2014 - June and July -

David and I had booked this train trip a year earlier and it was non-refundable. 

So, even though I did not feel like going so soon after losing Ron, we went.

David flew from Washington DC and I from Tampa, FL and we met in AZ.
Took a train from there to the west coast and all the way north from there.

Some varmints on horseback chased down our train.

 They boarded and pulled off a train robbery.

David had no money, so I gave him a dollar so they would not shoot him. 

Poor choice on my part.  David, you still owe me that dollar.

The sheriff told David he was lucky they were going to let him live,
 because they had already heard about him.
Probably from a "wanted dead or alive" poster.
After they made their getaway, some sweet little strolling
Native Americans came through the train cars serenading us.

They were so talented.  I told them they should go try out in Hollywood.

David, FYI, this deputy below is the one who said
he had already heard about you.   He was one
tough looking hombre.  Think I would be
looking over my shoulder, if I were you.

Then, to the Grand Canyon

Then, up the entire west coast (just beautiful) and visited with
Rebeka and Kevin in Oregon - Rebeka was four months pregnant with the twins..
They took us to their beautiful rose gardens - really enjoyed walking
around and seeing so many different varieties of flowers.
Later that day, we met up with Kevin's parents, Tom and Carol for dinner.

Then, stopped in Seattle, WA to do some gawking, enjoyed

music and entertainment on the sidewalks and the Seattle Space Needle.

Then, flew to Anchorage to visit with Les and Jan.

Oh, in Alaska, Les put us up in a B&B,
an old converted hangar, with one half of it occupied with a plane that the
pilot was building from scratch. The B&B was right on the edge of the runway. 

 Here's the plane with the pilot who was building it from scratch. 
We could step out of the living room right into the work area.
Don't forget, the B&B was beside the runway for the area. 
Planes are like cars in Alaska, almost everybody has one.

Les and Jan met us at the airport - Hatcher's Pass

Mount Alyeska
Overlooking seven glaciers - took the ski lift to the top.
Breathtaking does not even begin to describe it. 
It allows one to see seven glaciers.

Here is one of the seven glaciers below - Turnagain Arm.

Wild Sea Life and Glacier cruise 

 Did the plane trip up to and around Mt. McKinley/Mt. Denali and landed on the Ruth Glacier. 

 Pilot said it was the
most beautiful day he had ever seen up there.  I was in the co-pilot seat and asked
David if he could hand me his good camera, and I took these next three pictures
in sequence as it looked as though we were going straight into Mt. McKinley, before he banked
to take us down to land on Ruth Glacier, 7,000 above sea level, I think he said.  You can see by
pictures two and three, I took the pictures right through the propellers.

It truly took our breath away.

Took another train, the Alaskan RR,  up to Fairbanks to see Heather and Jesse.

Beautiful scenery from the train
It was good of Heather and Jesse to drive that distance
to see us.  We really did enjoy the
infamous Alaskan Cabin Dinner and Show.

David, why don't you call that deputy and
see if you can swap those yellow shoes
for my dollar back.  Probably
the only way I will ever get my buck back.

Not sure what day we went to the infamous
GWENNIE'S
A restaurant in Anchorage that we never miss. 
Supposedly, back in the day, it was a house of ill repute upstairs.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60880-d477046-r380977960-Gwennies_Old_Alaska_Restaurant-Anchorage_Alaska.html
Alaska has always been a state (really a country) that is full of surprises.

 Flew back to Seattle, took another choo-choo ride up into Canada,
across that beautiful piece of property that they just dropped the
 Canadian Rockies into.  I think it took almost three days to get across Canada
We had just traipsed through some of the most awe inspiring sights for about ten days.  .
Arizona across and up the entire USA western coast, through Alaska, across Canada to NY.
Here is just one sample of the beauty of Canada.

Supposed to go on down to Washington DC to see Bill and Yumi, but I  hit NY

hacking my lungs up.  I  could not continue on to DC.

To end the magnificent trip, when we got to NY,
they had messed up our hotel reservations, so we got the

super duper Executive Suite that normally costs $3,000 per night.
I was too sick to enjoy it.
David was like a kid in a candy shop, and even though it
was well past midnight, he was calling everyone he knew,
in the USA and around the world, to tell them about it.
We said our goodbyes the next morning, in the hotel lobby.

I survived the flight from NY to Tampa, got in my car and drove to the ER. 

I had fallen on the concrete floor in the B&B in AK and
had about a 12 inch black and blue bruise on my right hip.
It served me right, because David had just said, "Aunt Jackie, you might be 80 years old,
but it is after midnight and I can't keep up with you, so I am going to bed." 
I was so full of myself hearing that I had worn the guy out who is in his 40's
that I was dancing a jig with such delight, and Karma smacked me with a lightning bolt.

Side note:  When I fell, I could not get up, and was moaning softly so as to not
awaken David in the next room.  But, he heard me moaning as I was trying to pull myself
across the floor to pull myself up on a chair arm.  He yelled "are you OK, Aunt Jackie?"
I said: "I have fallen and can't get up."  He jumped to the ladder at the top of the bunk bed
and as he got almost to the bottom, he fell too. but did not hurt himself.  Funny, funny.

The 500 pound door on the Canadian train flew out of
my hand when I opened it (we hit something on the track just as I opened the door)

the door came back and pounded me in the eye.  So, I looked like half of a raccoon. 

Little kids in the ER asked "lady, what happened to you." 

Well, I was as white as a sheet,
coughing so badly I could not talk nor answer questions, could not sit up straight,
my hair was standing straight up, as I did not have the strength to comb it,
looking like that half of a raccoon, they had a legitimate question.  I almost asked
them if they wanted to see a REAAAALY bad looking bruise on my hip.

The doc in the ER wanted to admit me to the hospital -
he felt sure I had pneumonia or at least on the verge of it - record said "life threatening."
"No Way" - my usual response.  I paid dearly for it, as I was flat on my back
for almost two months with a fever and delirious.  Then, had to
deal with David calling me and telling me that whatever the hell I had, I gave it to him. 
Boo Hoo.  Poor baby he thought he was dying too. 
Some mighty ugly germs somewhere on that Canadian train. 

We settled for a cupcake for our 62nd
anniversary a few months later
Chuck and I were still working on
slow motion for so long after losing Ron

Designed by Jim Rabun

MY HEARTFELT THANKS TO MICHAEL
FOR TROUBLE SHOOTING THIS WEB PAGE
EACH TIME IT CRASHED

(PROBABLY BECAUSE OF SO MANY PICTURES). 
COULD NOT HAVE COMPLETED IT WITHOUT YOU,
MICHAEL HELFRICH

AITP (Association of Information Technology Professionals).

Michael on the left - he was Vice President of the committee

They did classes for IT topics at schools around FL,
 and had IT professionals come in to speak

That should count for a lifetime of nothing but
THE UTMOST OF RESPECT FOR PAUL
 and love from each and every family member
for the rest of their lives, come hell or high water.

1.  Paul - Michael - Ellen
2.  Les - Michael
3.  Mina - Lauren - Elise - Michael - Maria
4.  Michael & Maria
5.  Elise's mother - Suzanne and Forrest
6.  Chuck and Jackie
7.  Elise's dad - Gene Buechel and Judi  McNeil





Professor Ebe
What a profound, genuine, &
kind-hearted human being
Professor Ebe is!!
He and some of his other IT
students drove all the way from FSU to
Tampa for Ron's Celebration of Life Service,
.  Then, he took Michael under his wing and
to a certain degree, we felt he was
trying to fill some of the void that
Michael was dealing with in losing
his dad.  It is so special to have someone
in your life like Professor Ebe.
Thank you from all of the Helfrichs!

Immediately upon graduation, Michael was weighing several
offers from many companies in the IT field. He decided on General Motors.
Shortly after Michael had received the General Motors offer, he had a recruiter from Google reach out to him on LinkedIn. Shortly after the first set of interviews, he found himself interviewing in person at the Mountain View HQ and then shortly after, receiving a job offer. When Michael was around 13 years old, Ron told Michael he could see him working at Google when he finished school.

Needless to say, Michael accepted the job offer with Google in NYC as a Corporate Operations Engineer.
Michael has always loved NY, soooo
that is where he has been since he graduated. Huge success story after all that the family has been through.
Maria took these two pictures when Michael got the "thumbs up call from Google," Jim created the banner.

NEW YORK - NEW YORK
Michael's new place of employment