Monday on Elmendorf Base

There is nothing exciting to report today from Alaska, except a beautiful sunny day with temps in the mid-high 60s. Shorlty after 8 am this morning Gil took Suzanne and the RV into Anchorage to have the oil changed. This chore ended up taking the entire morning because he did not have an appoitment, but had to be worked into their schedule. At the same time, Mitchel and I took the laundry down to one of the camp laundromats and it took us 3 hrs. to get that chore done. Then the rest of the morning for us was spent at the commissary picking up some groceries.

Luckily our FamCamp here is just inside the gate of the base, so the place where Gil took the RV was very close outside the base gate and the commissary was just a few blocks away for us to shop. After lunch Gil and I got in a nap (we seldom get this luxury anymore) while the kids watched a DVD on the computer. Gil and I then went to the base hospital (which again is very close to the FamCamp, right across the road) and attempted to get our prescriptions filled. It took several hours waiting on them and then we found out they could not fill two of them for us. One can be filled off base at a pharmacy and the other will possibly be in stock in a few days.

We once again returned to camp, fixed the kids some hotdogs then went to the NCO club for a meal (late birthday for me). Turns out that bases have changed a lot since we retired from USAF, so the NCO club was not operating their dining rooms but had a snack bar only during the week. We ended up with a fish plate (catfish for Gil and Alaskan snapper for me). It was still early so we ended up just off base at Lowe's for a part Gil needed for the RV. So, now it is 7:15 and our day is winding down. Suzanne is so tired she has gone to bed. The sun is still high in the sky, so Mitch went out for a walk. I have only 3 pictures from today; one taken inside the hospital which is a huge complex and very modern. They are adding to it and it will soon be a joint hospital for VA, AFB and Army personnel in the area. The other two pictures were taken on base as we drove back from the NCO club. We are told none of the clubs (NCO, or Officer) open on weeknights, but only on weekends. I guess with other places on base to eat like Burger King and food courts at the BX and Commissary Base Maul along with those fast food places off base, the base does not see the need for the clubs to be open all week. Naturally there are still the dining facilities for the base personel (what we used to call chow halls).

So, there you are....a boring day with the Niemeir-Express. We intend to go into Anchorage tomorrow with the car to stop at the Welcome Center to find out what we might do in this area. We have plans to go to Seward for a couple of nights, and also to Valdez before we leave Alaska. Stay tuned for more details, and hopefully a more interesting day.