Special Delivery (A little travel story wrapped in Americana with a few pics.)

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  • Labeeman

    Well-Known Member
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    23   0   0
    Oct 11, 2010
    1,001
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    Baton Rouge
    Labeeman on the move again. 5600 +,-miles in 5 days !

    There ya go, you have more then you need, but you like it that way, so you are set. These were my wife's words to me as she handed my backpack to me. I usually pack my own gear, but the adventure I was about to undertake would require a light pack, so I had to have a helping hand from her, as she is good at traveling light. I picked up the pack and was pleased at the weight and placed it on the floor in the "to be packed pile".

    The adventure wasn't a fishing trip, or a sit back and relax and take in the sights type of trip, nope this was mission, plain and simple. The objective was clear, deliver a very special package to a destination 2600 miles away and be back to work in BR in 6 days. This would require driving 4 days, traveling 800 miles a day for three days and 250 miles on day 4 and catching a flight back home the morning of the 5th day to be at work on Wednesday. Not something I would want to do more than once or twice in a lifetime, but when that special package is your daughter in law, and her husband is stationed in at the naval base near Seattle, WA you saddle up and hit the trail.

    The weeks leading up to D day were filled with researching routes, getting hotel reservations that were pet friendly, oh did I tell you I had a cat and a dog along for the trip, and doing maintenance on her car to prepare for the trip.

    Besides taking a light backpack, the car would have to be packed light also. There was not any room for anything that was not essential. My daughter in law did a fantastic job with this the day before we left, so when the morning came all we would have to do is load our personal packs, the dog and cat and hit the road.

    The night before we left BR we all went out to eat and celebrate my daughter in laws last night in BR. Looking back over the last year I realized how crazy a year it has been for her and my son. After the great flood of 2016, they moved in with us because their apartment was flooded, my son joined the Navy, and she was thrust into the roll of having to take care of everything while he was in boot camp. She is very resourceful and a hard worker so she accepted the challenge and handled it like a pro. Besides her working a full time job, she also travelled to his boot camp graduation in Chicago, his graduation from submarine school in Connecticut and planned her wedding.

    We went to bed that night restless and before I knew it, 4 am was here and we were up and moving. The last items were packed and the last sip of coffee was drank and we were ready to go. My wife did not make the trip, as someone had to hold the fort down, but without her the trip could not happen. Her support for this couple over the last year has been tremendous and she has been there whenever advice or love was needed to get them through the last year. The last goodbyes were said, the dog and cat were loaded up and the great adventure began.

    Amarillo, TX was the first stop, Green River, WY was the second and Richland, WA was the third stop. I had driven as far as Fort Collins, CO before, but everything else would be sights I had never seen before. The vastness of this country will astound you as you travel out west. We ended up going through Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The wide open plains
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    , vast forest and wilderness, plus the hills and mountains let you know how small a cog we really are in the universe. We saw crazy cars, lots of wild and woolly things and even saw two herds of camels. The days behind the wheel were long, but the 80 mph speed limit for a large part of the way helped make the day speed by. Conversations were had with some being long and reflective, and others just being short sentences such as did you see that, or that is the craziest thing I've ever seen.

    There was no staying up late on this trip. As soon as we rolled into the hotels we ate our supper and hit the rack. For the most part everyone we met was very friendly and the service at the hotels were great. The food left a little to be desired, but when you are on the road you take what can be found and move on.
    The last day was a short one so we were able to relax and take our time before we hit the road. My daughter in law used the time to get presentable for her sailor and I took the time to go buy oil and a filter so my son and I could change the oil when we got to the base. It's funny how men and women think sometimes.

    The last day was spent going through hills and mountains, wine vineyards and beautiful forest. We ended up the day driving around Puget Sound on our way to the the base. We arrived at the base and since my daughter in law has a military ID we were let on the base with out any problems and found their apartment in short order. The apartment is very nice for military housing and the base has lots of trees and green space which makes it feel more like a very very large neighborhood and not a naval base. My son was on duty when we arrived, so he left us a hidden key so we could get into the apartment. We got about half way through unloading the car when the sailor walked up the driveway. The smile on my daughter in laws face was ear to ear. All was good in her world.

    The car was unloaded and we were updated on what my son had been doing and taken on a short tour of the base. We went out for a bite later on and then headed to the apartment to settle in for the night. It wasn't long before I was laying on a blowup mattress trying to get a little shut eye before my 4:30 am trip to the airport.
    I was up before the alarm and showered and dressed before my son got up. We spoke briefly about a few things he needed to be aware of and other items that needed to be attended to. By the time I finished my cup of coffee it was time for him to take me to the front gates to meet my taxi to the airport. I grabbed my gear, again kudos for my wife for the great packing job, and we hit the door. The base gates were only a couple of blocks from the house so we were there in just a few minutes. We said our good byes and I was out the door before I let myself get all emotional. For those of you that have to say goodbye to your kids you know what I'm talking about, especially kids in the military.

    As I sit in the plane flying at 30,000 feet I know all will be well with them. The special package was delivered, the mission is complete and I'm headed to my home base. God bless the people keeping us safe at night and God bless the families supporting these men and women who sacrifice so much.










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    Last edited:

    cajun 22

    Shooter
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    May 22, 2008
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    Houma, LA
    Great story Allen! Glad your son is doing well and thank him for his service. Trips out west open your eyes to a whole other country.

    We call that a suicide run. Point A to B, no real breaks in between, and straight back home.

    Mission Accomplished!
     

    sportsbud

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    Jan 16, 2013
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    NOLA
    Nice, about to fly to visit family in WA Friday. I'll be there for a week then come back and deploy in OCTOBER... Miss WA state... I'm from Yakima or Yakistan lol
     

    Labeeman

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    Oct 11, 2010
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    Went right by Yakima. Looks like there are endless outdoor activities to do out there. Hope you have a great trip and thanks for keeping us safe my friend.
     

    sportsbud

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    Jan 16, 2013
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    NOLA
    Went right by Yakima. Looks like there are endless outdoor activities to do out there. Hope you have a great trip and thanks for keeping us safe my friend.
    Yes as long as you don't light a match as the whole state will burn lol... Oh wait it already is....
     

    Expert684

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    Jul 24, 2011
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    Lafayette
    Great story! The first two pictures instantly brought back our trip last year! Went to Boulder Co., like you stopped in Amarillo and slept. First time i have ever seen how great and vast our country is! I have been after the wife to move to one of those 'little" towns you go through on the way to the Santa Fe Trail. Glad you had a safe trip, thanks to your son for his service.
     

    Labeeman

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    Oct 11, 2010
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    There were lots of fires. At one point we had them to the left and right of us. Yes all of those small towns would be great to visit. Nothing hardly rots out there. They had some old stuff hanging around.
     

    Expert684

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    Jul 24, 2011
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    There were lots of fires. At one point we had them to the left and right of us. Yes all of those small towns would be great to visit. Nothing hardly rots out there. They had some old stuff hanging around.

    Yep! My son was driving, I was was scoping out to see if there was any old Chevelles, Camaros or El Caminos! I said boy I'd move to one of these towns in a flash! The wife asked why I would want to live there? There is nothing! I said yep! No traffic, no crime, no protesters, no hurricanes, looks like my kind of place.
     
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