Aug 8,9, 2015 Colorada to NM

Saturday, August 8, Sunday August 9
Colorado/New Mexico

We decide to stop by the Air Force Academy this morning, mainly to see their chapel.   We go to their Visitor's Center first and learn that the Academy was established by Eisenhower in 1954, with the first class of 306 cadets entering in 1955.

Many traditions build camaraderie and pride.

A short drive takes us to the chapel, completed in 1963.  Like many of the buildings here, it has angular structure with metallic finish (like the skin of airplane).

Inside is beautiful with narrow windows of stained glass and a large organ.  Upstairs is for Protestant Services and downstairs for Catholic and other.

Downstairs chapel

We walk to a few other areas of campus where visitors are allowed. The campus is very scenic, backing up to the Rocky Mountains.

There are many aircraft on display.  These two cadets were being disciplined, we are told.

Back on the highway and into New Mexico.  Near Albuquerque the temperature drops from 87 to 62 within a few minutes and we hit heavy rain.  We find another Walmart south of town. For dinner we try microwaving corn on the cob (in the husk), which works pretty well!  We talk with Tom again - he is doing well except for fatigue.  He gives us the name of a garage in Sierra Vista where we make an appointment for Monday morning.


Sunday, August 9

Last night's Walmart experience was, in a word, bad.  It was hot, there was a lot of traffic revving engines, loud base, etc.  The security car with blue flashing lights probably thought they were doing us a favor by parking near us and/or driving by often, but gave us a bit of a light show each time.  Then a refrigerated 18-wheeler parked right next to us and ran his engine all night.  Oh well....

We go through the town of Hatch which is well-known for its peppers.  We stop for a late breakfast at a little place called The Pepper Pot that Tom recommended.  Mostly Mexican food featuring red or green chilis.  Greg had an omelette with red chili sauce w/pork.  I tasted the red and green sauces and opted to play it safe with French toast.

 We venture across the street where many different kinds of chilis - fresh, dried, powdered etc.- are for sale.

We cross into Arizona about 12:30 and arrive at Tom and Sue's an hour or so later.

Good to see them, and Tom looks good, though both of them have lost some weight.  We brought some books, so discussion goes from medical issues to books to photography and they help us identify some of the birds and flowers that we've seen along the way.

We have pizza for dinner and Sue, Greg and I go for a walk around their village while Tom rests. Sue points out these irridescent fig beetles, eating cactus fruit.  Many rabbits and even a tarantula.

 Ice cream for desert :)  Sue has a salted caramel gelato which is heavenly.  Lots of cloud cover and it is a pleasant evening.  We have parked under their carport and plug in and sleep in the Trek.  During the night I wake to a stinky smell and learn next morning that it was javelina who sometimes wonder through the neighborhood at night.  Kind of a sour grassy,  skunky smell - yuck!

The prognosis isn't good for Tom, but they are taking it one day at a time, trying not to worry about the what-ifs. Tom has 5 more sessions of chemo, 3 weeks apart.