The Last TDY

There has been a huge change in the Schneider House these last few months.  Quietly, without any ceremony, Rob has transitioned from Air Force Pilot to... guy who does a non-flying job in the Air Force.  He has a title but I can't tell you what it is, because I don't really know it.  I just know that he is longer attached to our beloved Grissom Air Reserve Base and now reports to Scott Air Force Base on the outskirts of St. Louis.  

This is a change we've been debating for a long time, but the time was never right or he couldn't find the right position.  But finally, the ideal job was found and he made the switch.  We look forward to being together more since the new job is more in line with the typical reservist, one weekend a month, two weeks a year.  Also, his new base has a campground.  There are many plans to take the camper up and be together while he works.  

One thing that we marked as a family was Rob's final TDY back in April.  A TDY, for the non-military among us, is a temporary duty.  It's what all those trips he takes for the Air Force are called.  Our time in Curacao, that was a TDY.  That time we went to Scotland? TDY.  Hawaii last July? TDY.  For this TDY our destination was Phoenix, Arizona.  Not very glamorous, but the assignment didn't require a lot of flying, the location was warm, and the hotel had a pool. Winning!

Our original plan was for Rob to fly out with the Air Force and the kids and I would fly out to meet him.  Unfortunately, Rob got an ear infection which made him DNF (duties not including flying).  That's Air Force code for grounded.  So we ended up non-revving out to Arizona as a family.  

I won't be giving you a day by day, mostly because we didn't do that much besides swim in the pool.  So here are the non-pool highlights.  

Our hotel was across the street from an outlet mall. The kids really enjoyed this roller coaster simulator.

Our kids, doing what they do best.

One place we went was Hole in the Rock, which is pretty self explanatory.  It looked cool, but I was totally freaked out that my kids were going to fall to their deaths.  So not a relaxing little hike!

Posing for a family photo? No, trying to keep the kids alive.

I am an East Coast girl trapped in the mid-slightly west.  I love things green, luscious, with trees and water nearby.  After a few days in Phoenix I was pretty tired of the drab colors, the scrub trees, and the mountains always in the distance.  It was nice to show the kids a new type of landscape but it made us all appreciate our Old Kentucky Home.

This trip afforded me the opportunity to tick something off my bucket list: eat at an In and Out Burger.  And let me say, I just don't get it.   I mean, it was fine, but I found the restaurant to be very hectic and the menu to be confusing.  I should have done more research on this "hidden" menu they have.  I wonder if this is how people from the north feel when they come to a Chic-Fil-A?  

One day we decided to be super touristy and try out a "real" Wild West town.  The kids loved it.  The grown ups found it a little lacking, but hey, there was a bar.  Rawhide Western Town advertised a train ride, panning for gold, a petting zoo, a toy store, and a stunt show featuring a Wild West Shoot out.  The show was pretty cool and the actors were very committed to their characters.  We later saw some of them walking around and they were fun to talk to.

The train turned out to be pulled by a golf cart.

This old penny ride was a hit! You can also see the shooting gallery behind him.

A sweet faced girl taking her turn.

Panning for gold.

This poor creature was one of three animals in the petting zoo. And none of them wanted to get out of the shade!

On another day we went to McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park.  It was actually a lot of fun.  There was a carousel, a small train to ride around the park, a playground under shade, a Presidential Train, and a huge model train that took up an entire building.  This was a happy accident to find and the kids enjoyed running around and riding the train.

Waiting to ride the antique carousel.

The train we rode on was pulled by an actual steam engine.

Rob and I really enjoyed touring this train that was used by Presidents Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower. You could see what it was like to sleep or bathe on a train. Plus we saw the sitting room from which the presidents conducted business while on the road. Fascinating to think about how important trains once were to our society.

Tired. hot, and hungry!

After the disappointment of In and Out Burger, I was super excited to find a Rudy's Bar-B-Que in Phoenix.  Rudy's is one of our favorite places to eat in San Antonio.  The food is fantastic and they serve Dr. Pepper made with real cane sugar.  So good!  Unfortunately, this one must be too far from the mothership because the food wasn't as good as it is in Texas.

The last thing we did in Phoenix was drive to Pinal Air and Space Museum because that's what you do when you are an Air Force Family.  We didn't go on the tour through the boneyard because the reviews I read advised against taking young kids on the tour.  Basically you are stuck on a tour bus for a few hours moving slowly through a field of planes.  While Rob would have loved it, I could see A&R getting squirrelly after 10 minutes.  

Instead we walked through two hangars of aircraft, some of which the kids could climb inside.  There was also a small outdoor area with lots of planes.  Lots and lots of planes.  We looked at planes for hours.  Luckily, Rob knew what we were looking at.

You can't read it, but this flag was flown from St. Louis to Cincinnati in 8 minutes and 24 seconds. Woah!

I have totally failed you, dear readers, because I have no photos of the coolest part of the museum.  On the grounds of the Pima Air & Space Museum is the 390th Memorial Museum.  Inside, is one of the few fully-restored B-17s available for public viewing.  The B-17, also known as The Flying Fortress, was one of the bombers used in WWII in Europe.  For reference, The Memphis Belle was a B-17.  

In this museum, you can actually poke your head into the "I'll Be Around" and see where the gunners and bombardiers sat and did their jobs.  It was fascinating!  The museum staff told us that they don't see many young kids and they were very patient with A&R.  I'm sorry I don't have any photos to show you, but if you ever find yourself in Pima, Arizona, don't miss this exhibit!  

And that was our time in Phoenix for Rob's final TDY.  No more cool trips with the Air Force for the foreseeable future.  Had we planned better, we could have taken a train to the Grand Canyon.  Oh well, something to see the next time! 

 Actually, it will probably be a long time before we venture out west again.  One thing I vastly underestimated was the time change.  It was a 2 hour time difference, so when my morning birds typically get up at 6:30am, it was 4:30 in Phoenix.  Ouch!