprised to find out that the air show ends at 2PM, and when the two flights are over, and the plane reloaded, we are back at our motel by 5:30. It feels like a vacation after all the long days. The men gather outside to do what these men do.....talk flying. See photo of Gene holding court. Rick, who has pretty much shadowed Gene all day, says he has enjoyed soaking up as much info on the plane as he could.
This evening we have dinner at the Wyoming Rib and Chop House. The food is good, but the margaritas are the worst we have encountered on any of our trips. Perhaps the worst encountered anywhere. Gene makes a mistake of saying, "What time is it, Kids?" Which launches Peggy into a rendition of the Howdy-Doody song. Everyone joins in except Gene who tries to crawl under the table. This is quickly followed by the Mickey Mouse song. The waitstaff acts like this is an everyday occurrence and due to the late hour, there are few others in the restaurant at the time.

Yellowstone

Today is a free day and we six head to Yellowstone bright and early. Zane and Deanna have been there three times and they are our tour guides. The other four have never been. We take the scenic route over the mountains to the eastern gate. We stop at a scenic overlook at Dead Indian Pass. When we get out to enjoy the view, we experience "cold" for the first time in many moons. We are at 8000 ft and the scenery is majestic and awe inspiring. The photo of Indians on horseback is a sculpture at this overlook. At left is Peggy, getting to know an old prospector at the visitor's center in Cooke City on the way to Yellowstone.
Deanna, the schoolteacher, starts establishing prizes for being the first person to spot certain things. The prizes all relate to food. Sheryl wins the first one for coming up with cygnet for baby swan, a Twix candy bar redeemed at supper time when we are still far from a meal. Gene, the sharp eyed Indian scout, wins most of the others by spotting several types of wildlife. Our ultimate goal is Old Faithful, and we do a loop of other sites to get there. First we see buffalo and a prong head antelope, herds of elk. Then we see a large mountain of sulpher deposits left over the ages by hot springs, we see hot water bubbling out of the ground. Here and there we see steam rising from various parts of the landscape, and geysers spouting. We have a nice lunch at a lodge and chat with the young people from all over the US and the world who work there. We find out there is also a program for retirees to work at the park. Hmmm. There are lovely flowers all around the lodge area, all protected from elk by wire cages. See photo of cart on left.
We go to a basin which is the remains of an ancient volcano and see wonderful azure pools of boiling water. We see more wildlife and around 3:30 we finally reach the area of Old Faithful, which is not as faithful as it once was. Folks tell us it may be 35 more minutes and so we go and explore the old lodge, then return to sit on the benches that circle halfway around the site. There are other small geysers in the area. And so we sit and sit and are teased by steam that waxes and wanes and another geyser that sputters and is taken as a sign. In fact, Old Faithful itself send up a half hearted spurt and then goes back to steam. We decide we have come on the day that Old Faithful gives up the ghost and quits, when at long last it does its thing. Couple of surprises: it makes no sound and the water is so very, very silvery white.
By this time, it is after 5PM and we are along way from home. So off we go taking a more direct, but no less scenic, route home. Around 9PM we find ourselves on the patio at the local Mexican restaurant. Soon, David Gorrell and his friend, Rick Smail, arrive from Salt Lake City. Rick is a prospective new pilot for the Flagship. We have a good dinner and enjoy getting to know Rick. We fall into bed exhausted again after a long day but are very grateful to Zane for being the driver and tour guide on a 12 hour tour.

Show Time

Wednesday morning we head for the hills to the west to check out two mining towns, Idaho Springs and Georgetown. Idaho Springs has a nice sized downtown with more restaurants than anything else. It also has a visitor's center with some very good displays that tell the history of mining in the area. My favorite photo is the one of the girl with the donkey. She is living proof that there were flower children long before Woodstock. Can you see the flowers on her hat? At one shop, the lady proprietor showed us her home which she had built onto the back of the store. She had health problems and needed to sell. She had the equivalent of an urban style loft there which made for plenty of conversation later. We had lunch at a place she recommended and enjoyed the food. Then we drove a but higher into the mountains to Georgetown, which proved to be smaller, but more quaint. There is a small railroad there that hauls passengers back and forth to Silver Plume. We arrived as the last train was leaving, but got to see the departure and follow its upward progress and trip across a very small and very high trestle.
Again, we had a very nice dinner at one of the nearby restaurants, fueled the car and packed for our early departure to Denver the next morning.
The four troopers were up and out to the airport at 6:30 AM on Thursday, hauling what seemed to be an endless pile of luggage and totes. We do not seem to travel light. Jack Grenier joins us shortly as does Mark Uriarte, the American Airlines GM at Denver. Mark is just a delightful young man, we all think too young for such a big job. It is obvious as the day goes on that he cares about his people and they for him. We take off about 8;30 for the short flight to DIA and upon landing are greeted by Zane and Deanna Lemon, just in from Dallas.
Before we can even unload things to set up a display table, we are inundated with enthusiastic people wanting to see the plane. There are not only AA employees, but Frontier, British Airways, United, and more....airport employees, firemen, police, TSA and several retired flight attendants. One of these, Jane Meyer Reilly, flew with Jack and many photos are taken of them. Everyone wants a photo of Peggy in her vintage get up too and she complies, even smiling through the pain of a recalcitrant neuroma in her foot.
The day is hot but the AA people take very good care of us, providing water, ice, hamburgers and even ice cream. We all stay with the plane all day except for bathroom breaks. Ninety-three year old Jack is right there with us, even helping to sell tee shirts. He is a big hit, and so is the plane. So fun to be among people who appreciate aviation and its history. Mark is also there with us almost all day and loving it. Mark even has an airconditioning hose run into the plane to make it tolerable for those inside. Jack leaves us around 2PM as he has another engagement. And it is not long after that we start to pack up. People just keep coming and we finally have to tell them we are about to start the engines to call a halt. We have sold 23 shirts, in spite of the fact that we are out of the most popular sizes. Jeff Selby had shipped some smaller sizes in and we sell the bulk of them also.
We blast off, feeling a little out of breath, both from the altitude and our hasty packing while still running people through the plane. Good thing the aisles were wider in the 1930's! The land we fly over is desolate. I see no buildings and no roads for most of the way and yet, there is Peggy chatting on her cell phone. I cannot even get a signal in my living room!! On occasion there is a stream or river and agriculture adjacent to it and there are signs of irrigation.
Word comes from David Gorrell that there is a mix up on hotel rooms and we have none. Actually, there is to be a dedication of a memorial at a former Japanese internment camp this weekend and the proprietor decided that taking paying customers was better than comping them to the air show. The next thing we hear is that there is a room with three beds. Hmmmm. What will we do for the Flagship?
After about three hours we land at Powell, WY. This could be described as prairie. There is pretty much nothing except golden fields ending in mountains on one side and the horizon on all the others. There is a welcoming committee and a nice fellow named Bill ferries us to the restrooms in his truck. The organizer of the show is there also and takes off to find us the van we will use while we are here. While we wait on the tarmac with our luggage, we cut the tops off empty water bottles to make cups and share a bottle of pre-mixed margaritas with Bill.
Soon our van appears and we are glad it holds 7 as that last place is needed for the overflow of our stuff. We are off to Cody where a room has been secured.
Cody proves to be more interesting anyway. And again, around 9PM we find Proud Cut restaurant and again, have a very good meal with much frivolity.

Free Time

We have decided after a week in Colorado that perhaps this would be great place to avoid Georgia's summer heat, Maine has nothing on Colorado. Although, I really cannot fathom driving all the way here pulling a camper! The view of the Rocky Mountains is breathtaking and the weather is lovely. The thermometer will read 90, but as long as one is in the shade, you are comfortable. The sun can be brutal at this altitude.
On Monday, after a week on the road, it was time to do errands and chores. Then we planned to drive up to the Boulder area. Well, those chores seemed to go on and on. When we finished it was 4PM and discretion seemed the better part of valor. For the second night in a row we dined at a Brewpub, part of a chain. One would not expect it to have great food, but this one does. We went back as we had all seen more than one thing we wanted to sample and we were not disappointed.
Tuesday the three of us made the short drive to Boulder and looked around. There were a lot of nice vintage homes of various styles that we enjoyed. We went to the airport where the guys looked at a vintage Beech 18 and we watched sailplanes soar. This was right at the foothills of the mountains. We enjoyed a bison burger at Ted's Montana Grill before coming back to pick up Peggy from the airport bus that stops a block from our hotel.
Oh, yay! Peggy is like a breath of spring. She is so animated and full of fun. And besides that, we can talk about something other than airplanes and guns at dinner. Tonight we went to a Bistro in Arvada where the food was good, but some things missing. One had to ask for bread, and pay through the nose for a side salad and the service was spotty. (And the prices were a lot higher than the other places we have been eating.)
One more day here, then on to Denver.

A Tail Dragger

The DC3 is called a tail dragger because it sits back on a rear wheel unlike modern airliners that sit level. Today is a tail dragger of a day for the three ragged crew members. After two very long days we all wake feeling sore and unrested, but we nevertheless push forward and open the plane about 10AM. The weather is uncharacteristically warm and humid...in other words, uncomfortable. We are soon joined by Larry Jamison who is our local guy for this stop. Larry has had house guests and has not been with us much, but is with us the whole day and is a welcome addition. He brought drinking water and filled the cooler with ice. He also took over the cock pit tour for a good long spell.
The traffic is a bit slower than yesterday but fairly steady. Both yesterday and today we have had one "unusual" person who has stayed for hours and said things we didn't quite connect with. Both obviously aviation buffs but not at the top of their game, shall we say. When you do events where no admission is charged, this often happens.
Sheryl's cousin, Allen Boddie, is a visitor and joins the Foundation even with no prospect of a heritage flight. Allen is an aviation buff and wants to join us on some of our adventures in the future. Sheryl and Allen have not seen each other in 30 years.
The hot weather soon gave way to breezy overcast and we began watching rain storms over the mountains to see if they were coming our way. The target time for close down was 4 PM and, as if on cue, the crowd went away about 3:30 and we begin to stow our gear. Just as we were finishing, it began to blow and then sprinkle rain. We took this as an omen that we had done enough.
However, even on this slow and short day we took in over $400. Not bad.
Larry and Allen had both told us where to find good restaurants in the area and tonight we went to a brewpub between the airport and our hotel for an early repast. The food was quite enjoyable and we would be happy to eat there again, but we also spotted a couple of other places to try. We were happily back at the hotel by six and looking forward to three days off before we head to Denver on Thursday and then Powell, WY that same afternoon. Tomorrow it is time to wash clothes and run errands among other things.
It was a good three days, but we are ready for a respite.

A Good Place to Be

We are staying at a Hampton Inn which knows how to do it right. Every time you encounter an employee, they greet you and ask if your stay is enjoyable. They introduce themselves and say do not hesitate to ask if you need anything. We are impressed. They change the breakfast menu also. We had omelets the first morning. Today it was southwest style steak and eggs with tortillas. They were very tasty.
Back to the airport and we do a more complete set up with merchandise since today was advertised in the local paper. We have a light but steady crowd all day and sell more things that I dreamed. The people are intelligent and fun to talk with. They are very interested in the plane which always makes us happy. They have cute and well behaved children. This is a good gig.
Again the weather is perfect. It is windier than the day before and I think cooler. Jane and I have to get out from under the wing from time to time to warm in the sun. Gosh, that is a unique feeling!
Jack Greiner, the 90 year old, had flown this plane for American in 1943 and 1944 confirmed that Eleanor Roosevelt was a frequent passenger when she was first lady and always sat on the last seat on the right. Jack said he would come back to chat with her.
Another good day for memberships and we end up with eleven happy souls flying with us. One group is the Moen clan, a ranching family who show up in boots and spurs straight from a riding competition. We ask them to remove the latter before entering the plane. One man has received the flight as a surprise birthday gift. The Birthday Boy and the Rancher are given the honor to be in the jump seat for take off or landing. Jack and his wife are with us also. We make a low pass by Jack's home airport where an EAA meeting is going on. There are about 30 people out waving and taking photos. We make another pass by Jack's house so his neighbors can see this plane he used to fly. A lovely flight north to Fort Collins and back. Again landing just at sunset. Again we are 9PM seeking dinner and 10:30 getting back to the room. We bid farewell to the Gorrells as they are headed home in the morning to await our arrival in another week.

The Clan Gathers

On Thursday morning we headed north to Denver to pick up, Jake, flying in from Ft. Worth. As usual, a postcard kind of day with great scenery, but too busy playing navigator to take photos. The Rockies were clearer that morning than before or since. The remainder of the day was taken up with gathering data from the plane, transmitting it, getting rooms, turning in one rental car and getting another (paid for by the Foundation). We had a nice dinner and another nice margarita. (Somehow the theme of this group has become to compare margaritas from one state to another.)
Friday the three of us gathered at the plane, which had been sitting at the Broomfield terminal for two weeks. We set up a table in shade of the wing and started giving tours. The opening had not really been advertised for that day, but there is a popular lunch spot in the terminal so we had a modest but interested number of people come by. Jane and David Gorrell joined us in early afternoon coming in from Park City, UT. They had not been expected but knew we would welcome a few more folks since there were only three of us. There was a cool breeze blowing, and being sheltered from the sun, it was a perfect temperature. We were to do a fly by at the Longmont airport at 7PM in honor of Jack Grenier who lives there who flew this very plane for American in the 1940's. He is now 90 years old and still flying. That means he can still pass the medical each year. There had been some publicity for this and we ended up with 10 passengers. It was fun to see the people out by the runway with cameras and waving when we did two low passes.
By the time we deplaned and buttoned up the plane, it was 9PM when we arrived at a restaurant to eat. Some of us had had a late lunch of sorts, but Gene had not eaten since breakfast, so devoted is he to his duty. A very pleasant meal with a lot of airline talk since everyone at the table except us were current or retired American Airlines employees. Then we fell into bed exhausted.

Ahhhhh Colorado

After a restorative night's sleep, we go bopping out to conquer the world this morning and are shocked to find the temperature is 63 degrees! Wow! First stop today is Manitou Cave Dwellings. Gene had heard that they were not real and so had pooh poohed them. They are real, but were reconstructed and restored in 1907. I thought they were very interesting and well documented. Also they are at ground level so easy to access. You can walk into them and between them by internal passages as well as explore them from the outside. The grounds were well landscaped and there are signs telling the names of the plants and their usage, if any. There is a museum with examples of tools, descriptions of lifestyles, weapons, pottery and baskets. There is also an extensive gift shop that is well done.
Next it's back to Manitou Springs, get out of the car and walk the streets. They have a lot of interesting shops, historic buildings and historic markers. We saw only one vacant shop, so the economy is alive and well here. But we also found the origin of the name in four springs of carbonated water that are there. And, like Hot Springs, AR, and Saratoga, NY, this place became a tourist mecca because of the springs. In the olden days that spring water was bottled and distributed. There are a lot of interesting homes here in Victorian or Craftsman style. There are a lot of flower child young people in the area.
We lunched at a place that looked interesting, healthy and different. The interior decor and sitting areas were all very organic and different. A neat ambiance. They promoted a drink called Yerba Mate (google it) which is full of antioxidants. It seemed quite popular as many people came in to buy it or the raw material to make their own. Gene got some in a raspberry flavor and liked it. We noticed that the young women who worked there all had long hair and wore long dresses. Also the place is open 24 hours a day except on Saturday. The bathroom was papered in religious tracts of an origin I could not determine. As we walked out, I noticed a newspaper entitled The Twelve Tribes. Upon Googling, I found that this was a group founded in the 70's in Chattanooga that is controversial and has been called a cult. One of their beliefs is that the end time is near. They model their church after that of the first century and seem to be communal of a sort. Whatever they believe, they make a good sandwich and breakfast burrito.
We took a rest at our hotel and then ventured out again in late afternoon. The skies had cleared and the temperature on the car said 85, but it sure did not feel like it. We did some walking in the Old Colorado City area. This was the name for Colorado Springs when it was the capital of the territory. Seems the governor had financial interests in Denver and wanted it to be the capital and refused to go to Colorado City. The legislature went but the governor would not fund them, so long story, short...Denver became the capital.
We started up a road into the mountains, and unfortunately it was also the route for a bike race. So it was kind of disconcerting as there were bikers going up and bikers going down and a twisty narrow road. At one point we stopped at an overlook and I commented that the temperature still said 86. Within three minutes of being back on the road, it had dropped to 79 and felt like 70. There were lovely views. We went up until about a mile after the road turned to dirt. The picture at right was taken there and I am rather proud of it. Most of the really good ones are taken by Gene.
By now it is well into evening and we sought out an area of restaurants we had passed the night before. We settled on one called Sonterra Southwest Grill and it proved a good choice. I had a house margarita which was one of the best I have ever tasted and so large I only drank half of it. Gene was happy as they had his favorite draft beer. He got a salad and I had a coconut shrimp appetizer and both were to die for. Then we split a dessert called a chocolate tortilla tower which was also to die for. All this great food plus drinks and the tab was only $42. What a deal! And a pleasant way to close out our time in Colorado Springs. A short visit, but a good one. Tomorrow we meet up with Jake in Denver and start the Flagship adventure. Stay tuned.

Colorado or Bust

Up at 4AM and out at 5, headed for Colorado Springs via Dallas. No two hour delay this time, things are looking good. That is until we get to the gate of the connecting flight in Dallas and find that we are too far down on standby list to get on. Oops! Our Man in Havana, Jake (actually he was in Ft. Worth) was right on it, calling us immediately to give us the numbers on the next flight. (Iffy, so iffy that we rearranged stuff in our baggage so if one got on and one did not we would each have what we needed for overnight. Because Gene's checked bag was in the Springs by this time.)
Jake kept updating us every few minutes until he actually told us our seat assignment before we even got it. And then teased us because we were in the very last row where the view out the window is the side of an engine. We were the last two people to get on the plane. All that mattered is that we were on.
We arrived Colorado Springs about 5PM local which is 7 Georgia time. After securing a rental car and checking into our motel, we head out to see some sights for we have heard that the Noknowhengo Tribe will convene on Thursday instead of Friday. That means one less day here than we originally thought.
We went out to Garden of the Gods, a really stunning area of rock formations you will see pictured here. You cannot tell from the photos, but there were young men climbing at least three of these structures. Notice the formation that looks so much like a buffalo. The dry air in the shade is cool, but the sun, with no haze is piercing.
Then we went to the charming village of Manitou Springs and did a quick tour. Sort of reminded you of other springs towns, like Hot Springs and Warm Springs, actually a lot more charming than the latter. We looped around through the historic part of Colorado Springs on the return trip to our lodging.
So finally back to our motel, we are dragging as it is 10PM at home and don't forget that we got up at 4AM. Does anyone get tired of me saying I am tired....well I won't say it!