Bristol, TN (USA)

[Flight with Rosie - Virginia Beach to Camp Springs to San Antonio (Kelly) to Tri-Cities Regional (Bristol, TN) to Virginia Beach (via Norfolk - VFR race to beat crew day (dark)...]

Spring Break Trip - Day 7

First thing in the morning, we checked out of Fort Belvoir Lodging and left the base for the last time.  It was a great place to stay - we'll need to do that again.  Leaving Fairfax County, we drove through the city one more time to give the kids one more look, then drove out of town on the southeast side. We then explored along the Potomac River until we stumbled across the Piscataway National Park (it's on a dirt road way back in the woods). We discovered (as most people haven't, I guess, since it was deserted) that they have an old farm setup here - it is run by the Accokeek Foundation. You can walk all around among the animals and in historic farm houses. We spent a few hours here and realized that we were directly across the river from Mount Vernon - great view. It was worth the trip and the kids talked about the turkeys and horses walking around them all the way home. Reluctantly, we departed the park and headed towards home.  We used US-301 and US-17 (avoid the traffic) and got home quite late.  What a great week of fun with the kids!

Spring Break Trip - Day 6

We woke up this morning (still at Fort Belvoir Lodging) and decided that we wanted a change of pace - it's time for some nature and hiking!  With that in mind, we drove up towards Glen Echo, Maryland, and found a nice park called the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park. It was designed (with the help of George Washington) as a way to transport goods from the interior of the new nation down to the ocean (it really didn't work out). We saw lots of turtles, big snakes and birds. The kids enjoyed the warm air and we didn't rush. Later in the day we stopped in to see the home of Clara Barton and took a tour. Brenna is always talking about being a doctor someday - and she has read a few books about Barton. We walked around a park in Glen Echo for a little bit but everything was closed. Just before dark, we drove out to Dulles and visited the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum Annex - lots more aircraft (including a Space Shuttle). The kids liked the tower and radar mockup (you can listen to actual radio communications and watch the screens). We got to watch some flight operations at Dulles. This was my first time there and I liked this addition to the Smithsonian. Dinner at TGIFridays - big hit with the kids!  We made it back to Fort Belvoir quite late and did some packing.  Only one more day before we have to go home...

Spring Break Trip - Day 5

Our morning on Post at Fort Belvoir was very pleasant again.  Once we'd gotten ready, we drove to the National Zoo. What a great time! Mollie loves animals and really had fun looking at all of the different displays. We got to see the new panda baby and lots of elephants. We were probably there for about six hours (the kids seem to have a longer attention span with something like this...). We explored the area near the National Cathedral - there was a lot of construction. Nicky took lots of video of the inside - it is always an impressive building to visit. Dinner was at "The Melting Pot" - a surprise dinner of fondue for the kids. The waiter was great - he threw in a desert of white chocolate fondue since it was the first time the kids ever had this kind of experience - and it wasn't too busy. We were going to drive down to Fairfax anyway, so I stopped in the city on the way back. It was dark, but the Mall was lit well. We parked the car and walked around near the new World War II monument and Lincoln Memorial. The kids think this was cool - to be out late in the dark around all of this cool stuff. They didn't want to leave, but we left around 2200.  The kids will sleep well tonight!

Spring Break Trip - Day 4

Our day began on Fort Belvoir again and we were raring to go for another day in our Nation's Capital.  We heard yesterday that the Smithsonian Museum of American History will soon be closing for renovations, so we headed over there. They have some great exhibits (the girls liked the information about the Presidents and First Ladies). After a few hours there we walked over to the White House and explored the area of the National Mall near the Washington Monument. The kids worked on their Junior Ranger projects - lots of places to visit. Spent some time having a picnic lunch in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Late in the day visited the Jefferson Memorial and walked along the Tidal Basin near the FDR Memorial again (still some cherry blossoms...). We drove along the Potomac, towards Mount Vernon, on the way to Fort Belvoir and saw a nice sunset. We did leave the Post one more time, though - for dinner at Roy Rogers (burger joint).  In our rooms again, the kids went right to sleep.  Not much time left for Spring Break but we've seen a LOT!

Spring Break Trip - Day 3

Not an early morning - we spent time enjoying our rooms at Fort Belvoir.  The weather is still great!  We spent most of the day walking around in Arlington National Cemetery. The kids had never seen the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or JFK's grave. They were very impressed with the whole experience. We had a great view of the city from the Custis-Lee Mansion and saw the tomb of Pierre L'Enfant (designer of DC city plan). Later, we drove up to Bethesda in the evening and had dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. The restaurant was VERY pricy, but a it was a good experience to try at least once. They offer an option to cook your own meat on a very hot stone - the amount of time you cook it after it is at the table determines the "done-ness". A big downside was that there were no sides included with the meat and the kids menu is not that great.  After getting our fill, we drove south again and went to sleep in our comfortable rooms at Fort Belvoir.  Another good day!

Spring Break Trip - Day 2

We all had a good night's sleep at the Fort Belvoir Lodging.  After getting ready and heading into DC again, we made a point of visiting the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian (first time). Very impressive exhibits - Nicky and the kids really liked it. We later walked around on the Mall. After a quick lunch, we went into the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. We have been here before, but Mollie didn't remember any of it. Lots of great science and exhibits. When the sun went down, we headed back to the Fort Belvoir.

Spring Break Trip - Day 1

Left Virginia Beach early this morning - it's time for Spring Break! Took I-64 and I-95, got off on US-1 so we could reach our lodging at Fort Belvoir.  At 1550, we checked in (to make sure things were good) - the place is nice and we have it all week. Kids have a room right next to ours and the doors connect. It was a little rainy, but it was another nice Saturday in Northern Virginia. After making our way into DC (fortunately, not much traffic), we found a good parking spot near the Smithsonian. For the rest of the afternoon, we spent time exploring the Air and Space Museum. They now have SpaceShipOne! Just before dark, I took the kids over the the Franklin Roosevelt Memorial, hoping that they are still doing the Cherry Blossom Festival. Unfortunately, it looks like we may have missed that celebration by a week...  After our first fun day, we drove back to Fort Belvoir (cooked food in the room?).  There is a lot of fun in store for the kids this week!

Shannon (Ireland)

After a nice morning at the Headland Hotel (Newquay), we flew from St. Mawgen to Shannon (Ireland) for fuel.  The flight from Dublin to Newfoundland was uneventful - it was very cold in St. Johns! After getting fuel, we took off for Norfolk and arrived in the late afternoon. Paperwork took a little while, but home before dinner. I made it just in time for the kids' spring break, so we'll leave for a trip tomorrow...

Newquay, England (United Kingdom)

Our Detachment ended today!  When I was returning the rental car to the Europcar counter (0920), another member of the Detachment staff told me he'd gotten a ticket in Taormina.  Since the violation occurred while I was in the Middle East, I wasn't too worried about the situation.  Also, he gave me cash to pay the fine to the rental car company.  Still, this "shared" vehicle scenario was bound to lead to some kind of issue eventually...  After resolving the issue, I headed to the flight line.  Once all our Det equipment and personnel were packed up in our mighty C-9B, we departed Sigonella for home.  Unlike our usual, Rota/Lajes/Newfoundland (or Shannon route), this was a very special and unexpected overnight RTB - we were able to stop in Newquay (Cornwall) for about 24 hours! We stayed in the Headland Hotel - an old place on the scenic Cornish coast. It is amazing to see the names on the map around here - they are the same ones from New England that I was used to as a kid. I guess people wanted something to remind them of where they came from... In the afternoon, I requested a traditional Cornish tea (scones and tea with Cornish milk) during Tea Time at the Sand Bar (hotel pub). It was a nice touch!  My room, which was quite small, still seemed comfortable as I drifted off to sleep...

Napoli, Campania (Italy)

Left early this morning - sun hadn't made it to sweltering yet - and flew back on the Northern Route. Best visibility of Iran yet. Saw a little of Baghdad suburbs. Great views of Eastern Turkey - including southern mountains of Ararat range. This was the earliest in the day that I've been out this way, so I got to see great ground scenery. Weather OK until just before landing in Naples - thunderstorms nearby... After a pretty quick turn, off for Sicily - home before 1800. Had to rush around to pack and get things ready for our departure tomorrow. I'm glad I prepped a little before we went on the Kuwait trip.

(Kuwait)

Had to kill a lot of the day with video games, reading, internet and grad school homework. Tent was OK - AC works great. Three squares a day with no problem, too. Met some nice people and mainly just relaxed. We'll be leaving tomorrow morning...

(Kuwait)

Woke around 0330 after a nice sleep at the Capo Inn.  We headed to the flight line at Capodichino and were in the air by 0600. Flew across Albania (nice mountains) and stopped in Incirlik for fuel. Back on our way again and took the Iraq route again - glad I had my map. Landed in Kuwait around 1500L (very hot). Stayed in better accommodations this time - even got internet access this time. We'll be here for two nights.

Ercolano [Napoli], Campania (Italy)

We have an important flight tomorrow, so we flew up early to Naples to pre-position. Once we had all the plans worked out for our departure in the morning, we took the Alibus from Capodichino to Piazza Garibaldi and caught a train to Herculaneum. It was buried in much more debris from the AD 79 Vesuvius eruption than Pompeii. I had heard this was actually a more interesting site, and I have to agree. We thought it would cost money, but when we got there they waved us in for free. The fact that the city was buried in mud and ash (we stood at the bottom, where the old ocean front used to be and looked up - has to be 100 feet) preserved the place. We saw where bones from fearful residents were unearthed near the shoreline and walked through relatively complete and intact city blocks (two story homes!). I was very impressed with the spot - it looks like they still have some more excavations to do, too. Had a delicious dinner in town before heading back to NSA Naples (staying in the Capo Inn). Have to wake up early tomorrow, so I went to bed around 2200.

Sigonella, Sicily (Italy)

Worked all day...