En route to the KRAB

We finally got out of Bangor and flew on a charter - type flight to Ramstein AFB in Germany. The flight was quite comfortable (given the fact that I had a row to myself) and relatively quick. We had a short layover in Ramstein for the plane to refuel and get a new crew, during which time I was able to eat dinner with Jeremy and his family. That was a real treat to have them come greet me at the airport and I was especially grateful to Elijah for sharing his birthday time with me.

I can't find the picture with me and the Germany Oldhams, but when I do I'll add it in.

Here is a picture with Ben Kam and Shaka Walker (who is an orthopedic surgeon at Lanstuhl and a classmate of mine from the Academy) and his family at the airport.

We flew into Al Udeid air base in Quatar, which functions as a transitional base where everyone goes through when they are coming or leaving the Iraqi theater. Unfortunately with air flow patterns and inherent military inefficiency, it ends up operating like a giant whirlpool that sucks everyone in and only through a Herculean effort are groups able to get off this base without spending entirely more time than is necessary. Not such a bad place to be stuck, though, with a swimming pool and decent food. Above is the shade structure where they have MWR functions, etc.

One of the biggest drawbacks to being at Al Udeid is the living accomodations. They will pack 40 or more individuals in one of these big cylindrical tents.

As you can see there are quite a few of them. Below is a pic of the interior of the tent.

You can imagine how much sleep anyone is able to get in a place like that, with people coming and going at all hours of the day and night - but it is what it is and the next time I go through there I will be on my way home and won't care too much one way or another as long as my stopover is brief.

Our plane to Kirkuk was delayed (mechanical problems) initially, then when we finally got out of Al Udeid we were loaded in the back of a C130 like this....

Unfortunately, due to dust storms, we were unable to land in Kirkuk and the flight that should have gotten us there in less than an hour took 3 + hours and ended up dumping us off in Bagdad, where we waited for a few hours for our next chance to catch a plane to Kirkuk.

This is Greg (general surgeon) passed out on the tarmack early in the morning (0500 or so) outside the passenger terminal after traveling all night (and not getting very far). Melissa (our ER doc) is in the background sleeping as well.

We were able to get a slot on a state department flight later that morning and arrived in Kirkuk close to noon that day.

Here the three of us are on arrival, looking at the map and trying to get our bearings. After spending so much time away from our homes but not really doing anything useful (except traveling in the most lengthy and ineffeceint manner possible) , we were all ready to get situated and start doing what we were deployed to do.

A Few Days in Maine

As I have found to often be the case, the Air Force (in its infinite wisdom) managed to mess up the travel plans for my summer vacation in the desert and I ended up in a hotel in Bangor, Maine for 3 1/2 days awaiting transport through Germany. The problem I had with the whole situation is the fact that if the AF had any clue about efficiency (which obviously it doesn't) they wouldn't have to add an extra 3 days to my 6+ months away from my family. I guess it doesn't matter much to some bean counter who sits behind a desk and spends the majority of his workday checking email and surfing the internet, and after a hard day at the office he heads out to his tee time (actually he probably uses his PT time to do this during the work day) and his family.

So the bad news was that I was away from home but not to my deployed location. The good news was that I was in a very beautiful part of the country that I hadn't had much of an opportunity to explore in the past. So I rented a car and decided to do some exploring.

I headed South and East from Bangor to the harbor town of Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, where I explored the town and the roads on the island for a while.

This is a 50-60 foot high statue of Paul Bunyon (on mainstreet Bangor), whose legend, I have been told, originated originated in this area.
There were dozens of small cemetaries like the one above in these little towns. I thought this one was especially cool, with the aged headstones and purple flowers covering large sections of the lawn.
I also loved the way these homes were built overlooking (and often overhanging) the coastline.
This is a picture across the cove from one of the small harbor towns.
These are pictures of the main piers in Bar Harbor, which have some restaurants and shops on them for tourists.

I decided for the next day that I would rent a sea Kayak for the day and spend the time paddling around (part of) the island taking pictures of the coast. The plan would have been flawless except for the fact that the temperature dropped that morning and the winds kicked up to 20 mph. Of course (since I'm from Las Vegas now and am going somewhere even hotter than Vegas) I had no warm clothing to wear, but when have I ever been disuaded from a plan due to inclement weather or lack of personal preparation? I went out and rented the kayak, borrowed a couple of waterproof 'skirts' to drape over my shoulders, threw the kayak on the rental car and headed out. I launched on the north point of the island and, although the wind and cold kept me working hard (both to go where I wanted to and to keep warm), I had a great time on the ocean. The coastline is so rugged and beautiful - the two pictures below were my favorites from the kayaking trip.

The small 'rocks' on the coast above are abalony shells, and they shone with a brilliant irridescence in the sunlight.

That (along with some long runs) took up most of my FRI and SAT in Maine. Sunday I spent in church, talking to other guys that were heading over to Iraq, reading, and waiting for the flight - which headed out early MON morning.