TRAVELIN' TUESDAY

It was July of 1969, right before they faked the first manned landing on the moon.

I was 19 and had never been anywhere except the country. Southeast Missouri, where my grandpa's farm was located.

I take that back, I did go on a trip to South Bend, Indiana to visit Joe Heklinski and family. (I'm not sure if that's how Heklinski is spelled, but that's how it sounded phonetically)

Joe was a guy who mom and dad befriended in St. Louis, who lived at our housing projects and was going to dentist school with his twin brother.

Mom would make meals for them and dad would help them where he could, and they never forgot the kindness that was shown to them.

Where was I? Oh, yeah, South Bend! 

We went there when I was a little kid, but I barely remember anything. I know I was there, because my mom had pictures of me at the Helinski home.

Back to me at 19! 

Here I was, sitting at Lambert Airport to take my very first airplane trip! 

It was so exciting! 

Now, I had been to Lambert Airport many times, to goof off, play, and irritate the unsuspecting pre-passengers.

Our house was within walking distance from Lambert, and we would walk over there and watch all the cool rich people in their cool rich people clothes, and meander anywhere we wanted to go, except out on the runways.

No security, no cameras watching us, no scanners, no terrorists lurking about...back when America was FREE, and not scared of it's own shadow, like today.

If you have ever seen Lambert  Airport, you know it is very glass looking, but definitely NOT geodesic dome-like in it's appearance, but there is a true geodesic dome at the Climatron at St. Louis Botanical Gardens, but who really gives a flying frick about cock-a-doodie geodesic domes anyway!

My point is, it was very modern, space age looking for that time, and the tube like thing that we walked through to board the plane was like something an astronaut might walk through, and it very much reminded me of a scene from 2001 A Space Odyssey, even though the movie didn't exist yet.

I absolutely loved the take off and steep climb to the heavens, the beautiful, nice stewardesses, and little bitty dinner, but the actual flying part was boring. 

We were heading for Seattle, Washington and made a stop in Lincoln, Nebraska, for some reason, but did not get to see Lincoln, Nebraska because we weren't allowed off the plane.

Who cares about cock-a-doodie Lincoln, Nebraska anyway!

The landing in Seattle was also very cool, and after a bus trip through some breathtakingly beautiful scenery, we reached our destination of Ft. Lewis Army base, during the height of the Viet Nam war, for basic training.