“He’s singing it the best ever,” said General Yeager three phrases into the song.
And he was.
We had gotten a call from the Oak Ridge Boys’ Road Manager, DK. “You’all coming to Vegas for the show?”
We had never been to Vegas for their show but it seemed like a good idea. I contacted a few acquaintances and friends with airplanes to see if they’d like to go…and take us. It was too short notice.
Gen Y had been wanting to visit Stone Cabin Ranch for a while and it’s a little more than halfway so we started thinking in that direction.
Then someone said it was the Boys’ best Christmas show ever. That cinched it. Hate to miss that.
It was a glorious day for driving. The mountains and valleys with the late fall light are magnificent.
I’m always reminded of how great and beautiful the United States of America is when I go driving out west.
I had tried calling the Cliffords at Stone Cabin Ranch. Either the subscriber was unavailable or the number was disconnected. The ranch, the oldest continuously running ranch in Nevada, was still intact. So we figured we’d stop in.
Stone Cabin Ranch: General Yeager was stationed in Tonopah for flight training in March-May 1943. His buddy McKee and he decided to take a jeep and go hare huntin’.
They also decided to drop in on one of the ranches they had been buzzing.
Pa Clifford came out and invited them in for some food. Lucky for the 357th FG, the Cliffords were most appreciative of these boys going off to fight for their country. The Cliffords found it rather exciting to be buzzed.
They set up a system. Whenever the boys buzzed, Ma or Pa Clifford would wave a white sheet to let them know they could come for Sunday dinner. If no, sheet, don’t come.
Ma would have a long kitchen dining table, “sagging in the middle from being loaded down with homemade pies, cakes, all sorts of food, “as General Yeager says now.
There would be 15 guys from the base.
One time, Pa or Pops, was murmuring about the tree needing to be cropped.
F/O Yeager said he’d do it.
Next flight out, here comes Yeager on a very low buzz (8 feet above the ground). He cropped that tree very neatly. When he returned to base, his maintenance guy asked what happened.
F/O Yeager said, “I hit a bird.”
Maintenance: “Must have been carrying a pretty big nest!”
We saw the tree, a type of weeping willow – you can see where it had been trimmed. But it is huge now.
Stone Cabin got its name from the cabins being built of stone and into the stone outcroppings very near a creek. Sort reminded F/O Yeager of home – storing food in the caves to keep it cold.
So F/O Yeager and I drove to Tonopah. (Of course he is now a General. But as memories filled the car, we were transported back in time.)
We passed by Mina as F/O Yeager told me of the time the 357th FG guys went to check out the girls there. They boys had gotten bored of Taxine’s and her girls in Tonopah.
After a while of rowdiness, the sheriff in Mina threw them out. Now if you’ve ever driven through Mina, you’d agree with me: That must have been some serious rowdiness, so bad I can’t even imagine, for Mina to throw you out.
The next day, the water tower at Mina was shot up by a P-39. They could never figure out who done it.
And of course the 357th buys never went back. As Gen Yeager joked, “Nah. The girls were too dirty – no water to take a bath. Heh heh.”
We stopped at the Mispah, now a hotel, but in F/O Yeager’s day, a bar, or the bar.
It’s an interesting, historic hotel. Reminiscent of the Wild West in style but with fairly modern amenities. I could just imagine the guys handing out at the long bar.
Gen Y was reminded of his pals in the 357th FG and told this story to the hotel owner: One guy was eating his soup, so tired his head fell into his soup. Blub blub, blowing bubbles with his face partly submerged in the soup. The way Gen Y tells it, just cracked us up, bending over double.
The next morning, after breakfast, we headed out to Stone Cabin Ranch. There was Roy, the grandson of Ma & Pop Clifford. His sister joined us for coffee as did his mother. Gen Yeager reminisced as did they.
Doris told us that whenever they heard/saw Chuck Yeager coming, they all hit the dirt. This particular time, they were in the road. All yelled: “Hit the dirt!” but Doris couldn’t – she was 9 months pregnant and so just leaned against the car bracing herself.
I asked if that child didn’t like loud noises. Or was a nervous type? She pointed at Roy, one of the most relaxed people I’ve seen. We laughed.
Roy talked about his grandfather or father refusing to “hit the dirt” by getting off his horse. By golly after that buzzing, he never tried to stay on his horse again.
It was all good natured memories of a time gone by.
We then walked around the ranch – saw the spring behind the house in which Ma and Pa Clifford lived. Beautiful drinking water. That cup has been there since the late 30’s perhaps.
Gen Y reminisced about the kitchen table some more. The house was moved – it had been a bar for the local miners.
Another building had been a school house.
We then walked to where the horses were – wild stallions would try to come steal the mares. Nothing’s changed.
And we looked at the buildings built into the rock. A horse had fallen through the roof and its bridle only had gotten caught on a meat hook. They were able to get her loose and get out of the way as, once freed from this panic, she took off.
We visited with Gladys, Ma and Pa’s daughter-in-law and with a few more grandkids. Gladys is a lovely woman, just a few months younger than Gen Y.
After a few pistachio nuts, photo viewing, reminiscing, we headed out.
We saw the air base. Three hangars were still standing. Barely. And the old entrance was still there.
We stopped at the museum – saw a photo of Taxine and her girls. We also saw the remains of a torn up P-39 that was 4 feet under – just the prop tips sticking out when they found it.
After a brief visit, we were on our way to Las Vegas. From 1943 to 2012
To see the Oak Ridge Boys.
c. GCYI