Big Ship - Big Fun! The SS Badger

It was recommended to us that when we got to the part of the tour where we could choose to drive nearly 400 miles, or take the Manitowoc - Ludington Ferry, that we opt for the latter.  And happily, we did.  We took the "slow boat", and had a blast! 

The ride is 4 hours, and is a bit on the spendy side.  We would like to thank the staff and crew of the SS Badger for donating passage for us on the tour.  It was a generous, and nice thing to do.

On this ride they have one motto which we heard repeated throughout the trip ... Big ship - Big fun!  It wasn't the staff shoving this down our throats ... This was called out by many of the passengers while we played Bingo, and trivia games, and more.

There was an arcade, museum, a gift shop, a movie lounge, and much more.  It was a place for us to relax, and have more fun, while meeting people face to face that we likely would have never met.

The staff was perfectly selected, and made us feel right at home ... but then, they did this for all of their passengers.

We felt extremely honored to be able to go "play" with the crew, and actually do some photo ops with the crew, Chief, and Rookie.  Again, from Rookie's view ... Not so much.  ( ;

Our poor lil stunt mascot, Rookie, found himself spoofing a rather famous movie of several years past.  "I'm the king of the pole!"  Good thing Sioux Falls made that small, ummm, incision, so that we could string him up!

Oh, also noteworthy would be Kathy & Kelly donning the float suit.  They looked like giant lobster women.  For the record, Kathy got in her suit a lot faster than Kelly, but then she had the benefit of getting pointers ahead of time.

Again, thank you to all on the U.S.S. Badger ... Outstanding!  And we'll be back if you'll have us!

( ;

lj & the road crew

Pretty fond of Fond Du Lac

It was a lonnng drive to get over to Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin.  We got in well past midnight, and were all dragging.  We found a nice hotel room ... and by the way, 3 gals to 2 beds is not as fun as you might think.  But we're making it work.

Next morning it was time to visit FDL Fire Department.  This was a first time visit requested by a troop this past year.  We'd never heard of them, and are still not sure what the translation is, but we think it is likely something akin to "Really nice people who know how to make you feel at home when you are on are big road trip and missing home."  If someone can verify this, be sure to send us a comment.  ( ;

This was a tough start.  There was a communication glitch somewhere, and we walked in to blank expressions.  We were a tad concerned when we realized they were in a class, but then realized this could mean we had a captive audience.

One by one we saw them connecting with us until we were all on the same track, and it was all about representing for the troops from the Fond du Lac area.  Watching the smiles and playfulness was a welcome sight after so many hours on the road and it helped fill our sails for another leg of the journey.

We were invited back, and you know, it sounds like a great idea to us, too!  Hope you all had as much fun as we did, and thank you for sharing your day with us.  We look forward to a longer visit next time around.  And start getting those shirts ready for the drive ... you have troops looking them!

A big salute for Fond du Lac from HeroToHero.US!

( ;

lj & the road crew

Grand Meadow - A Heart Stop

**Pix to follow as internet connection allows.

We stayed overnight in Sioux Falls, then continued East.  Happily, for Kelly, this meant we would be going through her home town.

We didn't have a lot of time to spare, but there was no way we would have missed the opportunity for her.  And it was a pleasure for us, as well.

Kelly's hometown, Grand Meadow, Minnesota, is a small farming community.  Their fire department is a volunteer, and showed all of the spirit we have come to expect from these heartland firehouses.

It was fun watching her don bunkers with her maiden name on them ... just happens that they belonged to her nephew, Blayne.  She got to play with the crew, and even joined in for some of our classic and traditional shots.

One of our favorite moments was when they pulled out the brand spanking new extrication equipment, which they had just acquired the a generous donation.  Poor Rookie just was not that impressed, but we sure had a few laughs.

Kelly pointed out one of the most unique schools we have seen to date.  It's a multiple dome structure painted white with purple stripes.  **If you know of a more unique school, we'd really like to see it.

It was nice to see Grand Meadow heroes coming out to welcome home one of their own.  This was one of those hometown stops that remind you of the wholesome parts of America, and we want to thank them for their gracious welcome.

The pix at the end of the post are of our entry in to LaCrosse, Wisconsin.  (Kelly was concerned the y'all might think the giant 6 pack was from her hometown.  We didn't think it would be an isssue, but hey, it's her hometown.)

lj & the road crew

Salute to our Heroes in Sioux Falls, SD

Sioux Falls, you're on deck.  As previously stated, internet issues are hampering this part of the effort ... and you KNOW you guys had some classically fun shots.  So here are a few "teaser" shots of the SFFR visit.

I am having to upload these 1 at a time right now, so bear with us.  We really want to share these pix with all, don't think we've ever laughed this hard.

We want to thank you for the the fun.  your deployed hometown troops seeing these have a blast!

Dinner was great, but can't remember the special name of the pork dish.  Started with a "Chi..." something, or other.  Maybe you can send us the recipe.

So to Twinkletoes and all the rest ... Thanks for the memories - You Rock!

PS ... Rookie was no so tickled.  But told us that leaving Sioux Falls, he felt like he had a hole in his gut.  Poor dear is so sensitive.  hehe

More to follow ... Enjoy!

lj & the road crew

Mitchell, not toooooooo corny

Helllllllllllooooo World!

Seems like years since we've had internet access, and so much has happened since last time.  Before you get too far, please understand that we are staying in firehouses & locations where internet is not exactly easily accessed.  And we have hosts who can vouch for this ... we are trying! 

The following are just teases of what we can share when we are able to get fully up to speed.  In the meantime we're getting several hundred pix a day, and what we cannot get to you now will be there waiting for me when we get home.

So, let's go back to Mitchell.  This was a return visit for us, and Chief "Willie" was just as much fun as we remembered last time.

Mitchell is a fun tourist spot in the eastern part of South Dakota, along I-90, and is home to one of the coolest landmarks on our route ... the Corn Palace.  If you come to Mitchell you have to visit the Corn Palace - everyone does!

We've had our mascots atop this shrine twice now.  SHertz was rescued off the top, two years ago, and now Rookie was unceremoniously tossed off the top.  (It's his job, no worries)  You have to wonder what the tourists think as they drive by during our photo ops.

This was a quick stop on a very long day.  Chief Willie and his crew welcomed us in and signed the banner and shirts for us.  It's a smaller sized town with a lot of hometown appeal, and the visit reflected that.  Aside from the Corn Palace photos, the rest were done at their station, which houses both the fire & police. 

Their Chief and I were on the same wave lengths ... both of us thought we would surprise the other with our coins.  They did a really neat one that represents very well, with the fire department one one side and police on the other. 

Chief Willie did some bartering with the lady at the Corn Palace to be able to get us in last minute, as they were closing.  It was time to go, and here we show up.  She graciously let us in to play, but we hear it cost the Chief some Dairy Queen.  Hey, we all make sacrifices for the cause, ya know?  ( ;

Our visit was too brief, so guess we'll have to come back!  There are more pix from this stop and we will share as we are able.  After we're back ... and our mental health break is over ... Feel free to remind us if we haven't posted them for y'all.

Back soon!

lj & the road crew ... Somewhere in North America

 

A trip back in time --- HeartStop -- 1880 Town

As you head east on I-90, there are various places you can stop, stretch your legs, and have some fun as well.

A couple of our favorites in South Dakota, along that wide expanse would have to be Wall Drug.  The signs for it start showing up before you even know it exists.  We stopped in last year and had fun with the Sheriff's Dept, so we had to come back.  This time we got both the Sheriff's Dept and the Fire Dept .... and you know we love that.  This is one of those small towns with big heart and pride, and it shows.  We thank both departments for sharing part of their day with us.

Then, of course, the 1880 Town ... a walk back in time to the days of livery stables, stage coaches, and some real time cowboys. 

They had memorabilia from the movie "Dances with Wolves", including "Buck", Kevin Costner's character's horse from the movie.

We had a lot of fun posing Chief in the various set ups.  He hung out at the fire house, made a deposit at the bank to help us with gas on the tour, had a filling prairie dinner, swilled back a sarsaparilla at the local saloon, and had a danged good time.  Hope you like the results.

And since that couldn't enough for a long day on this tour, we had to stop back in to see our friends in Murdo to visit the Pioneer Auto & Prairie Town.  C'mon, how could you drive by them?  The General Lee, and Elvis' motorcycle are there. 

It's long haul on that I-90 stretch, have fun ... It's there to be had.  Before you know it you'll be right there at the Corn Palace ... But more about that on the next post. 

lj & the roadcrew

 

Rapid City Rocketeers

Well it had been a long time since I'd spent any real amount of time in RC, but it was good to go back there.

During Desert Storm, we were stationed at Ellsworth AFB.  The kids were "Patriots" at DHS, and Bo was a Carousel graduate.

We drove up to the dinosaurs, listened to thunder roll across the plains, visited Wall Drug, spent time in the Badlands, went climbing and camping, and had a blast with our friends assigned there with us.  Folks don't have any idea how much South Dakota has to offer for family living and tourism, but I can tell you from a personal point of view, it really is a pretty cool place to raise kids.

It's also a fun stop when you're visiting firehouses on a national tour.  We had a lot of laughs with the local heroes of the main fire house in Rapid City.

They were also helpful ... they taught Rookie about fire safety ... much to his chagrin.  But we seriously doubt that he will play with bottle rockets again!  Thought he was gonna launch for a minute, or two.  Remember, these are highly trained professionals, and we do not EVER recommend you try to duplicate any of Rookie's "stunts".

And kids, Rookie volunteered for this duty, and loves his work.  He is a little Super Hero who has special powers which make him impervious to pain.  Kids feel pain ... Stuffed animals do not.

Our RC friends also have an ornery sense of humor.  We sent our camera behind closed doors so they could download the photos we had taken at this stop.  We came away with an extra shot of a couple unidentifiable characters with big dimples, and cheeky grins.  Goofballs!  lol

We also enjoyed their tour of the station which included telling us some of their history and talking about their awards and honors.  They have some true bragging rights, and every reason to be proud.

They were also very generous to make sure we had a great nights stay with an outstanding view of the park below at the Rapid City Rushmore Inn.  This is the park where I remember the kids being so much younger.  And from our window I could see the very spot where one of my all time favorite photos of them was taken.

From the Chief to the the Rookie ... every member of the RCFD was friendly, helpful, and perfect representative for Rapid City.

AND, they have a Starbucks!  **Bonus Points!

Enjoy the pix, if we find more, they will go up as well.

Thank you, Rapid City!

lj and the road crew

Shakin' it up in Sheridan

Sheridan surprised us.  It's a fairly good sized town, filled with really nice folks, and even nicer first responders.

They had a basic idea of what the program was, so that definitely helped ... Sometimes we walk in and get completely blank stares, but there was a glimmer of some recognition.  It didn't take long for all the switches to light, and the whole crew was on board!

It probably helped that just a few days earlier one of their own units came home from the desert.  It was obvious that the entire city of Sheridan was filled with pride for these returning heroes, as banners hung over streets, and signs in business windows welcomed them home.  It just felt like hometown America, with a hometown twist to it ... And it felt good.

Rookie got to go "flying" with the assist of a slingshot style rope gun.  (Hope you got your nerf slug off the roof, guys!)  PS ... Rookie says next time he flies, he'll stick to Coach, thank you very much!  hehe

We asked what the local icon would be that every hometown troop from the Sheridan area would recognize, and without missing a beat, it was the "Mint Bar".  We pulled up to take a few pix as some locals were leaving.  Seeing our rig, they insisted that we needed to go inside to get the real flavor.  They were right.  How cool!

This morning we received an email from "Lucy" who advised us that she had parked beside our van while we were in Sheridan.  She took pictures and sent them to us.  It was a fun way to wake up, and we hope to hear from her again!  Thanks, Lucy!

And thank you all in Sheridan.  You know how to do patriotism!!!

Salute!  And start collecting those shirts!

Enjoy the pix ... BTW, there are more of these, but we cannot locate them.  We have 3 cameras going, and for whatever reason only one of them is uploading.  We will figure this out ... and AOL is working on the other photo issue.  We are hopeful.

( ;

lj and the road crew

 

JOURNAL PIX

AOL has changed the way we can show photos.  We have gone through all of our options and this one, called photo pile, seems to be the one that comes up fastest, and shows all of the picture.

We are hearing that some of you ... Yes Kevin, that means you, too ... are having trouble getting pix to load.

We do not have the option of loading the pix the way they used to be.  If anyone has any suggestions, we're listening.

In the meantime, we are about to leave the states, and will likely not have access to the internet for a few days.  Bear with us, it's a jam packed tour and we are shooting about 400 pix a day that have to be edited.  I know, waah, waah.  ( ;

The trip is a blast, and we can only imagine what each next stop will involve ... We've had a few hints, and hear we barely escaped the wake up of a lifetime in Canada ... WHEW!  lol

lj & the road crew

Helllloooo Billings!

One of our rare 100% perfect attendance stops is to the Billings Fire Department.  We have sooooooooo much fun here.  They really know how to make us feel welcome.  We have stayed in the station for all of our vists, eaten with them, rode with them.  They have taken up collections, and filled our tanks as well as our spirits.  They are always great with ideas to do a fun photo op, and are superior at helping us make outside contacts when we need help.

This is the home of the Stunt Bear.  They came up with the the idea of shooting our mascot out of a potato gun a couple of years ago ... I vetoed that motion, since it was highly likely that the mascot and all of its bling would not survive intact.  How to accommodate their enthusiasm and our need to protect the mascot?  A Stunt Bear.

And so they got to shoot the bear out of the potato gun ... 3 times!  The lil gal didn't fair too poorly, and luckily there were on duty medics to bandage her up.

We now have Rookie to take the flack, while Chief looks good.  But we had to decide what to do with Stunt Bear.  Didn't take long ... Stunt Bear is home ... at Billings Fire Department!  She has plenty of adventures and photos to prove every story, and they seemed very happy to have her.

We had more photo ops this time, and Rookie learned about heights after "someone" punted him off the Rims. 

Billings PD came out to play, and play we did.  Officer Becker was indoctrinated into the silliness of a morale stop when we decided it was time to let Kelly see what kind of fun we like to have ... So we had her arrested!  (Kathy, too!)  Note to us:  Next time notify the Montana Women's Prison, so they don't have a stroke when their cameras catch two women in handcuffs trying to thumb rides from passing truckers!  hehe

Before we knew it, our time here had come and gone ... Too soon.  We always have a part of BFD with us, though.  Chief Staley and all of our BFD Heroes are in our hearts ... A huge salute from HeroToHero.US!

lj & the road crew

Let's do Moscow, shall we?

**A message from H2H...  Our hearts are with you today.  We heard of the incident, and send our thoughts and prayers.  Liz, Kathy & Kelly

We continued east, stopping in Shoshone County, and Wallace, Idaho before getting into Moscow, Idaho about 9:30 pm.

Wallace has some fun stuff, and the local firefighter were more than happy to take a break from their painting duties to come look studly for us.  Not sure they had a clue who we were,or what we were doing, but heck, it looked like fun, so why not?

The town of Wallace has a storied past, as many of the mining towns do.  And looking for culture, we found our way to the museum.  That's my story ... and you know the rest.  Sadly they were closed, what with it being a Mother's Day Sunday ... But I'm going back, because I really want a t-shirt from this place!

Moscow was a great stop.  WSU graduation meant lots of activity for the local police department, but the most excitement we saw was going on the at the station.  Rookie got tasered, our first policeman this year gave the shirt off his back, and we all had a lot of fun.

Outside, the fountain was spewing pink bubbles into the air, adding to the festivities.  Unfortunately, without any rooms left, due to graduation ... we had to drive on to Coeur D'Alene for the night.  Normally not a big deal, but we were pretty tired and the sky unzipped onto dark, one lane roads.  The lines were nearly invisible to us through the racing windshield wipers fighting to keep pace with the rain.  We made really poor time, and finally got to bed around 1:30am.  It was a lonnnnng day, and the alarm would ring less than four hours later.

So here are the pix from the rest of day one.

lj & crew

Rookie is paying dearly for that last posting! hehe

We have a very bad lil bear on the tour with us.  and I am protesting ... I'm sure it was Chief doing the log-cutting during last night's hibernation!

We are moving along quite well.  Having a lot of fun.  Kelly is fitting in with the crew as if she'd always been part of the team.  Kathy rocks as my right seater, and Chief is getting pretty impressive with all of the pins and badges he has acquired.  Now, as for Rookie ... Well, maybe you oughta look for yourselves.  But suffice it to say that he is a hurting unit right about now.  Kids, don't worry, he is a highly trained professional stunt bear and loves his work.  And remember, do NOT try any of his stunts any where!  PS ... Anyone have an extra eye?

So, here's the deal.  We have had verrrrry little sleep, but are starting to acclimate to life on the road.

Kathy and Kelly are taking lots of pictures everywhere we go, and I add a few here & there.  So needless to say, we have bunches to add to the journal right now.

What we've decided to do is to put them up a city/stop at a time.  We're getting requests for them, so they will be first, and then we will try to go back and add text.

If we visited your hometown, or if you're one of the folks we visited ... feel free to leave us a comment about the stop.  the comments have us laughing almost as much as the stuff going on during the visits.  We have laughed so hard our stomachs hurt!

We're having a blast and enjoying the heck out of all the people we're meeting.  We can;t wait for you to get an idea of what's going on, so without further adieu ...

We made our first (unofficial) stop ... We call them "Heart Stops", in Ellensburg.  So fitting as ourembedded reporter is Ellen.  When she comes out to play, it always brings lots of laughs and adds a really fun element to the stop.

Across from the fire/police department in Ellensburg, is one of the m unique houses we had ever seen, so we wanted to share it with you all.

Enjoy!

lj & the crew

Shhhhh....they are sleeping.

I am not so sure it's safe to post a message but I hear Liz snoring loudly. She had this gremlin in her lap and the water was on in the other room. I wasn't sure who was in there but I quickly decided to get online to post MY side of the story when I realized that Liz had been preparing the journal for her update. After nearly an hour of typing she started snoring in an upright position. It was about that time when all the red words on the screen went POOF!! There were a LOT of them and nothing she tired made them come back. Gone.. just like that. A minute later I heard Kelly unlocking the door and Kathy coming from the shower. I don't have time to tell you what they did to me  today but first chance I get, I am going to recruit my pal, Joey to take part in some of the "fun" activities that Liz planned today.

For now, I hear a chain saw. I think that means something BAD is going to happen.  It is time to get some rest. I'll try to share my story soon.

Your pal,

The Rookie

Liz here.  Rookie and I will be he having a "discussion" today about appropriate postings.

In the meantime, we had some internet issues last night, and he is correct that all of our post disappeared.  Grrr. 

We're off, and will try again tonight.

lj and crew

And so it began ...

Day 1:  Saturday, 12 May, 2007 -- Fort Lewis, WA

Our own Fort Lewis Fire Department graciously hosted our departure ceremony, at their Main Station.  You can only imagine how cool it was to see their rigs lined up so formally in front of Station 1, with all the crews busily making sure everything was pristine for the roll out. Thanks to Chief Dixon & Chief Dalay, and their outstanding crews.  They truly made the day special!

 

We were honored by the presence of 2 of our favorite local Heroes ...Tacoma F.D. Chief Ron Stephens & TFD Chaplain Wilby Casey.  Talk about support!  We cannot say enough good about the way TFD, and Local 31 have shown their commitment to supporting our troops.

 

Sadly TFD Batallion Chief Jim Hannity was not well enough to attend.... We were honoring him via "Hannity's Crossing" for his support of HeroToHero.US -- He is the one who got us started on the overpass salute as we rolled out each of the past 3 years.  We wish him all the best, and keep him in our prayers.  We hope that he feels honored by our efforts and by those of our Puget Sound first responders.

 

Those honors included a full roll out procession.

 

During a brief ceremony, during which we thanked our sponsors & supporters ...

Starbucks -- Leann

Hertz --Tyson & Nie

Military Memorabilia -- John & Pam

CoinForce.com -- Jordan & Donna

Hooters of Tacoma -- Bill, Will & Jill

Tacoma Outback Steak House -- Joe & crew

Red Robin Restaurants *Operation Iraq'n'Robin

 

... For their continued support of our efforts.  (Please let them know how much they are appreciated.  These folks show what real community support is all about!  Kudos to all!) 

We would also like to thank...

USCG Recruiter Chief Steve Sisk

USMC Sgt Jonathan Coffey & Krystal Karpiak

319th EOD Mel Young

14th Engineers LTC Helmlinger

Photographer Jennifer L. West

Anthony Mladek; USAF

TFD Honor Guard Pipers Suzanne & Seamus

Keithley Middle School's Yellow Ribbon Club; Jennifer Thornton,  Cheyenne, DJ, & Cassandra.

Cookies by Design of Lakewood,

Kettle Falls Marina 

 

We want to thank ...

Tacoma Police Department Traffic Division -- The bikes rocked!

Lakewood PD Traffic Division --Thanks Mike & Steve - Perfect as always!

WA State Patrol - Niiice!  Appreciate all the help, Trooper Lewis!

Yelm Police - Representing Fallen Heroes

Gig Harbor Police - Det Fred Douglas (A member of our 1st multi-agency Color Guard)

The "Godzilla Gang"-- great Team work for us - AGAIN!  ( ;

AAFES - Way to support!

Xyience - Okay, we need some of that energy for the road!

The Ranger -- Looking forward to another great story!

 

We departed Fort Lewis at high noon with flags flying and light bars lit as we passed under the overpasses.  As we had hoped, nearly all 21 of them, from the Dupont gate to the Pierce/King County line were covered by Fire Personnel.   

 

For this honor we would like to thank;

The Bridge People Regulars of Freedom Bridge,

Lakewood Fire Department,

Steilacoom Fire Department,

McChord Air Force Fire Fighters,

Pierce County F.D. 17 & Cadets,

Bates Tech Fire Services,

Tacoma Fire Department,

Puyallup Fire Department,

Lacey Fire Department,

And yes, Milton, Edgewood, & Riverside Fire (Thanks for the efforts- someone gave them the wrong time).

 

The view as we passed under was spectacular, and something we will not likely forget.  A 20 car line up, plus bikes and rigs ... How do you beat that?!

 

The first photos are posted above ... there are MANY more, and we look forward to sharing them with you all.  Stand by, we are getting settled into our routine.  It is late now, we've crossed into Mountain time, and are feeling the miles starting to add up.  we'll adjust and get this all rolling. 

 

From the road crew ... Liz, Kathy, Kelly, Chief, Rookie --Who had to be intubated before we left the Fort Lewis FD (Our new pal, Joey, from the Tacoma Outback Steakhouse's) we would like to thank the Core Team/"Rear Det" ... Larry, Chani, Leta, Jonathan, JJ, Krystal, Juli, & Tara.  We couldn't do it without all of your hard work and we wouldn't want to do it without you.

 

And so we were off for another adventure of a lifetime.  As we departed, local gas prices hovered at $3.42 per gallon ... And we still have over 10,000 miles ahead of us, sigh.  Wanna help out?  We won't stop ya!

 

Oh, btw, you might also notice "guest appearances" from "Pocket Ellen" as we couldn't get "Cardboard Cutout Ellen".  We wanted her to get the opportunity to come see the road H2H style.  This is a Troop Morale campaign, and she has done so much for our troops and their loved ones ...We wanted to share some of the fun with her.  So Ellen ... This one's for you!  Holla!  *Even Oprah and Gail didn't have a road trip this big!

 

First up :

A "HeartStop" in Ellensburg at the Fire Department began our journey to our first stop in Moscow, ID.  And yep, "Pocket Ellen" made an appearance ... C'mon, it IS ELLENsburg, afterall!

 

It seemed only appropriate to go to Idaho for our first offical stop this time around soince our guest rider this year, Kelly Averbeck, is a Paid Call Fire Fighter and Elementary School Reading Teacher from Jerome Idaho.   It's always fun to see the road thru a "rookie rider's" eyes ... hehe!  ( ;  So, Moscow, Idaho was the first official stop on the tour.

 

We arrived in Moscow and were met at the local WalMart by Moscow P.D. at 9:30pm (Due to storms and lightning, our arrival was later than expected). We were escorted back to the station for some photo ops. The guys were great.  They are very supportive, and have pledged coats from their department, which will likely end up in Afghanistan on the next shipment, in March.  We had a lot of fun with them, and want to commend them for the way they represented with humor, humility & integrity.  The pix will tell the story!

 

Umm, by the time we departed the station, Rookie wasn't so sure he wanted to continue this tour.  I think we overheard something about jumping ship the next time he hears stories about gun shows or tazers.

 

But he seemed to really like the pretty pink bubbles coming from the local fountain -- WSU was having graduation events.

 

We had planned on spending the night in moscow, but with graduation and all, there were no rooms to be had.  Our day ended when we arrived in Couer D'Alene, ID at 1:30am.  Luckily we were able to sleep in a little to prepare for day 2.  

 

And we'll have to tell you all about it - right after this break!  (I feel like Howie Mandel!)

 

lj & the crew 

 

Feel free to leave comments for us ... they are motivating when the days get long!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inside the 24 hour window ...

Well, we are "down to it".  When next I write we will be on the road again!

Feel free to leave messages for us, they are motivating when the road gets long ... and it will, with over 10,000 miles to go!

This time it is Kathy, Kelly and Liz on the road with the new mascot, Chief & Rookie (Can you guess which one will get the decorations and which one will get the duties?).

A heads up ... Posts will be about a day or two behind the actual stop.  This will give us a little break and solve the "no internet" dilemmas we sometimes face.

We hope this brings smiles to many ... especially our heroes and their loved ones.  We do this for all of you - with love and honor and laughter!

lj

PS ... Joe from AOL, please email me directly so we can arrange that meeting.

They're baaaaaaaack!!!

I want to thank Joe, at the AOL Journal help center!  Thanks to him, our photos are back!!! 

THANK YOU!

( ;

lj

 

The countdown begins ...

The "Passport" Tour
Our 4th Annual National Tour
Honoring our Fallen & Wounded Troops & First Responders
55 Cities - 2 Countries - 30 States -10,000 Miles & 6 Weeks on the Road
May 12th- June 23rd

Moscow, ID ~ Billings, MT ~ Sheridan, WY ~ Rapid City, SD ~ Mitchell, SD ~ Sioux Falls, SD ~ Fond Du Lac, WI ~ Holland, MI ~ Detroit, MI ~ Sarnia, Ontario, Canada ~ London, Ontario, Canada ~ Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada ~ Buffalo, NY ~ Cleveland, OH ~ Cambridge, OH ~ Wheeling, WV ~ Shanksville, PA ~ Hollidaysburg, PA ~ Framingham, MA ~ Manchester, NH  ~ Portland, ME ~ Providence, RI ~ Durham, CT ~  New Haven, CT ~ New York, NY ~ Trenton, NJ ~ Philadelphia, PA  ~ Baltimore, MD ~ Washington DC/Fairfax, VA ~ Dover, DE ~ Norfolk, VA ~ Raleigh/Durham, NC ~ Charlotte, NC ~ Columbia, SC ~ Brunswick, GA ~ Orlando, FL ~ Melbourne, FL ~ Naples, FL ~ St. Petersburg, FL ~ Mobile, AL ~ Gretna/New Orleans, LA ~ Lafayette, LA ~ Houston, TX ~ Dallas, TX ~ Odessa. TX ~ Las Cruces, NM ~ Tucson, AZ ~ Phoenix, AZ ~ San Diego, CA ~ Port Hueneme, CA ~ Contra Costa/Berkeley, CA ~ Sacramento/Lodi, CA ~ Redding, CA ~ Newport, OR ~ Garibaldi/Tillamook, OR

Wow!  Time flies, huh?  We are under a week to go for the 4th annual (inter)national tour honoring our Fallen & Wounded Heroes ... Troops, Firefighters & Law Enforcement

Can YOU help?  You betcha!  Now that gas has gone well over $3, it's kinda scary.  We have over 10,000 miles to go.  So what can YOU do?

Look at the list of our scheduled stops, if we're coming to your town, make sure your police and fire are aware of us.  We always have 1 or 2 stops that are new to the program, and it can be a tough thing to explain initially.

Have a car wash, or pass the boot/hat at your department to help us raise funds for our 6 weeks on the road.

We need gas cards for various major Gas companies, ie, 76, Shell, Chevron, Mobil, Texaco, Conoco, etc.  Food on the road is a good thing. If you have access to gift cards for food chains that can be used nationally, that will help. The same goes for the major hotel chains, just make sure they are usable nationally during May & June.

Donations can be made via PayPal, use the "Send Money" option, and send your donation to: PatrioticPastime@aol.com  **Please put "H2H Tour Donation" in the message/note" section.

(**IF we receive more than we need forthe road, that money will be set aside afterward for the '08 Shirt Drive/PackOut.)

We're not in one place very long, but if we are coming to your town, we'd love to meet you, and at least get to shake your hand and say hello!.  Get hold of us at: HeroShirts@aol.com

Remember, we photojournal this, so you can follow us all the way & send us messages ... they really help our morale when the road gets long.  Afterall, this is ultimately a morale campaign ... Hope we can bring some smiles!

lj
Tags: firefighter, law enforcement, heroes, tour, help

Bidding goodbye to LTG Dubik & Sharon Basso

April 30th- Another beautiful day in the pacific northwest.  And with the exception that we are all saying goodbye to two of our favorite people ... LTG James Dubik, and his amazing wife, Sharon Basso.

These pictures tell the story from the 7th row, behind their family.  Their beautiful new twin granddaughters were there for the day, but I think one of them pretty much slept through it all ... including the cannons!  The family was exactly as you would expect, and were all smiles for it all.

Four star General Campbell spoke, drawing a few chuckles and applause.  It was just a great day all around.

If there was ever a doubt that these two were special, all you had to do was watch them, and listen to the words spoken about their contributions and endeavors while here at Fort Lewis.

Watching the General watching his lady get accolades and awards and praise, he stood with a beaming smile, and so much love and pride in his eyes.  In fact, the end of his speech included a statement to the effect that he would be proud to be General Basso.

She teared up several times and was surprised by special honors bestowed upon her.  But there was no surprise for us.  Sharon has been a phenomenal champion in this effort.  She's attended events, supported HeartStones, she even shot the CoinForce.com t-shirt cannon at this year's PackOut.

There are some who do things because they are required, some who do it to "check that box" off, some who do it because their role calls for it ... and then there is Sharon.  She does what she does, from her heart .. and it shows!

I thank her for her friendship and counsel, her support, and for her genuine realization of the importance of supporting troop morale.  Wish we could clone this one, folks!

Sharon, we'll see you in early June!  Sharon has asked us to visit her during the national tour stop in the DC area.  We look forward to it!!!

The general and his lady are leaving some big shoes to fill!

General Troy is stepping up and now has command of Fort Lewis.  We hope to see his smiling face with us for future events!  ( ;  We would welcome him, but he is a familiar face here at Fort Lewis, so ummm ... sheesh, how do you do this one?  lol  Good luck General Troy ... you won't need it, you have this wired!

lj

PS ... It was good to see so many troops and family members of Fort Lewis units who have been recipients of Hero shirts over the last 4 years.  We have promises from a number of these that will be there for the ceremony and roll out from the main fire house at Fort Lewis, or up on Freedom Bridge.

Tags: LTG James Dubik, Sharon Basso, General Troy, Fort Lewis

Sharen, raise your right hand.

Wednesday, the 25th, our outgoing mascot, young Miss Sharen SHertz was inducted into the Washington State Army National Guard, in Lakewood.  She is the second H2H mascot to get sworn in, to be a guard member. 

Sgt Watts (great guy) and his team have been amazing supporters for the effort.  They are always there for us when we ask.  Watching them deal with the future recruits shows they are not just ticking off numbers, they remember these troops afterward and will mention good things about them when they see photos of them in uniform later on.  They make our events more special, and fun.  During the swearing in we all end up laughing during this most serious moment in our mascots lives.  So far, the mascots have joined no other branches, but rumor has it that there is another military branch checking out Sharen.  We'll see.  But yes, the WA ARNG was the first!  ( ;

Hmmm. looks like she will be doing a "DITY" move to get out to Columbia SC, where she will live in the CFD Fire Museum.  She is getting herself all "purtyfied", so she isn't making it to many photo ops ... A gal's gotta get her rest, ya know?

Sharen has been a great gal to play with, not as ornery as SHertz Forda Troops, but a real little sweetheart!

She'll be at the roll out for "Hannity's Crossing", and will be teaching our new mascots Chief & Rookie the ropes.

lj

**Photos taken by Jennifer L. West
Tags: WashingtonState Army National Guard, Columbia FD SC Fire Museum, mascot, Chief, Rookie