Hello Everyone!
My apologies - this post is a bit late (almost a week after I returned), but I had some difficulties editing my post and had to delay publishing it.
On 18 Aug 2026 I returned from a 8-day road trip from my home in Middletown, OH to Colorado Springs, Colorado and back. The reason for going out there was so that I could attend a memorial ceremony honoring the Academy graduates who passed away to 2025. My late wife, Ellen, was among those remembered this year, and I felt the need to attend in person.
Why a Road Trip??
I decided to do it as a road trip instead of flying mainly for old times’ sake. When I was a cadet at the Academy, my home was in central PA, so I made the trip back and forth many times by car. Back then, I had a cast iron bladder and was young, invincible, and energetic, so I'd do it in two (very long) days. I'd stop at Scott AFB, IL (near the halfway point of St. Louis, MO) and get a cheap ($7.00) room at the Visiting Officers' Quarters. How I did those 18-hour driving days, I'll never know. Ah, youth...
This time I had plenty of time, so I took a much more leisurely pace. I spent three days going out, two days there, and three more coming home. I made stops in St. Louis, MO, and Salina, KS. I only drove about seven hours each day and made stops every couple of hours.
My Car
I made the trip in my 2023 Tesla Model Y. I've taken overnight cross-country trips in it before, but never anything this long. I had no worries about range anxiety though, as Tesla supercharges are numerous along the interstates and I knew there were two within a short distance from my destination. I let the car decide which ones to stop at, and it did a great job figuring out the fastest route including charging stops. My longest charging stop was 30 minutes, and the shortest was just ten. They broke the drive up into reasonable segments of about 90-140 minutes each, well-matched to my 68 year-old bladder.
Full Self Driving (FSD)
I opted for a subscription to Tesla's "Full Self Driving (Supervised)" software for the trip. I'd tried a free trial version more than a year ago and found it fascinating, but lacking. Back then, it was like riding with a newly licensed, 16 yr-old driver. About 85-90% of the time, it did amazingly well. But every now and then you wanted to smack it upside the head and shout, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING??". I didn't feel like paying a subscription fee for what amounted to a cool, but not quite ready for prime time, party trick.
My car is an older (2023) model Y so it doesn't have the most powerful version of the autopilot hardware (known as HW4). Mine runs the earlier HW3 version. Although Tesla had released Version 14 of the FSD software for HW4 cars, mine was stuck at version 12 because HW3 wasn't fast enough to run the full version 14. Version 12 did very well apparently, but all the reviews said that version 14 was very much better (there was no version 13…!). So, I decided to wait.
A couple weeks before my trip, Tesla released the latest version of the FSD software compatible with my car, Version 14.1 "lite". They managed to rework the software to make it run on HW3 with only minor performance reductions. The reviews were very strong, so I decided to give it a try. I can say that it is head and shoulders above the previous versions I've tried. The car behaves very smoothly and predictably, making excellent (although sometimes overly cautious) decisions about when to pull out, when to pass, how to negotiate construction zones, avoiding pedestrians and bikes, etc.
So, I let "Tessie" do almost all of the driving on the trip, even for a drive up and down Pikes Peak! (more on that later). I rarely had to intervene, and when I did, it was usually only because the car chose a parking place that I didn't want. Yes, it not only managed the highway and city driving, but would even enter the parking lot of my destination and park itself! If I was stopping at a charging station, it'd find an unoccupied charger and back itself in. When it was time to leave, all I'd do is program in the destination, then tap the "Start Self Driving" button on the screen. The car would pull out of the parking spot, find its way out of the lot, and enter traffic.
It did a great job of merging, entering/exiting highways, choosing the proper lane for turns, signaling all its turns, and even expertly negotiating roundabouts.
Tue 11 Aug to Thu 13 Aug
These days are somewhat uninteresting because all I did was drive. They were uneventful, apart from some torrential rain due to severe thunderstorms in western OH and eastern IL the day I left. The rains continued there the next couple of days and it got so bad that a portion of Interstate 70 just west of the OH/IN border washed out, closing the westbound side of the interstate for about 30 hours. Luckily I got through there about 24 hours before the washout, but I still drove in some very heavy rain for several hours.
I arrived at my destination (a friend's house just outside the Academy's north gate) at about 2:30pm on Thursday. They kindly offered to let me stay there even though they were away on a cruise. All I had to do in return was feed (and medicate!) their 21 year-old cat! No problem - I love cats and have "been-there-done-that" with the meds. I got settled into the house, made friends with the cat, and relaxed until dinnertime. I found a Texas Roadhouse nearby (I had a gift card!) and had a nice sirloin for dinner.
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| Pepper, the Geriatric Cat |
Friday 14 Aug - The Memorial Ceremony
I showed up at Arnold Hall, the cadet recreation center, at 10:00am, as instructed, to check in for the day. I received a name badge and lanyard, and the receptionist told me that we (all the next of kin gathered for the ceremony) could explore the terrazzo and cadet area at leisure until meeting to observe the cadets' noon meal formation at 11:30. I met up with one of my classmates who was there to honor another of our classmates who'd also passed away in 2025, so we hung out and caught up for about 45 minutes before heading outside to tour the cadet area.
It was a beautiful Colorado day, and the terrazzo area looked lovely.
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| Cadet Gym as Seen from Arnold Hall |
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| Chapel in a Box |
We walked the Terrazzo and enjoyed all the sunshine. The cadet chapel is currently undergoing a complete renovation and is enclosed in a huge “box” to protect it and the workers from the weather. The renovations began in Sept 2019 and were originally expected to be completed by Nov of 2022. That estimate quickly went out the window and continued to slip several times as more issues (like asbestos) arose. The current estimate is May of 2028, just in time for graduation. The cost rose exponentially too, and now both the cost and the schedule will far exceed that of the original construction.
Still, that building has special significance for me because I was a member of both the Catholic Cadet Choir and the Cadet Chorale. We held all our rehearsals in the chapel, and I attended Mass there every Sunday that I was in town. I also met my late wife in the choir, so it was very meaningful to both of us. I look forward to seeing the completed project.
I had very nice conversations with the cadets at the table. All four classes were represented, and most of the conversation centered around what had changed since I graduated some 43 years ago. Short answer: Everything, and yet nothing at all! I left with the solid impression that our Air Force is in great hands - these young folks are sharp, capable, and passionate, just like we were at their age. Frankly, I’m glad I don’t have to compete with them - I’d lose!
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| Polaris Hall |
After lunch, we continued touring around the cadet area with our cadet guide. We visited his dormitory in Vandenburg Hall, as well as the McDermott Library, Fairchild Hall (the academic building), and Polaris Hall.
Polaris Hall is a relatively new building (2016) that houses the Center for Cadet Leadership and Development as well as the offices related to administration of the Academy’s Honor Code.
The Honor Code (“We will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate among us anyone who does.”) is a bedrock principle of cadet life. A cadet’s (and by extension, a graduate’s) word is his/her bond, and we implicitly counted on each other to act honorably. Violations of the code, except in certain extenuating circumstances, result in dismissal. In some situations, there are opportunities for discretion and rehabilitation for younger cadets, but those are applied case-by-case.
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| The Honor Conference Room |
Hearings for honor code violations are held in the Honor Conference Room of Polaris Hall. Similar to a court trial, there is testimony from both prosecution and defense, then a board of cadets deliberates and renders a verdict. The accused person sits at a chair at the far end of this conference table, and when he/she looks upward, the angled superstructure of the building directs the person’s gaze to the North Star, Polaris, the guiding light.
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| Stage During the Memorial Ceremony |
Memorial Ceremony
Later in the afternoon we assembled in the Arnold Hall (cadet recreation center) theater for the memorial ceremony. It was originally planned to be held outdoors, but pop up rain showers dictated a last-minute move indoors. If the ceremony had been outdoors, the entire cadet wing (4,000+) would have been formed up in squadrons and groups. Because space was more limited in the theater, the formation was mandatory only for the freshmen and sophomores, but any cadet was welcome to attend. Every seat was filled.
The ceremony was relatively brief, but very symbolic and emotional nonetheless. After some introductory remarks, the Cadet Wing Commander (a female) came on stage. All 40 cadet squadron commanders were lined up near the stage. Everyone was in their dress uniforms. A narrator began a roll call, in order by squadron, of the graduates and cadets who’d passed away in 2025. At the end of each squadron’s list of manes, the respective squadron commanders would salute the wing commander and solemnly intone, “Absent, Ma’am!” In all, there were 242 graduates honored.
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| Ellen’s Final Resting Place |
I managed to hold it together fairly well during the ceremony, but I’ll admit to a bit of emotional overload when I went by myself afterward to visit Ellen’s grave at the Academy cemetery.
That evening, I went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant (Jose Muldoon’s) in downtown Colorado with one of my classmates. This place was a cadet hangout back in the day, and was another fun part of the trip down memory lane for both of us
Saturday 15 Aug - Pikes Peak
I decided to stay in the area Saturday instead of driving home right away. The weather was very nice, so I opted to drive my Tesla up Pikes Peak. I’ve subjected several rental cars to that torture over the years but had never done it in my own car. Frankly, I was curious about how the Tesla would do!
The road up the mountain is only about 19 miles long, so I wasn’t worried about range even though it’s clearly a steep grade and would consume far more energy than normal. I knew that I’d make up a lot of it on the way down thanks to regenerative braking, so that wasn’t a concern. I was more interested in whether or not the self-driving could handle it!
Because the FSD (Full Self Driving) had done so well on my trip out, I decided to give it a try on the mountain road. Of course, my hands were on the wheel and I had my foot ready to stomp the brakes if anything went awry, but I needn’t have worried. When I saw how well the car negotiated the first very tight switchback curve, I was very impressed.
The car handled every situation, up and down the mountain, with grace. It moved left (as oncoming traffic allowed) to give plenty of room to bicyclists and pedestrians, and it tracked nearly the exact center of my lane continuously. I was never uncomfortable, despite the narrow road, tight curves, and frequent lack of guardrails. Amazing, really
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| Me on the Summit of Pikes Peak |
Sunday 16 Aug - Tuesday 18 Aug - The Trip Home
I left for home Sunday morning after feeding, medicating, and petting Pepper one last time. He really was a great companion!
As on the trip out, I made stops in Salina and St. Louis. The drive was uneventful and actually relaxing. I streamed my favorite classical music station, Discover Classical in Dayton, for almost the entire time. Thanks to Voice to Text, I was able to have several nice “conversations” with friends and family on the way out and back, and the charging stops gave me the opportunity to keep up with email, news, and weather info.
I saw lots of beautiful skies both along the way and during my visit, but only thought to capture a few pictures. Here’s a shot of the sunrise Monday morning as I left Salina. It was even more beautiful than the picture.
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| Sunrise on My Drive Home |
I arrived home mid-afternoon on the 18th and was warmly greeted by my cats. I got to reflect on a wonderful trip down memory lane as well as honoring Ellen’s memory and service to our country. All in all, another excellent adventure!
Until Next Time,
Sounds like a nice trip. It's hard to believe that Ellen has been gone for over a year now.
ReplyDeleteThe Tesla self driving sounds fascinating but I'd be asleep within 30 minutes! Maybe I could find some alien monster mask to strap across my face to really give the people next to me something to scream about. Being able to enjoy the scenery in the mountains would be very nice.
That is so special that you were able to be there for the memorial. Thanks for chronicling your trip.
ReplyDeleteI remember how you did it! Every state car license plate.
ReplyDelete