My Year in Afganistan: Forward Operating Base Salerno

My year in Afghanistan was life-changing, even though I didn't know it at the time.  In fact, I really hated being there.  It's funny how that is.  Often, it's the things we hate that are what's best for us.  Sometimes it can save your life.  That only happens if it doesn't kill you first.

In Afghanistan, I managed a government contract to ensure vehicle accountability across the country.  I had people managing equipment at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Salarno. It was a base near the Pakistan border. I made it a point to visit all my folks spread across the country at their different FOBs. I fly to Salerno on a C-130 through the Air Force's Hub and Spoke system. So I get there, take a look at the vehicle yard to see the vehicles that they were managing. We talk about life at the FOB with the folks in their data entry center, which is nothing more than a quickly built plywood building built on cement blocks. We laugh at the latest company gossip and go eat in the concrete dining facility (DFAC) about 300 yards from their building. The food, like all the food at the DFACs, was good. I ate there 3 times. I fly back to Bagram the next day on a spoke hub flight.

About a week later, I got a flash message saying that a suicide bomber had driven a 5-ton truck bomb into Salerno. It exploded next to the dining facility in the middle of the camp. I initially tried to call the FOB, but the phone lines were dead. Then I called the corporate office in Alexandria, Virginia, to let them know. I was told to keep them informed of our personnel at the FOB. It took a while for that to happen. At the FOB after the explosion, the base was attacked by a group of Taliban fighters. It took a while for the base's security to fight off the attack. This also cut off communications with the FOB. It wasn't until late in the evening that phone calls would go through.

I finally got my team leader on the phone, who gave me a rundown on what had happened. The most important thing was that all my guys, although shaken up, were alright; no one was physically hurt. The Truck bomb explosion had destroyed the dining facility, killing some people inside. This included contractors on other contracts. The data entry center building was blown off its foundation, but no one inside was hurt. One contractor who was walking to the dining facility at the time caught a piece of shrapnel in the neck and bled out during the firefight that regained security. It was just another day in Afghanistan. Life and death continue in Afghanistan.

People and their different cultures amaze me. At Bagram in Afghanistan, we have contractors from all over the world. I call it the micro-society of Bagram Airfield, we have Americans, English, Africans, Indians, Uzbek's, Russians, and of course Afghans. The Afghans are more amazed by everything they see. We have truck drivers who wait in a shelter next to where I work who are amazed by a package of cheese and crackers. Sometimes we start an impromptu soccer game, which they immediately recognize. In the DFAC, sometimes I get there right before closing when the DFAC workers start to eat; what I'm amazed with is that the Indians and Afghans can't get enough sour cream, they eat it with everything, on bread, in rice, by itself like pudding. This is a cultural thing learned young by eating cream separated from the milk of the cow or goat.

Elk Mountain Hotel

After driving through Idaho and Utah, we found a Harvest Host RV location in the middle of Wyoming. This stop was a great, unexpected stop on our trip home. About 5 miles off Interstate 80 in the small crossroads town of Elk Mountain.

The Elk Mountain Hotel is one of those places that bleed pioneer history. Originally a stagecoach stop on the Overland Trail in 1862. When the Stage stop fell into disrepair and was destroyed by fire, the hotel replaced it in 1905. Stagecoach travel was replaced in 1868 with the coming of the Union Pacific Railroad. A music pavilion was built next to the hotel in 1920, bringing famous musical acts to Wyoming. Big bands such as Tommy Dorsey and Louis Armstrong were regular stops in Elk Mountain, drawing crowds from the surrounding area.

After a long drive, it was a fun dinner stop. The restaurant on the bottom floor served the best steak of the trip. Now off to Seward, Nebraska. We are close to the halfway mark of our journey home from California and the Oregon Coast.

Butch Cassidy's Boyhood Home

One of my favorite things about traveling is discovering unexpected attractions.  Those unknown things that jump out at you when you get to a destination.  They are always a pleasant surprise and make visiting that location so much better.    

We are staying in Circleville because it puts us in a central location to Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef National Parks, and Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument.  We were unaware that this place was Butch Cassidy's Boyhood Home.   It is Circleville's claim to fame, a unique place to see.

Robert LeRoy Parker, eventually taking the name Butch Cassidy, was born on April 13, 1866, in Beaver, Utah Territory.  His parents eventually established a ranch just south of Circleville, Utah. 

Parker left home as a teenager and, while working on a dairy ranch, met cattle thief Mike Cassidy.  He had an apprenticeship with a butcher in Rock Springs, Wyoming Territory.  He got his nickname "Butch" because he was a butcher.  He eventually added  Cassidy in honor of his old friend and mentor.

His parents' ranch, where he grew up, is simple and a testament to an Old West life.  A cabin and outbuildings sit along US Highway 89 south of town.  The stop includes plaques describing his time there.  It was an interesting stop. 

 

Utah, A Smorgasbord of National Parks

We made it to Utah. We entered Utah at the beginning of May and left 12 days later.  Everything changed once we crossed the San Juan River on our way from Arizona. Canyons with Mountain Views in every direction. During this time, we visited 10 National Parks and Monuments in Southern Utah.  We should have spent at least a month here.  It is an expansive area where one can easily get lost spiritually for a lifetime.  The place is overwhelmingly beautiful.  There is just so much to see.  This was the heart of our trip to California.  Utah is a picturesque scene of geological formations that, once seen, leaves an indelible impression on one's soul.

Eastern Utah

Here, we are based in Monticello, Utah, at an RV park on the edge of town.  From here, we will do day trips to all the major sites.  It was a short drive from Canyon De Chelley and Monument Valley.  

Canyon Lands National Park and Newspaper Rock, near Monticello, UT. Canyon Lands is

a colorful landscape formed by the Colorado River into numerous canyons, mesas, and buttes.  On the way here, we stopped at Newspaper Rock, a petroglyph site with multiple rock carvings.  One of the more interesting facts is the carvings with feet with six toes, also known as polydactyl.  "A team of anthropologists excavated 96 skeletons from the nearby site of Pueblo Bonito and found that 3.1% of the skeletons had an extra toe on the right foot.    There is a significantly higher rate of polydactyly than is seen in current Native American populations.    Here was evidence towards those with six toes being buried with items associated with higher social status, like an ornate bracelet, and turquoise."

Natural Bridges National Monument. After driving through Bears Ears National Monument, we drive the loop at Natural Bridges National Monument. After looking at all the marvelous natural stone arches, we leave on Utah 261 to drive off the Colorado Plateau and drop down into the Valley of the Gods. The road turns to dirt as you wind down the escarpment into the Valley of the Gods. It's a scary one-lane road down the Mesa. These red sandstone butte formations are similar to those found in Monument Valley. We are on our way to Gooseneck State Park, where the Colorado River wraps around itself. The river has cut a deep crevice, creating an unusual view as it makes a series of hairpin turns on its way to Mexico.

Hovenweep National Monument

is known for its Ancestral Puebloan villages located along a shallow canyon.    Here is evidence of occupation by hunter-gatherers from 8,000 to 6,000BC.    Puebloan cultures settled in the area and remained until the 14th century.    Here, we hiked the 2-mile loop trail through several of the villages and formations.    After visiting Hovenweep, we went to the BLM Center and museum in the Valley of the Ancients near Cortez, Colorado.  The museum was very informative.  The Valley of the Ancients encompasses a large area, including Mesa Verde National Park, a place we visited a few years ago. 

Arches National Park and Moab UT.     On our last day in eastern Utah, we visited Moab and Arches National Park. Participated in the American Volksmarch Association 5K walk in Moab and then visited Arches, located 5 miles north of Moab. Moab is the nation's capital of Jeep and ATV trail riding. They are everywhere; you can see them in the hills around the town, in the streets, and at the gas stations. It's Gatlinburg for the ATV crowd.

After our walk, we visited the Food Truck court, which was quite impressive. A dedicated block with food trucks facing a center courtyard with tables.  

Arches National Park. This national park was crowded, even with timed entrance tickets for 3 PM. Aches National Park is an incredible place, renowned for its natural beauty. We went to the Visitor Center and drove along the access roads. We hiked to a couple of natural arches. It was a great day all around. It is a must-see National Park.

Our time in southeastern Utah was filled with new sights and adventures. Wish we had more time, but now the adventure continues to Western Utah.

Western Utah

It was a big travel day to Western Utah. Our drive through central Utah on I-70 was stunning, passing by the San Rafael Reef and the Sevier Valley. Our base camp for western Utah is in Circleville, located in the Circle Valley. Circle Valley is bordered by mountains, except where the Sevier River enters and exits the Valley to the north. It's a small town whose big claim to fame is that it's the boyhood home of Butch Cassidy. The famous western outlaw of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid fame. This puts us close to Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef National Parks, and Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument.

Bryce Canyon National Park is a unique place known for its red sandstone spires; however, it was crowded. We were able to complete our short hike and had a packed lunch at an overlook.. This park was located about 40 miles south of where we were camped in Centerville. It's beautiful, the red sandstone spires that line a valley escarpment. It was worth the trip, and the hike among them was breathtaking.

Capital Reef National Park. It is 90 miles from our camp in Circleville to Capital Reef. On the way there, we got caught in a snowstorm, but it passed as quickly as it started. The park is located within a geological feature known as the Waterpocket Fold. A fold in geology is a structure formed when sedimentary rock is folded by natural forces. It has created a unique geological formation that is represented at Capitol Reef. Once we arrived at the visitor center, we discovered that most of the inner park road was closed due to construction. Drove up the road as far as we could before taking a side road to Cassidy's Arch. After a bad lunch at a Mexican restaurant, we drove up to an overlook on Highway 12 that gave us a bird's-eye view of the park, with the Summit Ridge Mountains in the background.

Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument: Highway 12 continued through the Staircase. Along the way, the road followed a ridge up to an escarpment. Highway 12 had sheer drop-offs on both sides of the road. It was a very hard-pounding experience. The Staircase is a series of cliffs that gradually climb in elevation. It extends from the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River to Bryce Canyon. It forms a natural geological staircase. It was a long day, but we got some good pictures as we drove a big loop back through Bryce Canyon to Circleville.

Zion National Park. We weren't going to go to Zion. I'm sure glad that we did. It's a very scenic park that allows you to get up close to the geological formations. We entered through the east gate, drove down to the Visitor Center, and went through the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel. Along the way, we were mesmerized by the dramatic geology, including Zion Canyon and a labyrinth of deep, brilliantly colored Navajo sandstone canyons. It is one of the American must-see destinations.

Our 12 days in Utah were incredible. Visiting these National Parks and Monuments has been on my mind for a very long time. Finally felt good to get it done. We're on to California, but first, the loneliest road in America: US Highway 50 through Nevada.

Southern Illinois: The Tunnel Hill Trail

We recently discovered the Tunnel Hill Trail and needed to explore this old railroad bed trail. The Tunnel Hill Bike Trail is a 46-mile Bike Trail through Southern Illinois. It runs from Eldorado, the North Terminus, to Karnak, the South Trail Terminus.

We start by heading to Eldorado, Illinois, for a couple of days. We have always been fond of the Twin Rivers area. This is where the Ohio River flows into the Mississippi River; it holds a special place in our hearts. The home of the Mark Twain National Forest, it is a relatively unknown area to the rest of the country.

Crossing the Ohio River at Shawneetown, we stop to look at the first European Settlement in Illinois. It has an old bank that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Over a couple of days, we rode the 30 miles on an old railroad bed from the Civil War. General Burnside built this railroad line all the way to Cairo, Illinois, to resupply Grant on the Mississippi River during the Civil War's western campaign. This section is relatively flat and runs through farm country.

The Saline Creek Pioneer Village was a neat find along the bike trail. It contains buildings from the pioneer period. It included a block house, a prairie school, and a building from the French period. The most important building was the Pauper House, also known as an almshouse, or a poorhouse. This one, built in 1877, was in use until 1950.

So, the term "going to the poor house" has a real meaning. An Almshouse was built on public land where indigent people were sent to work as farm laborers. In Illinois, each county had one of these. The Paupers' house, or Poor House, was built in 1877 and operated until 1950.

On other trips to the Twin Rivers area, we stop in Vienna, Illinois, to finish the western leg of the Tunnel Hill Trail. We actually rode through the railroad tunnel and to the Nature Center in Karnak. For any byclist in the area, this is a must-stop ride into history and nature that can't be missed.

Monument Valley

Monument Valley has always been on my mind since I was a kid.  If you have watched an old western movie or two, it was part of the scenery.  It is a place I had to visit while I was on this earth. 

John Ford, the famous movie director, shot dozens of moving pictures here.  The most famous being the John Wayne epic, The Searchers.  It is an incredible location with tall Red Sandstone Buttes that the Navajo call The Valley of the Rocks. This was a must-stop on our trip to California.  We are about a month into the trip.  We are camped in the Navajo Nation at Canyon De Chelly, about 100 miles away from the Valley.  So we're off on an adventure.  We drive through siltstone valleys that the buttes sit on.  It's a desert landscape where the views go on forever.  

Monument Valley is a Navajo National Park.  There is a $10 entrance fee to drive the 17-mile dirt road that winds through the buttes.  The most famous being the West, East Mitten, and Merrick Butte.  Those three buttes form that famous picture of the Valley. 

It seems surreal that we are finally here.  Our first stop is John Ford's Point.  It's a famous scene where John Wayne looks over the Valley searching for his niece, who has been kidnapped by an Indian raiding party.  It's a moving portrait of the Wild West. 

While driving the 17-mile loop, it was a full-on adventure.  The road was crowded with tourists from around the world.  They were on a road that required 4-wheel drive.  The tourist with their low-clearance rental cars were all over the place.   We still had fun driving around the slow-moving traffic. 

After touring Monument Valley, we started our trek back to our camp at Canyon De Chelly.  We stop in Kayenta at the Amigo Cafe.  It was good to get my Fried Bread Taco, which filled up a whole dinner plate.  After a great, long day, we are back at camp with visions of Monument Valley in our dreams.

Weather Balloons and the Roswell UFO Crash Site

In 1947, an Air Force Weather Balloon crashed in the barren cattle country northwest of Roswell, New Mexico.   A lot of people, including Google Maps, think this is a UFO crash site.  It’s now all part of an urban legend that refuses to die.  We were in the Blanco Mountains, within driving distance of the site.  After all, who can say they’ve been to a UFO Crash Site?

Well, since we were here, why not?  It’s why we have a Jeep to explore the unusual.   So we drove 40 miles out of the  Mountains into the desert to see the crash site.  Our drive through ranch country began on pavement, then transitioned to a dirt road, and finally to a 4-wheel drive two-track road, which led us to the site.

At one time, there was a plaque that had been removed.  In its place was a rock pyramid with various items left by visitors incorporated in and around the pyramid.  The drive to the site felt out of this world.  Vast rolling sagebrush country for as far as the eye could see, with the Blanco Mountains to our back. 

We did this on a whim.  We really had no expectations of a close encounter with alien life forms.  It was good just to be in the desert, seeing something strange. 

Canyon De Chelly and the Navajo Nation

We spent a week exploring the Navajo Nation.  We camped at Canyon De Chelly in the National Monument Campground.  The National Monument Visitor Center and Campground are located at the mouth of the Canyon.  It was an eye-opening experience.   The Canyon itself is a natural wonder with high escarpments and a cottonwood tree-dotted floor, but this isn't the complete story.  

The Navajo still live in the Canyon, passing the land on from generation to generation through the maternal side of the family.  Yes, the Navajo women are the caretakers of the Canyon and the greater Navajo Nation.  

The Canyon is a geographical marvel comprised of 83,840 acres (131 sq mi; 339 km2) that includes the floors and rims of the three major canyons: de Chelly, del Muerto, and Monument.  These canyons were created by streams from the Chuska Mountains.   It has been continuously occupied since  Ancestral Puebloan times.

Originally from 1300 to the early 1700s, the Canyon was occupied by the Hopi Indians.   Their presence can still be felt throughout the Canyon by the various cliff dwellings that remain.  The only way to visit the Canyon floor is through a Navajo-guided tour.   This tour was one of the major highlights of our 80-day trip out West.  In addition to seeing the beauty of the Canyon, we learned of the history and the battles that were fought there.  It is a story of tragedy and rebirth. 

Kit Carson of Frontier Fame was ordered during the Civil War to round up the Navajo because there was a perception that they were aiding the Confederate cause.  At Canyon De Chelly, over 3000 Navajo were rounded up by the US Army after a scorched earth campaign, then a siege of Spider Rock.    They were then forced to walk 130 miles to a reservation in New Mexico, which came to be known as the Long Walk.    After the Civil War, around 1000 returned to the Navajo Nation created by treaty. 

One Navajo elder said of the Long Walk: "By slow stages, we traveled eastward to present Gallup and Shush Bìtó, Bear Spring, which is now called Fort Wingate.  You ask how they treated us?  If there was room, the soldiers put the women and children on the wagons.  Some even let them ride behind them on their horses.  I have never been able to understand people who killed you one day and on the next played with your children ...[9]"

Today, from the 1000 who returned, the Navajo Nation has grown to over 200k souls.  The largest Indian Nation in North America includes over 17000 square miles with major parts of Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico within its borders.  Larger than 10 states, it is a cultural treasure.  

Standing in line at a Tour Office, two Navajo men were talking to each other in their native tongue.  In English, in a joking manner, if you're wondering what we're talking about, it's you.   I just said I have been talked about by worse people.  We then had a good laugh and went on our tour to the canyon floor with them.  It was a magical experience.

The Great Basin National Park's Lost Winchester 1873

One of the coolest things we saw on our 80-day trip to California and back.  On this trip, we visited 32 National Parks and Monuments.  The drive across Nevada had unexpected beauty.  Along Highway 50, nicknamed the loneliest road in America, sits the Great Basin National Park, which is full of surprises. 

The Great Basin of the Western United States encompasses most of Nevada, as well as large portions of Oregon, Utah, and California.  The National Park is an Island of tree-covered mountains in the middle of a desert landscape.  

"In the Park, an archaeologist discovered a Winchester Model 1873 rifle leaning against a juniper tree in 2014.  The gun, manufactured in 1882, was found in a remote area during a habitat restoration project.  It was left in place for research and preservation, and its discovery has become a popular story, even going viral on social media. 

The rifle, a Winchester Model 1873, is a lever-action centerfire rifle chambered in .44-40 caliber.  It has a 24-inch octagonal barrel and a magazine that holds up to 12 cartridges.  The gun was found with a round of ammunition dating from 1887 to 1911, suggesting it had been there for many years.  It was later x-rayed, revealing a live cartridge in the buttstock. 

The rifle's backstory remains a mystery, contributing to its allure.  The area where it was found was known for hunting, prospecting, and sheep herding.  While the exact reason for its abandonment is unknown, it has become a symbol of the American West and its history.  The rifle is now on display at the park's visitor center.  "

I was very impressed with the drive through Nevada on Highway 50. Nicknamed the loneliest road in the nation, it was filled with big vistas that contained mountains in a desert landscape.  We didn't spend much time Great Basin National Park, but it was a great stop that proved to be very informative.  Plus, we got to see the Winchester 1873.

Fort Sill and Geronimo's Grave

Today, we did the Fort Sill historical walk, which took us around the old Fort Sill.  The commanding general still lives in the same house that Gen Sherman, of Civil War fame, stayed in 1870.  

The Fort constructed by Buffalo Soldiers has been active since then.  The original Fort Sill Square, with its parade field and cavalry barracks, is still in use.  The Fort itself is now the US Army Artillery Center.  The first Fort Sill has the original stone horse stalls and corrals that were used by the 1870 cavalry down the hill.  

In the early 1990s, I was a supply sergeant for a M109 Artillery Battery in Germany.  All the Artillerymen would talk about Fort Sill because they were trained here.  Artillery is nicknamed the King of Battle.  The M109 is a motorized track vehicle that carries a 155mm howitzer.  It is followed by a track ammunition carrier.  It looks like a tank, but it's designed to fire from a stationary position.  I have pulled the lanyard of this gun a couple of times, and it is a powerful feeling. 

It has been the highlight of our trip out west so far.  The Apache Chief Geronimo is buried here, and we visited his grave.  We are camped in a Live Oak grove along Medicine Creek, about 2 miles from the grave and cemetery as the crow flies. 

Fort Sill has a long history as a Frontier Fort.  It also has an infamous history with its Indian School and its participation in the Indian Wars.  After the last Indian Campaign of 1886, when Geronimo surrendered, he and his warriors with their families were kept prisoner here on Fort Sill.  He died in 1909, and the remaining members of his band were pardoned and released in 1913.

On his deathbed, he stated he should never have surrendered, that they should have fought to the last man.  The Indian graveyard is not in a developed area of the Fort, on the backside of the post golf course.  It's surrounded by fields and woods near a dry creek bed. 

It's a peaceful place with well-marked graves, and family members can still be buried here.  We saw one headstone from 2022.  As we walk through the graveyard, we let our dog Abbey run among the graves since we're the only ones there.  I'm sure the ghosts of the warriors and their family members were happy to see a friendly dog.

Perth: Australia's Gold Coast City

Australia, I can't believe it!  We finally made it to the country of our many dreams.  We left New York on 3 January on the Queen Mary 2 and arrived in Perth on 17 February.  It has been a great voyage full of adventure, with stops in many exotic places, including islands in the Indian Ocean, South Africa, and an African safari.  Perth is a dream of a place; it's everything we imagined.  

We booked Perth on Your Own Tour. That was just a bus ride into downtown Perth.  The bus took us to Barracks Street Jetty, located on Swan River Bay, which is a good centralized location from which to see the city.  

After having $70 haircuts on the cruise ship about a month ago, we desperately needed a trim.  We walked to an indoor mall and found a barber shop/hairdresser.  We were in luck because the barber there had some canceled appointments.  The Barber from Chile had an interesting story about settling in Australia.  It was a story of perseverance and survival.  He is now making Australia great one haircut at a time.    After our haircuts, it was time for lunch.  We hadn't had fast food in over 2 months, so we walked into a Hungry Jacks that looked strangely familiar.

Well, we now know what Burger King is called in Australia.  I had the Aussie Whopper.  It was alright if you like pickled beets, a fried egg, and ham on your whopper.  I removed the egg, and the beets were good.  However, I would not order it again.  They also had a tropical Whopper with pineapple on it.  I should have had that.  Terri wasn't adventurous; she had a plain Whopper with cheese.  What a chicken!!!  It was about 40 Australian Dollars or $19 US.

After lunch, we walked around the city a little.  We walked through an outdoor mall on a pedestrian street.  During our walk, we found a city information booth.  A friendly retired lady gave us directions for the public transportation that would take us to Kings Park.  

Kings Park, the largest park in Perth, is a beautiful park that overlooks the City and the Swan River Bay.  We saw the Western Australian Veterans Memorial and the Botanical Gardens with rock formations 2.5 billion years old.  What a great stop.  It was neat to see Perth Families enjoying a picnic on the green overlooking the city.  The Botanical Gardens was incredible; with an elevated walkway, we had a magnificent view of the Park and the City.  After seeing the park, we took the city bus back to the city's center.  We then walk down to the Barracks Street Jetty for our ride back to the ship. 

  

We are now 46 days into the trip; we returned to the ship to our new cabin with a balcony.  Our stuff was magically moved from our interior cabin while visiting Perth.  The trip is winding down.  8 days left before we get to Sydney.  Before we get there, we see Adelaide and  Melbourne.  This evening, we left Perth to sail around that southwest cape of Australia.  We are traveling through the Great Austrailian Bight on the way to Adelaide.