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At long last we are back on the road again heading east. We decided to do something we generally avoid doing when traveling in our RV; we drove after sunset, yes that's right at night. Not the most ideal conditions with the limited visibility and depth perception you get on the road at 65 mph. A shredded truck tire, miscellaneous debris or a stray animal on the road could really ruin the first leg of a trip after this extended delay. However, to make it to Texas in time to visit Karen's cousins and aunt, we needed to get back on the road as soon as possible. The rig wasn't ready for travel on Sunday until around 6 PM and we originally hoped to get to Deming, New Mexico, spend one night there then drive the next day so we could have time to see the Carlsbad Caverns by Tuesday, February 28. So I drove Sunday night until 11 PM; 247 miles later we pulled into the Dream Catcher RV Park - Escapees Rainbow Park. We didn't disconnect from the truck but did decide to use the 50A electrical hook-up because it was forecast to get down to 25º F during the night. We turned on the electric heaters and hit the sack. Slept great and got up at 9 AM. After making some coffee for the road we were out of the park by 9:30 AM. Stopped in Las Cruces, N.M. for more diesel fuel, then on to El Paso, Texas for breakfast at IHOP. We drove back into New Mexico and arrived at our BLM (Bureau of Land Mgt) campsite at the Chosa Campground back by 3 PM. The Chosa Campground is a maintained dry camping area. Camping is free and the camping limit is 14 days. The entire area is a large, square, gravel parking lot which makes it easy for leveling. Trash cans are available on site. There are no electric, water, or sewer hookups available so we were going to give our patched water tank its first boon docking field test. Best of all, it is 14 miles (23 minutes) from the Carlsbad Caverns National Park! After pulling in we discovered another Alliance Avenue 32RLS rig from Florida at the campground. We pulled up and exchanged pleasantries with a nice young couple then parked nearby to set up our campsite. After getting settled, we grabbed some portable chairs and commenced with visiting our neighbors, Cody, Kayla and their two fur babies. We toured each others rigs, comparing notes on our travel experiences and talked about our unique equipment failures since we took ownership. So, two days down since leaving Tucson and we still have a working freshwater tank with no leaks. Hallelujah! Tomorrow we get an early start for an 8:30 AM entry at Carlsbad Caverns..

Eight AM on Saturday morning 2/25, Scott our mobile RV service tech arrived to finish installing the freshwater tank under our fifth wheel trailer. He worked the entire day getting the tank installed with the new, improved mounting bracket and supporting hardware. Finished wiring the tank sensors and added all the plumbing components. The last thing he did was a pressure test of the system with water added to the new tank. This is done to charge the water system and check for leaks around the multiple fittings attached to the tank. Karen and I are in the rig reading when we get a knock at the door. Scott comes in and tell us he has some bad news...oh no! The brand new tank from Alliance that we waited almost five week for has a crack in it. No Joke! After spending all day under the rig working he was beyond frustrated. The crack (photo below with the red oval) was above the freshwater plumbing fitting that attaches the blue PEX water line to the water pump in the Nautilus water distribution assembly. After some frustrated reactions were expressed from Karen and Scott, I remembered the Ron Howard movie about Apollo 13. I shared a memory of a scene in the film where Gene Kranz (played by Actor Ed Harris in the film) struggles to devise the plan that would safely bring the ship and its crew of three astronauts home after its oxygen system failed. " Let's solve the problem, Team . . . Let's not make it worse by guessing". So we took that wise advice and improvised a temporary solution to the problem with a patch over the crack with some Flex Seal® spray I picked up at a hardware store. Scott dumped out the water in the tank using the dump valve below the crack, dried the area around the crack and applied the sealant. We let the sealant cure all night. Our plan was to finish the installation of the insulated underbelly material (coroplast) but leave the area around the dump valve clear to drain any water if the sealant didn't work. Early Sunday morning I added about 60 gallons of fresh water to the tank to check for a leak. Praise God, no leak! We moved the rig to dump our black and gray water tanks and even with the motion during the short drive there was no sign of a leak. Scott and Holly returned on Sunday afternoon, February 26 to finish up and when they arrived I had some good news for them. Scott's patch worked! He worked for an additional 3 hours under the rig and observed no leak from the Flex Seal repaired area. He finished the coroplast installation, taped up the seams and crawled out from under our rig for the last time. We hugged goodbye to these two great people who are now our friends and we headed down the road. We drove from the QYB Ranch in Marana, AZ north of Tucson to Deming, NM in about 4 hours arriving at 11PM. Still had 2/3 of a tank of fresh water and no leak. Now if you're wondering, Scott and I documented the damaged tank and emailed Alliance. Our plan is to continue our trip with the patched tank. We are scheduled to be in Indiana for the Alliance "Ally Rally" the end of May. Until then, we'll improvise and let Alliance "solve the problem, Team" when we get there.

Some of you may be wondering just what broke and how is it being repaired. I'm including some photos of the damaged underside of the fifth wheel and the repairs/modification that Scott is in the process of completing. First of all let me explain the layout. A system of cross members (called stringers) support the floor of the living room on either side of the two opposing slide-outs. They are welded to the two main I-beams that run the entire length of the fifth wheel front to back on either side of the trailer. Behind the two trailer axels and under that floor is where the freshwater tank is supported between two of these stringers. This area closer to the end of the rig get the most road jarring movement and vibration. What broke in this area was the stringer tank weld joints. The first time it was the driver side front stringer weld back in October 2022 when we were in California. That was repaired later in November. The above image shows the original weld break/repair done in November. The screw with the double nut was added by Scott to attach the front driver side stringer to the angle iron bracket above the I-beam on that side. The most recent failure occurred in January 2023 while driving south to Tucson, AZ. But this time both the welds, front and back on the passenger side broke resulting in the freshwater tank assembly dropping through the underbelly liner/insulation to the road surface at 60 MPH! The rest of the story has been told in an earlier blog post. This above image shows the front passenger side angle iron bracket on top of the I-beam. What Scott has engineered is a modification to the supporting water tank stringers using lengths of angle iron to reinforce the stringers side to side. The angle iron supports sit on top on the I-beams creating a larger and stronger point of contact. In addition, where the end of the stringer was destroyed by the the road surface filing away the material, Scott added an additional bracket where the welds originally connected the stringer to the I-beam (see above photo). To reduce the twisting of the stringers under load he has attached the angle iron to the stringers at intervals along the length. This modification is a superior improvement to the original design from the factory. This final image shows how much of the bottom of the stringer (rusted area) was filed away by the road surface when the tank dropped. Note the bolt end through the reinforcing box tube attaching the angle iron to the I-beam. Once the tank support structure under the freshwater tank is mounted to the reinforced stringers, this assembly should be much improved to withstand the G-forces at the rear of the rig.

In Judeo-Christianity, the rainbow is associated with God's protection, as it is described in the Book of Genesis (9:11–17) as a sign of the covenant between God and man. After the Flood, God made an everlasting covenant with Noah, his family, their descendants, and all the living creatures. He promised never again to destroy the earth by a flood. The rainbow was the sign of that promise – a reminder of God's commitment to the earth. We got our rainbow on the afternoon of February 22 after a storm had past...interesting? One day shy of five weeks since our freshwater tank dropped out of the bottom of our rig, all the promised parts from Alliance RV arrived in Marana, AZ. Our awesome RV Mobile Tech Scott Shackelford and Holly, his lovely wife/right-hand woman, received the last shipment on Wednesday, February 22 one day before expected. The two of them showed up bright and early today, February 23 in a light rain to start getting the undercarriage supports ready for the new tank, plumbing, and sensors. The installation process will take until Saturday, February 25 at the earliest. Scott is also fixing a 110v outlet inside our trailer along with a broken kitchen slide-out ski that protects the vinyl flooring inside the fifth wheel's interior. If everything goes as planned, we should be back on the road headed for Dream Catcher RV Park - Escapees Rainbow Park in Deming, New Mexico on Sunday, February 26. Karen and I are so thankful for God's provision during this unexpected change in our itinerary. We've made some new friends, spent some great time with old friends and got to see just how incredible the Tucson, AZ area is to explore. Honestly, it will be bitter-sweet leaving this community that has been our temporary home for over a month. Many of you have asked us, where will you eventually land when this traveling chapter of your life is finished? After spending extended time in the area, we both agree that the greater Tucson, AZ region is now on the short list of places we would consider. A special thank you to the Shackelfords and the Akers families for all their help and generosity. They were both literal answers to our prayers. And now we have two new family friends in Tucson to visit when we eventually return!.

Hey, who is that good-looking lady by the golf cart? It's Karen, of course, while we were enjoying gorgeous weather at the La Canada golf course in Oro Valley. Our day began with brunch date at Teaspoons restaurant with Thom and Peggy Rooney at 11:30 AM. Before leaving the QYB RV site we hooked up the bike rack to the front of the truck and loaded up the E-bikes for another ride around the Oro Valley after our brunch engagement. Unfortunately when unloading the bikes we discovered one set of battery keys were left back at the trailer! Bummer, now what? Okay, well another opportunity getting better at the "Plan B-eing". Not far from where we parked the truck for the ride we observed an attractive golf course so we went to find out more. It turns out that the golf course is part of the Parks and Recreational Community Center in Oro Valley and is a fixture of the Town. According to the website the center includes fitness classes as well as cardio and strength equipment. You can play racquetball, pickleball, tennis, or swim. Two 18-hole golf courses are on premises. The center also has two meeting rooms for rent, a golf shop and full service restaurant/bar. Since we carry the golf clubs in the back of the truck bed, we stopped by the pro shop to see if we could get a tee time and what the course fee would be on a Saturday afternoon. What we discovered was a real find! The twilight rate was only $25 each and included a cart so we scheduled a 3:30 PM tee time. We played nine holes and enjoyed the course, scenery and each others company. If we are still here next week we'll probably try to schedule another golf date during a weekday. Our unexpected delay in the Tucson area has given us more time to explore and discover the wonderful things to see and do. Had our freshwater tank not failed while traveling we would have missed out on so many new sights and experiences. We're learning more about spontaneous flexibility every day since we decided to live this RV life. We think the very nature of living in a RV full-time requires the ability to adjust on a moments notice. "Expect the unexpected" should be the travelers utterance to anyone who is entertaining doing this in the future. Hey, Semper Gumby!

Friday afternoon, February 17 we embarked on a trek up Mount Lemmon, with a summit elevation of 9,159 feet, the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains. It is located in the Coronado National Forest just north of Tucson, Arizona. We drove the Catalina Highway, also called the Mount Lemmon Highway, up the Santa Catalina Mountains 26 miles from the east side of Tucson up to the town of Summerhaven, at the top of Mt. Lemmon. The beautiful, curving road is a favorite drive for tourists, for locals escaping summer's heat and cyclists, and has been recently designated as the Sky Island Parkway, part of the US National Scenic Byway system. The road meanders up the mountain with countless breathtaking views along the way. Mount Lemmon’s peak can be 20-30 degrees cooler than the town of Tucson below. You’ll traverse through 6 different ecosystems, starting in saguaro dominated desert and ending up at evergreen forests, as you meander up the scenic mountain traverse. Sabrina, our hostess from QYB Ranch told us that once we arrived in the small town of Summerhaven, we should stop at the General Store and get some fresh fudge they make for the tourists. And yeah, we did and it was delicious! Few people think of snow and skiing when they think of Tucson. Cacti, desert, and diamondback snakes more readily come to mind. The Santa Catalina Ranger District, however, is home to the southernmost ski area in the continental United States, which is perched near the 9,157-foot summit of Mt. Lemmon. Ski runs are usually open from mid-December to early April, depending on winter weather and snowfall. Located just an hour’s drive from the sun-drenched resorts of Tucson, area visitors can golf and swim in Tucson, then downhill ski at Ski Valley, all in the same day. Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley offers ski equipment rentals, instruction, the Iron Door Restaurant, a snack bar, and gift shop.

We would have never discovered our present RV home without the recommendation of Scott Shackelford, the RV Tech working on our rig. Sabrina and James Akers, the owners of the QYB Ranch, have been a God send for us! They've provided us an electric/water site next to their home for as long as we need it to get our repairs completed. The site is quiet and we have plenty of room to set up our outside seating and cooking equipment. We asked them about the unique name and were told they would get grief from their kids about the chores they had to do around the property. "Quit your bitchin" (QYB) was their response and the ranch name was born! Speaking of QYB, we've come to accept our most recent reality and are finding more ways to enjoy our extended stay in Tucson. On the repair front, Scott received the replacement freshwater tank on Monday, February 13. And this morning we received the latest update that the underbelly material and supporting structure for the tank assembly were shipped on Thursday, February 16 with the ETA of Thursday, February 23. Scott has a commitment on Friday but told us he's planning on getting to work on it Saturday, February 25 or sooner if his other project changes. Wednesday, February 15 we ran up to Phoenix to visit an RVICS project and visit with our friends Paul and Rhonda Harlin who are working the assignment. We also said "goodbye" to them as they're on their way to Missouri to take on a staff position at a special needs camp. While we were in town, on a whim Karen called an old friend from her past Anne Wilhite and her husband Tom live a few miles north of the RVICS project; we were able to hook up and visit them at their home and talked RVing. They're the proud new owners of an R SERIES (RETRACTABLE ROOF) Safari Condo Alto tow behind trailer. We have their travel schedule and hope our paths will cross down the road. On our return to Tucson we took the the roads leading east to Highway 60 and then Highway 79 the back way into Marana and Oro Valley north of Tucson where we are staying. The last leg of the trip was down the primitive dirt Owl Head Ranch Road. I got to give the 4-wheel drive a workout through the washes and mud back to QYB Ranch. Tons of fun and the lighting in the desert in the late afternoon was incredible. I had to stop and get some photographs to share. Enjoy!

We met up again with Greg and Tina Meals to explore the extensive bike trail system in Tucson on Friday, February 10. Tucson bike trails offer more than beautiful weather and epic scenery. The city’s terrific cycling infrastructure features over 150 miles of paved bike trails. The Loop, in particular, is a 56-mile bike path that encircles the city and connects the vibrant cultures of one of the oldest continually inhabited places in North America. On our ride we chose to cycle a route of the trail from the YMCA on North Shannon Road to Sunset Park to the Santa Cruz River. We rode for about an hour and a half and covered 15.7 miles. It was warm but windy and even with an e-bike had to work to get up some of the inclines and through the headwinds. It was fun hanging out with Greg and Tina again. It looks like we might be here in Tucson longer than expected because of our backordered freshwater tank situation, so we are using this time to see everything we can in Tucson. Saturday, February 11 we drove down to get our mail from Mary Johnson in Green Valley. I ordered some dimmer switches from Amazon to upgrade our lighting in the trailer above the recliners and the dining table. I installed them that evening and now we have some very nice lighting ambience in the rig. On our way back from Green Valley we made a stop at Mission San Xavier del Bac. The mission was named for Francis Xavier, a Christian missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order) in Europe. Located about 10 miles (16 km) south of downtown Tucson, Arizona, on the Tohono O'odham Nation San Xavier Indian Reservation. The mission was founded in 1692 by Padre Eusebio Kino, who founded a chain of Spanish missions in the Sonoran Desert. A Jesuit of Italian descent, Kino often visited and preached in the area, then the Pimería Alta colonial territory of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. The mission is in the center of a centuries-old settlement of the Sobaipuri O'odham, a branch of the Akimel or River O'odham located along the banks of the Santa Cruz River. The mission that survives today was built between 1783 and 1797, which makes it the oldest European structure in Arizona. Labor was provided by the O'odham. An outstanding example of Spanish Colonial architecture in the United States, the Mission San Xavier del Bac hosts some 200,000 visitors each year.

On Monday, February 6 Karen and I needed to move the trailer again but fortunately not far. Sabrina and James, the owners of QYB Ranch, had another scheduled RVer arriving for six days in the spot we were using. But knowing our situation they made available to us their personal RV storage location by the barn for as long as we needed it! Yet again another example of God's provision and the kindness to us by strangers. This new site has both water and electricity and they are only charging us $20 per night. With our black and gray tank storage we can last a couple of weeks without needing to dump. This allows us to stay on the property as our RV Mobile Tech Scott continues making the freshwater tank modifications and repairs. Later that same day, after running some errands, we spent the afternoon trying our hand at 9 holes of golf while in Tucson. Karen and I are not real golfers but "duffers" (as defined as a person inexperienced at something, especially at playing golf). We made a tee-time at the Silverbell Golf Course for 3PM and attempted to play our version of "happy golf". The goal was to enjoy the outdoors, fresh air and one another's company. To make it enjoyable we played a round of "best ball" which is where all players move their ball to where the "best ball" lies after being hit. Despite our best efforts it was a challenge! Unfortunately, the weather was downright cold and windy to boot. And the course was in terrible condition and poorly marked. Definitely sub-par conditions overall. We played our nine holes and got our moneys worth but this course is not a do-over. Tuesday, February 7 Karen spent the morning working remotely while I read and listen to music outside in my reclining zero gravity chair. We departed around 1PM for points south off Interstate 19. Our eventual destination was Mary Johnson's home in Rio Rico for dinner. We made a quick stop in Tubac, AZ and proceeded to pick up Mary before heading to Tumacacori, AZ to visit the National Historical Park there. According to the park literature available, Tumacacori (Tu-ma-COCK-cor-ee) was home to the O'odham people who lived along the Santa Cruz River. Between the late 1600's and the mid-1800's Spanish priests, then soldiers and settlers arrived in the valley. Some of the O'odham moved into the mission community, where they encountered European ideas about building, religion, governance and community. By adopting the priests' intensive farming methods and metal tools, and planting seed and cuttings of non-native plants, the O'odham could grow winter wheat, quince, fig, apricot, pomegranate, and peach. Livestock-cattle, sheep and goats-further expanded the range of available food. San Jose de Tumacacori, depicts the mission and its environment circa 1827. Being the son of a father born in the US and a mother born in Mexico, I can appreciate across centuries, how the communities of O'odham, Yaqui, Apache American, Spanish, and other cultural traditions survived, merged and blended together in the Santa Cruz valley. Although Native peoples and newcomers sometimes fought, mission registers show that they also intermarried, which led to an ever-expanding network of kinships. We ended the evening with a wonderful, home-cooked dinner at Mary's. She is in the process of selling her home in Rio Rico and based on the number of calls she was getting from her realtor, this might be the last time we share a meal with her in this home. New adventures lie ahead for all of us!

Our new home since February 1 has been at the QYB Ranch in Marana, AZ. We found out about this Hipcamp venue from Scott Shackelford our mobile RV Tech. What a gorgeous place to enjoy the Arizona sunset and sunrise! We traveled the 2.1 miles on a dirt road but it was relatively easy to get to the ranch and we were welcomed immediately by James. The spot is a flat sand/gravel base off the main dirt road and the full hookups make this a great stop. We set up the gas fire pit, solar powered torches, colored blue lights under the rig at night and enjoy the views of the night sky surrounded by multiple Saguaros. Sabrina, our hostess was very understanding and responded quickly when we explained our freshwater tank issue and worked with us to get the site scheduled. We've been in constant communication with Alliance RV back in Elkhart, IN regarding the needed repairs to our trailer. The big problem is the replacement 98 gallon freshwater tank is on backorder, and according to Tim at Alliance the Parts Department, the rest of the parts on the order will ship out Wednesday 2/8. So they will get to us about 2/15. Some of the minor parts were shipped to Scott, our amazing RV Tech, and arrived today Friday, February 3. Scott, is under the rig right now prefabricating a serious upgrade to the stringers that will hold the new tank. He showed me the material he's using and it is beefy steel angle iron! Scott has been awesome and he's a surprise blessing from God.. We're fortunate to have his craftsmanship and work ethic. Lippert, the manufacturer of the trailer frame purchased by Alliance, did a crappy job welding the stringers and used some wimpie materials on the undercarriage supports. Scott's solution will guarantee we never have this problem ever again. For now we are in the Tucson area for another two weeks, probably until Friday, February 17. Fortunately, we can still live in our rig while we wait for the repairs to be completed. We have no out of pocket expenses associated with the repairs. Alliance is paying for the parts and labor. Unfortunately, we will miss our first RVICS assignment in Texas. Karen and I were looking forward to participating with our fellow RV'ers. That said, we have other RVICS opportunities in the queue to do later this year. The weather in Tucson this time of year is lovely. For now it is time to enjoy the beautiful desert scenery. We have all year to see the rest of the country once repairs get completed.

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a 98-acre zoo, aquarium, botanical garden, natural history museum, publisher, and art gallery founded in 1952 that we visited on Monday, January 30 with our friends Greg and Tina Meals. Located just west of Tucson, Arizona, it features two miles (3.2 km) of walking paths traversing 21 acres of desert landscape. It is one of the most visited attractions in Southern Arizona. We enjoyed an informative one-hour docent guided tour on a short section of the extensive trail system within the outdoor grounds. I was fascinated to learn that the Sonoran desert has five seasons! The Sonoran desert, covering a large part of the southwestern US and Northern Mexico, basically divides its summer into two parts. “Fore-summer”, occurring in May and June, is very hot and very dry. “Summer monsoon season” follows it from July to mid-September and brings the region soaking rains. It is considered the major growing season. Surprisingly lush by desert standards, the Sonoran Desert is one of the wettest deserts in North America. This is due to the fact that winter is considered a second rainy season. While the precipitation that falls between December and January is generally not as intense as during the monsoon months, it tends to be more widespread. Overall, the region averages between 3 and 12 inches of rain a year. Spring and Fall are generally warm and dry. Along the way we were able to examine a variety of regional cacti, trees and succulents that live in the desert here in Arizona. Some of the indigenous animals in the museum included a beautiful Mountain Lion, a small herd of Javlinas, which is a peccary, a medium-sized, pig-like hoofed mammal (New World pigs), a Mexican Gray Wolf and a Coyote located in enclosures. Karen and I were thrilled to get to see Greg and Tina Meal, old friends from Santa Rosa, CA who recently transplanted to Tucson, Arizona. We spent over four hours enjoying the museum, eating lunch and catching up on our new lifestyles. We would recommend visiting this museum when in the Tucson area. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is beautiful and well laid out. Plan on doing some walking, so wear comfortable shoes and bring a refillable water bottle. Water stations are conveniently located throughout the facility.

The Titan Missile Museum is the only remaining Titan II site open to the public allowing you to re-live a time when the threat of nuclear war between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union was a reality. Officially known as complex 571-7, this is all that remains of the 54 Titan II missile sites that were on alert across the United States from 1963 to 1987. We visited this one-of-a kind museum on Saturday, January 28 and got a rare look at the technology used by the United States to deter nuclear war. What was once one of America’s most top secret places is now a National Historic Landmark, fulfilling its new mission of bringing Cold War history to life for millions of visitors from around the world. We went underground and back in time on the 45-minute guided tour. Descending 35 feet into the missile complex, visiting the launch control center, and experiencing a simulated launch of the missile. Then we journeyed down the cableway to level 2 of the missile silo to get an up-close look at the Titan II missile itself. This tour lets you experience Cold War paranoia and American ingenuity while walking in the footsteps of the brave men and women who operated America’s largest land-based missile ever deployed. The Titan II was capable of launching from its underground silo in 58 seconds and could deliver a nine megaton thermonuclear warhead to its target more than 6,000 miles (approximately 10,000 km) away in less than thirty minutes. For more than two decades, 54 Titan II missile complexes across the United States stood “on alert” 24 hours a day, seven days a week, heightening the threat of nuclear war or preventing Armageddon, depending upon your point of view. Each site consisted of a missile silo, a launch control facility, and an access portal. The sites were staffed 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, by 4-person missile combat crews who deployed to the missile sites for 24-hour shifts, called alerts. Each crew pulled an average of 8 to 9 alerts a month, meaning they often worked the equivalent of 5 weeks in a 4-week month. Crew members consisted of two officers — the Missile Combat Crew Commander (MCCC) and the Deputy Missile Combat Crew Commander (DMCCC), and two enlisted personnel — the Ballistic Missile Analyst Technician (BMAT) and the Missile Facilities Technician (MFT). While in the launch control center during the tour I got to play the role of the Deputy Missile Combat Crew Commander (DMCCC) in a simulated launch sequence. Sitting in that seat gave me a sobering sense of the weight these young people had on their shoulders. As we received the coded message by radio to initiate the launch procedure, my voice actually trembled as I spoke to the acting Missile Combat Crew Commander when we turned the launch keys simultaneously. Imagine the psychological pressure they would have had to actually go through? No amount of training could possibly prepare you for the reality of a nuclear exchange between the superpowers! This wasn't a movie set, this was the real deal! As a Navy veteran who served from 1972 to 1976, seeing this site truly drove home the reality of that period of history. I came away from the tour appreciating the literal miracle that we avoided a nuclear war or accident during the cold war era.