Air Force Academy 7/20-21/2007

7/20/2007
Today we visited the Air Force Academy just north of Colorado Springs.

This is the first view you get of the academy when you come in the north gate. We counted 20 playing fields all a beautiful dark green. They were having a soccer tournament, the parking around the fields was full of cars and many of the fields were covered with young soccer players. There are more pictures of this area in the Colorado picture album. We also stopped at the visitor center and watched a movie about the Academy. I was surprised at the amount of freedom we had to tour the area. We were stopped at two check points and I had to show my drivers license and at one he looked in the trunk. Other wise we just drove around an looked were we wanted to. The map they gave us did indicate the buildings that were open to the public. The area the academy covers is hugh. We drove about a mile in before coming to the first pull off and as you can see we still were quite a way from the main campus.

This is the chapel, rather unique don't you think.

The front of the chapel and me.

Inside the Chapel. The chapel was going to be closed from 2 until 5 o'clock for a wedding. Many of the cadets have their wedding here. Of course in this day and age there are both male and female cadets.

This is the Catholic chapel. It is down stairs from the main chapel.

This is the Jewish chapel. It is also down stairs. I don't know for sure if you call it a chapel, maybe a synagogue?

This is a model of the type plane the Thunder Birds fly. They are the air forces crack flying team, and are the equivalent to the Navy's Blue Angles. I have never seen them perform but I have seen the Blue Angles show three times and it is spectacular. I'm sure the Thunder Birds performance is just as good.

On our way out we stopped at the Thunder Bird overlook and watched the cadets practice their parachuting. Every where you looked there were parachutes coming down, all different colors.

As you can see not all of the landings were graceful but at least no one was hurt while we were there. I was told they must make at least 5 jumps before they graduate. While we were watching all the parachutist, we also saw them pulling the gliders into the air. They would keep circling until they were high enough, then they would release the glider over the mountains and it would circle around and come back down and land beyond were the parachutist were landing. Unfortunately the gliders landed to far away to get pictures.

7/21/2007
Saturday we just went to the Citadel Mall. It's a very large mall. It has three levels, a beautiful eating area with water falls, flowers and fountains. There must be a couple hundred stores in the mall. The anchor stores are Macy, J. C. Penny, Dillard and the Burlington Coat Factory. I had to buy a new pair of slippers and socks at Penny's. Peggy just loves to wander around in these malls to see what she can't afford and even if she could she has no place to put it. But she gets her exercise that way.