Trip out to CVN 71 - USS Theodore Roosevelt

On Sunday morning two co-workers from NAVCENT and I flew out to the USS Theodore Roosevelt for an opportunity to do a crew swap with some N2 folks on board. It was designed to give us an opportunity to place faces with names of crew members we would be supporting during their deployment and vice versa. It was a great idea, and it actually worked out even better than we had initially hoped.

We had an opportunity to work with the folks in CVIC and SUPPLOT (intel centers on the ship) as well as having some fun watching flight ops on sever different occasions both during the day and at night.

The COD (carrier on-board delivery...C-2/GREYHOUND) took us from Bahrain, through Qatar to pick up a few more passengers and on to the TR in the North Arabian Sea. All the planes on the carrier have the ability to fold up to make space on the flight deck and in the hangar bays. It is amazing to see the COD and the E-2C begin to fold their wings up almost immediately upon landing so the ground crew can begin to maneuver them out of the way to allow for the next plane to trap.

Everyone had to wear this flight gear during the trip to and from the carrier. It consisted of the helmet ("cranial"), goggles, and a horse collar which is just a flotation device in the event of a water landing/emergency.

CVN 71 - USS Theodore Roosevelt

One of the hornets getting ready for a launch...I am pretty sure I could sit and watch these guys fly all day long and never get tired of it. I wish my eyes had been good enough to allow me to fly for the Navy!

The catapults that launch the aircraft are steam driven, so once the planes are launched you can see lots of steam coming from the deck as the catapults retracts and gets set to launch the next guy in line. You can also make out the arresting wires in the bottom right-hand corner of the picture below. There are a total of four arresting wires to give the pilots ample opportunitiy for making the trap before having to power back up, take off, and come around again for another try. The tension on the wires are set to a specic tension prior to each landing according to the weight of the aircraft approaching. There are huge hydraulic drums below the flight deck that apply tension to the arresting wires. The arresting wires looked to be (just glancing) about 1 1/2" in diameter.

The view from this lower platform is spectacular.

Below are a couple of night landing shots...hard to see the plane because of the slow shutter speed, but the effect of the lights screaming in through the darkness is pretty neat.

This sparks you see flying in this second night shot is the arresting hook scraping the deck as the pilot is attempting to catch one of the wires for a trap. It all happens so fast it's hard to catch. If the pilot misses the trap he/she has to power back up quickly and cruise out the other end. It happened a couple of times while I was watching.

When the tankers are getting ready to launch, they have to hit full afterburner in order to take off with all the extra weight. It is really a spectacular sight to see at night, because there is a 10-15 foot flame coming from the engines prior to launching and then off it takes off.

Run Across Bahrain

Last weekend five other friends from NAVCENT and I ran a 10-miler from the eastern to western shores on the southern end of Bahrain. It was a fairly challenging cross-country course across what seemed likely endless sand dunes and rock piles. We were bussed over to the eastern shore and took off running back to the western shores where everyones' cars were parked. There were 3 water stops along the way, and it was a pretty nice afternoon of running since the temperature was really nice...probably never got above 70 degrees.

Everyone finished up strong, and we managed to swing through a McDonald's drive-thru on our way back to the base. There is nothing like a greasy double cheeseburger to satisfy the hunger you build up over a good run. I'm still looking into bringing McDonald's on board as my endurance sports sponsor at some point...stay tuned for more!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

I purchased a Christmas Tree at the NEX to spice up my flat a little bit around Christmas, and by a little...I mean a little since my tree is only 18" tall. It does have lights, but they only run on 110V, and since I don't have a step-down transformer they will remain unlit. It's a fun tree anyway and makes my middle-eastern surroundings seem a little more cheery around Christmas!

By the way...Merry Christmas...not Happy Holidays...Merry Christmas!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...Almost!

I am sure that everyone already received our Christmas card in the mail, but on the off chance you didn't...here it is! I sure hate to be away from my family and friends during Christmas, but this will probably be the last year for that! I submitted my resignation (request for release from active duty) letter two weeks ago and will be seeking gainful employment elsewhere around Oct/Nov 2009. We've just got too many things happening with our family to be running all over the world...plus I just can't stand being away from my wife and kids.

I hope to see everyone (briefly) around March/April when I come home on leave, and I am definitely looking forward to seeing more of everyone once I am back in either West Texas or Northeastern New Mexico for good! I love ya'll and hope everyone has a great Christmas!

Cody Hanson...You're an Ironman!

Congratulations to my cousin (in-law) Cody Hanson on completing his first Ironman a few days ago at Ironman Arizona 2008. He came screaming across the finish line in 14:36:05. His dedication to this goal can probably only be matched by other professional athletes, and I am very proud of his accomplishment. His determination and character in making his dream a reality has truly taught me a lesson about continuing on toward your goal no matter what stumbling block may cause you to want to quit.

We're proud of you Cody...great work!

New Secretary in Town?

Well after eight years of having a Secretary of State with integrity and class, it appears we are going to have a new sheriff in town...none other than (as the "Reverend" Jesse Jackson says):

Hillary "RODMAN" Clinton

Trip to the Camel Farm

I took a trip with the MWR travel office today which included both a trip to the camel farm and a chance to travel out on the King Fahd Causeway which connects Bahrain to Saudi Arabia.

The camels were broken into two groups, the first of which is pictured below. These guys were tied to a stake with about ten feet of rope which really limited their movement...pretty miserable if you ask me. The second group was in a smaller pen, but at least they could move around freely. The guy working in the pen said they rotate those guys back and forth.

This guys looks like he likes me, but that was not the case at all. He was trying to get away from me as soon as the picture was snapped.




Below is the King Fahd Causeway restaurant which sits right at the gate to the Saudi side of the causeway.

This is the view of the Bahrain side.

...and this is the view of the Saudi side.

The covered structure near the middle of the picture is the gate you pass through to head into Saudi Arabia. I decided not to make a break for it today...the guards are probably less lenient than those guarding the Texas/Mexico border...maybe another time!

You can't go anywhere in the world without seeing the good ole' golden arches!

Finally Found a Place To Hang My Hat

At long last I found a flat that I will be calling home for the next twelve months. It's in a brand new high-rise building called Juffair Skyview. Juffair is the name of the area in Bahrain where I'll be living. It has a really nice gym and pool, and although it's a small place, it's the perfect size for me. It's right around the corner from a really popular American restaurant called "Ric's," as well as the Al Jazeera Supermarket where I'll likely do all of my shopping.

There is a decent size pool on the first floor...not big enough to do laps, but good for lounging around in the sun (of which there is no shortage).

The gym at the Skyview is really nice and will provide me with a great alternative to working out on base if/when my work schedule is more hectic.

Not all of the houshold furnishings are in the apartment yet, but they will be coming very soon. There are still items such as a TV, sound system, curtains and bedding that will be arriving prior to me moving in. There are two bedrooms, but the spare will have a large computer desk and that's where I'll park my bike maintenance stand.

The kitchen is pretty small, but again, it's only me. The washer/dryer is also in the kitchen and as you can see it's all in one unit...we'll see how well that works!?!

Master Bedroom

Second Bedroom

This is one of two bathrooms...this is the master bath.

A Day at the Souq

I spent the day walking around doing some window shopping at the mall, the gold souq, and the big grocery/department store called Geant (last picture was taken there). A souq is a commercial quarter in an Arab city...it could be focused on jewlery (gold souq) or any other type of goods. The marketplace on base is called the "freedom souq." It's a place where the prices on items are all negotiable...I had so much fun bartering and then leaving if I couldn't get something for next to nothing.

There is even some American flare in the eating establishments in Bahrain. I am thinking the guy at Fuddruckers wouldn't be able to wear that outfit at the Lubbock store unless it was Halloween.

Who can resist a day out on the town without hitting up a bike shop? Not me!

The streets were much busier a few minutes prior to this photo, but the calls for prayer came over the loudspeakers of the mosque right down the street and many people closed up shop or stopped shopping and went to pray. I was going to try and get a video so you could hear it and see the people leaving, but I didn't get it done...will try again later!

These three shots were taken in a mall called Gold City, and the name tells the entire story. The stores were filled with gold jewlery...some more obnoxious than others.

Many stores sell pipes called shishas (shee-shas) or hookah pipes that people use to smoke flavored tobaccos. It's apparently a very popular thing for everyone to do...the pipe is filled with water, and the water actually filters the tobacco smoke rather than a cotton filter like on a cigarette. You smoke the tobacco through the really long tubes you see attached to the middle of the pipe. The really expensive (and preferred) shisha tubes are made of camel skin...definitely different!

This picture was taken just outside the entrance of Geant, which is a really big department/grocery store similar to a super Wal-Mart. Do you get the idea that someone is trying to sell Fanta Sodas?

Welcome to Bahrain!

The flight from Norfolk to Manama was long but definitely still bearable. We stopped in Portugal, Italy, and Greece before finally arriving early on the 30th of Oct...sorry it's taken so long to put something up here about the trip. The shot below was taken as we were flying over Egypt about two hours away from landing in Manama, Bahrain.

We dropped a few folks off (and picked a few up) at each stop as well as taking on fuel and food for the remaining legs. The longest stop was probably in Italy where we spent a little over two hours, but each of the others was only about an hour and a half. The plane was packed leaving Norfolk, so there wasn't much room to spread out and get comfortable...it would have payed to have first class on a trip like that...as long as I wasn't paying!!!

The sky was hazy all morning after the sun came up, as you can easily see from this picture taken right before we landed.

My sponsor booked me at the Gulf Hotel upon arriving. The Gulf Hotel is a very famous 5-star hotel in Manama and not really very far from the base (approx. 2-2.5 miles). The rooms are pretty nice and the rest of the hotel is first-rate (if you're into the first-rate sort of atmosphere...which I am not). One of the big drawbacks is having to pay an outlandish rate for internet access (10BD/day...which comes out to $26.67USD). I am eating less to compensate, which may end up helping me out in the long run since the weight-ins for the physical readiness test are closing in on me.

My hotel room window provides me with a great view of the Grand Mosque which I fully intend to tour during one of the upcoming weekends...probably after I settle in and am fully qualified to stand watch.

Got my tickets and I'm ready to go!

I arrived at the AMC terminal in Norfolk, got my boarding pass for Bahrain, and I am ready to get this year started. I had to change my departing flight into Dallas at the last minute because SATO travel was "confused" when they originally booked my flight. The original flight into Norfolk would have had me arriving to the AMC terminal too late on Tuesday evening, so it's a good thing I called SATO when I did. It was really no problem at all, and it only resulted in me leaving about four hours early.

Bike Trip - Santa Fe to Albuquerque

Amber and I went to Santa Fe with the kids this past weekend to see some of her family. Cody and I did a couple of rides around Santa Fe while I was up, and then we rode from Santa Fe to Albuquerque to meet up for dinner with the rest of Amber’s family. It was a really beautiful ride and the weather was wonderful during the ride.

I was surprised, however, by the unfriendly drivers and cyclists on the road…isn’t this supposed to be the “Land of Enchantment?” You couldn’t pay anyone to say hello to you.

This first picture was taken right outside of Santa Fe on Hwy 14 just as the sun was coming up during the first few miles of our ride. It was still pretty chilly when we began the ride...about 47 degrees.

Another shot of some scenery along Hwy 14 about 15 miles outside of Santa Fe.

This shot was taken in Cerillos, NM. Cerillos is a tiny little town where tourists abound in the summertime...apparently one of the first state capitals of NM. There is very little left of the town now.

This is Maggie's Diner in Madrid, NM. If you have ever see the movie "Wild Hogs," this was the town (and diner) where the movie was shot. This diner was erected specifically for the movie. I'm not sure if it is actually a functional diner anymore or not...I would put my money on "not."

Below are a couple of shots of Cody and I along the ride.

Cody is getting started up "heartbreak hill," which was the steepest climb of the day. It's not really a very long climb at all, but it's pretty steep up near the top.