ODR, what a trip.

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Aaron Montoya
  • 49th Wing Public Affairs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  The Outdoor Recreations Department at Holloman is known to host a wide range of adventure trips for Airmen of all ranks to participate. Unbeknownst to many, they offer a far vaster array of services and products beyond the occasional skiing trip and rock climbing adventure.

Whether you're looking to host a sport-filled outing with your squadron or family, learn a new skill, experience a trip available throughout the southwest, or even keep your home's lawn looking sharp, ODR has all the tools and know-how to get you started.

For the outdoor types, ODR has all the sporting equipment you need to get out of the house and get some exercise in a fun and exciting way. "We have road bikes, mountain bikes, baseball, softball, bocce ball, football, soccer balls, horse shoes and a tug of war rope for rent," said Meghan Louk, Outdoor Adventure Programmer for ODR.

Families on base can rent this equipment, or Airmen can have their commanders approve a memo for record to reserve their sport kits for free. "We have sports kits for tug of war, bocce ball and horse shoes. You can get all that for free with a commander approved MFR for a squadron event," said Louk.

Don't want to rent a bike because you have your own, but it needs repair? ODR can help by either assisting with the simple repairs or by letting you use their extensive repair facilities to fix it yourself.

"If it's a flat tire that needs patched, or you need us to tweak your breaks, we can do it right then and there," said Louk. "You're welcome to come in and use the station to fix your bikes, or use our air pumps any time you need. We used to charge for that service, but don't anymore. If you're able to fix it, you can use our rack and all of our tools for free."

The ODR facility has a 32-foot rock climbing wall where you can go to learn a new skill or get some exercise with their rock climbing classes. "Right now we do it once a month, and beginning in May we will return to offering it twice a month," said Louk. "It's $20 for the class, and that will certify you for a year after completion."

Lawn care tools are a big part of keeping your yard in order. If you don't have your own, you can rent them from ODR. "We have lawn mowers, weed whackers, tillers, rakes, hoes and hedge trimmers," said Louk. "We have all of those available for rent if you are in need. We do half-day and full-day prices, available to anyone with a military or contractor ID."

If you want to take your family camping, ODR offers all the equipment you need to have a fun family camping vacation. "We offer camping equipment, sleeping bags, tents and backpacks. We also have camper trailers that get rented out often during the summer," said Louk.

Over the past two years, ODR has grown and is able to offer more frequent trips for Holloman Airmen. "It's fantastic. It used to be mainly tours and hiking trips. We have turned it around, now we have something that goes on every weekend," said Louk. "From May to September, there is something happening every weekend. We go to California, the Grand Canyon, Colorado for white water rafting, downhill mountain biking and we're even working on acquiring a scuba certification."

ODR offers a lot, and they need your help to keep things running smoothly and to keep the program expanding. "We hope to keep it growing. We started an internship program two years ago, and I'm hoping with the more staff that comes in, the more trips we'll be able to run," said Louk. "When interns come in over the summer, not only do we have one trip going on during the weekend, we can offer two."

Holloman Airmen are wanted and needed as well! "We have a really great volunteer program, we couldn't survive without our active duty volunteers," said Louk.

Holloman Airmen are always looking for new fun and exciting ways to volunteer their time, and assisting with the ODR program can be a great way to get started and also reap some extra benefits.

"During the winter time, we are staffed mainly by Airmen. They run the trips with me, and if they assist by driving and help teaching participants, they get to go for free and can also bring a guest."

It can be tough being a new single airman in the dorms, but ODR works hard to assist them as well. "We love input from Airmen, that's how we got the pool party started; they wanted something to do on a Saturday," said Louk.

They also provide trips aimed specifically toward those single airmen in the dorms. "People think our single airman program is expensive, but to go white water rafting in Colorado on your own is three times the price. Plus we provide all of your food and camping equipment."

ODR is an excellent asset that Holloman has available for its Airmen. All you have to do is get out of the house and give them a visit.

"We have four trips that are on the National Geographic top 100 list of America's Best Adventures. We try to set up really cool trips. Being that we're in the southwest, we are centrally located for a lot of really neat trips."