Air Force Academy

After the Cliff Dwellings, we headed into Colorado Springs to the Air Force Academy. Nick's grandfather and uncle were staying there, so we crashed in their room for little while after taking a look around at some of the aircraft on display.

Trey was very excited to see the planes so close. They have some awesome stuff on display, like this Thunderbirds T-38 and and A-10A Thunderbolt.

The plane we were there to see, however, was the B-52 Stratofortress. "Diamond Lil" is her name, and she is something very, very special. She is the actual B-52 that Nick's grandfather used during Vietnam. He sat in the gunner's seat for 200 missions in her long tail.

I had chills watching him walk Nick all around the plane, telling him stories about their missions and explaining the ins and outs of the plane itself.

Explaining to him that every time they took off in her, they had no idea if they were coming back and that he was alive because she kept them safe.

Thanks, Diamond Lil. We are grateful for your protection.