MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST, 2021 – FLIGHT TO ANCHORAGE, ALASKA:
Today is the first day of a week-long tour with 3 comedians — “The Triple Threat Comedy Tour” with Adam Keys, Johnny Cardinale, and Mark Serritella – to 5 bases throughout Alaska. They will perform at JBER, Clear AFS, Ft. Greely, Ft. Wainwright and Eielson AFB – in that order. Adam is a triple amputee and an amazing man….and funny!
Did not have time to go to bed last night because I had to get up at 2:00 am for a 4:00 am departure to the airport. Why do all my flights leave so early???!!!
The 6 am flight out of Nashville departed on time and I landed Seattle at 9 am their time. The guys were not scheduled to arrive until 12:30 pm so I set up my office in the Lounge and worked for hours. Their flights landed early and I was able to get them into the lounge for another 3 hours before we were scheduled to depart Seattle to Anchorage. About an hour after they arrived, I realized I had missed a call from a Seattle phone number. I called it back got the Delta Airlines voice mail. I had to leave a message for them to call me back. I mentioned it to the group and was concerned that our flight to Anchorage had been cancelled since Delta never calls me. Johnny mentioned that he had missed calls from the same phone number.
About 10 minutes later, Johnny realized that he had left his carry-on bag in the overhead on the flight from LAX to Seattle! That’s why the airlines was calling us. He had all his clothes for the entire week in that bag. Delta advised that they had sent it to baggage claim so Johnny had to go downstairs and pick it up. Thankfully the flight attendants figured out who the bag belonged to although we have no idea how they did. He obviously had not checked the bag and didn’t have his name on the outside or inside. We assume they figured it out from his seat number. Great service by Delta!
We departed Seattle on time and landed Anchorage on time. Needless to say, I did a lot of sleeping on the flights today! As I was waiting with Adam while everyone deplaned, the flight attendants started talking to us. We told them we had two more comedians on the flight. They mentioned that they had found a bag in the overhead on a previous flight. We told them that was our guy and they asked if that was part of his comedy routine. LOL!
Mark and I were the only two who checked bags and both arrived at baggage claim. I called the Hyatt Place Midtown Hotel for their shuttle and it arrived about 20 minutes later. The weather is not good – cold and raining, but no prediction of snow in the Anchorage area. Unfortunately, the shuttle bus was not wheelchair accessible. But Adam is a CHAMP and easily maneuvered himself into the vehicle.
The hotel is nice and has a complimentary breakfast. They also have a small bar and restaurant area so we all three met there for drinks and dinner. It was only 9 pm when we left that area but that is midnight for me in Nashville. Hoping to get in bed by midnight. We have a 9:30 am lobby call for a Unit Visit at JBER tomorrow morning and then the first performance tomorrow night.
This is the first time I have met any of the guys and they are all really sweet. I think they are going to be very easy to work with as well. I know the men and women serving at the 5 bases will love the shows. It’s great to be getting entertainment out to the bases again even if we still can’t access all the overseas bases.
Jude
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2ND – FIRST PERFORMANCE AT JBER (JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON) IN ANCHORAGE, ALASKA:
Woke up to more rain and cold weather today…but not as cold as I was anticipating. I think we’ll have that “bone-chilling” cold once we fly to the Fairbanks area tomorrow! There is a really great little breakfast area in the hotel. Adam was finishing up his meal when I ran down to grab some “to go” food to take to my room.
We departed the hotel at 9:30 am to drive to the base to get our “base passes” and afterwards for a Unit Visit with 703 Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (C-17s) and AWACs. It brought back so many memories of tours to Iraq and Afghanistan where we flew on the C-17s). Adam has flown on and jumped out of those aircraft! The most fascinating part of the tour was learning that one of the C-17s was the aircraft that picked up the people trying to get out of Afghanistan a few weeks ago. I’m sure you all saw the footage on the news but we saw actual photos of the hundreds of people sitting on the floor of the aircraft during the flight from Afghanistan to Qatar. Very sobering!
I’ve only seen an AWACs plane once in Turkey many, many years ago when I was on tour with The Forester Sisters. As far as we know, there has only been one crash of that aircraft and it was very near JBER in the 80’s. The sad part is, a flock of geese caused it and there were no survivors. “Bird control” at this airfield is a major concern.
We stopped by the Frontier Theatre for a quick mic check and since no one wanted to stop for lunch, we headed back to the hotel for a couple of hours of down time before show time. I heard lots of chatter about “nap time” from the guys. About halfway back to the hotel, I got a call from Karl (our host) asking if one of the guys took the microphone with him. Yep….it was in his pocket. LOL
We departed for dinner at the Olive Garden at 4:30 pm. We didn’t eat very much that “early” in the day but got “to go” boxes and took with us to have after the show.
The show is in a beautiful, old theatre – same place where Runaway June performed in September. Masks are required and social distancing is still enforced but we had a good crowd. The Mission Support Colonel met the guys backstage, introduced them and stayed for the entire show.
All the guys did a really fantastic job and brought some much needed laughs to the people attending. After the show, they took photographs with everyone in line…including “Mrs. Alaska”! We were back at the hotel by a few minutes after 9 pm.
We fly to Fairbanks at 9 am tomorrow morning and then drive for about an hour to Clear Air Force Station for the show tomorrow night. Everything at Clear is in one long building. It’s also the only place we will visit that doesn’t have a handicapped accessible room. But we have found a work-around and it should be fine.
Jude
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD – PERFORMANCE AT CLEAR SPACE FORCE STATION:
Met everyone in the lobby at 9 am for the drive to the airport. The hotel shuttle only leaves on the hour so we actually left much earlier than I would have liked. But, waiting for the 10 am shuttle would have put us there too late.
We didn’t have any problem checking in but the line for security was long. Johnny and I had TSA Pre-Check so Mark went through with Adam so we could all avoid standing in the long lines. I couldn’t believe what they put Adam through. It seriously took about a half hour for them to finish “checking” him. He made the comment that now he has become the “terrorist”.
I shopped for Christmas gifts to fill the time before our plane arrived. We departed on time and I got great photos out the airplane window on the short one hour flight.
Our escort was waiting for us but the vehicle was a bit small for the one hour plus drive to Clear. We managed to put one of the seats in the 3rd row down to accommodate the luggage and wheelchair, but it was very uncomfortable for Mark who volunteered to sit back there for that length of time. There was a bin on top of the vehicle but our driver didn’t offer to let us put anything in it. Because the wheelchair doesn’t fold up, it takes up a lot of the room we could use for luggage. We will have a trailer attached to the vehicle when we depart tomorrow.
Everyone is excited to visit our first Space Force Station. It’s much colder here and there is a lot of snow. We had to take it slow on the snow covered roads. Everything is in one building…our rooms, the bar where the show will be held, the shopette, a sauna, gym, DFAC, etc., all in one long building. Since it is not unusual for the temperature to drop to 60 degrees below zero in the winter months, it was very smart to put everything in one building! Yep, that’s not a typo….60 below!!!!
We got checked in and then had an office call with Major Kim. He was really nice and gave us a briefing regarding the “show content”. All my guys are very aware of the rules, so not worried that we will be out of line. Afterwards, we went by the venue to check it out and then to the DFAC for a very early meal.
There are only 300 people here and everyone knows each other…and everyone is so nice! The show started on time and it was another “home run”. Major Kim stayed for the entire show and even took photos with everyone afterwards. He also asked that everyone meet him for breakfast tomorrow. Normally, we don’t eat together as a group but will do so tomorrow morning.
We have to depart earlier than planned tomorrow morning, too, because of the snow. This week is just flying by!
Jude
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH – PERFORMANCE AT FT. GREELY:
This base is another “first” for me in Alaska. The short version of the story is – Clear detects the incoming missiles and Greely shoots them down. Turned out to be a very interesting day, too.
We met Major Kim for breakfast at 7:45 am. Honestly, we were all very stressed all night long because we were worried that we had somehow done something “wrong” during the show and he was going to give us a lecture. Honestly, I think he just enjoyed our company. The people serving at Clear are on an unaccompanied tour and the base is so small, everyone knows each other. I’m sure they welcome having “outsiders” visit them. Hopefully the base will begin receiving more entertainment.
We departed at 9:15 am for the 4 ½ to 5 hour drive to Ft. Greely. Tom – one of our hosts at Clear – drove us halfway and Charlie – one of our hosts at Greely – met us halfway for the remainder of the drive. I had requested that each vehicle have a trailer attached so we would not to be so cramped in the passenger seats. It was so much better than the trip from the airport to Clear yesterday. There was lots of snow and the scenery was beautiful. There was also lots of black ice!
We met at the Safeway in the North Pole (how about that?) and transferred to the other vehicle. We also grabbed some lunch while we were there. I picked up a tray of sushi and it was amazing. Never dreamed grocery store sushi could taste so good.
First stop was at the Visitor Center to get our base passes. That only took a few minutes and then we were driving to lodging. And, on the way, we saw a Moose and then another Moose and then a Moose standing right in front of someone’s house eating their bushes. Check that one off the list!
Here’s where it gets interesting….we pulled up at lodging and there were handicapped parking spaces which is always a good sign. Nope. There were 7 steps leading from the ground to the inside of the building. I went inside and we realized “thankfully” that we were at the wrong building. The guys had already taken everything out of the trailer and Adam was out and sitting in his wheelchair. Rather than make him get back into the vehicle, Johnny just rolled him to the correct building – which wasn’t easy based on all the snow and the distance. I walked over and Mark rode over with Charlie.
Again, there were 7 steps leading into the building. I went in and talked to the office to see if there was a wheelchair ramp that we just weren’t seeing. Nope. I was under the impression that it is a Federal Regulation that it is mandatory that “federal” buildings must be handicap accessible…or at least a certain percentage of them. I wanted to confirm that Adam was in a handicap accessible room and here’s where it got even more interesting. They had put him in a DV Suite thinking all he needed was a lot of “space”. I went into the room and there was no way his wheelchair would have even fit through the door to get inside. Once inside, the bedroom had a huge bed that took up most of the room. There was about 12-18 inches of space between the foot of the bed and the wall. I had to turn sideways and squeeze through that space to get to his bathroom. Then it was a regular bathroom – no roll in shower….no rails.
Lodging was nice enough to call around to hotels in the nearest very small town – Delta. The one hotel that had a room with a roll in shower was booked for the night. They found the Alaska Country Inn and it had a handicap room available with “rails” in the bathroom and doorways large enough to accommodate his wheelchair. They also had 3 rooms available for me, Johnny and Mark.
It was only about a 10 minute drive from the base to the hotel. The lady working at the desk was super sweet and super slow checking us in. Alaska is sort of like being on “island time”. No one ever does anything quickly. She finally got all the paperwork filled out (after at least 20 minutes!) and then couldn’t get the printer to work so I could sign the forms. She crawled around under the desk thinking someone had kicked a wire unplugged and finally called someone to help her. Her conversation was something likee, “Uh huh. Okay. I’ll check that”. Then she reached down and turned the printer “on”. LOL
I went to check out Adam’s room and was speechless when we walked in. Mirrors on the wall and ceiling! The lady from the front desk said the building used to be a Tavern. Adam got inside and then I went in my room to find that it is also a handicap room and also has mirrors on the wall and ceiling!
I only had about 2 hours to work before we had to drive back out to the base for a mic check, dinner and the show. The mic check was really quick because we are using the same production company and equipment. We ordered our meals for dinner and then left to go to the base exchange while the meals were being cooked. The minute we walked up, the Exchange closed. I can’t believe a base exchange would close at 5 pm but this one did.
We went back to the venue and had dinner and a visit with Lt. Colonel Joey Orr and CSM James Breakfield. They were so nice and we really enjoyed talking to them.
The audience was small tonight because the base is also small. But it was a great audience and the guys had a super time. We were all presented with certificates of appreciation which was so special!
The guys took photos with everyone and we were back at the hotel by around 9:30 pm. Charlie and some of the other people at the base showed us photos they took last night of The Northern Lights last night and they were spectacular. Johnny is determined to see them before we leave. He has set his alarm for midnight and if they are out, he’s going to let all of us know.
I decided to go ahead and take my shower before I finished my work. Right before I got into the shower, I realized there was no hair dryer! I looked everywhere but no luck! I sent a text to the guys and Mark loaned me his.
So, I’ll let you know tomorrow if we see The Northern Lights!!!
Jude
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH – PERFORMANCE AT FT. WAINWRIGHT, FAIRBANKS, ALASKA:
I got up at 6 am to exercise and get some work done before we had to depart at 9 am. At 6:30 am, it sounded like someone was mulching trees right outside my window! I looked out and there was this huge “Monster Jam” looking truck with the motor running right outside my window! No one was in the truck and the motor continued running for a full 30 minutes. Every once in a while, I’d move the blinds and give it the “stink eye” but it really didn’t do any good because there was no one in the truck. Finally at 7 am, it drove away. Adam said he heard it, too, and his room was much farther away from it than mine. He thought it was a snow blower.
We did NOT see the Northern Lights last night. There’s an App that people use to “track” when they will be visible and it’s not looking good for us.
I went to the office to check out the continental breakfast thinking there probably wouldn’t be anything but yogurt that I could eat. Instead, there was an unbelievable spread of hot food. I knew that Adam was not going to be able to come down to eat so I took photos of everything and texted them to him. I gave him the option of having me come roll him down or “room service”. He opted for “room service”. LOL
We departed right on time and it feels much colder this morning but no “new” snow. The drive was about 2 ½ hours. When we were 15 minutes out, I sent Rebecca a text letting her know. She said all we had to do was tell the gate security that we were on the VIP/Distinguished Visitors list. We pulled up at the gate and that’s what we told them. The guard said he didn’t know what that list was and left to get another soldier. The soldier who came to the vehicle at that time was one of the rudest people I’ve ever met. He did not care that we were already cleared and told us to turn around and go to the Visitor’s Center and get a pass. I called Rebecca and she asked to speak with him. At first, he refused to talk to her and then when he did, he was as rude to her as he was to us. She told us to go to the Visitor’s Center and wait for her because she was calling the Colonel who had submitted our paperwork.
She met us and told us to follow her vehicle (which was a dream come true – a handicapped accessible bus so that Adam could stay in his wheelchair to board!). The Colonel had called the guy at the gate and told him to let us pass. But when we got back to the gate, he again refused and turned us around. Today was the Colonel’s day off but by the time we got to the Visitor’s Center again, she was behind the counter and issued Gate Passes herself! As we were pulling out of the parking lot, we saw the rude young soldier pulling in and when he got out of the vehicle the Colonel met him. I would not have wanted to be on the receiving end of what she was saying to him – especially after ruining her day off! Evidently, there have been problems with this particular soldier in the past so hopefully this will change his attitude.
We arrived at the hotel and got checked in with Adam going into a handicapped accessible room. We just dropped our bags and headed back out for lunch off the base. Adam went to the desk before we left and asked if they could put a stool in his shower. The girl at the desk disappeared for about 10 minutes then came back and told him they didn’t have one. She offered to move him to another room that did have a stool. Adam asked her if that stool in the other room was attached to the wall or if not, could they just move that stool to his bathroom. Again, she disappeared for about 10 minutes and returned and said the stool was attached and the only option was for him to change rooms. While she had “disappeared”, our hosts called the hospital and confirmed that they would deliver a stool or chair to lodging for him.
All this to say, “WHY” did the desk clerk not put him in the room with the stool in the shower in the first place. He was right in front of her when we checked in and it’s obvious he does not have any legs and only one arm. I am so frustrated with people who just can’t use a little common sense.
We had a nice lunch downtown and then returned to base. I asked to be dropped off at the base exchange so I could buy an extra empty bag for all the Christmas gifts I’ve purchased. I told them I would just walk to lodging because it was only across the street and they left to drop the guys off at lodging. I took my time and looked around in the exchange and then stopped at Starbucks to get a decaf latte. When I walked out, the bus came driving up to get me! Turns out they didn’t want me walking in the “cold”. It was 14 degrees when we got back to the base, so it was definitely cold.
I worked until 5 pm when it was time to go to the venue. Having this vehicle for Adam is so wonderful. He was able to take his legs off all afternoon and let them “rest”. I’ve been worried about him getting blisters because of all the standing he’s doing and having to walk up and down steps. But, so far, all is good. I just wish all the bases had been as wonderful and accommodating as this base. It is unbelievable to me that with all the wounded warriors we have, the bases don’t have facilities to accommodate them.
There were no steps to go up at today’s venue but there were 3 small steps to go on the stage. Adam navigated them like the champ he is. The guys decided they wanted to wait until after the show to eat tonight. Colonel Nate Surrey (the man who flew me and Charlie Daniels around Iraq in 2005) and his wife – also Colonel Surrey – were there tonight and the guys loved talking to them.
The venue was packed and the guys gave the attendees a great show. They took photos after the show and signed some autographs. We were back at the lodging by 9:30 pm and have to depart tomorrow at 10 am for a little “sightseeing” before arriving at Eielson for a visit with the F-35 pilots. SOOO excited about that!
Right after we got in our rooms, I got a text from Rebecca saying her son was watching the Northern Lights right then. I knocked on everyone’s door and we all rushed outside. Nothing! We walked around and looked everywhere and still never saw anything. Maybe tomorrow night…..
Jude
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6TH – PERFORMANCE AT EIELSON AIR BASE, IN FAIRBANKS NORTH STAR, ALASKA:
Last show tonight and the time has flown by! The breakfast buffet in the lobby is still nice and the coffee is especially good. I was able to do a quick in-room workout before meeting the group for our 10:00 am departure. Edison is our host and “tour guide” again and does a great job. First stop was again the Santa Claus House in the North Pole. The guys all had letters from Santa sent to family members and we took photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus. I bought some more Christmas gifts and we stopped by to see the reindeer on the way out. It is a lot colder here and complete cloud cover. No rain or snow but the cloud cover is probably going to keep us from seeing the Northern Lights again tonight.
We stopped at a Diner and had lunch before going on base. It was a special treat to get to see the F-35 aircraft. What a beautiful plane. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any photos of it for security reasons. The “helmet” that the pilots wear is just as impressive as the aircraft itself. I had a feeling there were going to be lots of new jokes in tonight’s show and I was right. Johnny told about having our phones taken away and not being allowed to take photos. He said he went back to the room, googled F-35 photos and photo-shopped himself into a photo of one. LOL!
We arrived at lodging by around 2 pm. The guys had decided to once again order dinner “to go” and eat after the show so we had “free time” until 6:30 pm when we had to depart to the show. I had my curtains closed so did not realize it had started snowing “hard” before we departed lodging. It continued until well after the show.
The venue was packed tonight and it was a great show to end our tour. Adam had a friend in the audience and got to talk with her for a few minutes after the show. Unfortunately his time with her was very short since we had to take our dinner back to lodging, eat, shower and leave for the airport all in one hour’s time. The Caesar salad was excellent but they forgot to give us a fork. Fortunately, the breakfast area off the lobby had utensils.
It had stopped snowing but the roads were covered with fresh snow. There was still a lot of cloud cover but we also saw a little “patch” of clear sky. Johnny just knew we would see the Northern Lights from the plane. Didn’t happen.
We departed to the airport at 10:30 pm and arrived a little after 11 pm. Departures and Arrivals are on the same level and evidently that airport allows vehicles to be parked right in the lanes in front of the terminal and wait on whoever they are meeting. We circled once just trying to find somewhere to unload but didn’t have any better luck the second time around. We finally went all the way to the far end where there were no entry doors and unloaded. Rolling the wheelchair through the snow is definitely challenging but we all worked together and got the bags inside and Adam as well. Check in was fairly easy and Delta gave all the guys my same luggage allowance (after a little coercion). Once again, Adam got patted and searched for about 30 minutes before they released him. We had about an hour to wait at the gate. Sean – one of our hosts from Ft. Wainwright – was on our flight tonight as well. He only had a 30 minute connection in Seattle to make his next flight so hope he made it!
I remembered something funny from our flight to Anchorage from Seattle last Monday….I put my purse under the seat in front of me on all flights. When we landed Anchorage and I picked it up, it was soaking wet! Even the inside was wet. I asked the flight attendant for some towels and he said that the people in front of me had “spilled a beverage”. Sure wish he had told me when it happened. It wasn’t “sticky”, so I assume it was water. I’m thankful my phone wasn’t in my purse but in the seat back! I had to use the hair dryer on it once I arrived at the hotel.
Our flight departed Fairbanks and arrived in Seattle on time. I had to go secure boarding passes for my flights to Minneapolis and Nashville because Fairbanks could not issue them. I’m just thankful they were able to tag my bag all the way through to Nashville. I went in search of a bottle of Evian water but did not succeed. Hard to find Evian at airports. Dansani seems to have that contract – Yuck!
I had about 30 minutes to sit with the guys and luckily all our flights were in the same gate area. Departed Seattle and arrived Minneapolis on time. This was the one flight I had hoped to get some sleep on but my seat was broken and would not recline, not even a half inch. Had about 2 hours in the Delta Lounge before departing to Nashville. Flight to Nashville departed and arrived on time – with my bags. This has been one LONG DAY!
What a great visit this was with the bases in Alaska. Johnny, Mark and Adam brought laughter and smiles to so many of the men and women serving there in those extreme temperatures and very little sunlight each day. And, those three are just as funny off base as they are on base. Looking forward to more tours with them!
Jude
