Pagosa Springs Rotary Club
The final portion of the meeting, usually featuring a speaker, was devoted to a “travel-rama” consisting of stories by Rotarians of notable travels. The interesting recollections shared were too many for complete recapitulation here, but included were
- Linda Verrips’ misadventures with Amtrack, in which in mid-journey the train left her stranded in Grand Junction with no money or identification, but a friendly travel agent came to the rescue by helping her contact American Express, purchase an airplane ticket to Denver, and get to the train station in Denver to catch up with the train;
- Dave Smith’s hiking expedition with his grandson in the remote wilds of the Wind River Mountains in Wyoming.Dave had some stunning photos of the landscape, plus a photo appearing by “mistake” of Kim cooling with a can of Coke (“the Pause that Refreshes,” evidently) – Dave, Coke would pay big money for the rights to that photo -- during their recent journey in Senegal;
- Jann Pitcher’s recollection of a trip long ago to “surprise” a boyfriend travelling in Europe, something she advised “you should never do,” which resulted in an extended and fruitless vigil at the local post office in Nice, France, but still had a happy ending when Jann consoled herself with a trip to Aspen upon arriving “Back in the USA,” where she met Todd;
- Betty and Jeff Switzer’s recent trip to Texas to help celebrate their grandson’s attainment of Eagle Scout status, and receipt of Eagle Scout Grandparent pins,
- Sharon Crump’s description of a chaotic motorhome trip to New Orleans with multiple stops including one for a Jimmy Buffet concert in Houston by her and several Pagosa women including Kim, which featured fun, near-catastrophes, minor injuries, and a traffic stop on the way home in which Kim saved the day by surprising the officer with a courteous offer of lunch;
- Cindy Galabota’s story of a hot-air balloon ride during travels in Turkey, which ended in a dramatic landing in which the partially toppled passenger basket (with passengers aboard) was dragged 100 yards by the wind and partially deflated balloon;
- Roberta Tolan’s canoe trip on the Green River through Dinosaur National Monument, where she was suddenly taken ill in the middle of the night and carried to safety by a robust Park Ranger, a former Navy Seal; and
- Your reporter’s recollection of an out-board motorboat excursion with his sister in Grand Teton National Park as youngsters, which was interrupted by a wild storm, producing parental fears (eventually disproven) of drownings.