Early eighties, my motorcycle period, Bush 1 was coming in to College Station TX to give a speech at Texas A&M. Me and a motorcycle buddy are on a grassy hill by a highway off ramp overlooking the small airport outside of town, a high vantage point maybe 1,000 yards away from the terminal.
A number of in-shape government types in casual sports attire also on said knoll, all with small submachine gun-sized sports bags slung over their shoulders. Air Force One helicopter and a number of limos waiting at the terminal, IIRC the helicopter blades slowly turning. Two other helicopters circling the airport 180 degrees apart. One of the government guys with us on the hill has a camera with a big lens, he takes a few photos of me and my buddy, we just look back at him, we understand what he is doing.
Air Force one approaches nearly head on, generating a lot of exaust. I ain't a pilot, but I figured they kept the engines cranked up so as to be ready for emergency evasive maneuvers, sorta like driving a car hi revs in low gear.
Plane lands and is already at the terminal faster than I would have thought possible, distant figures in motion.
Then, a few minutes later, we can't believe it....
...three limos in a line leave the airport and rather than take the direct route to the college campus, they head our way. Motorcade passes maybe twenty yards away just downhill. Me and my buddy, the only civilians there, are cheering and waving with both hands in the air like loons. George H W Bush looks up, sees us, laughs and waves. By that point me and my buddy are jumping up and down like little kids
Government guy with camera cracked a tiny bit of a smile, just a little.
Birdwatcher
