The Daily ACK 11/29/2011 Footprints in the snow.

1 Dec, 1984. I stood outside my parents house saying goodbye to my family.  I was setting off on a trip with my young family.  My 1980 Honda Accord was packed to the gills with the few thing my young life had given me at age 23.  I don't remember what I said to my Mom and Dad that day but I do remember driving my car on to Interstate 40 to head west.  Go West young man, Go West.... Fairbanks AK was where my trip ended, Via Seattle WA. We decided to drive down I-40 rather than go through the Rocky Mountains to miss any bad weather. A great lot of good it did for us to try and miss the weather.

We saw a lot of things on that drive across the USA. It was an interesting trip. We hit bad weather in Tucumcari New Mexico and the next morning greeted us with two inches of ICE on the ground! We he had a plane to catch in Seattle WA on 12 Dec, 1984. We couldn't tarry in one spot for to long.  If I had missed my flight to Fairbanks, it would have been considered missing troop moment. I had only been in the Air Force 6 or 7 months and I couldn't mess this up.

12 Dec, 1984 SEA-TAC Airport

  The next morning in Tucumcari, we drove from one exit to the next exit on I-40. It was still very icy on the interstate. We crossed a bridge and the car went around 720 degrees. I had no control of the car at all. We were all just along for the ride at that point. We might have gotten up to a speed of 15mph on that icy bridge. It was the good Lord watching over us that day. The first time the car swapped ends happened so suddenly .....*gulp* I was sawing the steering wheel back and forth for all it was worth.....It scared me SO bad, I looked at my first wife and said "I Love you, I'll see you on the other side" I fully well expected to die that day in New Mexico.  The car finally started heading the right way again and down the exit ramp we went. We stayed one extra night in Tucumcari and woke up the next morning and drove on like the weather had never been bad.

I saw the western end of I-40 turn into I-5 in California.  I was a long way from my East Tennessee home. I missed home but I enjoyed being in the Air Force.  I did make it to Seattle WA on 12 Dec 1984 and I got on an Alaskan Airlines Boeing 727 with my family. A few hours later I got off the aircraft in Fairbanks International Airport. I remember walking down the steps to a mounted Polar Bear with his paw up in the air. His paw made three of my hand wide. In life, I would bet that Polar Bear was even bigger because a mounted animal shrinks a bit. I was in awe. I walked outside the doors of the terminal. There I stood in my new wool uniform. I could see my breath. It was 25 below zero Fahrenheit.  It was cold but dry. It wasn't East Tennessee cold. It was truly different from home.

Fast Forward to this morning 29 Nov, 2011. (27 odd years after my trip to AK) I watched my son, Christopher, his wife Lindsey and his young daughter Alisen get ready to go out the door for their trip to Fairbanks Alaska.  They got to fly out of Columbia SC and to Fairbanks,AK after a few stops.  It was a bitter sweet moment. I had just gotten used to having them and their dogs around the house.  I also got mighty used to making my granddaughter laugh.  One day in the future I'll do all of that again. The house is almost too quiet now.

I hugged my son this morning and told him how very proud I was of him and his family. I felt the tears well up in my eyes as I kissed his cheek.  I told him how sorry I was to stand there and cry but I really don't think he minded much. Thanks Son!

Alisen, Lindsey, Christopher, Me, and Randi

As a young man I wanted to follow in my father's footsteps and I did. I lived my dream.  Parts of it didn't play out as I wished sometimes, but no one is perfect.  It was hard to see my son follow a similar path to mine. I knew the pitfalls he would face but he had to face them to be molded into the man he would become. He and his wife have done a bang up job from where I sit. 

Where does that leave me at this moment? Well, I guess you could say I'm sad but proud...as any father would be during this time of reflection.

J.