    
Phil Doubleman
Senior Member
Username: Phil
Post Number: 1460
Registered: 08-2005
Posted From: 68.35.71.161
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - 01:47 am: | |
Re, “No one else at the BFB reunion must of had a Space-A experience, or they aren't back yet!!”
Sorry, Jeff, for not giving a report sooner. I just thought that the trip was so routine as to be boring to readers who have seen the BFB reports before.
Here goes:
Fifty five days (Air Force Bases) and forty days (Navy Bases) prior to our anticipated arrival at what ever base we intended to use, I signed up using Rob G’s “Take-A-Hop.org”. I signed up at most West coast bases with a history of going to Hawaii. I use 55 and 40 days because, if I don’t get out in 5 days, I go home or tour the area from where we failed to fly. I always print out the confirmation emails for proof that I actually did it. Make sure that your computer prints the date and time of the email.
I then waited for about 10 to 14 days and signed up at the bases from where I intended to return (Kaneohe and Hickam). If I stayed the entire period that I waited, my sign up would be about 55 and 40 days again. The shorter the stay… the lesser the sign up.
As time got closer to my anticipated 55 and 40 day sign up, we determined that our best bet was going to be Travis. North Island wasn’t showing any flights until the 28th (the one from Ft. Worth). We had not signed up at Ft. Worth (didn’t want to go East to get West this time). Besides, we wanted our car on the West coast for the return trip. We were going to spend time around San Diego or San Francisco if we didn’t get out or during the return trip if we did. The touring was our “Plan B”. We got out so I’ll talk about the return touring later.
We left Las Cruces at 0600 on Friday, the 22nd of January (driving). We were going to start trying for flights on Monday, the 25th from Travis. I had made reservations at Los Angeles Air Force Base’s Ft. McArthur lodging facility in San Pedro (just south of LA) for the first night and at a motel in Dixon for the next two nights. There is usually, and was, no room at the lodging on Travis during reserve weekends. In San Pedro, we ate dinner at a Chinese restaurant just down the street from the entrance to Ft. McArthur (turn right out the gate & go through the light).
Upon arrival at Travis (early afternoon Saturday), we learned of a couple of flights to Hickam on Sunday morning. So we cancelled our second night at the motel and went to the terminal early Sunday morning.
Sandi and I made the first flight roll call (last two seats) but we declined. We had two friends with us who had never been on a Space A trip before. No room for us four… we don’t go. Fortunately, there was going to be 10 seats on the next flight (couple of hours later) and we were going to be 1 through 4 of the 10. This flight was a KC-135 configured for med-evac so it had passenger seats for ambulatory patients. Nice ride. It was a training flight so no patients were aboard.
I had a car reserved at Hertz in the terminal on Hickam. When I walked in, they were showing a sign that said if you had no reservation, they had no cars. Lucky for us. Not really, we always make reservations. We got the car and headed for Kaneohe. Hickam still had no room at lodging. Because we were a day early, we had to stay at the Cabanas on Kaneohe (see my lodging post) for one night. We had a reservation at the 5 Palms for a week starting on Monday (see my post in Lodging about the 5 Palms). We were up early on Monday but relaxed most of the morning over coffee and breakfast, near the beach, while waiting to check in to the 5 Palms.
All week we visited Oahu in our rented car (700 miles) and went to the BFB on Wednesday & Thursday nights. We had a great time visiting with new and old friends alike. Great conversation… terrible drink prices at the BFB. We neglected going to the BFB on Friday because we were getting up early Saturday for an anticipated early Saturday morning flight from Hickam to Travis.
We had one more day at the 5 Palms so we let the desk know that we were going to try for the flight but would like to come back if we don’t get out. They said that we should put the keys in an envelope and they would hold the room until noon. Well we didn’t get on the flight so we stayed one more day.
We got out the next day (Sunday). It was a C-5 that took about 25 pax. It was the first time that I haven’t had a row of seats to myself on a C-5 (too many pax). The roll call was early but it had a maintenance problem and was delayed for a few hours. Because of the early roll call, some Cat III’s who wanted to go were late showing up (after roll call). Because of the maintenance problem delay, they were allowed on the manifest after the Cat VI’s. The maintenance problem (something to do with lights and passenger safety that they couldn’t fix) some passengers had to be removed from the manifest. Some of those left behind were the late arriving Cat III’s. Hertz still had the “no cars without a reservation” sign up, so I asked if she could hold my keys until we had wheels up. She agreed. She did give me a receipt just in case I had no time to come back before we boarded.
Excellent flight. Very comfortable in back by the toilets (normally hot). We arrived late at Travis and caught a ride to long term parking. I got the car and we went to lodging where I had a three day reservation (see my Travis lodging post).
We spent the three days running around the Napa wine country, San Francisco, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Golden Gate Bridge and visiting a rebuilt San Francisco Cold War Defense Nike Hercules Missile Site on the Marin Headlands. I was a Nike Hercules Missile Maintenance Technician in the Army. The site sure brought back nice old memories and I had a great time giving the tour guide a tour. We had a great post BFB time.
We left early Thursday morning for the drive back to Las Cruces. We decided to drive as far as we could and bed down wherever we were when we got tired on the first day. We got to Palm Springs and had a blowout on the right front tire. By the time we got it fixed, it was time to quit for the night.
We drove on home the next day.
Carl and Gail, our friends, had a great time and are now hooked on Space A travel. I guess that was the danger of having an excellent first trip. We wish them well and hope that their next trip doesn’t discourage their enthusiasm. |
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