| Read about some of our 2011 Caravans |
2011 Alaskan Caravan
June 12 - August 21
June 12 - August 21
| 2011 Music Cities Caravan August 29 - September 16 |
| 2011 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta (AIBF) Caravan September 29 - October 9 |
| S*M*A*R*T Special Military Active Retired Travel Club |
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| Group that went on the Southwest Caravan May 2011 Click on the picture to read about their adventures. |
| As the writer of several journals for SMART Caravans, a number of people have asked me how I do them. If it is of interest to you, click here to read the article that describes my methods. Doug Blaha |
| Why we enjoy RVing!! John Wheeler |
I am so glad we signed up for The North to Alaska Caravan! Now at the end, I think of all that would have been
missed. We now have memories for a lifetime. We tried to capture the beauty which is so unique to British
Columbia and Alaska in pictures but they just don’t do it justice. I kept my journal which will certainly help in years
to come to relive every day.
Can I say we “were blessed” one more time? This is a comment I heard all summer. Blessed with fabulous Wagon
Masters Doug & Connie Harrell and Tail Gunners and Carl & Elaine Hallada who researched everything that was
educational, historical and just plain fun! We began in Montana, driving through the Canadian Rockies and the
National parks over the Ice fields Hwy moving toward the Alaska Hwy. Next, four weeks in Alaska from way up
north, and into Denali National Park for 60 miles by bus and then we river rafted!! After that, on to the Kenai
Peninsula for sightseeing, fishing and boating. I now have seen and heard an iceberg hissing. Unbelievable!
Eleven of us fished and now the halibut is stuffed in our freezers. We kept saying we want to cook some but our
WM had different ideas: dinner shows, potlucks, meals made by the WM and TG, the Follies in the Yukon, boat
rides and salmon bakes. This group of people loved to eat!
Those who had been on previous S.M.A.R.T. caravans remarked they had never been on a trip so well thought out
and a group of people so flexible, thoughtful, and volunteered whenever help was needed. I truly believe serving in
the American military is the tie that binds us.
Did I say we spent time in Valdez?!! Glaciers were to be found all around us. We watched salmon in a frenzy trying
to get up the creek and also to the hatchery where they were hatched. Then we all watched the eagles, seagulls
and bears eat salmon from the creek and the bay’s edge at Valdez. Traveling through BC and into AK at Hyder
was an animal encounter that finished my wildlife search: We watched from an elevated boardwalk, a Mama grizzly
and her cub thrashing through Fish Creek eating the poor salmon trying to lay eggs in the shallow creek.
Awesome!!
British Columbia and Alaska did not disappoint with their forests and mountain ranges so beautiful they leave you
speechless. The opportunities we were given by the itinerary on this Caravan, and scenery like this can only be
experienced in person. Again, I am so happy that we signed up for this adventure of a lifetime and have already
signed up for another!
Kathy Steinbauer #13249
Buccaneers
Plantation, Florida
missed. We now have memories for a lifetime. We tried to capture the beauty which is so unique to British
Columbia and Alaska in pictures but they just don’t do it justice. I kept my journal which will certainly help in years
to come to relive every day.
Can I say we “were blessed” one more time? This is a comment I heard all summer. Blessed with fabulous Wagon
Masters Doug & Connie Harrell and Tail Gunners and Carl & Elaine Hallada who researched everything that was
educational, historical and just plain fun! We began in Montana, driving through the Canadian Rockies and the
National parks over the Ice fields Hwy moving toward the Alaska Hwy. Next, four weeks in Alaska from way up
north, and into Denali National Park for 60 miles by bus and then we river rafted!! After that, on to the Kenai
Peninsula for sightseeing, fishing and boating. I now have seen and heard an iceberg hissing. Unbelievable!
Eleven of us fished and now the halibut is stuffed in our freezers. We kept saying we want to cook some but our
WM had different ideas: dinner shows, potlucks, meals made by the WM and TG, the Follies in the Yukon, boat
rides and salmon bakes. This group of people loved to eat!
Those who had been on previous S.M.A.R.T. caravans remarked they had never been on a trip so well thought out
and a group of people so flexible, thoughtful, and volunteered whenever help was needed. I truly believe serving in
the American military is the tie that binds us.
Did I say we spent time in Valdez?!! Glaciers were to be found all around us. We watched salmon in a frenzy trying
to get up the creek and also to the hatchery where they were hatched. Then we all watched the eagles, seagulls
and bears eat salmon from the creek and the bay’s edge at Valdez. Traveling through BC and into AK at Hyder
was an animal encounter that finished my wildlife search: We watched from an elevated boardwalk, a Mama grizzly
and her cub thrashing through Fish Creek eating the poor salmon trying to lay eggs in the shallow creek.
Awesome!!
British Columbia and Alaska did not disappoint with their forests and mountain ranges so beautiful they leave you
speechless. The opportunities we were given by the itinerary on this Caravan, and scenery like this can only be
experienced in person. Again, I am so happy that we signed up for this adventure of a lifetime and have already
signed up for another!
Kathy Steinbauer #13249
Buccaneers
Plantation, Florida
Many of us left the SMART National in Shawnee, OK and headed W. to Kirkland Air Force Base in Albuquerque. It
wasn't long before all 22 rigs arrived. Our welcome dinner was at the Kirkland golf course clubhouse where we all
introduced ourselves and received our caravan briefing.
We all enjoyed the Albuquerque museum and a guided tour of Old Town. Early in 1880 the railway was routed
about one and a half miles east of the town plaza. A “New Albuquerque” began to spring up by the tracks - hence
the name “Old Town”.
Boarding the MWR buses at 5:15 a.m. was a little hard, but we all made it and departed to the Balloon Fiesta
grounds. The Dawn Patrol Show is a choreographed display of color in motion. Dawn Patrol balloons participate in
a pre dawn show that also helps pilots determine winds aloft conditions. Opening ceremonies were at 6:45 a.m.
then came the Mass Ascension, hundreds of balloons were launched from the park in two waves and this took
approx. 2 hours. The dazzling barrage of colors filling the sky was overwhelming. 586 balloons from all over the
world, were participating in this 40th anniversary event. The museum of Nuclear Science was our afternoon tour,
then we headed back to prepare for our evening pot luck supper.
The tour of the Balloon museum was very interesting, the new Centennial Exhibit Celebrating 100 years of flight in
New Mexico, a Century of Flying High: Science, Space and Sport. While we were there Jim Fordice, a retired
balloon pilot talked to us about ballooning.
We boarded the MWR buses for Acoma Pueblo - Sky City Cultural Center. Our guided tour of the ancient pueblo
village atop a 367 foot sandstone bluff in a valley studded with sacred, towering monoliths. Acoma Pueblo has
earned the reputation as the oldest continuously inhabited in North America. The mesa top settlement is known for
its unique art and rich culture. Absolutely no photography inside the church and within the cemetery courtyard was
allowed. The burial ground consists of four layers of internment which has an elevation of forty feet.
Our Santa Fe tour began at the New Mexico National Guard and Bataan Memorial Museum. On April 9th, 1942 the
Allied military forces stationed on the Philippine Islands were surrendered to the Japanese Army by their leaders.
Members of New Mexico’s National Guard 200th Coast Artillery (Anti Aircraft) and its wartime siblings, the 515th
Coast Artillery (Anti Aircraft) were some of the thousands of Allied personnel which endured the infamous Bataan
Death March.
Then on to Loretta Chapel. The 131 year old chapel is known for its “miraculous staircase”, a spiral stairway built
by a mysterious carpenter, with two 360 degree turns and no nails or screws (wooden pegs only) for support.
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi was built between 1869-1887. Under the direction of Santa Fe’s first
Roman Catholic bishop, Jean-Baptiste Lamy, of France. A mix a adobe, French Romanesque, and modern
architectural styles, the Cathedral combines incredible stained glass from France with stone from Lamy, south of
Santa Fe. Bishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy is buried in the crypt below the Cathedral Sanctuary.
Santa Fe’s downtown square “The Plaza” is a shopping mecca. Along with the shops and restaurants, local Navajo
artists sell their handmade pottery and jewelry from the sidewalk.
Our guide at the Capital building was very informative. The State flag is the Zia flag. New Mexico’s distinctive Zia
symbol is closely associated with the Land of Enchantment. It represents a circular sun with linear rays extending in
four directions. To the Zia people four is a significant number. It is embodied in the 4 directions of the earth, the 4
seasons of the year , the four times of the day: sunrise, noon, evening and night, and in life’s 4 divisions:
childhood, youth, adulthood and old age. Bound together in a circle of life, without beginning, without end. The
abundance of art work and pottery by New Mexicans was outstanding.
We left Kirkland AFB and moved into the Balloon Fiesta RV parking area. This was a good place to be, you could
get on a bus at anytime and ride across the road to the Balloon grounds, or you could sit by your rigs and watch
the balloons flying over, or best yet, sit in your rig and watch the nightly fireworks.
Another one of the highlights of the caravan was our visit to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Our wagon master
and mistress, John & Arlene Farrell had arranged for one of the WW11 Navajo Code Talkers, Bill Toledo - 3rd
Marine Division 1942-1945, to talk to us about his tour of duty. He wore with pride, the Navajo Code Talker’s
uniform, a turquoise colored cap, a gold Navajo shirt, khaki pants, black shiny shoes, a turquoise necklace, and
ribbons of his battle engagements.
PFC Toledo told us his story, from losing his parents at a very young age and being raised by his Grandparents.
Joining the Marine Corps, primarily to be a code talker, going to boot camp and being shipped out to the South
Pacific for the invasion of Guadalcanal, Guam, Peleliu, and Bougainville. He was one of the code talkers who
participated in the invasion of Iwo Jima. He was proud to tell us that The Marines landed on the island of Iwo Jima at
2 a.m. on February 19, 1945.
The Navajo language was used very successfully as a secret code during WW11, in the South Pacific where four
hundred Navajo Marines were on active duty in the battles with the Japanese forces. They were responsible for
many victories during the war, as Japanese cryptographers could not break their “code”.
PFC Toledo then signed our books, Warriors Navajo Code Talkers, and Code Talker, that we had purchased there
at the IPCC. He then posed for pictures with 4 of our group, 2 Navy Corpsmen, Don Beard, & Dale Hertzfeld, 2
Marines, Christian Eck & Rick McGuire.
The initial recommendation was to recruit 200 Navajo Indians into The Marine Corp. They would be called “Code
Talkers”, but the commandant of The Marine Corp limited the initial number of recruits to 30 (the actual number was
29). In the lobby of the IPCC, PFC Chester Nez was sitting with Judith Schiess Avila, they were autographing the
book “Code Talker”, the first and only memoir by one of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers of WW11, written by
Judith Schiess Avila. PFC Nez is the last surviving Navajo of the original 29 “Code Talkers“.
Taking the bus to the balloon events was handy. Mornings: for the Dawn Patrol, Mass Ascension including Flight of
the Nations Mass Ascension, and Special Shape Rodeo. Evenings: for the Twilight Twinkle Glow, Balloon Glow,
Special Shape Glowdeo, Night Magic Glow, and the Fireworks Show.
Being on this caravan, making new friends, seeing all of these balloons and learning the history of the area, was
truly a wonderful experience.
To John & Arlene Farrell
THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES!
May Jones # 8171
wasn't long before all 22 rigs arrived. Our welcome dinner was at the Kirkland golf course clubhouse where we all
introduced ourselves and received our caravan briefing.
We all enjoyed the Albuquerque museum and a guided tour of Old Town. Early in 1880 the railway was routed
about one and a half miles east of the town plaza. A “New Albuquerque” began to spring up by the tracks - hence
the name “Old Town”.
Boarding the MWR buses at 5:15 a.m. was a little hard, but we all made it and departed to the Balloon Fiesta
grounds. The Dawn Patrol Show is a choreographed display of color in motion. Dawn Patrol balloons participate in
a pre dawn show that also helps pilots determine winds aloft conditions. Opening ceremonies were at 6:45 a.m.
then came the Mass Ascension, hundreds of balloons were launched from the park in two waves and this took
approx. 2 hours. The dazzling barrage of colors filling the sky was overwhelming. 586 balloons from all over the
world, were participating in this 40th anniversary event. The museum of Nuclear Science was our afternoon tour,
then we headed back to prepare for our evening pot luck supper.
The tour of the Balloon museum was very interesting, the new Centennial Exhibit Celebrating 100 years of flight in
New Mexico, a Century of Flying High: Science, Space and Sport. While we were there Jim Fordice, a retired
balloon pilot talked to us about ballooning.
We boarded the MWR buses for Acoma Pueblo - Sky City Cultural Center. Our guided tour of the ancient pueblo
village atop a 367 foot sandstone bluff in a valley studded with sacred, towering monoliths. Acoma Pueblo has
earned the reputation as the oldest continuously inhabited in North America. The mesa top settlement is known for
its unique art and rich culture. Absolutely no photography inside the church and within the cemetery courtyard was
allowed. The burial ground consists of four layers of internment which has an elevation of forty feet.
Our Santa Fe tour began at the New Mexico National Guard and Bataan Memorial Museum. On April 9th, 1942 the
Allied military forces stationed on the Philippine Islands were surrendered to the Japanese Army by their leaders.
Members of New Mexico’s National Guard 200th Coast Artillery (Anti Aircraft) and its wartime siblings, the 515th
Coast Artillery (Anti Aircraft) were some of the thousands of Allied personnel which endured the infamous Bataan
Death March.
Then on to Loretta Chapel. The 131 year old chapel is known for its “miraculous staircase”, a spiral stairway built
by a mysterious carpenter, with two 360 degree turns and no nails or screws (wooden pegs only) for support.
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi was built between 1869-1887. Under the direction of Santa Fe’s first
Roman Catholic bishop, Jean-Baptiste Lamy, of France. A mix a adobe, French Romanesque, and modern
architectural styles, the Cathedral combines incredible stained glass from France with stone from Lamy, south of
Santa Fe. Bishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy is buried in the crypt below the Cathedral Sanctuary.
Santa Fe’s downtown square “The Plaza” is a shopping mecca. Along with the shops and restaurants, local Navajo
artists sell their handmade pottery and jewelry from the sidewalk.
Our guide at the Capital building was very informative. The State flag is the Zia flag. New Mexico’s distinctive Zia
symbol is closely associated with the Land of Enchantment. It represents a circular sun with linear rays extending in
four directions. To the Zia people four is a significant number. It is embodied in the 4 directions of the earth, the 4
seasons of the year , the four times of the day: sunrise, noon, evening and night, and in life’s 4 divisions:
childhood, youth, adulthood and old age. Bound together in a circle of life, without beginning, without end. The
abundance of art work and pottery by New Mexicans was outstanding.
We left Kirkland AFB and moved into the Balloon Fiesta RV parking area. This was a good place to be, you could
get on a bus at anytime and ride across the road to the Balloon grounds, or you could sit by your rigs and watch
the balloons flying over, or best yet, sit in your rig and watch the nightly fireworks.
Another one of the highlights of the caravan was our visit to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Our wagon master
and mistress, John & Arlene Farrell had arranged for one of the WW11 Navajo Code Talkers, Bill Toledo - 3rd
Marine Division 1942-1945, to talk to us about his tour of duty. He wore with pride, the Navajo Code Talker’s
uniform, a turquoise colored cap, a gold Navajo shirt, khaki pants, black shiny shoes, a turquoise necklace, and
ribbons of his battle engagements.
PFC Toledo told us his story, from losing his parents at a very young age and being raised by his Grandparents.
Joining the Marine Corps, primarily to be a code talker, going to boot camp and being shipped out to the South
Pacific for the invasion of Guadalcanal, Guam, Peleliu, and Bougainville. He was one of the code talkers who
participated in the invasion of Iwo Jima. He was proud to tell us that The Marines landed on the island of Iwo Jima at
2 a.m. on February 19, 1945.
The Navajo language was used very successfully as a secret code during WW11, in the South Pacific where four
hundred Navajo Marines were on active duty in the battles with the Japanese forces. They were responsible for
many victories during the war, as Japanese cryptographers could not break their “code”.
PFC Toledo then signed our books, Warriors Navajo Code Talkers, and Code Talker, that we had purchased there
at the IPCC. He then posed for pictures with 4 of our group, 2 Navy Corpsmen, Don Beard, & Dale Hertzfeld, 2
Marines, Christian Eck & Rick McGuire.
The initial recommendation was to recruit 200 Navajo Indians into The Marine Corp. They would be called “Code
Talkers”, but the commandant of The Marine Corp limited the initial number of recruits to 30 (the actual number was
29). In the lobby of the IPCC, PFC Chester Nez was sitting with Judith Schiess Avila, they were autographing the
book “Code Talker”, the first and only memoir by one of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers of WW11, written by
Judith Schiess Avila. PFC Nez is the last surviving Navajo of the original 29 “Code Talkers“.
Taking the bus to the balloon events was handy. Mornings: for the Dawn Patrol, Mass Ascension including Flight of
the Nations Mass Ascension, and Special Shape Rodeo. Evenings: for the Twilight Twinkle Glow, Balloon Glow,
Special Shape Glowdeo, Night Magic Glow, and the Fireworks Show.
Being on this caravan, making new friends, seeing all of these balloons and learning the history of the area, was
truly a wonderful experience.
To John & Arlene Farrell
THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES!
May Jones # 8171
Click on the AIBF pictures to
view a larger image of each.
view a larger image of each.