When I first started this rendition of my blog it was to document some of my travels while working at Petra Archaeological Park (Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan), working with Rangers & Tourism Police at Petra (and Wadi. Rum some). Two superb National Park Service Ranger retirees (which I nicknamed the “Two Wise Men & Me Tour”) led & completed our cadre. Two-thirds of us had worked at Tonto National Monument earlier in our careers; the other grew up at Mesa Verde, where his father was the Chief Ranger. Anyway, in the tradition of the blog I’d like to post about travels in late March (2022), our 1st in a long time (initial non-medical trip since being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on Oct. 1, 2020).
The first leg of the trip got off to a slow start, in that our morning Southwest Airlines flight from ABQ to PHX was canceled due to mechanical issues (wing door light) and they couldn’t re-book us, and many others, until the final flight of the day. Fortunately it was on time and our bags were waiting for us (of course SWA failed to mention that to us, and the other re-booked travelers. It took an ol’ Ranger to sniff ‘em out and pass the word that our bags wouldn’t be coming with this flights baggage, plus they weren’t at SWA baggage customer service, but over in a locker adjacent to another delivery area (just the ordinary conditions of current airline travels I’ve been told). Then it was onto the DoubleTree in Tempe to hugs from sisters Chris & Laura, cousin Nancy and aunt Karin (Uncle Bruce had turned in; or as a retired educator was it that he wasn’t going to reward tardiness?). Made it all so worthwhile.
The purpose of the Arizona journey was the family wedding of our goddaughter Emily Erickson, only daughter of my sole (or is that soul?) nephew Evan. Emily is an O. R. nurse at the Mayo in Scottsdale and very special to us, and her extended family: well just about everyone she meets that takes the time to get to know her really. Her life partner, Colton Lowery, with family roots in Trinidad, studies Finance at ASU. Quite a couple they make. It was a wonderful wedding and reception at the Secret Garden too. Meme & I frolicked-on-the-floor (aka. danced) for the first time in several years. My stamina waning we didn’t compete for any cup or prize money. It was a lovely time. I can now pass-in-peace with Emily now married (I’m just kidding folks. C’mon, you know my sense of ha-ha).
The day following the wedding we took a trip out to Tonto National Monument in the Tonto Basin. Travels Alert: don’t try to take the Apache Trail (AZ 88) out from Apache Junction as it is closed due to fire damages from the Woodbury Fire in 2019. Note: I didn’t get an assignment at that fire, as I was already assigned on the Coronado NF. My first drive over the Apache Trail was in Oct. 1977, driving a 24-foot U-Haul truck, and dang was I happy to see pavement (and my 1st career-conditional position). While many of my temp-position peers were going to Independence Hall, The Arch, or Alcatraz for career appointments I drew Tonto. In retrospect, I was very, very lucky as I was surrounded by three wilderness areas and got to do what National Park Rangers did back then: everything. From cleaning bathrooms to herding commercial jojoba bean pickers we did it all. Of course there were slow times. I recall one rain-filled day when we hadn’t had a visitor by about noon and Jim Troutwine (the lead Ranger) looking out the window said: “You know, there just has to be a place halfway busier than here and the ‘South Rim’"(Grand Canyon)…
It was at the Monument visitor center observation deck that we first exchanged vows on Apr. 27, 1978 (coming up on 44-years). 1978 was a rainy winter and the hillside up to the Lower Dwelling was carpeted in poppies, lupines & owls clover. It was a sunny & beautiful day – in so many ways.
We loved visiting and reminiscing with the park staff. Remembering hikes from Workman Creek up to the Aztec Peak fire lookout: staffed by the writer Ed Abbey (and his flute). When stationed there (Oct. 1977 – Aug. 1981) I was the closest thing the park had to an archeologist, though a GS-4 Park Technician, I worked with the Tonto National Forest archeologist, mostly Martin McAlister. Now there are two archeologists working from the Monument, multiple interpreters, a Student Conservation Association volunteer, a seasonal resident couple enrolled in the VIP (Volunteer-in-Parks) program, plus additional Ranger, maintenance, administrative and managerial staff. Visitor Services have grown over the years.
Seeing the fire areas from the Woodbury blaze in 2019 reminded me of Honey/Monument fire in 1980. The Initial Attack was my Crew Boss trainee assignment. We called it contained overnight. As the next day was a lieu-day (day off) for me, Meme & I went up to Workman Creek area to cooler temperatures. As we descended towards the Monument & home we saw a large smoke column and I immediately thought “Holy $h!t”. As it turned out we’d probably missed a burning sotol that had later burnt rolling across our containment line throwing embers into a fine field of receptive fuels. It was a great lesson learned for yours truly, and off to the races for fire resources. Years later when on the cadre for Advanced Incident Management, when I heard the module for the Southwest’s fuel descriptions & characteristics for sotol I thought: “been there, done that”.
One of the local fire resources back then was George Harlan, the District FMO (Fire Management Officer) for the Tonto NF. On our 2022 sojourn Meme & I stopped to pay tribute to the George Harlan mile of the highway (the Linny Warren mile too). Meme had worked with George and I’d been fortunate enough to work with Linny years later as we both were retirees doing Safety Officer assignments. We miss them both and they are well remembered. As I participate in taking the annual wildland fire Field Test I think of them both. I passed again this year earlier in March. Another firefighter we knew back then & there was Larry Eppler: he gave me my first belt weather kit and has been a friend over the decades. He and his wife Carolyn will be visiting from Payson this next Friday (Good Friday/Passover). It’ll be great to see them again.
The remainder of our week was spent out in the San Diego area: Pacific Beach (PB)/La Jolla actually. Since Emily & Colton were postponing their honeymoon trip (saving to buy a home), we decided we’d take one for them. Always love our sojourns to & around PB (where I lived in '69 & '70 when in/out of NAS Miramar). For over a decade (14-years) of staying at Pacific Terrace Hotel we’ve said “next time” for the cottages on Crystal Pier. You usually need to book a year ahead. As we walked by their office we checked and they’d just had a cancellation for 3-nights in early November. So, we booked it. We were also able to catch up with Meme’s brother Mark that lives in north part of the county. We did miss out on our previous rendezvous’ with her stepbrother Charlie, a pilot with Alaskan Airlines that moved from PB to Vancouver, WA area - now based out of Portland, OR. Another time Charlie.
On the medical news: I’ve been suffering from an umbilical hernia that erupted at the inferior end of my Whipple surgery incision, when they removed the pancreatic tumor last April. Friday, April 8, 2022, I had another surgery – this one to repair the hernia. So far it is good.
Thanks for ALL the thoughts-n-prayers: they seem to be working. I love y’all: you mean a lot to me… and that keeps me going.
“HAPPY TRAILS”!
