Suck it, Six Flags!

Today... Today was a good day.

I took another trip to one of my FOBs which meant a ride in a CH47 Chinook piloted by the Dutch. The base was huge, much larger than anything I've ever been to prior (although smaller than KAF). Their DFAC (That's dining facility, remember? Try and keep up here.) was incredible. They had a full out Labor Day spread, with easily the best food I've had since leaving the US. I had a delicious cheddar burger with grilled mushrooms and onions and some spinach and tomato, plus Mac & Cheese and some steamed vegetables. I also broke my diet and had a piece of lemon cake. Granted, reading what I ate as I write it, doesn't sound too amazing... but trust me, compared to what I have been eating - it's top cuisine.

The trip back was definitely the exciting part. It's quite a long ride back to KAF, and I wanted a seat by the tail of the helicopter because the Chinooks fly with the tail gate open so the gunner can sit there and watch our 6. So I was hanging out back there with my little POV Video Camera recording our flight and then the assistant gunner also started filming some shots from his window of us flying pretty dang low. Then we got to some mountains that on the way out we flew over. This time - we flew through. We were low and fast - I'm talking rotor tips only 30-50 feet from the hill side, maybe 30-50 feet off the ground ourselves. And we were booking it, too. We'd change altitude rapidly, climbing hundreds of feet and then shooting back down within seconds. It was like the worlds most exciting, dangerous, military endorsed amusement park! I've included some of the video footage below - watch it and get lost in the moment; you can almost hear CCR yourself! (See, I tie a lot of things back into my posts for you loyal readers).



After getting back to the office, I found a surprise care package from my friend Moriel, which was a welcome gift indeed - cookies (delicious btw - thank you Mori), granola bars, magazines, and a barrel of monkeys!

On the down side - I've been getting crazy sick, coughing pretty much nonstop and unable to breathe through my nose. I left work early (1915, if you can call that early) to go home and try to get some rest. I hope to be asleep before much longer.