I left the northeast portion of Central Texas at 4:00 pm of November on Wednesday the 18th and had pondered if I had enough time to swing by Angel Fire one time again to get there before sunrise. I drove long and hard and the further I drove the easier it became to make up my mind because of the magnetic force driving me to go there. My thoughts were confirmed as the rain quit and the clouds cleared more every mile and I could start seeing the stars. I arrived at 5:30 am on Thursday the 19th of November just waiting for the sun to rise, and in the process we all know that dawning happens so fast and I started shooting pictures with my Sony Mavica in the dark not wanting to miss any photo that started showing and to get the desired different effects of various lighting.
I was so tired that I almost fell asleep and I decided to get out of my truck and walk around in the brisk morning air at Angel Fire, then I was awake for the show of shows and my camera only got a fraction of what being there could offer. Angel Fire was lite long before the sun came over the tall mountains yawning and stretching its arms before it was about to give a glo to Angel Fire. They only thing different that I liked from my visit on Veterans Days, eight days prior was the wind was still and did not affect the cold morning air at this high elevation of 8,250 feet on the valley floor alone. I proceeded to shoot and had to work fast manuvering for different angle as I only had about ten minutes as the sun started it fast climb over the ridge tops to engulf the whole valley in a warm glo.
I was still at awe thing that DAV had given up and did not even seek out the visitors center, so I decided to go to Eagle Nest and get a coke and gas for my continuing journey back home. I met the people of Eagle Nest coming and going on this journey and they are down home folk, just friendly as all get out, a breed of people that we do not see much of anymore except in small town USA. These people will go out of their way to make you feel very much at home and it is not because they want the tourist dollar it is because they are good hearted Americans. Well I got my gas and went in to pay for it and pick up some coke and the friendly elderly lady that apparently owned this mom and pop business had all the time for my questions as we discussed David's Memorial. Yep she told me that the people in the area are prepared to keep Angel Fire open at all costs even though the community is not ravaging in financial haven. Our conversation was stopped short when I heard her say that the visitors center is open again and I looked at my watch and it was 9:15 am and the center opens at 9:00 am. I thanked her for her time and hospitality and immediately proceeded back to Angel Fire fighting back driving the speed limit.
Well I had arrived back at Angel Fire and took the loop to the lower parking lot that was closer to the visitors center than the upper parking lot. I had notice two vehicles there and I assumed correctly that the center was open because when I walked up to the handicap slider door to enter Angel Fire's visitors center the door moved and that was an answer to my prayer. A lonely voice in the back said " I will be right there to help you" I gazed at the large colorful map of Viet Nam and the 3,000 years of chronology that went with the map. The warmest face that I had seen in a long time came to greet me as a guide, which was none other than Robert West the Assistant Director of Angel Fire. I got a very personal tour once again like I did when I had the chapel all to myself on Veterans Day and this is the way my journey was suppose to happen.
Robert gave me a complete tour and about half way through he had to excuse himself to make coffee for the guests of the day. And I turned around and the happiest man in the world was smiling at me and that man was Doctor Westphall. Doc said welcome and enjoy your visit and come back to my office when Bob finish's showing you around. Robert returned and resumed our journey inside. There is a Veterans media room which is a mini movie theater and I don't know for sure the size of the visitor's center but it must be in the 6,000 square foot area.
There is memorabilia in the veterans room that ranges from old jungle boot, dog tags, RVN flag, and two of my favorites that I still have are my bandage scissors and the D ring that they are still on with the usual stuff like P38. Ah yes the D ring for those that were fortunate to repel. There is a synopsis folder book on a counter top that is approximately four feet long that tells of the incidents of many of our KIA's. Many are New Mexico men that fell victim to the war and others are from families that wanted their deceased loved ones included and others were hand carried to Angel Fire by some families that needed to make the pilgrimage.
Well I had thought that my tour was coming to a close for Robert had other duties he was catching up on with Doc Westphall so I continued to acquire more photo's. Then as I was at the rear of the visitors center Robert asked me if I would like to meet Doc, and I told him I had already and Robert said I mean come into his office. I said sure that would be an honor and I talked with Doc and Robert for quite sometime and then the spark came to about a website and the rest was history.
Doctor Westphall is a man of men, he greets everyone that he can by the aid of his little walker cart and is their daily. Doc will visit with anyone in his office unless it is a day of hundreds of visitors then he will do what he is capable of physically to the best of his ability. Now this is in sincerity, in all, Doc takes it to heart everyone that is in his presence, and this is not a show being put on, these are cold hard facts that Doc is genuine with everyone he meets and does not put up a facade of any type. A Golden Man and he does very well for mid eighties or more, God Bless Doc for his devotion to the dream he envisioned thirty years ago and his heart is just as heavy today as it was thirty years ago. Doc is so kind that he has been abused in the past because of his kind heartedness, so there are a select few that look out for Doc's best interest and you might call these men the LRRP's of Angel Fire.
I left at 10:30 am to resume my journey back home and I stopped at the front gates where the symetrical pillars of DAV still stood and photographed them as well as the Historical Marker out on the highway. Another Day at Angel Fire well spent.