Brunswick, ME (USA)

[checked out of NAS Brunswick CBQ at 0645L - returned to airplane - departed Maine at around 0900L - flight back to NAS Atlanta was uneventful - what a trip!]

Rota, Andalucia (Spain)

When I woke up this morning, I never thought our day would last so long... We checked out of the NSA Souda Bay BOQ, returned to the aircraft and took off on time.  Our first leg took us from Crete to Spain.  We made a fuel stop at Naval Station Rota before continuing on to the Azores. Originally, we were supposed to spend the night in St. Johns, Newfoundland, but an impending snow storm forced us to divert to NAS Brunswick (Maine). We were able to get rooms at the CBQ and ended up having a nice dinner in town.

Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)

Checked out of the Hilton Fujairah early this morning and departed the UAE.  For the first time, we were enroute to Saudi Arabia! Never thought I would land there. The Royal airfield was HUGE. People were very nice - while we were fueling, they offered us tea and cakes. The next leg (to Greece) was uneventful. Sadly, I didn't see the pyramids when we flew over Egypt... We landed on Crete quite late.  When I got to my room at Naval Station Souba Bay BOQ, it was already almost midnight.  Needless to say, I was very happy to get to sleep.

Fujairah (UAE)

[spent "extra" day in Fujairah shopping and swimming - in the evening, we had a good BBQ dinner at "Sailors" again - this was a very good experience - back in my room at the Hilton Fujairah, I finally felt like I was getting closer to "on schedule", sleep-wise - we'll see how long that feeling lasts during the return flight...]

Fujairah (UAE)

Still enroute from Rota after midnight.  Fortunately, I actually got to sleep for this leg. After we stopped in Souda Bay [at 0200L ?], I got back in front and got to see the action across Saudi Arabia all the way to the United Arab Emirates. Landed in Fujairah at around 0800L. Took a few hours to clear customs.  Eventually, we got a ride to the Hilton Fujairah and checked into our rooms.  I slept very well until the late afternoon. After meeting up with my crew again, we all went to a great buffet at the restaurant ("Sailors") in the hotel. Later, went to a nearby pub and had some drinks with the locals. Tried a "hooka-pipe" (apple wood).  My internal clock is royally screwed...

Rota, Andalucia (Spain)

Landed at Naval Station Rota in the middle of the night. Got to our room at the [Navy Gateway Inn] pretty quickly (0145L). Paid for two nights but we all knew we weren't even going to be on the ground for much more than 18 hours - fortunately, the price of the rooms were good...  Because we were planning to depart in the evening, I tried my best to get enough sleep for the next flight (but it is tough to sleep during the daytime...). By the early afternoon, I decided to go shopping at the Exchange (1540L). Also picked up dinner (1640L). Checked out of the Naval Station Rota BOQ in the late afternoon.  Left Rota just after dark - eastbound.  Still flying at midnight...

St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador (Canada)

[Mission to the Middle East - departed from NAS Atlanta (in the afternoon) - stopped through for fuel in St. John's, Newfoundland - after taking off to the east, we flew towards the Azores - still airborne before midnight...]

Atlanta, GA (USA)

[Atlanta Braves Game (versus Florida Marlins) at Turner Field - got to watch it from the CityScape Patio]