Camp Springs, MD (USA)

Got to sleep in this morning! Later, I ate breakfast at Colony South and packed (it was tough after a couple of weeks...). After checking out of the hotel (1125), I met up with the rest of our traveling group and we finally left for Andrews Air Force Base at around 1145. I got gas on base (1155), turned in the Hertz Rental Car at Base Operations (1225) and got on the aircraft by around 1330. Departing Camp Springs, we had a good flight home - on the way, we got some training from the crew. We landed at NAS JRB Fort Worth at around 1545L. I didn't have a problem getting my car started after almost two weeks.  However, I found out I had left it unlocked the whole time I was gone (!). I made it back to Nicky and the kids by 1630. What an amazing trip!

Annapolis, MD (USA)

Had to get up early again this morning - our departure date still in doubt... Had breakfast in the hotel again and then drove over to work (0700). During the next nine hours, toured the spaces and discussed nearly every aspect of my job with the people we were visiting. Missed lunch - and realized around 1500 that everyone else still wasn't finished. Tried to get in touch with a few other guys that work around here, but by then it was too late (they had already departed). Finally back at Colony South at around 1730 - whew! Around 1900, got a call from Bobby C. that he could meet us in Annapolis at McGarvey's Irish Pub. It turned out that there were 10 people who made it to dinner - including an old friend, Alyce, and her new baby. We tried out a beer called the "Aviator" and I had crab dip (good) and a salad. Everyone was in good spirits because work is finally done for the week. Bobby and I caught up on family stories - we can't confirm how we are actually related but our families sure have a lot in common. Surprised (at around 2230) about how long we had been out tonight.  Finally made it back to the hotel around 2315, rested in room until around midnight and then went to bed.  This was one of the most painful visits ever - I need a break for awhile... 

Camp Springs, MD (USA)

Very busy/long/painful day today - in terms of the time we spent at work and the non-stop activity. Due to the snow cancellations over the past two days, we arrived at work before 0700 and immediately launched into a full-scale assault on the remaining requirements. The people we have been inspecting seemed a little surprised by the intensity, but we were supposed to be done this afternoon.  Clearly, that was NOT going to happen... I was fortunate that I had completed a lot of the job on Tuesday but I still had some important events to complete. We did take a break for lunch and I went to a restaurant called Jiffy's - while there, I had a delicious Greek Gyro. Meanwhile, the weather got significantly better - it was actually nice to be outside! Back at the squadron spaces again, I worked for several more hours.  We didn't even get back to Colony South until around 1830! At around that time, we got a call from the Boss (back home) that we need to be back in Fort Worth by tomorrow afternoon. Since we aren't done with our inspection yet, that didn't seem like a good idea... Cooler heads prevailed and we got an extension to get finished (good thing we worked hard today!). Ended up eating in the hotel tonight, at the Wayfarer restaurant. Had Tortellini alla Panna. Afterwards, I went next door to the Decoy Lounge and visited with several members of our travel team - it was kind of relaxing. Ended up in the room earlier than most days on this trip (2130). Bed early too.  What a day!

Alexandria, VA (USA)

Delayed start today due to the ice storm last night. Left Colony South and headed over to work at 1000 - when we arrived, though, we discovered no-one else was going to come in today at all! After last night's stomach troubles, that was OK with me. I spent the day working on stuff I brought with me from home and actually got a lot done. Walked around to the surrounding buildings and found a few people at work that I wanted to see when I was here.  Funny: I guess I would have missed out on that if this wasn't a "snow day!" Stayed in the spaces until 1600 - then headed back to the hotel. The weather looked pretty good by then and the ice was a distant memory. Bob W. had asked if I wanted to get together again tonight and I told him I hoped we could stop into Old Town Alexandria. He picked me up around 1830 and we went over to Murphy's for dinner. Steve, Eric and Keith showed up around 30 minutes later - it turned out to be a nice evening. Had meat and potato pie and one beer - fortunately, my stomach was doing better. There was a guitar player singing the standard Irish sets - pretty fun. It was great to catch up with Bob one more time - he has to work the rest of my visit. Afterwards, I caught a ride back with everyone else. When we got to Colony South, it turned out to be Karaoke Night at the hotel.  This provided some funny sights and sounds. Went to bed early, relieved that my medication might be working again...

Clinton, MD (USA)

Day started off normally enough - weather OK - but forecast called for ice storms and snow. After breakfast at Colony South Hotel and Conference Center, we drove to Andrews Air Force Base and checked in at work (0730).  After that, we got around three hours of non-stop work done. Everything was going alright until around 1100, when people started coming in from the parking lot with reports of two inches of snow. By this point, schools were early releasing and the news told of lots of weather-related accidents. A planned BBQ dinner was rushed and it ended up being a lunch - maybe a little undercooked (see below). Our local Boss secured everyone early (at 1400) and the spaces emptied quickly. Since we had nowhere else to go, Keith, Eric and I stayed to get work from home completed. By the time we decided to go to the hotel (1630), our car was covered in white. Saw a fox on the way "home" - he sure stood out in the Winter Wonderland! By the time I was in my room, my stomach (and throat) were in an uproar. I have suspected throughout this trip that the medicine I brought may be a little outdated (it was in my travel bag) and I paid the price for that tonight. I was miserable for most of the evening and didn't have dinner. It wasn't until around 2230 that I actually felt like I could fall asleep - and seriously considered walking next-door to the hospital. It didn't come to that, fortunately. I think the BBQ made the whole thing worse. Hope I feel better tomorrow!

Washington, DC (USA)

Woke up around 0800 and had breakfast with Pat and Mike - there were some snow flurries and some accumulation overnight. Spent an enjoyable morning with them in Rockville before heading down to Camp Springs. Took I-270 and I-495 all the way (still saw nearly one cop per mile of highway...) and checked into the Colony South (it's nice to get the same digs as during my last Inspection trip here) at 1130. Next, I drove over to the Andrews Terminal to wait for Keith, Eric and Steve to arrive. During this time, I saw Bobby C. - he's another distant relative and people (mostly in the Navy) always confuse the two of us... By 1400, I was back at the hotel. My ND buddy, Bob W., showed up around an hour later and we drove up to the nearby Metro station (Branch Avenue). We took the Metro into DC and got off at Chinatown. Looked for the noodle place we visited before (see APR 2007), but it must have closed (?). Saw Obama's picture everywhere - they really love him around here - and lots of street hawkers selling Obama souvenirs... After we got tired of trying to find the noodle place, we settled for another Chinese restaurant nearby. It turned out that it was Chinese New Year today (I didn't know before we came), but they weren't planning any festivities until Sunday (too bad!!!). After dinner, walked over to RFD (pub with around 200 different beers) for some drinks. Watched a little of the ND-Marquette basketball game and tried some Belgian beverages before leaving for home. No problem on the Metro going back. Hopefully, we'll be able to get together another time soon - we used to hang out all the time and I forgot how much fun we had... Called Nicky and the girls and then got ready for Tuesday (lots to do). Bed late.  "And now, for something completely different..."

Rockville, MD (USA)

Due to the changing nature of my trip (I'm transitioning from flying to joining my colleagues for an Inspection trip), I got a day off today.  The time wasn't only for relaxing, though, because I had to drive down to the next stop: Maryland/Washington DC. As I was checking out of the NAS JRB Willow Grove Navy Lodge, heard the plane I've been flying this week roaring down the runway.  The squadron had offered me another 0600 flight, but I passed. It wasn't scheduled to get back until very late and then I'd have even less time to get to Camp Springs on Monday. Still, I probably shouldn't have given up another chance to fly... Since there was nothing else left for me to do in Willow Grove, I departed the area and headed south.  Initially, I used surface streets to get through Philly - while transiting, I discovered the Holy Cross Cemetery on the outskirts of town.  There are, apparently, lots of Coogans buried there, but I didn't see any while passing through.  Later, I got on I-95 and drove down to Baltimore.  State Police cruisers were EVERYWHERE!  I've been hankering for a sandwich from Attman's NY style deli for almost two years (see APR 2007), so I got off the interstate and went down into the Inner Harbor area.  I found the deli OK and ordered the "Hungry-Man" hot corned beef sandwich (complete with police sausage and coleslaw on Jewish Rye - mmmmm) before hitting the road again. Called Carolyn and wished her "Happy Birthday" - also talked to Katie and kids. Detoured through Catonsville to a library I always wanted to check for some Coogan relatives and found a couple of items in the short time I spent. After that, I continued on I-95 until switching to I-495 and I-270.  I got gas in Columbia (MD) at 1530 and made it to Rockville by around 1600. Enjoyed an afternoon with Pat and Mike - chatting about work and family. At around 1900, Aileen came by and we headed over to dinner at Fuddruckers.  This was my first time there - they make good burgers. Back at Pat's (at around 2100), we did some genealogy research for a couple more hours. I ended up staying with my (distant) relatives in Rockville.  Went to bed after browsing through some chapters of an interesting book about the founders of the CIA ("The Very Best Men," by Evan Thomas).  What a nice change of pace!

Virginia Beach, VA (USA)

After landing as late as I possibly could (crew rest) last night, I had an early flight again.  Regardless, I was still excited to be going up in the air! Picked up a wrap from Wawa (boy, I miss that place...) and met up with my co-pilot (Blair).  We departed NAS JRB Willow Grove on time and flew down to Virginia Beach so we could move some folks to Key West.  Due to lower traffic volumes and waiting customers for the ground crews, we had no problems getting a quick turn.  Sometimes it isn't so bad to fly on the weekend...  That being said, we beat the other five aircraft involved with the same mission and I was relieved that we'd been first in line! Made it to Boca Chica on schedule and fueled up just as the rest of the gaggle got there. Overall the weather was much better today than it had when we visited the previous two days.  I found myself wishing wishing we could stay in Key West again... The flight back to Philly was easy and we arrived at Willow Grove almost two hours early! This gave me enough time for a haircut nearby (needed it badly). Dinner was at Lee's Hoagie House - I had a buffalo chicken cheese-"steak." It was very good and I'm glad I only got the small because I also got a big salad. Called my friend George - he had some good news. Also called Bob and Pat to confirm plans for next week. Spent most of the evening packing (where did all the extra crap come from?) in my room at the Navy Lodge.  Was going to bed early when the movie "Dune" came on - why is something good always on at midnight?  Watched a little bit but went to bed early because I need to leave town early in the day.  More winter weather expected tomorrow...

Brunswick, ME (USA)

Woke up at normal time and checked out of the Truman Annex (NAS Key West Navy Gateway Inn) at around 0900. On the way back to Boca Chica, stopped for breakfast (and lunch to go) - Cuban sandwiches from Kim's Kubans (they turned out to be really good - I'll have to remember that place). Ready to leave Key West on time at 1100, but no-one else (i.e. our passengers) was... Finally got airborne around 1215 - really making finishing the day with-in crew limits difficult. Flying with a guy (Rob) who always thought we should go on a trip - it is ironic it happened this way. He has a job at UPS and told me it was a good company for me to try to work for (if they ever start hiring again...). Had no problems during our stops in Virginia Beach or Camp Springs.  Everyone was happy that we were making good time. Saw some old friends along the way - they were all surprised that I am in the air today. Others in the back never realized (until the end of the day) that I was flying them around because I only got out of the seat twice. The most interesting part of the whole day was when Rob went in the back and Ted came up front for some flight time: we encountered snow on the runway in Brunswick!  Top that off with some darkness, and it made for some "fun." In the end, everything worked out OK but I've seen far more "dirty" runways than I would have liked to on this trip... Because of some smart fuel planning by yours truly, we didn't get delayed at all during ground operations. On the way back to Willow Grove, I got some amazing views of Providence and Long Island - very clear and lit up in the Winter darkness. Didn't have any weather and we arrived in Willow Grove as the clock struck 1900. Crew rest was already on my mind. Before I could sleep, though, I had lots of paperwork to do.  Also took care of work too - didn't get out of the office until around 2100. At the Navy Lodge, I did some laundry to do.  Feeling tired by the time I finished with that task, I still had to force myself into bed to make sure to get sleep.  By the book, I can still leave on time (and fly) tomorrow... 

Key West, FL (USA)

Slept as late as I could this morning but my neighbors at the Navy Lodge were very noisy...  Had to take care of lots of phone calls before my scheduled flight - changes in itinerary, questions, etc. In the end, I headed over to work around noon. Met up with my crew, finished flight planning (1430) and then departed NAS JRB Willow Grove at around 1500. It is a good thing we (me and Blair) left around two hours earlier than scheduled, because we ended up needing the extra when we got to Florida. [Due to weather ?] I got to try out the pattern an extra time...  By the time we were on the ground at Boca Chica, it was already dark. The fuel truck took another hour and then we learned that we would have to drive across Key West to get our hotel room keys before coming all the way back to spend the night where we landed.  What a pain in the $#@!  Sadly, the rental car wasn't waiting for us either.  Even worse, all the companies (lodging and rental car) had charged our credit cards before we even got there, so we had to live with the bad situation... Finally got checked in at the Navy Gateway Inn (VQ Building CP076).  The Truman Annex was a different place (closer, thankfully) than I've normally used.  It was very chilly - only about 45-50 degrees and I was glad I'd brought a coat to KEY WEST!!!  After finally getting in my room, I rushed over to Duval Street and got a drink at Fat Tuesdays. Walked around looking for the guys from work (they were here somewhere, but never saw them...). Eventually, I settled down for dinner at Kelly's Caribbean Bar (closed last time - see MAY 2008). Had blackened mahi-mahi and key lime pie (mmm...). Afterwards, walked over to a shop (Key Lime Pie Outlet called "Key Lime N' More") I had seen before and bought some local produce and candy for the family. Had a great time talking with the owners (husband and wife) and was still there after their purported closing time. Finally reached my BOQ room very late.  Despite all the running around our crew did today, I hope to one day adopt the air of the locals - people down here are pretty relaxed...

Jacksonville, FL (USA)

The briefing time for our mission was at 0600 and I was glad that my room at the NAS JRB Willow Grove Navy Lodge was immediately across the street from the squadron.  Despite the easy commute, I had to walk through the snow - it hadn't thawed here at all - and there was ice everywhere. After we picked up some lunch-to-go at Wawa, Tim and I flew down to [Fort Campbell ?] Kentucky with clear skies. I thought it would be warmer when we arrived but it was actually colder (-8 C) than Philadelphia! Only on the ground a short time, took off for Jacksonville, Florida. During this leg, we saw snow and frozen rivers all the way to Georgia. Even more surprising, the temperature was only 1 degree C in Jax! After a long delay on the ground (they are always slow and the cold weather didn't help), took off for Willow Grove again. As before, we started to see lots of snow (inland) near the SC-NC border. Flew over Norfolk (no snow), over Wallops Island and Chincoteague and then over the Jersey Shore. Our arrival to Willow Grove brought us in from the south of Philly - it was a great view. We landed without incident. After finishing up the paperwork, I headed back to my room. Realized I had a little time to explore Philadelphia - it was still relatively early - so I drove into the city on PA-611. Fortunately, I had no problem finding my way around (traffic OK) or parking. Spent time walking around downtown for a little bit (brrr...). After backtracking to Willow Grove again, I  made a gas stop in Horsham (2100).  I was in my room by 2130 and then messed around on the internet for awhile before going to bed late.  It's a great day when there is flight time and local exploring!

Pottsville, PA (USA)

After a restful sleep in the NAS JRB Willow Grove Navy Lodge, I got up (0700), got ready and headed to work (across the street). In the office with my local colleagues, I got a lot done today (actually, almost everything I planned to do while I was gone). People got really distracted at around noon during President Obama's swearing-in. My focus today, though, was about the good news I received - the squadron has a flight for me tomorrow! Spent some time planning for that. At around 1530, I left the base to try my Pottsville plan again. This time, weather was great and I made it to the genealogy library there in about an hour and a half. The directions were good and I had started my research by 1715. Along the way, I found lots of new and interesting data and met some nice people. Spent around three hours there and then departed. I ate dinner at A&W (shake, too). I also experimented with the Sirius satellite radio (had some fun with it yesterday, too) and listened to a Jimmy Buffet concert all the way back to Willow Grove. When I arrived on base, I learned that lots of things had changed on my flight.  As a result, I worked on planning again and didn't reach my room until 2200. Bed around an hour later.  Flying tomorrow!

Philadelphia, PA (USA)

[Trip to get Flight Time with VR-52] This morning, I got up around 0600 and headed NAS JRB Fort Worth so I could leave my car on base. [I got a ride from a duty drive but then] got dropped off at the wrong terminal (DFW is huge!).  Fortunately, there was a train to take me to the right place. Made it on my American Airlines flight on time (scheduled takeoff time was 0955) but we then ended up getting delayed near the runway. The MD-80 was PACKED.  After a mostly uneventful flight riding in one of the worst seats on a plane I've ever had, we arrived in Philadelphia (at around 1400L).  This was early enough to avoid the worst rush hour traffic but the weather was really bad - ice, snow, fog... After getting off the aircraft, I had no trouble getting my bag or getting a ride to the rental car center (Hertz). Picked up my car (1440) and headed towards NAS JRB Fort Worth.  I'd brought my maps but didn't really need them because the car came with a GPS. Arriving on base, I checked into the Navy Lodge. By then, the snow was really coming down. Since I had some time and had checked the hours, I decided to take a chance and head up to Pottsville to visit the genealogy library.  This was one of the few things open on MLK day.  Despite the weather (it continued to snow), I departed Willow Grove at around 1600.  Along the way, I thought about giving up a few times. However, by the time I'd driven 70 miles into the trip, the weather had improved significantly (even though it was still only 20 degrees outside). I used surface streets (mistake) to get to I-476 and then took I-78. As it approached 1800, I came across a HUGE traffic jam (a back up of nearly four miles). Around two hours later, we reached an exit and I was able to get off and double back - finally called it quits. Too bad - it would have been nice to find a few things up there. Got back to the Navy Lodge at around 2200 and got organized in the room. Went to bed at around midnight.  It was a rather frustrating day but I had a warm bed - small blessings...