Southwest Blind Rehab Center

​Tucson             

                        2024

   Two weeks following my decision to sign up for the next Blind Rehab in Tucson, Arizona, I found myself aboard an American Airlines jet bound for Arizona.  As I wanted to be around home for the Christmas holidays and our 53rd Anniversary, I waited until about December 12 to contact my VIST Coordinator, Lori Reddick at the Fayetteville VA Hospital to make arrangements.  Apparently, there were ample openings and she offered me the opportunity to be accepted in the Southwest Blind Rehab Center (SWBRC).  It didn’t take them long to give me an interview call and take my application over the phone.  A couple of days later, after their admissions committee met and checked my records, I received a phone call from the head o admissions that I had been accepted.  We agreed on January 3rd as my admissions date.

   A few days following my entry approval, I received a phone call from Casey Davenport, who would be my Coordinator, Mobility Instructor and Manual Skills Instructor, 4that I had been accepted and everything was in order.  He asked me about my goals for attending so I told him what I was hoping to do while I was a patient there. He emailed me a airlines confirmation number from American Airlines and gave me my travel arrangements. 

   The holidays passed rather quickly and the travel day soon arrived.  Debby took me to the airport in Bentonville, Arkansas, came inside and made certain I had my baggage checked to Tucson and my ticket in hand.  We would be arriving in Tucson International in early afternoon via Dallas, Texas, where we would change planes.  Luckily, our DFW departure gate was only 2 gates away from our arrival.  All went smoothly.

   After landing in Tucson, I made my way to the baggage carousel by following the crowd of passengers flying with me.  I found my colorful luggage and stood around for a few minutes waiting on someone to recognize me and give me a lift to the SWBRC.  It didn’t take long before my driver showed up, apologizing for being late due to traffic.

   The SWBRC facility was barely 15 minutes away.  I checked in and was shown to my room which would be my new home for the next month or so.  A few minutes later a nurse came to visit me and asking medical questions about my general health and abilities to be responsible for my own medication.  I was swabbed for covid 9, as well.  After enough time had passed and they made certain I was covid free, I was shown around the facility to familiarize me with the locations of everything I needed, including my classrooms.

   Dinner was at 5:00.  All of us veterans gathered in the dining hall and walked through a chow line, sort of cafeteria style.  There was little selection as they knew each veteran’s diet restrictions.  As I had none, I was always offered the main dish, as well as substituting some items with their options.  For instance, if the main dish sounded unappetizing, we could substitute for one of their optional dishes.  Sometimes that was roast beef or grilled chicken.  The food, however, was bland due to various diet restrictions.  I had taken some Cavanaugh’s with me just in case there was nothing else offered, like salt and pepper.  There was also a bottle of hot Cajun powder that a fellow veteran, Tim Bigelow brought from Louisiana and a bottle of hot stuff we could also use.

   Each morning following breakfast, we received our daily schedule of classes, meetings or events that required our attendance, as well as optional outings that we might be interested in attending.  Some of those outings included trips to places like the VFW, Elks Lodge or the American Legion for a freebie dinner.  We had things like Taco Tuesday, Fish Friday or Hamburger Thursday.  I went to all of them as offered.  The food was always great and getting out and about was always fun.

   Besides our scheduled classes, we were served hot meals at 0700, 1200 and 170.  We had laundry room with two washer’s and two dryers.  They seemed to be always busy with the 17 to 23 patients here.  I was always up ant 0600 taking a long hot shower, getting dressed and feeding Toronto.  He usually had his breakfast at 0620.  I was usually out the door with Toronto by 0640 as he needed to go outside to the relief area.  Then, back inside for my coffee before breakfast.

   Following breakfast, I went to my room to take my medications.  All of us were supposed to meet in the Foyer at 0800 to meet our Coordinator to get our schedule for the day.  My first full week, however, was filled with non-classroom meetings.  There were several of those during my first week!  I met with my Team Leader and filled out questionnaires about my abilities and my goals.  I had meetings with psychologists, social workers, vision specialists and optometrists.  I met with the head nurse who asked questions like, do I feel like killing myself and stuff like that.  As I didn’t, those meeting never lasted long. 

   Each morning everyone was getting our vitals checked at the Nurse’s Station.  Each week we took a covid swab.  There were no classes on weekends.  Oftentimes, Saturday morning offered an off-campus field trip.  We had trips like the Tucson Art Museum, Pima Air Museum and the Old Tucson Spanish Mission.  I missed the Old Spanish Mission tour as I had been bowing to the porcelain throne half the night from something I ate, I suppose.  So, I didn’t want to venture far away from my room that day.  I was fine by the afternoon and ended up going out to dinner with some old friends.

   Besides our regular class schedules, taught one-on-one, we had other events in group settings; some were mandatory to attend and some optional.  The Meditation classes were weekly and optional.  I found it was a great time to get in a quick nap and blame it on the relaxed atmosphere.  We attended mandatory Fall Prevention classes.  Those had to do with being careful and not getting hurt.  Our Music Class was fun.  A young lady came into the dining hall where we all sat around and joined her in singing songs.  She showed us some musical instruments and explained how they work. She was pretty good and the experience was fun.  We also met as a group with a couple of Social Workers in a group therapy session.  We could talk about anything we wanted to except politics.  They also reminded us that the conversations were confidential and we couldn’t make fun of anyone or talk about them outside of the class. 

   During my stay, I was visited by an old friend, Jim Williams, who was a preacher for the Newberg Church of Christ years ago.  He and his wife, Linda, were also caretakers at Camp Yamhill.  As we often visited Camp Yamhill and I did some work there, we were well known by them.  Linda passed away from this world a few months ago so seeing Jim once again was bitter sweet. 

   Another man, Ray Johnson, visited me one Saturday and ate lunch with me at the facility.  Roadhouse BBQ had catered some Pulled pork and BBQ beef to us that day and they had plenty of feed Ray, as well.  Ray was one of the original families that helped start the Metro Church of Christ congregation in the early 1970’s, along with Carl and Kathy Collins, who actually told Ray in was at the BRC.  I had met Ray many years ago and it was good to see him and talk over old times.

   Phil and Patty Amburn were friends from Emporia, Kansas.  I knew Phil and his family in the early 1960’swhen they attended the Emporia Church of Christ where I went with my parents.  They took me out for finer one evening and to their home for dinner on another.  After my wife, Debby came to Tucson with Ron and Nancy Pinkerton on the 28th for a week, we had another occasion to go out with the Amburn’s for dinner.  Seems like all I did was eat, doesn’t it?

   Terry and Cathy Gilmore were another couple that Debby and I knew at the Metro Church of Christ.  She was our go to secretary before retiring to Arizona.  They picked me up one Sunday morning and took me to church with them.  Afterwards, we went to a great Mexican Restaurant before going to the BRC.  As one can see, I kept quite busy days and weekends.

   When Debby, Nancy and Ron arrived on Sunday, they picked me up and I spent the night at the Condo in Oro Valley.  It was good to take a break and find a better pillow!    I still had the week to go at the Rehab but after the Wildcat Team looked over my goals and records, they opted for me to graduate on Wednesday.  My peeps showed up about 11:15. We loaded up my belongings into their rental car and we headed for the Silver Saddle Restaurant for a big juicy steak!  As expected, it was very tasty!

   I spent the next couple of days relaxing in the condo and checking out the hot tub.  We went out to dinner on Thursday with Phil and Patty.  They took us to a New Mexican style restaurant.  It was very good and our visit was even better.

   We checked out of our condo on Saturday morning about 10:0 and headed towards the Tucson airport.  Our flight wasn’t until about 5:00 but we had nothing else we wanted to do.  It was nice to have a leisurely afternoon.  Not long after our arrival, our travel nightmare began.  First, it was a small flight delay of about 30 minutes.  Then came another delay.  Then another.  And so, it continued.  Before it was over, we had a dozen flight delays before finally getting to climb on board and find our seats.  Then, the other delay.  Next came an announcement that we needed to get off and wait for a replacement airplane as this one has been grounded due to mechanical problems. 

   A few hours later, we once again boarded our flight to Denver, only to have another 20-minute delay.  But this time, we actually taxied out and took off.  The 90-minute flight got us to Denver about 1:30 AM.  As there was no connecting flight to be had, United gave us a voucher to find a hotel.  So, we did.  Our connecting flight to Bentonville, Arkansas would not be until about 7:00 PM.  United gave us a couple of $15 vouchers apiece for meals.  There was one lone taxi outside.  We grabbed him and took a ride to Aurora to find our La Quinta Motel.

   I was not adequately prepared for this delay.  I had inadvertently checked my medication and Toronto’s dog food.  I barely had enough for him for one meal, let along 3.  I would have to do without mine but I needed to find a Petco on the way to the airport in the morning.

   We checked out of La Quinta about 10:00 after sampling their breakfast buffet and coffee bar.  Nancy called for a Lyft.  The driver showed up in good time but refused to allow Toronto inside his car.  We exchanged a few words about his being a Guide Dog, the ADA and current Federal Law.  The driver said he didn’t care about the law and drove away without us.  I had taken a photo of our taxi last night so we called the number on the door in the photo.  We only waited a few minutes before the driver showed up.  We had him stop by Petco for some food and a new bowl for Toronto. 

   We had a long time to wait for our flight but we were able to sit inside the United Airlines Lounge in much more comfy chairs.  Not only that, but they had a tasty buffet set up along with snacks and drinks.  I fed Toronto next to my chair.  He soon curled up into a tight ball and fell asleep, occasionally stretching out his full length along the wall.  He slept the whole time.  We only had a 15-minute delay this time and we landed about 9:00.  By the time we picked up our luggage and climbed into our Sienna that Eric brought for us, it was about 10:30 when we walked into our door.  The normal 5 ½ hour trip had taken us about 36 hours.  You’re in good hands with United!

   So, weeks after Debby’s working with United Customer Service, UAL gave her $200 for our Denver Motel expense and two taxi rides.  Our actual expense for that was over $200.  They gave me $100 in future travel credit for my 36 hours of inconvenience.  Thanks, United Airlines for a nice slap in the face!I wonder if they ever bothered to do anything for all the other passengers.  I’m sure I know the answer to that question.

 

The Christmas Snows

The Christmas Snows

As I look back into my life as a child on the old farm, in my minds eye, I can see bits and pieces of our way of life.  The old run-down log house with the extension on the front; the rusty looking tin roof over the kitchen. The old roof and washed out siding made the old place look....well, OLD!  

The Arkansas winters had a beauty that's hard for a kid to describe. The soft, fluffy snows were the best I can remember. I loved the way they covered the deep grass in the pasture. It's like a huge fluffy blanket was carefully laid on top of the drooping grass and resembling small, fluffy clouds!  I liked the way the snow fell from the sky on a calm, windless day. The large, fluffy snowflakes seemed to stick together with others as they slowly dropped from the sky. I loved the way the snow stacked up on the old fence posts, giving them a white top hat.  Tree branches and bushes would droop down as it snowed, bending ever lower under the growing weight of winter's snow. 

Without indoor plumbing, it was always hard to trudge through the fresh snow to the outhouse next to the barn and sit down on that cold, frosty seat!  It didn't take us long to do our duty and get back o the house!

We always had morning chores to do, no matter if it snowed, or not. The chickens, pigs and cows had to be fed and watered.  We milked the cows before sending them out to pasture, or letting them lounge around inside the dry barn. The fresh snow around the barn was welcome because it covered up all the yuck and muck produced by the cows. It made great fertilizer but still was no fun to step in!  The fresh blanket of snow covered the yucky mess and made you feel like you could walk on it!  But we KNEW better!

A few days before Christmas, and after chores and a hot breakfast, we bundled up and went out searching for the perfect Christmas Tree, oftentimes in the snow. Our sister, Mary, would usually stay indoors with Mom, fixing goodies for us to eat; baking pies, cakes, cookies, fudge and peanut brittle and all kinds of stuff!  Mary was 8 years older than me and I can't remember much interaction I had with her. 

The three of us boys, Arnold, me and Pat, bundled up in boots, warm hats, mittens and coats, headed out on the 360 acres looking for a Cedar Tree, just right to set up in one corner of the living room. We usually knew where to go because we began scouting the land for a Christmas Tree long before Thanksgiving arrived!

Arnold was the older brother; 6 years older than me, and 8 years older than Pat!  Charlie came along two years after Pat and accompanied us on tree excursions when he was 4 or 5. If the ground was snow covered,we would take turns dragging the tree back to the house. Sometimes it took two of us pulling together just to get it moving. 

We couldn't wait until Arnold cut some boards to make a cross and nail it to the bottom of the tree so it could stand upright in the corner. Mom would bring out decorations to trim the tree; colored lights, garland, foil icicles, shiny balls, an assortment of trinkets and a bright, shiny, silver star for the very top. 

Mom would pop corn to use for more garland. She would fix us up with a needle and long piece of thread to sew the popped popcorn together, making a garland that would later serve as a bird treat. We would hang it on the tree, drooping a little every few inches, as resembling heavy snows drooping Pine branches. At night, in the dark, with the colored lights on, our tree looked like something in a fairy tale book!  It was always the perfect tree!  

On Christmas morning, very early, still dark outside, we came into the living room and saw the brightly lit Christmas Tree inviting us to come closer. Presents filled the floor beneath the tree; there were always hidden presents within the branches, some hard to find....but we managed!  Leaning against one wall would be bags of Oranges and Apples. Sometimes, our Grandpa Hunter would send us a large toe sack full of English Walnuts from the farm he worked on in California. It would be leaning up against the wall, ready to sample!  

Mom and Dad slept in their bed in the other corner in the living room. We would carefully make enough noise in our mostly uncontrollable excitement to wake them up and tell them that Santa Claus had come!  (As if they didn't know). We always checked to see if Santa had found the cookies and milk we left for On the table for him. Those Christmas years that we had completely forgotten to leave cookies and milk for him were the saddest times of all. We just KNEW that we were causing Santa Claus to starve!

What was my favorite ever Christmas present??  The Red Ryder Daisy BB gun, of course!!  

...by Mike Thomas

PLEASANT VIEW SCHOOL

I loved Pleasant View School. 

During my first 12-1/2 years of life many fond events will forever be burned into my memories. The many adventures on our old farm in Northwest Arkansas lie far behind me, only memories remain. 

My older brother, Arnold, used to be sweet on this little gal named Betty Cagle.  I must say that she was soft as cotton and very nice.  She used to pass me love notes to take home to him. It happened a lot, but I didn't mind cause she would grab me and give me a big hug (for being the mailman I guess). 

My 5-6 grade teacher, Mrs Jenkins, was a shirt-tail cousin, although I didn't know it at the time. I'm sure she knew. I got straight "A's" in her class. I guess I was pretty smart back then.  

I was sweet on Sharon Lancaster.  although she never knew it. I was way too shy for that to become known. I also liked Patricia Moon. She was fun to be around.  She was very nice...and smart. I remember on one occasion when Karl Thorpe was chosen to be her escort at some event,  I wished that it had been me escorting her!  Sherry Maye. was nice. I liked her a lot, too. I doubt if she ever took notice of me.  I won't even mention Wilma and Judy.  I guess I just liked the girls!  It helped that our school had so many nice ones!

I remember staying all night with Clifton Medlock one time. We thought we would have an evening of free time to do as we wished. I think we were going to go fishing.  Next I knew, Clifton's dad had him working in the field!  So much for fishing!

I stayed overnight with my friend David  one time, too.  Breakfast came early at the Harrison's.  Mrs Harrison had the largest spread of food I had ever seen!  And  it wasn't even daylight yet!  I couldn't believe it!  There were a bunch of us to feed. They must have had a big family!  She made scrambled, boiled and fried eggs. There was bacon, sausage and ham. We had several large plates of home-made biscuits; 3 kinds of gravy and I can't even remember it all!  I just knew I'd never seen that much food in somebody's home, ever!

We loved playing marbles and throwing our Barlow  knives playing Mumbly Peg and Spread Out. You won't see stuff like that in school today!  It's not politically correct, proper nor safe. In fact, a kid can be expelled from school indefinitely for even having s knife at school. And I can't even talk about guns!

Reminds me of the POGO cartoon comic strip where he comes up and reports, "We has seen the enemy, and they is us!"

I never felt like I was close friends with some of the cooler guys.  Lee Powell, Dub Tilly and Don Trotter had their own little clique and I was never part of their group. But I did like them and we got along okay. 

Grade school was fun, though. We had sports to play, mostly baseball and basketball. I was never any good at the games but I liked playing. I was usually chosen last. That speaks for itself!

It was fun riding the school bus. It would always turn around at our house so we had plenty of time to run out and catch it. 

We were still a long way from school one day when fire started coming up around the gas pedal.   The driver grabbed a Goldfish bowl from one of the kids bringing some Goldfish to school, for show and tell I guess. He poured some of it around where the pedal rod goes through the floor and got it put out. We still unloaded the bus and started walking. Didn't have cell phones in those days. So we had a long walk. The Goldfish saved the day and didn't even know it!

Paul  Millsap was my best friend because he lived the closest to me there at White Rock, only about a mile away. We always played together in the summertime. Our family moved away to Kansas after I finished 8th grade and life as I knew it ceased to exist. 

I wonder what ever happened to all of them?  I hated having to move away. I will always think of those days and my Arkansas friends with fond memories and longing....and, occasionally, just to remember, the good old days. 

Mike Thomas

COLORADO

COLORADO

HEADING HOME! We drove away from Branson, MO early Tuesday morning and headed West. We spent the night in Colby. KS. It was 21 degrees this morning when we headed for Colorado Springs.

Flat Stanley wanted to visit the headquarters of FOCUS ON THE FAMILY. There was still snow on the ground but the temperature had warmed to 42 degrees and felt much better than the early morning chill I had while filling my gas tank in Colby, Kansas!

We took a brief self-guided tour of the Bookstore building. It is a very intriguing place for kids. The Adventures in Odyssey exhibit is awesome! This would be a great place to bring the kids. The little ones we saw there were having the time of their lives! A kid could spend hours in there having fun!

Following lunch we headed out to GARDEN OF THE GODS, a City Park on the edge of town. It's a beautiful area of interesting red rock formations created eons ago and slowly, through an erosion process, created the awesome formations we see today. The park is used by joggers, hikers and horse-back riders. The one-way road allows self guided car tours with turn-outs, viewpoints and photo ops. I give it two thumbs up!

We decided to try to get past Denver before the heart of rush hour began. But much like Portland, I think rush hour started around 1:30 PM! It was stop and go occasionally but not as bad as could have been a couple of hours later! The 3 or 4 car pile up on the Expressway at exit 181 blocked traffic for a while, until the wreckers showed up and the PoPo's redirected traffic off the freeway and merged them back on at the 181 entrance on the other side. I needed to get off and refuel anyway.

This evening we stopped in Fort Collins, CO for the night. We had dinner at Famous Dave's before coming back to the Hilton. Tomorrow we head on towards Wyoming, Utah, and Idaho. We have been most fortunate that bad weather has been ahead of us or behind us this entire trip!

God is good!

MULBERRY, ARKANSAS

Mulberry, Arkansas
1940 - 2012

When I was a kid coming to Town with my Dad to sell or trade produce, or maybe get a store bought haircut at Gene and Shorty's Barber Shop, the town of Mulberry, Arkansas seemed like a busy city to a small country boy of 5 or 6. I can't recall parking being a problem but it was much busier than our 360-acre farm about 20 miles away.

The street scene changed a little over the years. There were few changes to storefronts but the parked cars slowly became more early 50's than the 1940's vintage seen in the photograph. Many, like Dad's, were old pickup's with cattle racks on the back. I remember the big store on the right side of the unmarked street was a Five and Dime. We never had a dime but that didn't stop us from going inside and looking at all the neat toys and stuff!

The building on the left side was our Bank, though I doubt Dad and Mom ever had much in it! We always enjoyed seeing the Cowboy roam the street, when we came to town. Seems like he was always there walking in and out of every store, greeting employees and customers like they were old friends. He was dressed up like Roy Rogers; a white Stetson hat on his head, button up long sleeved western shirt with a bandana tied around his neck, jeans and flashy cowboy boots with Spurs on the heels. To complete the Cowboy look he wore a kid's Gun and Holster outfit with twin Six-Shooters and fake bullets attached to the belt, ready to be used if make-believe bandits came to town. He might have worn a Sheriff's star; I can't be sure. But he was, in his own mind, a town hero who looked out for others and kept the peace.

I don't know how old he was. As a little kid during those days, I "looked up" at most everyone, but he was a man, probably around 25 or 30 years old, in a physical sense. But mentally he was still a kid who played "Cowboys and Indians" like we did.

Today, 2012, about 65 years later, the streets of Mulberry are virtually vacant. To snap this street scene, I stand in the middle of the street, inside the unmarked "Round-a-bout" people once used to be able to turn around in, to park on the other side of the street. Stores have closed and deteriorated. Gene and Shorty have passed on and the Barber Shop has closed. The Cowboy is gone; only his image and memory remains in the minds of those who met him.

As I reflect upon all of this, it amazes me how quickly a city can turn from booming to bombing. Although more people now live in Mulberry than ever before, the stores remain vacant. With the building of Interstate Highway 40, people can live farther away from work, yet still be only a short time away from shopping and jobs in other cities.

.....just noticing how things change and remembering,
The Good 'Ol Days.

Retirement

CLOSING IN ON RETIREMENT

Having turned 65 already, I have been considering retirement. 
Although I will miss my routine of getting up early and going to work, I believe I will quickly set that aside and focus on the next level of my life.

I am making plans to retire in 4 weeks.  At that time I will undertake several things I have been putting off too long.  I have computer work I wish to "polish" by sorting pictures, writing documents and organizing my files.  I have plans to do some long needed work around the house.  Things have been neglected and need to be spruced up a bit; both inside and out!  My garage is a mess!  I will be hauling away un-needed  junk that I thought I needed at the time I acquired it.  I have some things to sell; others to give away. 

I have volunteer work I want to do.  I have a Great GrandDaughter I want to spend time with and get better acquainted; perhaps a couple of Great GrandSons, too; time permitting.

I have much hiking to do to get my body in shape for a month long backpacking trip in the Northern Cascades along the Pacific Crest Trail in August.  I have to plan the trip to mesh with the Wilderness Trek for our Metro Teens.  My August trip will be awesome!  I hope to be able to do about 100 miles along the PCT, including side trips, taking hundreds of photographs and soaking in amazing scenery!  This is important to me as I may be nearly blind in a few years from Macular Degeneration.  It's uncertain as to how long I will have my vision, but as long as I have it, I want to use it as much as I can.  What better place than the Mountains of northern Washington?

I suppose there are uncertainties in life; we cannot always prepare for what may come.  I believe we must do what we can, however, to experience what we can in the time God allocated for us.  I appreciate the health I do have.  I hate the thought of growing old and feeble and ending up in a Nursing Home unable to care for myself.  The though of that does not appeal to me at all.

But for now, I am excited to be working my final month before retirement. 

Goat Rocks in July

This was my first backpacking trip this year.  Brian and I took Bob and his son, Zach, to the Goat Rocks Wilderness for the weekend.  Had a great trip.  The snow was much higher than we anticipated but we had no trouble finding our destination, as I had camped there several years now.  The trip honed my back country (trail-less) experience.  We followed map and compass for this trip.  The night was VERY COLD!  We had a nice campsite and a warm fire with plenty of dried wood.

I've always wanted to see Goat Rocks in the Winter.  I guess this is the next best thing.  The winter terrain would have 12 feet of soft snow on it.  At least this way we can walk on top of the snow without sinking in!  To me, this day was a highlight in my entire backpacking experience!

Enjoy the pictures.

Mosquitoes .... had to bundle up!

The bridge over Goat Creek

Skunk Cabbage in bloom.

We had a bunch of these to cross!

Solid snow on the trail in about 1/2 mile from the bridge.

I had chains for my boots!  Very handy!!

After 4 miles we found the Lily Basin trail marker at Snowgrass.

Zach & Bob clowning around in the deep snow.

We found a clear spot on a bluff where we made camp.

My new Rainshadow II tent.

Nice campfire ring by Bob's tent but lots of snow close by.

It was a warm fire on a cold day.

We melted snow for drinking water.

I cooked up a nice, big skillet of Fajitas.

My steak fajitas were a big hit!

Early morning campfire with plenty of dry wood!

Yes....I was sitting there warming my feet!

A view of Hawkeye Point off to my left.

Looking uphill towards the Old Snowy ridge.

Finally able to tighten up my tent after the nights wind and rain.

Hiked up to the PCT near Old Snowy.  Looking at Mt Adams

We camped in those trees once upon a time.

Standing on top of 6 to 8 feet of snow up here!

Brian looking over at Ives Peak.

......towards Cispus Pass.

Zach looking over towards Goat Lake under snow.

We camped on that ridge last year.

Hawkeye Point above Goat Lake where we hiked last year.

Ives Peak

South towards Mt. Adams.

Mt Adams view.

Mt St. Helens behind the trees.

Brian enjoying the day.  So was I.

I always wanted to see The Goat Rocks in Winter.

Can you believe it's JULY??

We had a great day today!

Mt Adams was majestic!

We did a lot of cross country hiking today.

Who knows where the trail is anyway??

Heading home after cross country backpacking on mostly snowfields.