Short bio - 3rd person

Short bio - Don & Carolyn Rogers

Don first met Carolyn when he went to visit her uncle in Southern California. He and Don had studied engineering in college together, and Carolyn and her husband were staying with them after leaving Oklahoma. Don was drafted into the Army in 1965 and was on his way overseas.

When Don returned from Army duty on Okinawa in 1967, he  moved to Southern California to find work as a machinist and renew his friendship with her uncle and aunt, Don & Laverna Satterfield. 

In 1968, Carolyn had left her husband and was living with her aunt and uncle with her daughter, Darlene, that summer. Later she tried to reconcile, but after a few months, they broke up again and he moved back to Oklahoma. Carolyn called Don up and told him the news, and they started dating. 

In November they committed to living and loving together the rest of their lives, and in March of 1969, they were married in the house of a retired judge in the City of Orange, California. They didn’t tell anybody but Don’s brother John and his wife, who came to be witnesses. After the vows, they all had banana splits at the local Baskin-Robbins store for the reception. It was Darlene’s first banana split.

Both Don and Carolyn shared a love of adventure, and spent a lot of time at the beach or in the mountains. Seldom could you find them at home on a weekend. For most of their lives together they didn’t own a TV. Didn’t have time to watch one.

In the evenings they decided to take up square dance lessons and they have continued this activity for all their married lives. Every time they moved to a new town they looked up the nearest square dance club. It’s like finding instant friends everywhere you go.

They lived in Woodland, California, from 1969 to 1971. Then they moved to Silver Springs, Nevada, and lived there from 1971 to 1972. After that company failed, they moved back to Santa Ana, California for one month, but they couldn’t stand being back in the city again.

Don quit work, loaded the car with food and camping gear, including a pup tent and double sleeping bag, and travelled for nearly a month across the country, sleeping in parks and campgrounds, checking in towns along the way for a job as a machinist.

Don found a power generation company in Colorado looking for a machinist, and after passing their tests, was hired and worked in the little town of Nucla, Colorado, for nine years, as a maintenance machinist in a coal fired generation plant.

During the time that they were traveling and camping out in their pup tent, Carolyn became pregnant  and nine months later they drove ninety miles over a 9,000 ft. mountain pass to the hospital in Montrose, Colorado, where their son Wesley was born. Since their insurance didn’t cover the childbirth, the doctor charged them $250 dollars cash for the delivery.

In 1981 it became apparent to Don that the old coal fired power plant was going to be shut down and so he started looking for work again. He found a brand new power plant being built near Winnemucca, Nevada, and after seeing his experience and skills, they hired him before the plant was finished. Don worked there from 1981 to 2006, retiring with a good pension.

They bought almost thirty acres of desert land when they moved to Winnemucca, and hoped to retire and live on the ranch until they died, but as they became older and more frail, it became harder and harder to live where the doctor was fifty five miles away, and the hospital was 180 miles away in Reno.

In 2016 they moved back to Durant, Oklahoma, where Carolyn was born and raised, where she still has family, and medical facilities are across the street, and just down the road.

They have no regrets about the TV programs they never watched. Life is good if you go out and live it!

We’ve been everywhere. Including Winnemucca:

Yosemite Nat'l Park - hiked to foot of Bridalveil and Yosemite Falls, and   

  tops of Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls.

Yellowstone Nat'l Park - watched Old Faithful erupt, and drove slowly through a bison herd.

Arches Nat'l Park - hiked to Delicate Arch, among others.

Canyonlands Nat'l Park - four wheel exploring Elephant Rock area.

Dead Horse Point Overlook - four wheel down Shafer Trail.

Grand Canyon Nat'l Park - both North and South Rim overlooks

Carlsbad Caverns Nat'l Park - hiked from entrance to bottom.

Four Corners Nat'l Monument - stood in four states at once.

Zion Nat'l Park - short hike to Great Throne Rock.

Great Basin Nat'l Park - toured Lehman Cave

Calaveras Big Trees Park - walked the trail through the Sequoias.

Alcatraz Island Nat'l Park - hiked all over the prison on guided tour.

Santa Catalina Island - rented tandem bicycle and rode every paved road.

The Golden Gate Bridge

The Space Needle - took elevator to the top.

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis

Little Big Horn Nat'l Battlefield - stayed for the ranger’s program on history.

Devil's Tower Nat'l Monument - listened to the history and geology by ranger.

Columbia River Gorge - viewed from Vista House.

Multnomah Falls - hiked to the top.

Bridalveil Falls in Telluride, CO - four wheeled down Black Bear Road to top.

Monument Valley - Flew through the spires in a small red Yankee airplane.

Mt. Rushmore Memorial - Hiked to viewing area.

Murrah Federal Building Memorial - shortly after. Need to return for museum.

Crazy Horse Memorial - spent time in visitors building and display.

Independence Hall - listened to reenactment of debates.

Liberty Bell

Disneyland, CA - many years ago. Not much original left, they say.

DisneyWorld, FL - loved the Epcot Center

Atlantic City casinos, which don't compare to

Las Vegas Strip

Las Vegas Fremont St.

Reno Virginia St.

Winchester Mystery House, Santa Clara, CA - 600+ weird haunted rooms. 

Olvera Plaza in downtown Los Angeles - lots of Mexican stuff to buy.

Old Pueblo in downtown Albuquerque - Navajo jewelry and great food.

The Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, CA - the wooden roller coaster is scary fun!

French Quarter in New Orleans - great shopping and Cajun food.

The Cadillac Ranch just west of Amarillo, TX. - turn the kids loose with the spray paint.

Not to be missed--The Big Peanut in downtown Durant, OK.