other

Two nights in Nome and four nights in Wales, waiting on the weather, wishing we could sleep on our own beds instead of other peoples floors and beds. And now we are here, home sweet home.

But that is not all.

Here is the stage: we are outside the school in Wales loading a big sled up with our coolers and luggage, to be towed with a snow machine over to the airport, which is about a mile away. Catherine jumps on the passenger seat on the snow machine and Willis and I look at each other–who’s mushing?

“Do you want to mush?”

“Hell yes I want to mush!”

So Willis jumped into the sled and I jumped on the back and we set off over the frozen tundra to the airport. Halfway there we here the chopper coming. The fellow driving gunned the gas and we took off. We zoomed up to the hanger and zoomed around the corner just as the Huey was setting down 30 feet away on the helipad. How did that feel? AWESOME.

But wait, there’s more. They generally do not let passengers ride left seat (copilot’s spot) because this particular helicopter does have standard controls, pilot’s and copilot’s. But today there was a HUGE amount of mail to haul so they packed that chopper to the gills and when it was time to board Simon, the flight mechanic (who usually rides copilot) looks at me and points at copilot.

And my face morphed completely into a giant stupid grin.

And THEN when we got back to the island and there was mail for us! So we unpack, then the four of us exchanged christmas gifts. So to recap. I got to ride musher-style on a sled and ZOOM up to meet a helicopter AS it lands. Then I got to ride co-pilot in a very, very awesome helicopter. And then it was Christmas gift time!

AND we are finally back home after a week of waiting.

Was today a good day? Yes.

 

other, stories

Yeah, it’s been about twenty years because my first clear memory of wanting to fly helicopters was from when I was something like five. But somewhere in that growing and learning and forming infant brain of mine, I believe I knew. And so I have been waiting my whole life for this day.

:D

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photography, stories

Sometimes wonderful people surprise you by saying “hey, instead of grabbing coffee, how about going flying?” to shoot the breeze over glaciers instead of coffee. Beautiful. Shooting the breeze, while great over coffee, I can verily say is better over a glacier.

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photography, stories

The chopper comes. Everybody is excited–we are going on 10 days without mail today. The chopper lands. In lieu of mail, the Huey brought freight (food) for the school, a phone technician, and a passel of heat-packin’ USPS agents to do some good old inspectin’. The only official word is that the post here is shut down–rumor has it we may get a delivery of mail in a few days.

Want to hear a funny story? The chopper came at lunch-break, so I ran out to take a few pictures of the take off. When I got down there, they had finished unloading some freight and there were a bunch (4 or 5) of people all standing out by the chopper. Weird…usually we don’t get passengers on mail day. They were taking pictures and talking, sorta like tourists, also weird. And they walk by and on this one tall fellow’s leg I see strapped a big ol’ forty-five. In my mind I’m like “who does this guy think he is? just walk into town packin’ a big old handgun? what is he, mr. sheriff?!” and right as that last thought was going through my mind I see, sewn on his duffle bag, a “federal law enforcement” badge. My next thought: “hmm. so he probably is the sheriff.”

I was thankful in that moment that humans don’t communicate telepathically.

The chopper was back by the end of the school day and I managed to run out and snap a few more pictures in the beautiful sunset light.

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