High Five Tour 2010

High Five Tour Stop #37: Washington

Miss Debbie G and Miss Debbie G

After our interview in Eugene we hit the interstate and got ready to head to our last stop of the day, Seattle, Washington. We did not have a Tv or radio interview instead we had a five o’clock dinner reservation with Debbie Garrett at the Space Needle; and we were determined to keep it.

The colonel and I were both very eager to meet with Debbie because it was through her donations and support that we were able to get the 2010 Shelby Mustang that had taken us on our fantastic cross country adventure. We had been in touch with her all through our trip letting her know where we were and now it was time to finally meet her face to face

Though we tried as much as we could to make it to the Space Needle by 5pm we we’re thwarted by some dead-stop traffic on the interstate leading into Washington. Determined, we fought our way through and finally arrived a few hours after.

Since we had arrived so late we took a short tour of the space needle and headed to a restaurant to sit down for dinner.Meeting Debbie, her cousin Donna, and Lynn was fantastic. They were the sweetest and most kind-hearted women you could hope to meet and while we ate we shared stories of our trip.

The colonel and I were both exhausted from the days travels and were looking forward to a good nights sleep after dinner. Debbie’s good friend Lynn was kind enough to offer her house for the night so we didn’t have to go hunting for a hotel.

Traveling the Cascades

We woke up early the next morning to get ready for the days plans. Our friend “Bug” and the other members of the Golden Hills Mustang Club had helped us get invited to the Mustang Club of America’s Grand National Show which was taking place near Seattle.

This day’s activity was a beautiful drive through the Cascade Mountains with about 200 other mustangs in a caravan that must have stretched miles. The roads were gorgeous and the views even more so. We invited Debbie and Lynn to join us and used two cars to everyone could get a comfortable ride in the Mustang. It was one of the most exciting and breathtaking experiences on our trip and both Debbie and Lynn seemed to enjoy every minute of it.

After the drive we stopped off for lunch and to say good bye to Debbie and Lynn. While we were eating a family, who had spotted our car out in the parking lot came and asked us about what we were doing and if they could get some high fives. We took them out to take some pictures and gave them a few t-shirts before we were on our way to the next stop.

Our Next Stop On The High Five Tour 2010: Salt Lake City, UT

High Five Tour Stop #39: Cheyenne, WY

The Veterans of Cheyenne

We got to Cheyenne in the early afternoon and met up with their Channel 5 CBS Affiliate who had asked to follow us around while we highfived some Wyoming veterans.

We started with an interview at the Cheyenne Capitol Building and then went around town. It was awfully quiet but we were able to find plenty of veterans that were happy to get some high fives and sign our car.

Our Next Stop: Denver, CO

High Five Tour Stop #40: Denver, CO

The Denver Zoo

Denver completed our 1,400 mile trip from Seattle and we were excited to be there. The local VFW had invited to the Military Appreciation Night that was being hosted by the Denver Zoo. We got to meet many veterans from all over the country who happened to be at the zoo that evening. It was great to talk to these heros and high five them but I really enjoyed hearing the Colonel swap stories with other marines, and soldiers. It gave me a real appreciation for what they went through when they were in the service and made me feel proud for the work that was being done to support them by Wounded Warriors Family Support.

Our Next and Final Stop on the High Five Tour: Mount Rushmore

High Five Tour Stop #38: Salt Lake City, UT

Roads That Stretched On Forever

Since the Colonel had decided that we wanted to spend extra time with Debbie Garrett and drive through the Cascades we spent most of the next day driving. We had to undertake a 1,400 mile drive to our next major event in Denver; but before that we had some other stops to make a long the way.

The Mormon Tabernacle

We arrived in Salt Lake City pretty early in the morning and didn’t have much time to waste. There were not many people out on the street yet but we took the time to go visit Temple Square and the Mormon Tabernacle. I didn’t know much about the Mormon faith so the Colonel filled me in while I looked at the beautiful architecture of the buildings.

Our Next Stop: Cheyenne, WY

High Five Tour’s Final Stop #41: Mount Rushmore

Mount Rushmore

It felt almost poetic that we were celebrating our final day on the High Five Tour at one of America’s most historic and prominent landmarks. We got in early in the morning and met the two news stations who were interviewing us as we closed our trip. It was a gorgeous day and the skies were so blue. There were tons of people out that morning and we gave high fives to as many of them as we could.

The Journey Home

On way the back to Omaha I had tons of time to think about the trip. Though the days had been long it really felt like the tour had gone by in a blur. I took sometime to think about all the amazing people we had met from soldiers to doctors, to airline pilots who we shared a common bond with. We were Americans and we were all very proud.

High Five Tour #36: Eugene, OR

Wolf Creek

We pulled off a few exits early to refuel the 2010 Shelby Cobra Mustang at a small town called Wolf Creek. While we were there we visited the Wolf Creek Inn an original stagecoach stop and one of the oldest functioning inns left. The owner and her daughter came out to see sign the car and get some high fives. They were even kind enough to be in our daily video.

Eugene!

We rolled into Eugene and headed to meet up with a news station who had asked us for an interview. The colonel told them about the High Five Tour and how we were going around thanking Americans for supporting our troops and about the fantastic things Wounded Warriors Family Support does for the military families.

High Five Tours Next Stop: Seattle, WA

High Five Tour #35: Medford, OR

Snow Capped Peaks

We had lucked out over the last few days in LA and San Francisco because the weather had been relatively cool. The highs were in the low eighties and at night it was in the 50s. Well going up towards Oregon the weather started to heat up again. So both the Colonel and I were surprised when the hills we were going through receded to reveal the beautiful and snow covered Mt. Shasta

We stopped off for a bit in Mount Shasta City just to relax and enjoy the view. The view was breathtaking and like nothing I had ever seen on the east coast.

Making New Friends

In Medford Colonel Folsom wanted to meet a few board members and CEOs of some local businesses. We picked two to go and visit. The first was Lithia Motors. It was early in the morning when we got there and we caught everyone as they were coming into work for the day.

We also stopped off at Harry and David and the colonel recalled his grandmother bringing him one of their baskets for Christmas when he was a little boy.

Our next stop: Eugene, OR

High Five Tour Stop #34: Roseville, CA

Riding With the Ponies

Roseville was not a scheduled stop for us on our trip but again we were called on by another mustang club who wanted to come see us and ride with us. We met them along side an entrance ramp to the highway and when we pulled up there were only two cars. By time we were done with pictures and high fives there were about 16 mustangs ready to help us drive up to Oregon.

The Mustang Clubs of America have shown us the the greatest amount of support on this 10,000 mile journey and the Golden Hills Mustang Club GoldenHillsMustangClub.com) was no exception. They met us with t-shirts, coin, pins and stickers for the car and even members who could not make it out to meet us were watching us through our Live page and chatting with us online. It was just beyond believe for myself and the colonel just how supportive these people were.

We’d both like to thank the Golden Hills Mustang Club, Dan, and Greg for all of their support and for taking time out of their morning to drive with us and help us with the High Five Tour 2010. It would not have been the same without meeting you guys!

Our Next Stop: Medford, OR

High Five Tour Stop #33: San Francisco, CA

Wind Powered Frisco

The ride up on I-5 towards San Francisco was pretty boring. There isn’t much to see besides the hills and the dried up plants. It’s a tragedy that the water shortage had left many orchards barren. The hills were so yellow often times it looked like we were in the Sahara driving past sand dunes.

There was one type of farm that still seemed to be producing and those were the wind farms. We had passed some wind generators before but there was nothing quite like the ones just outside of San Francisco. Rows and rows of these tall white fans stood spinning as far as the eye could see. We must have passed by hundreds.

Seaside For Drinks

Our first stop was Buena Vista the first place ever to service Irish Coffee in America. We sat down and traded our high fives for some drinks. We made friends with some other people visiting and had them come out to sign the Shelby Mustang. Before long we had the attention of the whole street and a veteran came by and thanked us profusely for the work we were doing.

America’s Crookedest Street

San Francisco is known for it’s hilly terrain but it also claims the country’s crookedest street. Lombard St. has a hill so steep that it would be too dangerous for cars to drive straight up and down. Instead they have designed a series of switchbacks or curves which help cars navigate the terrain safely.

The Golden Gate Parking Lot

We headed to the Golden Gate Bridge but since it was rush hour the drive of about 4 1/2 miles took us well over an hour. We got to have some conversations along the way with people who honked at us and loved the car while we stopped. I have to give credit to anyone who can make that commute everyday; you must have the patience of a saint!

Finally crossing the bridge we stopped off at the Sailors Memorial and took a few pictures. On the way back we decided to try to grab a few pictures of the car on the bridge so I hopped out and ran in front taking some snapshots. We caught the attention of a bridge police officer who asked us to pull over.

When all was said in done we explained our mission and he was happy to sign his name on our car.

A Night Out

We headed back to the Marine Memorial Club which would be our home for the night. We got settled in and still had plenty of time left in the day so I went out and explored the city. I grabbed a slice of pizza which was pretty good for being so far away from New York and headed back down to Fisherman’s Wharf to enjoy the sunset and the attractions that were down there.

I was unable to capture it on my phone but the horizon was layered with the most amazing oranges and greens and blues just after the sun had set. I took a walk up to Ghiradelli Square for some ice cream, and then finally headed in for the night.

Next up on our 10,000 mile journey: Roseville, CA

High Five Tour Stop #32: Los Angeles, CA

Living Like A Star

We arrived in LA in the early evening and the Colonel showed me around. We drove through Hollywood and Bel Air. We watched the people running in and out of clubs and into restaurants in their suits and dresses. We decided to spend the night living like a star and we headed to the Ivy for dinner.

While we were there we met a father and daughter who were in town on vacation from Arkansas. They were great company we told them about our trip and traded stories about hunting for movie stars in the city.

Meeting the Maker

The next morning we had a very special appointment to keep. We had the honor of bringing our 2010 Shelby Cobra Mustang to the Bel Air country club to be signed by Carroll Shelby himself. We already had hundreds of signatures on the car but it would not be complete until Mr Shelby signed it.

Carroll and his wife Cleo met us an we gave them high fives and took some pictures alongside the car. Carroll put his signature in it’s place and was kind enough to give us some of his wine.

After, we met some other people from the country club and had them sign the car. The place was beautiful but we knew we needed to get moving soon so we could make it to our next destination.

Next Up: San Francisco, CA