Good golly, Garibaldi -- Part 2

18 August 2007 -- Garibaldi was true to their promise, and we had a fantastic ride on their 45 foot MLB, self righting boat.  Yes, self righting ... this thing can flip right over!!!  And you might think you're tied on when it happens, but nope.  You just hold on for dear life for the longest 8 - 10 seconds of your life.  So they tell us.  And they're just handholds, no seriously, look at the picture and you can see them.

Jonathan wanted to assure Leta that she was gonna be okay ... on this, her first time on a boat ... so he tied her to the rail.  The Coast Guard was not with him on that idea, and she had to hang on just like the rest of this.  No rope advantage there!  lol

It was also cool seeing the military members of varying services play together.  Larry is Army, Jonathan & Krystal are both Marines.

We had a great time with the crew, they explained everything we were experiencing, and graciously answered every question.  They even let us all take a turn at the helm. 

Pelicans flew along side us in formation, and the rain clouds held their own, leaving us with a perfect ride.  No... we did not flip over.  And yes, we are good with that.  ( ;

Next up, Pat & Mark took us down to the station and continued the fun.  We got to ride in their antique fire rig through town.  I sat in the front next to Pat, looking back at the crew with great big smiles on their faces.  You ever see cute little cocker spaniels, happy to ride in the backseat of the car with their heads out the window, the wind blowing their ears back?  You get the idea.

From the Tillamook firehouse, we headed over to the Tillamook Cheese Factory for a tour (Tip: They don't do tours on the weekend) and some samples, and gift shopping.  And yes, some great ice cream.

Then it was southbound.  The team had not been to the Oregon Coast and having been here numerous times, it seemed a crime not to share it with them.

So we headed to Lincoln City, famous for launching beautiful glass floats out into the Pacific Ocean.  The floats (handblown glass balls) then float back to shore and tourists find these cool pieces of art in the sand.  I actually found one of the Millennium balls during a visit in 2000.

This was where the special glass float we presented to our FDNY pirates last year, was made.  So we got to say hi to the artisan, Kelly.

With that it was off to Depoe Bay.  This is such a gorgeous part of the coast, if you ever have the chance, take time to make it to Oregon for a vacation ... you won't forget it!  And they have a special program, knowing that their state is so scenic and everyone wants to take their picture, they have arranged for a 55 mph speed limit, just to accommodate that!  (Okay, I made that up.  But not the 55 mph part, that's real.)

Depoe Bay was just as I hoped it would be that day, whales played in the waters, close enough to see them rise, and watch their blow holes spout.  Seals clamored for scraps under the fish cleaning tables as fishing boat passengers waited for their fish to be filleted. 

A pirate strolled the sidewalk in full regalia, explaining the pieces of eight that he gave to all who stood and listened to his tales.

Before we left, a stop at Gracie's was perfect for their great big steaming bowl's of clam chowder.

Pelicans, seagulls, terns, and more, dotted the sky and nested in the rocks below, with chipmunks and other scurrying critters.

This was a perfect trip!  And watching the team experience it all, was like being their for the first time again.

Our team is the magic that makes this happen.  And as the effort goes on and on, more is asked of them.  None of them have ever been able to go on a national tour.  They are often in the background through interviews, but they rarely get the spotlight they deserve, and would never request for themselves.  They give so much of their time.  It was good to be able to give them something back, and it helped build back back some of the enthusiasm for the coming year's effort.

Garibaldi, Tillamook, US Coast Guard, Pat & Mark ... Thank you!  You are more special than you know.  And you helped tighten our team even more!

The last part of this trip found us doing a "no-notice" visit to the Dundee Fire/Rescue, in Oregon.  If we're going to be honest, we were looking for a place to pull off the road when we saw their station, and there were obviously people onsite.

But it turned out that there were a lot of folks there.  Families gathering for good food and company, all at this volunteer station.  They were caught off-guard (hey, we told you it was a no-notice!), but they welcomed us in, and let us do a real quick explanation of the program.

The kids came out and met Chief, and before we left, they had even invited us to stay for a burger with them.  Sadly we had to break Rule #1, and turn down the invite, as we had been gone from home, the weather was turning, and we wanted to get home.

We want to thank these heroes for their welcome.  And hope they take us up on the invitation to the PackOut, on March 8th.

By the way, it is amazing what a quick stop like this can do.  We were so impressed with the volunteers we met here, that as we drove away we were on our cell phones discussinghow much of a boost we got doing the Stomps we used to do.  A Stomp is a mini version of the national tours.  We go out and visit local departments with team members and military members in tow.

It's a great way to let departments know who we are,  what we do, and why.  We do photo ops and get to meet some awesome heroes!

The Stomps are also motivational for our teams.  As the war goes on, and public support waxes and wanes, we have to keep ourselves motivated as well.

For this reason, we have decided we will do at least one Stomp this fall!!!  We are calling it the "No-Notice Stomp".  We are going to get a van or two, and head out for a weekend, around the 3rd weekend in October.  We have no specific direction in mind, and the goal will be to avoid the major highways.  We will stop at every department/station we come across.

Everyone will have a task, and the visit can not take more than 30 minutes ... unless we are having a meal at the house.

If you are interested in being a Stomp visit, drop us an email.  Otherwise, we are going to use dice for directions. 

Dundee, thanks for the inspiration!!!  Hope to see you soon.

Love you guys!

lj & the Core Team road crew ... Larry, Leta, Jonathan & Krystal

... Chani was missing from the trip only because of her integrity,  She could have called in sick to work, but she knew that would put her co-workers in a bad situation.  So as much as it broke her heart, she missed the trip.  That's what makes her a Core Team member!  Missed ya, kid!

More pix will post later this week.  lj

 

Good golly, Garibaldi

The Coast Guard station at Garibaldi was to be part of the last visit of the tour.  Our buddies at the Garibaldi Fire Department made special arrangements for us throughout the local merchants, and community as a whole.

They put us up in a very nice hotel, they arranged a tank of gas for our van, and arranged breakfast at a neat little diner where all the locals talk over breakfast and all know each others lives.  It was just like Cheers, only no booze, Norm was missing, it wasn't in Boston, flannel and jeans were more in tune than dress up clothes -- alright, it was nothing like Cheers, but great oatmeal  and they made us feel like locals.

The intent was that we would be going out on the 45 ft MLB ... which in all honesty, could have been a small baseball game ... like we had any idea, but in reality, this is a self-righting boat.  Who knew?  Still has me asking questions ... self righting?

Well, you know what they say about best laid plans ... there was a situation that did not allow us to ride that day.  Since no one was gonna rain on our parade, we asked for a raincheck ... and got it!  Class act, guys.

So some of our Core & Support Team members are going to get to hit the road with me, and take advantage of the original plans.  Pretty exciting.  This is special, as I do every tour, and usually take one or two people with me.  Meanwhile, the teams stay home, kind of like rear detachment/base camp.  I got way too much glory & fun, while they just get the work, and not nearly the recognition they should, for making all of this possible.

As for this self-righting boat ... I don't swim, so I sure hope there is either:

 A) An indoors so we don't fall off. 

B) A smooth calm clear day... smoothest they've ever seen, or

C) A complete floatation suit and a great tether and retrieval basket ... hey, even a Dolphin would work.

We will see you before you know it!  And should even be able to get all the pictures we take, up in less than a week,

For now ... I have GOT to sleep!  Today the posts began in Sacramento ... feels like I drove it all again

Stay tuned for part two of Garibaldi's post ... but we were in the home stretch!!!

G'nite!  zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

lj

 

Taking our time in Tillamook!

TA! DA!  We made it to Tillamook!  Our last official stop (with Garibaldi) on the Passport Tour!

Tillamook/Garibaldi is a classic example of the huge heart we have found in small towns.  The visits are just so "family" to us.  The community spirit tends to shine through.

As their plaque read ... "How far we've come from a HeartStop".

Getting to see Pat  & Mark , and all the rest, was something we were really looking forward to, for at least 6 weeks ... Actually, much longer.  We hoped they would come up for the last PackOut, and are hoping they will make this one coming up!  (Hint, hint)

Tillamook first responders are a true team.  The fire and police work closely together.  And they laugh and have fun together ... you have only to watch them interact to see how close knit this community is.

Even more so is the relationship between two communities ... Tillamook & Garibaldi.  To see the way they work together made this last stop even more special.  It felt like coming home.  And even though we were so close to the end, we didn't want this particular stop to end.

From the welcome, the barbecue .... great food, by the way ... to Chief getting ticketed, our ride in the antique rig ... complete with special photo ops as they showed us how the crank worked ... to the final time looking at pictures and sharing thoughts and feelings about shared friends and experiences ... this was a perfect end to a wonderful journey.

Part 2 of this stop was Garibaldi.  Oh, nevermind, I'll tell you that part in the next post.  Gotta keep you reading, right?

Thank you all.  You have truly touched our hearts.  We will see you soon, very soon ... ( ;

lj & the road crew

 

Next stop ... Newport!

It is always good to see Newport! 

One thing that is a constant in all of the photos in Newport, is laughter.  We always laugh here.  And this, our third visit, was no exception to this tradition.

The biggest difference is that we have never been here in daylight.  And to be be honest we arrived in the city well past lights out, but we went right to our hotel and got some much needed rest.

This was the start of a big day for us ... Today would be our last day on the road.  And to be honest, we were pretty giddy about it. 

And so it was that we headed over to see our friends, and do a photo op with them.  There were familiar faces, and new as well. 

This is a volunteer station, with a lot of heart.  They always make us welcome.  As I recall, last year there were handcuffs involved ... but you'll have to go back in the archives to find out about that story.  ( ;

We met a new friend this time, we call her "Sparkles" ... and she was definitely a bright personality.  Bubbly and outgoing, and yet shy.  She was the low person on the pole, so she was the designated shirt donator.  She turned a bright red, and offered a protest. 

We assured her that she would be completely draped, and if you look closely you can tell she had an undershirt on for the shirt swap.  She was a lady, all the way, and we want to make sure no one thinks any less.  Well done, Sparkles!

This is also the home of the troll that so taunted our first mascot, SHertz Forda Troops.  We'll be sure to share the photos with him when next we visit the Fort Lewis Army Museum where he lives.

There is another coincidence we learned about on the tour, turns out that Newport, Oregon and Newport, Rhode Island have similar ... If not, identical bridges.  We found out from the patch that was on SHertz' coat.  One of the Providence firefighters thought their Newport had a new patch.  Go figure ...  Looks like we'll have to go there to find out more about this bridge, and get a different Newport patch.  Hmmm ... we have said that the 6th year tour would be the "Seeing Double" tour.  Might have a couple stops figured out.  ( ;

Next time we visit, we need to plan an activity with this group, we can only imagine the fun we could have.  And yeah, we're up for that jetty check!

Thanks Newport!  As always, you rock!

( ;

lj & the road crew

And with that we were off, up the Oregon Caost, thru Depoe Bay and Lincoln, headed for our last stop.

Welcome to Weed!

We have been to Weed twice, but they were participants in the program before we ever knew.

Why do we go to Weed?  Why not?  And once you've been there, this quaint little town nestled 'neath the magnificent Mt Shasta, gets inside your heart.  Especially when you come from a similar scenic view. 

Mt Shasta is one of my top three favorite mountains.  C'mon, we're from the land of mountains and volcanoes.  Mt Rainier is still tops for me, and Denali is pretty danged cool, too.

But the real reason we made Weed a stop ... 

  This shirt made their local newspaper, and this picture hangs proudly in their station.  If you ever doubt that these shirts touch both ways, visit a station where the troops have sent their pictures back, and you will have no more questions.  This is one of the "Iraq & back" shirts.  So cool when they go full circle.

We love these guys.  I always feel like I am visiting my kids when we come to Weed, especially now, with Bo wearing the fire uniform, and being in the same age range.

They are always fantastic to us!  They always have big smiles and go above and beyond to make us feel welcome ... and they have yet to be an official stop.  Weed is a heartstop.  they have never been given a heads up notice of our arrival, but it hasn't mattered.  They are true ambassadors for what the general public sees when they think of firefighters.  They are warm, friendly, and approachable, while still being professional.

And okay, this particular house has gotten a unanimous vote as the best looking group cross country.  If you wanted to make a great-selling firefightercalendar ... these are your models!  And the best part is that they are humble, and sweet.  This part will likely make them blush.  But, oh well.  ( ;

They loved the Xyience Energy drinks we shared with them.  And were fun models.

One of the best moments was when a local mom pulled her car over to say thank you.  she motioned to our car, and the guys pointed us out.  As we all spoke to her, she explained through her tears that her son is deploying very soon, and it is breaking her heart.  Her other kids were in the car watching all of this and it made we wonder later, what they were feeling.

She wanted the firefighters to know how proud she is of them and all they do for the Weed community, and she wanted us to know how important our mission is to the troops and their families.  I think she got all of us a little teary, in a heartfelt way.  It was a good reminder for all of us for why we do what we do.

Guys, you make us proud.  Keep the attitudes you have now.  Stay this committed to public service, and open to all the thanks you are given.  You are part of a phenomenal profession, and you represent the best part ... the fresh, idealistic, from the heart heroes.

Be safe, we'll see you again!  Let us know if you want to be an official stop.

Now start your shirt drive, you know your shirts are high on the request list!

( ;

lj & the road crew

Ready, set ... Redding!

You know, this was our third visit to Redding.  Wow, time does fly.

The first time, Bo was with me.  We waited for someone to come back to the station, and it was raining.  So we went next door to the police department, only to find out that we were not going to find any more success there. 

We were heading out, as one of the most beautiful rainbows I've ever seen filled the sky over the firehouse.  At that same moment, Bo noticed the bay doors opening as they were unloading a truck.  He ran over to help ... and that was our first introduction to Redding.

The station was historical, (meaning they could use new carpet) and pretty danged secure too!  lol

Last year JeeNee joined me for this stop, and we stayed in a beautiful new station, and had a great welcome that included the California Highway Patrol, Police, Fire and more.  We had a really nice stay with them.

This year was a through visit ... meaning not overnight.  And we got there just in time for lunch.  We had "turbo-tuna" sandwiches.  They were great, and at this point on the road, we needed all the "turbo" we could get!

It was a full house, everyone we met was so fun, friendly, and supportive for the effort.

Kelly and Kathy did most of the photo work downstairs while I tried to solve computer issues.  So as I edit the pictures, I am seeing them for the first time.  Girls, ya did great!

This visit was too brief.  we love our friends in Redding, they always make us laugh.

Oh, for the record, the lovely lady with the lonnnnng locks, is their fire chaplain  ... and she rocks!

Thanks for another great visit!

Now, start your shirt drive on September 11th ... we need your help.

( ;

lj & the road crew

PS ... Good luck on getting some new carpeting!  ( ;

Roseville Rocks!

Talk about good things coming in small packages.  This was the second time our trip took us to a mobile/modular firehouse.  The first was in Gulfport, and was due to the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, this one was temporary due to the imminent opening of a beautiful new station.

Inside this one were three great guys, at the ready for the next call.  Their new house sits on a rise within eyesight, and promises to be a wonderful new facility that we look forward to seeing.

Walking in the door, the first thing that struck us was the amazing aromas coming from the small kitchen.  The table was set for six, and we were not allowed to do anything but relax.

These guys are no slackers in the cooking area!  With Pepper leading the team, we think these guys could do just about anything they set their minds to.  And they would do it smiling.  This was a true team!

The only truly sad part about this visit was that it was too brief.  We had a great dinner and got to do the basics of the visit, but just as we were getting to the shirt off your back, the radio calls indicated that these guys were next to roll.  So Pepper, in anticipation of the call, did the obligatory shirt off poses for us.  Sadly, with it being so quick, we didn't get the best lighting situation.  Hey Pepper, you're gonna have to do it again.  hehe! 

We seriously loved meeting all of you, dinner was perfect.  And we appreciated the call later that evening that all was well.

Stay safe, take care of your team!  See you in Colorado Springs!

Get your shirt collection going.

( ;

lj & the road crew

 

Second time to Sacramento

When you visit somewhere and it feels so positive, you want to go back.  Such was the case with Sacramento.

We stopped here last year, and they were absolutely warm and inviting.  They made both JeeNee and I feel right at home.  They got us a hotel room, housed our van and drove us over to our room.  In between, we were treated very specially.

To top all of that off, they sent boxes full of Sacramento shirts up to us for last year's shirt drive.  Sacramento is another department that definitely shows their heart through their actions.

This year was no different.  Kelly, Kathy and I all enjoyed every minute of this stop.  And while it was not an overnite for us with them, they packed our day full of fun. 

We visited their fire memorial, and the beautiful military memorials in the park.  Afterwards, they took us for huuuuuge sno-cones.  Perfect touch on a pretty warm day in Sacramento.

I saw a good number of the SFD in Colorado Springs last year, and every one of them was as gracious as if we were at their house.  These are just good people!

Sacramento, we salute you!!!

Shirt drive starts soon.  Looking forward to lots of shirts from you, for our troops.  And be sure to save me a hug if I see you in Colorado Springs.

( ;

lj & the road crew

Love those guys in Lodi

So by this time, we were having to fight the urge to just drive straight through and get home.  It wasn't that we didn't want to see the heroes at the last stops, but all three of us were so homesick by this point.  And tired, and it was just time to be home in our own beds and back with our loved ones.

It was good to be going in to Lodi though, because there would be a familiar face for all three of us waiting there.  Our buddy, and hero, Bill Broderick.  This guy rocks.  He's one of those that stays true to his word. 

I met Bill at last year's IAFF Fallen Firefighter Memorial in Colorado Springs.  We got to talking about the program and the then upcoming PackOut.  Bill said he would love to come up and play with the pipes and drums at our event.  Others told us similar things, but Bill actually drove up from Lodi. 

He also told us we needed to visit their station, and we are all happy we did.  These guys "got it". 

They had been out on calls and more fun, and were pretty beat by the time we showed up at sunset.  Maybe it was that they could relate to our exhaustion, or that we were all getting a tad slap happy by this point, or just that they really are great guys who kept us laughing.

This was one of those too short visits ... guess we'll have to take them up on the request for a future - longer - visit in the future!  Oh dang.  lol

Even better, you guys are all invited up for the next PackOut, March 8th.  Bill can show you the way to get here!  ( ;

Thanks for everything.  Start collecting those shirts!

( ;

lj & the road crew

Beautiful spirits in Berkeley

Whew.  Finally got these pix edited thru Berkeley.

What a fun group of heroes there.  We had both Police and Fire share the visit. 

This was one of our toughest starts ... we couldn't get in.  lol  But rest assured, in the City of Berkeley, things are very secure ... at least as far as that fire house goes!  Sheesh!  ( ;

Once inside though, it was smooth sailing, fun, and smiles, all the way.

Oh, something I do not recommend, is having their rookie treat your rookie for a headache ... just ask our Rookie!  BTW, we hear more comments about that particular "treatment method".  hehe  But, seriously we have not heard Rookie complain of a headache since.  Hmmmm ...

This stop was a no-brainer when the planning phase happened.  We had received a really nice collection of shirts from Berkeley, courtesy of Rebecca, one of their police officers.  She went above and beyond, making sure that every shirt had a great letter from the department donating it.  Their messages came from the heart, and were perfect!

In fact, another firefighter from another town, who had flown up for the PackOut last time, saw the shirts and letters and was adamant that we make this stop to let these heroes know how awesome their effort was.  We're glad we did.

There is a great sense of kinship among these heroes.  There was respect between the police and fire, who just made it feel more of a team.  It was nice, and not seen in every department.

Enjoy the photos, editing them brought back some really fun memories ... and yes, we would love to return!  Don't forget ... You are invited to the PackOut, too!

lj & the road crew

Oh and ... This was the stop where we learned about a military hero who got a Purple Heart after some "involvement" with an orangutan.  Now, by this time in the tour we were pretty tired, and I am not sure of the specifics, but I would love to get the story right, and share it here.  So if any of you can send the story, I'll make sure it gets posted here.  lj

Finally, the flag was at half-staff for the nine fallen firefighters in South Carolina.

Point us to Port Hueneme!

Finally!  A chance to see one of our newer team members, representing some of our favorite Heroes ... Karen Barton & the Seabees of NMCB 18!

Karen & Paul were our host family.  Karen is our Seabee Ambassador .. and she rocks!  She got us to both the Federal Fire Fighters, and then on to Oxnard Fire Department.

The biggest problem we had, was trying to choose dinner.  We will have to go back to Port Hueneme for dinner, since we had to pass this time.  Oh darn.  Hehe

I loved editing these pictures.  You can read faces easily when someone really "gets it".  And there were several faces here that read loud and clear.  This was the perfect follow on to the San Diego visit.

You are seeing part 1 of the visit right now.  You will see a lot of similar pictures, because each of them was good, and we wanted the heroes involved, to have the opportunity to cut & paste their photos.

Stay tuned for Part 2 ... OFD

This was a great visit!!!  We had fun day and night.  Dinner in downtown Oxnard was outstanding.  Paul had us in tears, we were laughing so hard. 

Thank you sooooooooooo much to both Karen & Paul.  But you really didn't need to introduce me to ColdStone Creamery.   Some tour habits are proving hard to break ... Jenny Craig will be MY next stop.  Oh sigh.

( ;

lj & the road crew

San Diego's Big House ... Big heart!

San Diego welcomed us at dusk.  And what a cool time of day to be on the waterfront down there.

They have one of the coolest statues I have ever seen, right next to the Midway.  Being a Navy Brat ... This one touched close to the heart.  If you ever get the chance you have to check it out.  they got this one right, right down to the seamed stockings.  Got your attention there, eh?

It was perfect that we got to go to the SDFD "Big House" downtown.  These guys were busy when we arrived, just returning from an involved call.  We were worried that we would lose them during the visit.  but true to form, while we were there, the alarms were at a minimum.

We got to get to know some pretty neat guys, including Matt, a firefighter/soldier, recently returned from the desert.  So these guys know firsthand how important morale is to a deployed troop.

We are counting on a lot of shirts from our San Diego Heroes ... And we're hoping to have them join us for the PackOut of the shirts on March 8th, 2007.  By the way, this is our first public announcement of the PackOut date.

So, Emerald Society, and all of you Heroes, mark your calendars.  We want you to join us for the PackOut and the Evening of Heroes!

BTW, you will be able to pick Matt out of the group ... He is the one with the flag.  Before anyone inquires, no, at no time did any of them allow the flag to touch the ground.  All of them had a very obvious respect that touched and impressed the three of us.  And none of us will ever forget them!

Thanks guys!  And, salute!

lj & the road crew

Oh, someone asked how big the statue is.  Don't have the specifics, but if you look to the bottom of the pictures, you can see the cars there in the parking lot.  Gives you an idea of the size.  (Maybe Matt, or one of the guys can e-mail me the answer, and I will post it.)

And yes, while we were there, we watched nearly every passerby take a sneak peek upward.  Everyone wants to know what's underneath ... Ask the pipers!  ( ;

On to Tucson

Our Tucson stop, found us at the Drexel Heights Station.  Lucky for us, with all of the construction going on on the highway, this one was easily accessed, and are we ever grateful for that!

Not sure how it came to be that we got this house, but we're happy we did.  The captain told us they had just been advised of the stop a couple hours prior, but his crew made sure to make a great effort for us on short notice.

The crew was extremely friendly, and very welcoming.  You could feel the "team" here, and it was nice. 

We had some good laughs with the Iraq'n'Robin glasses ... and the fake snake we we picked up to terrorize Kelly.  Hey, she opened the volleys back in Florida, when rather than tell Kathy & I we were getting set up by the crew with a rubber snake ... our buddy, pal, and partner just took pictures.  Soooooo ... fair is fair.  And the snake showed up from this point on.  Hehe.  Thanks to the crew for helping us play with her!

This was another scorcher of a day, but then I guess if you live in the desert, it was pretty okay.  Our visit was brief, but it was good.  And we would love to see our Drexel Heights Heroes again ... So yes, if we are ever back in your neighborhood, you batcha, we'll come back.  Thanks for the invite!

Start collecting those shirts!

( ;

lj & the road crew

... And with that, we continued our journey west.  Through Mesa, and Phoenix, and right on into California.

Oh, there might have been a snake or two, along the way.  Hehe

Aside from that though, Kathy got to see her folks.  That brought her some smiles.  Her dad is a volunteer firefighter and soldier ... Who may very well end up in the desert himself!

Lovin' La Vida Las Cruces!

This was another of our return visits to a first year tour stop.  Andrew Bencomo was on duty that day, and was pretty much the only one there to show us around.  We missed him this time, but his guys stepped up without delay ... Once they heard the doorbell, that is.  ( ;

Back then, we sure weren't shooting thousands of photos on the tour.  And the picture I got of him next to their rig was not true color.  The rig looked hot pink, and it was commented on ... "Do they reallllly have pink trucks in Las Cruces?!"  I can answer you that without any question in my mind, no, they do not.

They have big beautiful red rigs, with decals saluting their 100th anniversary.  They have a nice station, they have a love of volleyball, and a seriously wicked fun sense of humor! 

We get a lot of questions now that we're back home about Rookie's volleyball "ear ring" ... you kinda had to be there to understand this one, but hopefully the pictures will explain a lot of the questions.  ( ;

These guys made us feel at home, and even made sure we had a really nice room for the night.  We thank them all. 

And yes, we would love to visit y'all again!

Class acts in Las Cruces!!!

( ;

lj & the road crew

PS ... After we left the next morning, we had gotten rumors of a film being made. along our route.  Very hush hush stuff.  We took a few quick pix outside the shoot, and are posting them here.  Not gonna tell you what the movie is, but see if you can guess.  And if not, we'll tell you once it is released, k?

We also made it to "The Thing" *woo-oo-ooo*  lol  I'd been there before, with the kids.  But I promised Kathy and Kelly if they were good girls, I'd splurge and treat them to a trip through "The Thing".  They behaved, and I busted out the $1.50 to get them both in.  Hey, it was first class all the way on the tour!  So hard to explain.  It must be one of the greatest secrets of all times!  So, far be it from us to reveal it.  You'll just have to behave and maybe someone will treat you to a trip there!!!  hehe

Oh, hey ... Odessa!

Next up, after more weather and a verrrrrry long drive, was Odessa, Texas. 

This was a smaller station than most we had seen in Texas.

There were three firefighters on duty, so the likelihood was, if the alarm rang, they would all go.  And they did!  lol

We had a brief visit here, but would be more than happy return with the reception we received.  There is a strong sense of patriotism that runs through the veins of every station, and every one of our heroes.  This was no exception.  Three, or thirty ... patriotism shows!

Thank you, Odessa!

We also had a run in with some of the local "wild life" after the guys left on their run.  Fortunately, Chief & Rookie stayed behind to keep us safe when the killer caterpillar attacked Kathy's camera lens!  ( ;

lj & the road crew

Dinner time in Dallas!

A beautiful Texas day led us on to Dallas.  The sun shone, and we finally dried out.

One stop had to happen, it was time for our next oil change.  (Which took a ridiculously long time.  Sigh, lol.)  Besides, who knew this trip would be nearly twelve thousand miles!

Our buddy Rett waited as long as he could, but we ended up missing him.  His stand in, however, was perfect ...Big Mike!  Our buddy Karen told us that we would love Mike ... as usual, she was right!

This was a fun stop.  Dallas has sent us shirts for the last couple years, and being Texans, they don't do anything small.  So we expect lots of DFD shirts this time!

We had planned to go to a specific restaurant while in Dallas, but when the guys offered dinner, there was no way we would leave.  Glad we made this decision.

Look at their pictures and you can see their hearts.  They were in a silly mood by the time we left, and we were happy to give them the break.

Rett, Mike ... See ya in Colorado Springs!

The rest of our DFD Heroes ... You rock!!!

And so with hugs all around, we headed west into a beautiful sunset sky -- With no idea of the adventure that lay ahead before we called it a night.  (Ominous music ... da da daaaa)

( ;

lj & the road crew

BTW ... Rookie took a break here.  He says the DFD guys are his buddies!!!  Awwww