Colorado

My view of the mountains when I looked West

View from work of Denver

Buckley AFB is in Aurora, CO. Aurora does not have much to offer, but it is only 20 minutes 


away from downtown Denver, 
and base was 15-20 mins away from where Joe lives! It was great to have my brother nearby and was nice to get away from the Aurora scene every once in awhile. On my first weekend in Colorado, I joined Joe and his friends and we headed up to Leadville/Buenavista in the mountains to go camping and hike a 14’er (mountain over 14,000 ft in elevation). It was great fun but dang, was that quite the change from Keesler (at sea level). Joe hangs out with a good group of people that are very fun to be around. Another time I hung out with that group, we went rock climbing in Golden. It was a blast and I would gladly go again. Joe and his friends have been going for I believe 3 yrs now and are quite skilled.


 Many nights were spent hanging out on the stoop of the Meatyard (Joe’s house) with friends and Joe’s roommates and Ella the Great Dane. Cooking late night gourmet meals and listening to the record player. Ah, good times. Roo!

For Easter, our parents came to visit! It was a lovely sunny weekend filled with fun and adventure. We travelled to Fort Collins to check out some local brews, drove around Denver to see the sights and also to see a show that Joe had some pieces in, and went up to Red Rocks Amphitheatre. I was able to get a family room at lodging on base, so we were able to cook a few meals there (and wonderful breakfasts thanks to Dad). 

 

Being at Buckley did provide me with some once in a lifetime opportunities as well. I got to meet the President! He flies through Buckley quite a bit (especially in 2012 with it being an election year – CO being a swing state – and legalization being a hot issue to cover). In April 2013, on one of his trips to make a speech in Denver, I got to meet him and shake his hand. I didn’t think I was going to, but he is tall enough to see the short people in the back and have them come up to the front. Yay!

For those of you who want to get your political pants on, may I just say… Regardless of your views or political standing, meeting the President and shaking his hand is a great experience. That’s all I got to say about that.

I also had the opportunity to take a trip or two while I was stationed at Buckley. One of those trips was to the Four Corners! I had been to Arizona and obviously Colorado, but had never been to Utah or New Mexico before. So, on Memorial Day weekend, it was time to pack up Andygator, grab a travel buddy, put on our BANDANAS, and hit the road! Christina Miller (formerly Diehl) was kind enough to be my travel buddy. Her husband, JJ, didn’t think that driving around and camping for 4 days sounded like too much fun, so he decided to stay home and relax for his long weekend. Haha. Christina and I actually went to BMT (basic training) together and she was supposed to go to a different base but found her soul mate (JJ Miller) in tech school, got hitched, and got reassigned to Buckley!

Anyway, we went to Moab, UT and camped in the La Salle National Forest, 2 different spots of it 2 different nights, then went to the 4 corners monument which was literally two hours away from anything in any of the four states… We went to go camp in New Mexico and found out that the desert really sucks… so we went back to Utah. We found a nice camping spot with access to lots of firewood, and Christina channeled her inner lumberjack to take down an entire tree! We had beans hobo-style on the fire and planned for our TV show… Red & Blonde Camping (RBC)… One of these days!! Also, somewhere there is an awesome picture of our campsite looking like a scene straight out of a horror movie. Another of me hunting deer with a machete… they were so close!

Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico

 

While in Colorado, I re-upped my Paramedic license. I was able to go to Thornton, CO for a refresher course. It was good to be around other non-military medical folk for a bit and I felt like a real Paramedic again. Once the class was over, I wanted to still utilize those skills. At Buckley, I was fortunate enough to provide medical coverage for a lot of 5k’s that the base put on. We got to drive around in the Medic Mobile (Extra-long pickup truck) and make sure no one got hurt or fell out. Rarely did anyone need assistance, and I was functioning at a BLS level. We sure did have fun though. 

So, on my off time, I would volunteer medical coverage for some bigger events where I could function as a Paramedic and see more action. Also, I was able to get more involved at a community level; which made me feel good. I helped out with the Colfax Marathon, that also has a 10 mile, 5k, half marathon, and marathon relay portion to it. Fun fact: Colfax Ave. is the longest continuous street in the US at 26.8 miles. This year, there were 9,545 runners that participated, and yes, we provided quite a bit of care. I worked with a skilled group of medical professionals throughout the day and we all agreed that it was quite a successful team that we had. (First picture).

 Another volunteer opportunity that I had was the Run For Your Lives 5k in Byers, CO. A zombie run! Everyone was having fun. The runners, the zombies, the workers, and I got to act like a real Paramedic ! The website for this is actually great and pumps you up. We must have watched it about 15 times at work.

Which brings me to work… the reason that I was in Colorado to begin with! I worked at an off-base clinic that treats active-duty members and their families. I worked in Pediatrics, but helped out with Family Practice a bit as well. (Until it came time for PAPs or paperwork, then I was lost). I worked with a great group of people (both civilian and military) and they really were a big dysfunctional family. Heck, I am still asking Miss Diane for help and I don’t go there anymore!

What made this group great is that we were not only co-workers, we were friends. Some local favorite spots were Cedar Creek Pub for fish and chips and beer (Denni’s favorite), Dry Docks, or Pho 888 (although some of us were better at using chopsticks than others).

Buckley was a good first assignment and although there may have been some bumps along the road, I think it was an overall successful year. I will miss the crap out of the friends that I have made but hey, it’s a small Air Force… I may see them again and I will most certainly stay in touch.