Sunday, March 13, 2011 - Yuma and then Mesa

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we spent at the Gypsy Gathering Rally.  It was lots to do with good seminars each day.  The seminars were interesting topics concerning maintenance issues with our RV’s, travel topics and some just fun stuff.  Often rallies have seminars that are given by vendors doing infomercials on their products which was not the case at this rally.  Tom and I went to a seminar on Thursday about kayaks and even though a vendor of a particular kayak was involved with the seminar all types of kayaks were discussed with pros and cons of each type.  Tuesday evening a couple, Easy Money, entertained with Country and Western music.  Wednesday evening we had a pizza supper followed with the Cactus Queen Beauty(?) contest in which 8 men dressed up in women’s clothing and then judged by the audience- they were sights to behold.  Thursday evening ended the rally with door prizes being distributed.

Friday morning we left the Yuma County fairgrounds and traveled east to Mesa, Arizona, a little more than 200 miles to the Aztec RV Resort.   After nearly a week of rally camping (we only had 20 amp electric, no water or sewer hook-ups) I had to catch up on the laundry.  In the evening we had dinner at the Organ Stop Pizza, a real unique experience.

This pizza restaurant has the world’s largest Wurlitzer theater organ.  While dining the organ is raised up from a pit and an organist plays this beautiful sounding instrument for about 30 minutes and then the organ and organist descends into the pit for about 10 minutes after which all return for another period of playing.  This continues from 4-9pm.  Tom has wanted to see this restaurant for sometime- another thing he can cross off his bucket list.

Saturday we drove down to Tucson.  We had seen a new motorhome in Florida at the Tampa Super Show that we thought we might be interested in and a dealer in Tucson had notified us that they had gotten this motorhome in.  After having time to really look over this motorhome in more detail we didn’t feel that it was something that we wanted to replace our motorhome.  It had more floor space but less closet and storage space than our motorhome.  In the evening we visited with Margaret and Don Phillips, friends of ours that live part time in Maryland and Arizona.  Margaret had prepared a nice dinner and we enjoyed being together catching up on news.

Today, Sunday, Tom and I had planned to attend church services here at the campground but we didn’t get up in time to make the 9am services.  After eating breakfast we went to the Queen Creek Olive Mill east of Mesa.

This is the only olive mill in Arizona and has only been in existence for  several years.  A tour for $5.00 per person is available and we did take it but really not worth the price.  We were shown a few olive trees in an area open to everyone then we went into a tented area and the process for making olive oil was explained.  A free brochure in the gift shop explains the procedure.  In addition to a gift shop that sold flavored olive oils, balsamic vinegars, olives and other products there is a restaurant.

The breakfasts that we saw made us wish that we had not eaten breakfast before coming to this place, they were indeed mouthwatering.

After leaving the olive mill we returned to the campground as we had purchased some olive oils and didn’t want to leave them exposed to the heat in the car.  It has become quite warm in the upper 80’s in this southern Arizona area.  We did go out to the Blue Adobe Santa Fe Grill for a southwestern style meal of Shrimp Chili Rellenos which were very good.  After eating we went to Old Scottsdale and walked around the various shops making a few purchases.  It was a good day.

Monday, March 7, 2011 Yuma, Arizona

Saturday was our last day at the Caravan Oasis Campground as we would be moving back to the fairground on Sunday for another rally.  In preparation for the rally I washed up the dirty clothes and bedclothes and towels.  We did drive to El Centro, California, about 60 miles from Yuma, but found nothing there of interest to us so we returned to Yuma.  We had a late lunch at La Fonda Tortilla Factory.  We really like this old restaurant.  The food is good, the waitress are attired in Mexican peasant skirts and blouses.  The décor is different from the usual Mexican restaurants- white walls have stenciled paintings in pastel colors.  Service is a little slow but it has been a busy restaurant whenever we have been there.  Afterwards we went down to the old section of Yuma.

We had been told that we should go to Lutes Casino and see all the “stuff” on the walls and hanging from the ceiling.  We were surprised to find that it was not a casino at all but a restaurant.

Sunday we made our move to the fairgrounds for the “Gypsy Gathering”.  We had to be out of the campground by 11am but were able to parked at the fairgrounds until after 12 noon.  A large parking lot was available by the front gates for parking and when we arrived there were quite a few RVers already parked there.  We were told that we wouldn’t get parked until about 1pm so we ate lunch and read books as we waited.  Finally about 2pm the parking was started and by 2:30 we were situated in our campsite.  We were disappointed that we were parked in an area that did not have electric (20amp) that just makes life much nicer for us.  A little electric keeps our batteries charged and we are able to have the television, computer, and lights on without draining the batteries and then needing to use the generator.   Nothing was planned for Sunday as this was considered an early bird entry.  We went to an Appleby’s for dinner and returned to spend a quiet evening with no television and candles for lights.  We were glad when 10pm arrived so that we could go to bed- an earlier and I would be up before the crack of dawn.

Today, Monday, we woke up to the winds blowing briskly and cooler temperatures but plenty of sunshine.  The bright sunshine can heat up the motorhome in little time.  Tom found out that we could hook up to electric in the shed that we are backed up to and once that was done we felt a lot better about our situation here.  We went down to the old section of Yuma to have lunch at Lutes Casino.  Their specialty is hamburgers which we both had and must say they were good burgers.  The place is an old establishment with “stuff” everywhere, I’m sure we missed seeing some things but  what we saw was unique.

At 3pm the Gypsy Gathering officially started with opening remarks and introductions.  Nick and Terry Russell are fulltimers that have a business of publishing an RV travel newspaper,” The Gypsy Journal” and this is their rally.  Later this evening  tickets for doorprizes were drawn and we won(?) a day clock, doesn’t tell time, just the day of the week.

Friday, March 4, 2011 Yuma, Arizona

Wednesday, the 2nd, we went to  Yuma Palms Mall doing some looking and very little buying.  And then on Thursday we returned to Marketplace, the large flea market in Yuma and, like the mall, looked and bought little.  We stopped at an RV dealer that was having an open house with a chicken barbeque lunch.  We ate lunch with a couple that are now living in Yuma and had some suggestions for places to eat and things to see in the area.

Today, we followed a recommendation from the couple we met up with yesterday.  I packed a picnic lunch and we traveled north from Yuma.  We stopped at Sun Garden Growers and bought some local dates.

Date palm groves were very common in this area.  Continuing on we next drove around the Imperial dam area and stopped at the dam.

This dam, in addition to producing electricity, diverts the waters from the Colorado River down to the Yuma area for irrigating the produce fields.  BLM (Bureau of Land Management) lands in this area is used by RVer’s that choose to live with no hook-ups at a very nominal or no cost for camping.

RV’s with solar panels, various “big boy” toys (4 wheel vehicles for traveling over the dunes) and antennas and satellite dishes are very common for this type of camping.   We were driving in the vicinity of Yuma Proving Grounds and we came to a display of tanks and war guns which we stopped and walked about.

Spying a sign for the Imperial National Wildlife Reserve we drove to check it out and hoped to find a place for our picnic lunch.  There was a nice pavilion with some picnic tables at the visitor center that served our needs well.   There were cactus blooming  and a gopher tortoise at the reserve had come out of hibernation.

As we were returning to Yuma we stopped at a little tiny church along the roadside that a farmer had built for his wife.

The church could seat 16 slim people at the most and is always open for anyone wanting to stop by.  Today has been a nice day with temperature in the 80’s and a very brisk wind.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011 A Trip into Mexico

This morning we made a trip into Mexico to the city of Los Algodones.

It was less than 25 miles from the campground.  The actual crossing is at Andrade, California.  We parked the car at a lot on the U.S. side and walked across the border.  We were greeted at the Mexican side with people pushing dentists, opticians and pharmacies.

Every dental office we passed had waiting rooms with non-Mexicans waiting for their appointments.  Sidewalks were filled with vendors selling jewelry, clothing, ceramic items, leather items  and spray painters painting vases, plates, mailboxes, satellite dishes and any other items you may desire.

Of course, a trip into Mexico always includes checking out the liquor stores where we purchased Jose Cuervo tequila for $8.50 and a bottle of coffee liquor for $6.99, both for less than the bottle of tequila would have cost in the U.S.  Crossing back into the US took almost an hour as there was a long line but it moved along and we enjoyed talking with others in the line.  It was felt that because it is near the end of the season that many “snowbirds” were there making purchases before returning home.  Returning back to Yuma we stopped for lunch at La Fonda Tortilla Factory, a restaurant we had eaten at last year.  This restaurant continues to serve good Mexican food and has been very busy whenever we have been here.  We made a few more stops before returning at Walmart, a discount grocery store that we were curious about, and finally at Fry’s grocery store.  The weather is very pleasant with temperatures in the 70’s and lots of sun.  Our campground is emptying out and we have learned that many Canadians have been here since October so they need to return to Canada so that their insurance is not compromised for being out of the country too long.

Monday, February 28, 2011 Yuma, Arizona

We have enjoyed just sitting back and relaxing the past several days.  Saturday was a cloudy, damp, chilly day in this desert environment and by evening it was raining.   Sunday we awoke to bright sunshine but cooler temperatures – 60’s during the day, dropping into the low 40’s at night.  Sunday morning we attended church services at a fairly new, as of 2004, United Church of Christ church that holds services in a hotel conference.  There were less than 20 people in attendance.  Like most of the churches in an area like this the attendance fluctuates with the seasons and we are seeing folks in the campgrounds leaving to go north.  There are a large number of Canadians, mostly British Columbians, in the campground we are staying that seem to be migrating north.  Today, Monday,  we have spent time doing some housecleaning and then relaxing.  Tom and I , both, enjoy reading and times like this we spend time doing  just that. 

Tuesday, February 22, 2011 Tucson and Yuma

On Saturday the 19th we drove to cousin, Patty, and her husband Braxton’s house and then went together to the Biosphere 2.

Tom and I had visited this site about 8 years ago but readily jumped at the chance to return when Patty had made the suggestion.  Columbia University had taken over the Biosphere 2 when we visited before and now the University of Arizona was using the facility.  Originally built to replicate the various earth environment from ocean to desert and to have humans living entirely within this environment without any involvement from outside the focus has changed to conducting experiments within the various regions.  It is no longer closed off from the outside.  Our tour guide was a very enthusiastic lady that seemed to be very knowledgeable about the Biosphere 2.

At the end of the tour we had a session with an engineer working at the facility who talked about some things being addressed such as solar energy.

A very interesting visit.  Afterwards we stopped for lunch and then we drove around through some interesting housing developments and to a golf course that next week will host the PGA.

Sunday morning Tom and I left the Tucson area and travelled west to Yuma.  We were scheduled to attend a Passport America Rally at the Yuma County Fairgrounds.  About 4 1/2 hours after leaving Tucson we got to our destination and set-up for the next several days of rally camping.  We were parked in a large open shed with water and 20 amp electric. Opening ceremony was held in the evening with a Southwestern rice and chicken dinner.

Monday the rally day started with a continental breakfast of fruit and doughnuts.  The vendor area was opened and seminars started.  This is a rather small rally-  about 12 vendors and 2 seminars at one time going on.  We attended a couple seminars and as usual a few  new tips were picked up.  For dinner we had a beef brisket dinner and then entertainment by “The Mike and T Band”, good country/western entertainment.  Tom played Texas Hold’em and I returned to the motorhome to catch up on some reading.

Tuesday started with a breakfast of a biscuit, slice of American cheese, a small piece of sausage and fruit cocktail.  Afterwards we attended a seminar on travelling through Mexico.  We went out for lunch, found a Mexican restaurant that had a full parking lot and decided to try it (Mi Rancho) and was not disappointed.  For dinner the rally had huge hamburgers on the grill and onion rings.  The evening entertainment was “Slick Nickel” a country band.  The entertainment is held outside but the problem is that the temperature drops to an uncomfortable level before the entertainment is finished and many of us leave early to the comfort of our RV’s.

Friday, February 18, 2011- Tucson, Arizona

Wednesday, the 16th, we spent our last day in Benson catching up on housekeeping chores. 

Thursday morning we prepared to get on the road to move to Tucson.  Before leaving we had planned to go out to breakfast with friends, Marti and Drew.  So we picked them up and went into Benson and had a nice breakfast together before getting on the road.  The trip to Tucson was a short trip of less than 1 1/2 hours from Benson to the campground we had made reservations at north of Tucson, “Valley of the Sun” in Marana.  After setting up camp we drove over to my cousin, Patty’s, and her husband, Braxton’s home.

After warm greetings, we took off for nice lunch at a local steakhouse.  We were then taken to a beautiful park, Aqua Caliente Park,  that had once been a stop for cattle drives because of the water.

It was a real oasis in this desert region with ponds and palm trees.  Returning to their home Patty fixed barbeque sandwiches, chips and fruit for a evening meal as we all sat around talking and catching up.

Today, Friday, Tom and I were on our own as we drove to the ASARCO Mineral Discovery Center.  We wanted to take the 11am tour of the open-pit copper mine but we were told that we would not be able to take a tour until 2pm since prearranged school tours had filled the 11am and 12:30pm tours.  Not caring to hang around for 3 hours we left and went to the Kitt Peak National Observatory which has the world’s largest collection of research telescopes.

We paid to take a tour to the solar telescope with a docent.

The telescope was not in operation today as it was an unusually cloudy day.  I was not impressed with the tour that the docent gave.  We toured on our own to a stellar telescope.

It is quite an impressive area about 7000 feet in altitude on Kitt Peak with numerous telescopes and dormitories that provided housing for the astronomers that come to this area.   We had not planned to visit this area today so we were inadequately prepared for the windy cold conditions on this mountain which resulted in the purchase of some warm jackets before walking around the grounds.

Tuesday, February 15,2011 Valentine’s Day and Colossal Cave

Monday, being Valentine’s Day, we spent a quiet morning at the campground but in the afternoon went to Sierra Vista for lunch.  We thought the restaurant selection was better in Sierra Vista than in Benson.  Benson’s restaurants that we have been to have good food but they are just like down-home cafes.  In Sierra Vista we were disappointed to find several restaurants closed- don’t know why unless they close on Mondays but it was Valentine’s Day.  We finally settled on Chili’s and had a nice late lunch/early dinner.

Today, Tuesday, we drove to the Colossal Cave Mountain Park north of Benson.

We took the cave tour.  This cave is a dry cave so it is inactive.  It seemed so strange to not see any water dripping.   Many formations have been broken by early visitor/explorers in the cave.

 

Dust over the years has filtered into the cave covering the formations.  This cave and surrounding area was a Civilian Conservation Corp project.  The walkways through the cave were constructed by the CCC.  There is also a ranch with horses, a museum and a butterfly garden.  There also is a turtle habitat but the turtles were hibernating so a big kitty cat was taking up residence in that area.

Afterwards we drove to Tucson in search of a Mexican restaurant which we found and had a good Mexican meal- Tom had shrimp fajitas and I had shrimp rancheros.   After a stop at Trader Joe’s to get some pasta ( we had gotten some pesto filled tortellini before and really liked it) and some fresh produce, no wine this trip.  The weather has really been nice for several days now with temperatures in the upper 70’s to lower 80’s.  Put away the long pants and long sleeved shirts and get out the shorts and tee shirts- maybe. LV

Sunday, February 13, 2011 Sierra Vista and Tombstone

On Saturday, the 12th, Tom and I drove down to Sierra Vista to attend the Cochise Cowboy Poetry and Music Gathering.  There were 70 artists from throughout the U.S. and Canada that perform Western poetry and music.  Major stage performances are held on Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoon which we did not attend.  We attended the all day sessions that are held in the school on Saturday.  From 10am until 5pm a group of  3-4 performers perform in one of the 8 rooms for about 50 minutes.  Each hour there is a change of performers and we were free to move from room to room as we chose.  We enjoy the music best.  I never cared much for yodeling but there was a female, Judy Coder, that really did an amazing  job yodeling that I even had to get a CD of hers.  Actually, this is one of the reason we are staying in this area of Arizona at this time.

Today, Sunday, we attended the local Methodist church this morning and then went out to a local restaurant for breakfast.  In the afternoon, we went to Tombstone (20 plus miles away).  We walked about the town stopping in the shops and watching the entertainment in the streets. 

Reenacted gun fights  were taking place on a regular basis- apparently on the 2nd and 4th Sundays this is done as a means of raising money for charity.   We went into “Big Nose Kate’s Saloon” for lunch which proved to be lots of fun.  A keyboard player with a nice singing voice entertained the entire time we were in the “saloon”.

The food was good- Tom had a burger and I had a salad- and cost was reasonable.  It was loud and bawdy but a fun place.

This evening the campground had an ice cream social- anyone with a birthday or anniversary in the month of August or February got a free dip of ice cream. How lucky for me with a birthday in August and an anniversary in February I got 2 free dips, Tom got 1 but he purchased the second dip for $.50.  LV

Friday, February 11, 2011 Benson Arizona

Tuesday, February 8, was a day spent in the campground.  Tom went to a computer “Show and Tell” in the afternoon as I spent time reading.  For dinner we went to a local restaurant, “Horseshoe Café”, with a group of about 30 from the campground.

Wednesday we drove to the town of Tubac, Az. for the Art Festival.  Tubac is a unique town with lots of shops, many devoted to art.  The Art Festival has well over 150 kiosks set up throughout the town selling art, jewelry, some clothing and other pricy things.  We ate at a Mexican restaurant, Elvira’s, which had good food at a cost.  It was a nice day with comfortable temperatures in the upper 60’s and bright sunshine.

Thursday we ran a few errands into the town of Benson- post office, grocery stores-but spent most of our day in the campground.  For dinner Tom had to fend for himself as I went to the clubhouse for “Woman’s Night Out”.  The theme was Hawaii so the attire arranged from Muumuus to blue jeans and t-shirts.  I had gotten a dark blue and white flowered shirt at Walmart that I wore with jeans.  We had to pick a small piece of paper from a dish that designated the table that we were to sit at-  a good way of mixing everyone up.  Our dinner prepared by some of the men was Hawaiian Chicken, rice, grilled pineapple, a fruit salad and pineapple upside down cake, very tasty.  The entertainment provided by campground locals provided lots of laughs with some male and female bashing.  A fun night!

Today, Friday, we drove southeast about 75 miles to Chiricahau National Monument.  The Monument is an isolated mountain range that is surrounded by grassland.  Rock pinnacles cover the mountainsides.

  Chiricahau Apache called the pinnacles “standing up rocks”.   Cochise, a Chiricahau Apache inhabited this area and upon his death Geronimo became a leader here.  We stopped at the Visitor’s Center and watched a short movie about the “Monument” and then drove through the park.  I had prepared a picnic lunch as there is no place close to eat- the closest town is 35 miles.  At the top, Massai Point-6870 feet, we decided it was too cold to eat outside (there was some snow on the ground) so we started back down to warmer areas.  We did stop at an area called  Sugarloaf and hiked about 1/2 mile on the trail to the Grottoes.

The Grottoes was a huge rock structure with tunnels and “windows”.  We finally ate our lunch when returned to the lower warmer area at Faraway Ranch.  There were some very pretty bluish-green birds in the area that we later were told were Mexican Jays. 

After lunch we walked back to the Faraway Ranch and had a nice tour of the house. 

Neil and Emma Erickson, Swedish immigrants, settled here in 1888.  Then in 1920’s their oldest daughter, Lillian and her husband, Ed Riggs, turned the ranch into a guest ranch which was in operation until 1973.  After the death of the Erickson 3 children the ranch and furnishings were incorporated into the national park as a historical district.  Another beautiful day with bright sunshine and temperatures varied according to the altitude- cold on the top of Chiricahau, warmer at the bottom area and still in the 70’s when we returned to Benson at 5pm.  But the temperature does drop quit a bit at nighttime- it was 29 degrees this morning.

Monday, February 7, 2011

On Friday, February 4th, Tom and I celebrated our 44th wedding anniversary.  We were expecting our mail to be delivered that day so we hung around the campground until the delivery was made by FedEx.  We then went about 30 miles south to the town of Sierra Vista for dinner at “My Big Fat Greek Restaurant”.  We had eaten at this restaurant last year with Larry and Joanne and decided to return to it.  It was every bit as enjoyable as we remembered.  The weather started to improve but still fell well below  freezing during the night.

Saturday we again went to the campground clubhouse for burgers at lunchtime.  The man that fixes these burgers really does a good job.  Our friend, Marti, joined us for lunch and shared the news that her husband, Drew, would be returning to Arizona next Saturday from Maryland.  Drew had been in Maryland working on their house and Marti was in Arizona helping her granddaughter with 2 little boys and a difficult pregnancy with twins.  The twins, girls, were born just prior to our arrival here.  Later in the evening we returned to the clubhouse for an evening of keyboard music for dancing and socializing.  Doug Miller, the keyboard player, is also the Facilities Manager for the campground and is good at both jobs.

Sunday morning Tom and I along with Marti attended church services and then went out for breakfast at the Horseshoe Café, Marti’s daughter works as a manager at this reatarant.  Nice breakfast- Tom had corned beef hash and said it was the best he thinks he has ever had, I had a piece of French toast, an egg and 2 pieces of bacon also very good.   Afterwards we returned to the campground, read the Sunday papers and then watched the Super Bowl on TV.  And Green Bay won!!!

Today, Monday, we went to Kartchner Caverns State Park located in the Benson area.  This cave was discovered in 1974.  There are 2 cave tours available, we chose the “Big Room” tour.  The tours are very restrictive about what one is able to take into the caves- no purses, cameras, backpacks, gum or food.  We were warned to not touch anything but the railing along the walkway and if we did to report it so it could be tagged.  After the park closes in the evening workers go through cleaning the tagged areas in order to preserve the cave.  I was surprised as to how warm the cave was, we had jackets on but once inside the cave it was so warm and humid that the jackets had to removed.  The cave was drier than most other caves I have been with only occasionally seeing some wet formations- this is because of the dryness of the area.  The tour guide was very knowledgeable as he also enjoys cave exploring.  We returned to the town of Benson stopping at a little Mexican restaurant for a late lunch before returning to the campground.   Today was the warmest day we’ve had with temperatures in the upper 60’s/ lower 70’s but it will drop down into the 30’s tonight. LV

February 3, 2011, Thursday, Benson, Arizona

We have been in Benson for a week now and what changes in the weather.  When we first arrived the sunny temperatures were about normal for this area at this time of the year- upper 60’s during the day dropping into the 30’s at night.  Then we had a brutal change.   On Monday dark clouds rolled in and rain showers with occasional hail occurred.  Tuesday was a chilly day with temps not getting out of the 40’s.  But early Wednesday morning the bottom fell out and the temps dropped into the upper teens until morning and during the day stayed in the 30’s.  This morning at 6:30am it is 12 degrees, these temperatures have been unheard of in this part of the country.  We do have bright sunshine which helps to keep us warm.   Needless to say, we unhook our water and use our on board reserve during the night.   According to the weather forecast the temperatures should return to near normal this weekend.

We have been keeping busy here.  A park such as this has planned activities plus there are groups of people that plan things on their own.  We have a friend in the campground, Marti, that has included us in some outside activities.  Last Thursday evening we went to a country club restaurant for “tacos”, apparently this is a regular Thursday night event for many residents of the campground.  Later Thursday evening there was a couple that had an “Opry” show at the campground clubhouse.  This husband and wife duo had many costume changes to appear as different singers.  Saturday at lunchtime burgers were served at the clubhouse which seemed to be quite a hit with most folks.   Saturday evening another couple entertained with music for dancing.  Sunday morning Tom and I along with Marti went to a local Methodist church for church services.  Many campgrounds have church services but not this one so the campground folks go to a local church if they so desire. 

Tuesday Tom and I drove south to the town of Bisbee, 40 plus miles away.

Copper mining was the way of life in this town.  At one time Bisbee was the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco, even had its own stock exchange.  We first toured the Queen mine.

 

Outfitted with hardhats, battery packs with lights and yellow coats we boarded a tram that took us hundreds of feet into the mine.

 

Our tour guide was a former employee of the working mine that not only gave us information about how the mining was done but also had many stories about the miners.  We had a nice lunch at the Bisbee Grille and then we went to the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum.

 

This museum had nice displays and information about the mining industry.  Copper was real important to this community- at one time even the high school diplomas were printed on copper.

Wednesday, Tom and I went north to the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson.

We took the hour long bus tour of  Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Bone Yard.  Planes, mostly military, of most every description were pointed out and described by the tour guide.  There are 2 areas in this Bone Yard, one is a storage area for planes not currently being used which includes planes  from other countries and the other area is planes that are being broken down for parts.  This area of Arizona with its low humidity is an ideal storage area.  After lunch at the museum rather costly restaurant we toured the museum.  Military planes and helicopters were on display.  Docents, many ex-military, were throughout the museum often adding their stories to the aircraft.