| Past Articles |
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| Hi, I'm Bob. Read about my 10-day bike ride from San Francisco to San Diego. I rode alone from San Francisco to Newport Beach where I joined other bicycles from all over. We took two days from Newport Beach to San Diego. This ride was for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). The article will tell you all about it. If you would like to talk about bicycle riding just click on the E-Mail icon and send me a note through my dad's web address. |
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| I have three computers operating as one. Each one can access, modify, and save files from and/or to each of the others. All three computers operate as one. |
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| Click Here to view the Photo |
| In 1954, before going to work for Pan Am, I flew for Fairchild Aerial Surveys. That summer I was assigned to fly an Aerial Survey job for Texaco. I flew a Cessna 195 from Los Angles through Central America to Colombia on the north coast of South America (The trip itself is another story). The Magdalena River runs from high in the Andes Mountains south of Bogota, north to Barranguilla. The job site was at Puerto Nino, up the Magdalena River some 500 miles deep into the jungle where Texaco had some producing oil wells. They needed a survey by air of the area to beginning additional exploration. Texaco had cleared trees from the riverbank and constructed a small landing strip where supplies could be rushed in and out by air instead of the long wait for delivery via riverboat up and down the Magdalena River. By the river they built a floating dock, a clubhouse and quarters for some of the employees. The ground gradually rose a small amount back from the river. On the higher elevation was a mess haul and executive barracks. They had also constructed a utility road through the jungle back to the wells. A seven man Colombia Army detachment consisting of Major Morales, Lieutenant Gomez, and five solders were based at the landing strip. Aerial Photo surveying can only be done when the skies are clear, so I spent considerable time on the ground talking, and shooting pool with the Major at the club. Texaco assigned a pickup to the Major so as to keep him happy. They gave the Lieutenant a bicycle. The five enlisted men walked. One day the Major asked me to go along with him while he drove back into the jungle to inspect the goings on at the well sites. Hence, the following story. Shopping: It's A Jungle Out There. |
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| Vietnam The late 1960s and early 1970s was a very difficult time for this country, and for me. I was flying as captain of a 707 at that time delivering troops to Vietnam, and returning some to various locations throughout the Pacific for rest and recuperation. |
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| I recall one occasion departing from Saigon that we had a malfunctioning seat in the cabin, so someone had to get off. And, of course the lowest rating individual was assigned to leave the aircraft with the promise that he would be the first onboard the next flight for Honolulu. Later that week when I was comfortably at home listening to the news, one of the news items was of a bomb exploding in the airport terminal in Saigon. I thought about that GI we had to leave in Saigon because of a broken seat. I begin to visualize the fate of that young man. I thought to myself, for many there is just no escape. With those thoughts in mind I wrote this essay, No Escape, in memory of all those men I flew to Vietnam who never returned. |
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| Click the picture to read my Daughter Eileen, on the right, and her daughter Shannon's, thank you letters for your support of their Avon 3-Day 60 mile Walk for Breast Cancer from San Jose, CA to San Francisco, CA on July 27 through 29, 2001. Click their picture to see and read about the day by day record of the walk. |
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| A most difficult time for me was to hear the news give the daily, and the weekly casualties numbers. It was not uncommon to hear numbers like 360 U.S. casualties this week. A 707 would carry about 160 troops. At times I would look aft from the cockpit and see all of those young faces and think, 160 young men I'm taking to Vietnam and that will not supply the casualties for four days. |