COMMERATIVE AIR FORCE

After attending the Western Motor Coach Ass. rally in Indio in January, I moved to Blythe, CA where I attended a bluegrass festival, but came down with the flue. After spending several days in the coach, I was feeling well enough to sit in front of the stage and watch the performers. However, when the festival was over and time to move on to Quartzsite, AZ, I thought I was doing OK. I could not shake a persistent cough so I saw a doctor and got some medicine to take. I spent about 5 days in Quartzsite getting a little better each day. My next stop was Mesa, AZ where I am presently. My health is back to normal and I have been very busy taking in the beauty of this area. I ventured into such places as the Superstition Mountains, the ghost town of Goldfield, the firefighter's Hall of Flame, rode the trains at the Maricopa Live Steamers Club, boarded the boat Dolly for an adventure on Canyon Lake, and drove the 50-mile Apache Trail. More on those places in later blogs.

First of all, the RV park where I am staying is the Aztec RV Park in Mesa, AZ. It is a 55+ park with about 300 sites. They have a very active schedule of activities and shuffleboard is very popular.

This post I want to dwell on my adventures at the Commemorative Air Force.

Their museum is located at the end of the runway of the second busiest private plane airport in the nation.

This F-4 Phantom could have one of the CADCs on board that I had worked on years ago.

The Sentimental Journey is one of only 7 remaining flyable B-17s in the world.

They had it up on jacks doing an Annual Inspection.

 

 

Two weeks later, they took it up for a test flight.

 

Once the engines were warmed up, the pilot gave a little throttle......

....checked the taxiway ahead, we moved out.

Looking out of the nose of the aircraft. Can you Imagine the view from here while flying?

Just after lifting off the runway, they veered off and buzzed the hanger! I thought there was only going to be 6 remaining flyable B-17s left!

When I can get a better Internet connection, we will check out the ghost town of Goldfield.

THINGS I SAW FLYING

In the month of October, I observed several things flying in the sky that I had never seen. I had heard may reports of their existence, but had never been able to put my eyeballs on them before. Here are two things that have been around for may decades.

You may have seen this next one on TV as if landed at LAX

GRAND CANYON STEAM TRAIN

About a month ago or so, I joined about 10 members of the Golden Spike chapter of FMCA (Family Motor Coach Ass.) in riding a railroad train that was pulled by a 2-8-0 steam engine. We pulled out of the Williams, AZ station and fun ensued.

 

 

After 2.25 hrs. we arrived at the railroad station at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

 

Now we can get up-close and personal with the steam engine.

 

Fireman's side of the cab.

I found a place away from the crowd where one could meditate.

After several hours at the canyon, it was time to catch the train back to Williams.

Of course no train ride in the old west would be complete without a train robbery.

 

Soon, we would arrive back at the Williams Depot and the sun would set upon another delightful Golden Spike outing!

 

SAN FRANCISCO FUN

On my way south from Salem, Oregon, I spent a few days in an unique place called San Francisco. I did some of the usual tourist stuff like, ride the cable cars.

 

The MOST FUN thing I did was go on one of the MANY types of tours. A very unusual tour to say the least. It was on a 1955 Mack Fire Engine.

 

 

 

 

We crossed over the Golden Gate Bridge both ways on our tour of parts of San Francisco. They rang the bell and beeped the air horn and waved to the people walking on the bridge.

We stepped down from the fire engine to stretch our legs when we arrived at Camp Baker.

 

On our way back to San Francisco, we drove UNDER the bridge.

The whole tour was narrated by the young lady that sat beside the driver. IF YOU EVER get to San Francisco, not only put some flowers in your hair, but take the Fire Engine Tour! You won't be sorry!