Tired Dude!

The Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson features 80,000 acres of outdoor airplanes and 5 hangars of indoor gems complete with history, video and “try me out” sit in styles. Rip loves airplanes! Today I became a convert! We took the hour long tram tour of the property and it was fascinating. The tour guide showed us amphibians, decoys, helicopters, Presidential aircraft (we got to tour the one used by Johnston and Kennedy) and pointed out where the location of cameras, radar, skis in some cases and some with pointy rears for refueling! We saw a helicopter used for cargo called, “Tired Dude”!! He spoke a whole new language and it was so informative. He explained why some models were retired or improved and the growth of technology to address glitches. A few times he lost me with the lingo. I thought to myself, perhaps this is how folks feel when they come to church for the first time or the first time in a long time. Hmmm. Food for thought.

I sent Rip off on the 1 hour bus tour of the “boneyard” (they call it the “rejeneration yard” in fact – interesting sermon or funeral homily in those words perhaps!). I have spent more than enough time in cemeteries thank you very much! So I found a cold water, my good relax book (The Diving Board and Butterfly) and a cool spot to sit. Just before Rip left on the boneyard tour, the battery on the camera died (fitting timing!). He got out our old model (the one baptized in the Saugeen River last summer on our canoe trip – another story!). While he was away I purchased a CD of photos of the wondrous specimens he was admiring just in case!!! It’s a surprise for later by the way – shhhh.

My favourite plane was a small white and blue Beech purchased by an American, Marion Rice Hart, at age 73! She retro-fitted to a larger fuel tank and drove the plane many times to Europe – solo! You go girl! She must have been one tired dude too! In her mid-80’s she decided to retire from flying and donated it to the Museum.

The day was full and by afternoon the temperature reached “triple digits” – for some reason here they use that term rather than 100F –maybe it sounds cooler! Off we went to Mount Lemmon and climbed the curvy mountain road 24 miles to the top (9,158 feet). It was 30 degrees cooler and we were told that the snow only left last week! It was lovely. Pictures will never do it justice. We watched the vegetation change from desert cacti and cottonwood trees, to deciduous trees and then to coniferous. Wow.

Eventually, down the mountain we came, all of us, including our Westy, - we were all three of us some tired dudes!