In December I went on leave to spend the holidays with my family. By 1970, the Air Force was allowing those of us at remote stations to take our annual thirty-day leave. I was fortunate to be able to afford the cost of flying back to St. Louis. So, I jumped at the chance to spend time with my one-year-old daughter and her mother. I flew the 600 miles to Anchorage, then to Seattle, and then to St. Louis. Even though I had not worn it since arriving at Cold Bay, I was glad I had my class A uniform to wear on the flights home. I assume it was because of the ongoing Viet Nam war that we were required to do so on commercial flights.
My wife met me at the terminal of the airport in St. Louis, and I immediately went to the nearest restroom to change into more comfortable clothes. We still had a long car ride to my hometown. Now the fun started. Unexpectedly, I was uncomfortable with all of the hustle and bustle and traffic around the airport. Therefore, I asked my wife to drive. Frankly, I was stunned at my reaction. Just six months ago, I had driven without concern on those same roads under the same conditions.
Now it really got interesting. When my wife pulled out onto the highway, accelerating to get up to speed with the traffic, I panicked and yelled at her to slow down! After having driven nothing but gravel and dirt roads the past six months, I surprised myself at being so scared at what was normal back home. Of course, I was over that fear by the time we arrived. However, I have never forgotten how afraid I was, and the surprise of it happening.
I had a great time at home enjoying my baby daughter’s Christmas, and returned to Anchorage in January of 1971, spending a couple of days there before returning to Cold Bay. While in town, I had some tests done at the base hospital for a gastrointestinal condition. When I was not busy with that, I visited with my uncle and aunt at their home. My mom’s brother, Bob, was stationed at Elmendorf at the time, and I was pleased to be able to spend some time with them. It was a treat when we looked out of the kitchen window to see a moose in their backyard. Wow! I had never seen a moose before, and It was right in the city!
In some of my free time, I rented a car to do some sightseeing. With a few hours to kill, I went downtown. It was about 11:00 am and the daylight was eerie. I knew that daylight hours would be short in Alaska in the winter, but I was surprised when it appeared as though I was looking through a smoky lens. I had never seen daylight like that before. Would Alaska never stop making me awe in wonder? In the Penneys parking lot was a Volkswagon Beetle that looked just like the one my wife drove. It was even the same color of blue. Was she following me?
After spending time downtown, I left for the airport to fly back to Cold Bay. While riding with Reeves I reflected on the evening I had spent with my relatives and how much I had enjoyed them. They had been at Anchorage during the ’64 earthquake, so it was fascinating to hear about that experience! Now, what more did Cold Bay hold in store!