Sunday, December 25, 2011

Ship's Greetings



MC3 Berumen and her boyfriend, AC3 Dalton, are exchanging gifts in the TV control room.  Like me, Dalton has to work today and is stuck on the ship.  I briefly entertained the thought of taking leave and traveling to the east coast to visit family and friends, but with plane tickets starting at $800, it's just too expensive.  

My dad called last night to see how I was doing on Christmas Eve.  I'm actually doing fine.  As an only child raised to be independent, I maintain a strong relationship with my family, but can also handle being on my own during holidays.

I wish I could say the same for everyone else here. There's definitely some sad faces today.  But we've got a job to do and no doubt the Nimitz Sailors will handle business like the professionals they are.

Happy Holidays America.


Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Hot seat


MC3 Cotter (left) is undergoing a spot check, administered by Master Chief Burds.  For this particular check, Cotter must demonstrate knowledge of proper float coat (life jacket) maintenance. This is an important skill, as you wouldn't want to end up in the water with a float coat that doesn't inflate.

As you can see in the photo, Cotter is not enjoying being under the steel gaze of an ex-marine.

Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

Thursday, December 8, 2011

It sucks!

MC3 Jandik cleans a filthy air duct while MC3 Berumen bravely assists.

This is the stuff you don't see on recruitment ads.

But it's part of our job.  All of you prospective MCs out there, be prepared to get your hands dirty.  This air duct belongs to us.  No we didn't buy it at Home Depot.  Every department "owns" spaces.  For the MCs up in the TV studio, we own the studio, the control room, and the p-ways that connect them.  This means not-so-glamorous maintenance on said spaces from time to time.

Think about how gross your own home/apartment's air ducts get.


Jandik, who was recently promoted to petty officer 3rd class, climbed into this disgusting task as soon as he heard it needed to be done.  His vacuum sucked all sorts of caked on dirt, dust, and grime for about 30 minutes until... we all breathed a sigh of relief.  Literally.

Notice he's wearing a firefighting mask to protect him from all the nasty stuff he's churning up.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Biggest pool EVER

110926-N-IR734-080


Before the Nimitz pulled out of the dry dock, every department gathered for a photo in front of the propellers.  It took all day, and several MCs rotated the duty.  The photographer is standing on a crane.  This motley crew is the Media department, and I'm back row second from left.  Freaking cool right?


Seconds after this shot was taken, the dry dock flooded and we all ran for our lives.  Naaah!

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Grin and bear


 We're in the print shop, where Chief is giving us our monthly required training.  Today it's money management, a topic all of us can use this time of year.

These GMTs, or general military training, will start in boot camp, and continue into the fleet.

Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Ghosts


This is the view from a parking garage on base. You can see the Nimitz to the left and the ghost fleet, partially covered in fog, to the right. The ghost fleet consists of decommissioned ships that have yet to be sent to the scrap yard, or sunk.

It's not a prize-winning photo, but this is still a pretty interesting sight to see on your way to work.


Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The Voice

Creating the voiceover in the barracks with the Sony A1U.


He's already calling himself an up-and-coming Morgan Freeman. I just met ABH3 Shane Tidrick three days ago. I overheard him talking to my roommate and immediately knew that he had to be the voice of our Army Navy commercial. Keep an eye out for that production and his career.

Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Defeating the machine

MC3 Berumen, who runs the Nimitz blog, photographs EM3 Villalobos for his website debut.

Last week something happened that really reminded me of the power that we have as Mass Communication Specialists. I recently took a scuba course, where I met Electrician's Mate 3rd Class Johnathan Villalobos. He's one of those guys you can tell right off the bat is smart and motivated.

Some time after we finished the course I ran into Johnathan in the hanger bay of the ship. He proceeded to tell me something that was pretty amazing.

This was a story that needed a bigger audience than myself.

Nimitz media recently added a blog to the ship's website. The goal is to highlight a different Sailor every week. Within days of the hangar bay conversation, I was able to get EM3 featured on the new blog.

Read his incredible tale on the Nimitz website.  (If we've moved on to a new Sailor, navigate to the blog from the website and find older posts.)

It was awesome to watch the limbs of our multi-media Voltron Media Department come together to produce this news story.

Word-of-mouth (me) ---> interview & photo shoot (Berumen) ---> web layout & upload (Jandik)

We are the Lions of Navy Media.

Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

Behind the curve



My mother has passed me in technological expertise. This is my first skype call. She's been trying to get me on here for a year.

It's amazing how interconnected social media has us. I am creating this blog post through voice to text technology on my cell phone while mom watches me on skype.

I can't wait to see where this technology takes us, and how it affects my job as an MC.

Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

Thursday, November 3, 2011

A Sailor underneath

Challenges are around every corner for IA Sailors.

MC2 Casey Amdahl used to be stationed on the Nimitz.  He left a few months ago to begin a tour in Afghanistan as an individual augmentee.   Unlike the previous two IAs I blogged about (Timberlake and Nguyen), Amdahl is currently in theater, so he couldn't give many details.  I know many of you are interested in this aspect of Navy life, so here's a quick glimpse into his world.   He's using all his MC skills, and working with people from several different branches and countries.  As you read, keep in mind he volunteered for this assignment.

--------------------

Hey guys,

Going IA is extremely different than going underway, or deploying with a ship, which is what most Sailors are used to. Instead of deploying with a unit, IAs deploy by themselves.

The first step is Navy Mobile Processing Station either in Norfolk or in my case, San Diego. NMPS is a week-long death by powerpoint/medical screening/briefs/admin processing stop prior to reporting to NIACT (Navy Individual Augmentee Combat Training).

NIACT is either at Fort Dix, NJ or Fort Jackson, SC which is where I went. NIACT is a three-week course that teaches Sailors how to be Soldiers.

There's tons of shooting, humvee rollover 
training, gear issue, and briefs...

What's the news on the ship?  Oh wait.  That's right, I know.  I read the Nimitz News on
the site.  Because you guys are big news over here by the way.  All the Navy guys I'm working with can't believe you're doing a 12-page paper weekly. 

Afghanistan is pretty cool for being a third world, war-torn country.  I'm working with a good group of folks out here, telling the NATO Training Mission Afghanistan story.


Scorpions and beetles own Kuwait. 

That's all there is to it. I opened my sleeping bag getting ready to go to bed and a scorpion climbed out. At this point I did three things; 1) Scream "Holy sh*t!" like a little girl, 2) spazzed out, and 3) spent the rest of the night in a tent four down from mine awake.

I am actually enjoying being out here, beleive it or not.  The work kinda means more to me. I feel more purpose in what we do over here.  Let me know if you need anything else. Internet is actually pretty decent right now, but I don't know how long that's going to last.

--------------------

Thanks for taking the time to write us, keep up the good work MC!


 

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Moving Day

Photo by MCSN Andy Jandik.
 So I got word today that I have to be out of my barracks by noon tomorrow.  I'm actually moving to an older barracks in preparation for the final move back onto the ship.  Its alright though, because I'm flexible. I'm ready to adapt to any new situation. I'm cool with it. I don't need that stupid room anyway.


Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

Monday, October 31, 2011

Guarding trash


This is the dumpster watch. For 3 hours on my duty day I stand in this booth and am the Trash King. My job is to make sure people throw trash in the right dumpsters. Cardboard has it's very own bin, and so does metal.
"Take that TV right back up to the ship because it can't go in any of these dumpsters. Turn it in at Shop 99 please, and quit giving me dirty looks." -MC Nobody Slaughter

Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

Proud to know this guy


My friend and top contributor to the blog, MC3 Marty Carey, has returned safely from his deployment overseas.  He tells me he wasn't quite ready to come back, if you can believe it.  He must have some kind of weird love for scorpions....

I don't normally post on the comings and goings of my friends, simply because it's such a common occurrence.  The life of an active duty service member is filled with travel. So why am I taking the time to report on this guy?

Because he represents everything you and I should strive for.  It's that simple.

Every once in a while you run across a Sailor who's just meant to be in the Navy.  Marty's one of those guys.  He's been a force of nature since 'A' school.  His positive attitude and dedication to military journalism has been a beacon to many of us.


While your level of service isn't always recognized, I'm confident you will continue to serve your country in a capacity that is the example for everyone who follows in your footsteps.

 I will always be behind you, never stop leading.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Training video

We just hosted a team of maintenance trainers from Big Navy, and it was our job to shoot video of the visit. For almost an entire day, we recorded the teams at different stations throughout the ship. The final product will be a training video to be shown throughout the fleet.
The photo above is at the electrical team's station, where safety was a big part of the presentation.
Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Seattle Shootoff


I'm at the first annual Seattle Shootoff, where pro photographers from all over are sharing their knowledge with eager students. It's also a competition, and our Nimitz group has already taken the top awards.

Here Andrew Geraci critiques my shots. He's a former MC and now works at the Washington Times. He's also a time lapse legend. He popped up in one of my earlier posts, when MC2 Logico named him as his source of inspiration.

It's pretty amazing to have the opportunity to be around people like him and the other artists. Thanks Navy!

Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Video - Strike a pose



On the Nimitz, the MCs are split into three departments.  The photo department, print shop, and video.  MC3 Wray, MC3 Berumen, and I work in video.  Our base of operations is upstairs in the TV studio.  Next door is the control room where we run the tv channels on the ship.

One exception to this separation of jobs is studio photography.  Sailors, enlisted and officer, all need to have their photos taken from time to time for various reasons.  The crew member in this video needed a shot for his department's roster board.  This is basically a photo spread on a wall showing what senior members are working there.

Video just took this over, and because Berumen came to video from photo, she's the one who gets the jobs right now.  Wray and I have only worked video, but we will eventually be moved to other departments.  A good command rotates its MCs to ensure they are all well-rounded.

It'll be a sad day for me when I'm kicked out of the TV studio.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

She floats!

Tugboats push USS Nimitz from the dry dock to the pier.  U.S. Navy photo by MCSA Derek Volland.

I just watched a massive cavern fill with water, and now a massive aircraft carrier is floating away on that water.

That may not be the exact technical terminology, but it's all I could think when the dry dock flooded and Nimitz was maneuvered, pushed, and pulled over to the pier where we first arrived.  Yep, it's been almost a year already.

This was an all-day event for the MCs.  We deployed photo and video teams on docks, piers, barges, tugboats, stairways, and rooftops.  I arrived at my shooting location, smack dab in front of USS Nimitz at about 1000. 

Then I sat there for two hours when the flooding was delayed.

At roughly 1600 the ship was floating and free, being moved up the street to Pier Delta.  I had thrown a wireless microphone on one of the Nimitz line handlers and followed the action as he and others helped to steer the carrier out of the dry dock.

Keep an eye out for the footage in an upcoming Dry Dock episode!


USS Nimitz concludes shifting piers from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility’s Dry Dock 6 to Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton.   U.S. Navy photo by MC3 Nichelle N. Whitfield.

I'm going to try and get some stuff up showing MCs at work.  I know many of you enjoy learning about what our jobs entail.  It'll be a bit easier, now that I can have my camera phone at work.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Hell in the Sky (part 3)


"Guys, just so you know, I may throw up."

Photos by MCSN Andy Jandik

Berumen's knee was bloody and swollen, and her attempts at bending her leg or putting weight on it resulted in severe pain. She wouldn't cry, but throwing up was not out of the question. All attempts to help her walk had failed. The steep terrain meant we couldn't keep her upright without losing our own balance.

Looking down at her, a thought crept up on me. The night before, a park ranger had told us about a rescue that had just occurred on Helens. A woman had become separated from her family in blizzard-like conditions, and was forced to spend the night up here, alone.

With no other options, Berumen began to butt scoot down the rocks. It was a brutally slow process, and a heavy fog was making it difficult to find the correct path back down. If we cleared the rocks at the wrong point at the treeline, we'd never find the trail back through the forest.

Berumen inches along while we figure out the best way down.

Chief Mike Jones went ahead to scout the way down, while the rest of us did what little we could to help our injured shipmate.

The rocks wouldn't end. 

Every ridge we cleared opened up to two more. Hours passed and the sun began to make its exit. The temperature was dropping fast.

Wind-blown ice formation on a trail marker.

Some good news came when, at Master Chief's direction, Jandik made a splint from one of the walking poles, using bandages from our first aid kit. When the terrain gave us brief respite, Berumen could walk a bit with our support.

Despite the situation, morale was good. Our team was strong, and Berumen's determination was nothing short of inspiring.  Then the fog cleared.



A trail marker can be seen to the right.

The beauty of what we saw was stunning. And it made our hearts sink. We had so far to go to the treeline.

----------

It was about 5:30pm when I looked up to see Master Chief McMillan standing on top of a nearby ridge. He was trying to radio for help, with no luck on any channel.

We were making tactical decisions, steering Berumen around hundreds of rocks. Master Chief was thinking strategically. The big picture was...there was a good chance we wouldn't make it to the trees before the sun set.

Shouting across the rocks, Master Chief coordinated his contingency plan. Chief Jones and Petty Officer Thomas Siniff would get down to camp, grab two tents, and haul ass back up. He then asked for volunteers to stay with Berumen overnight, while the rest of the team went for help.


Berumen clearly did not like the idea of staying on the volcano overnight. For the first time since her fall, she was about to cry.

"Don't worry about it Ashley, let's get to those trees."


Master Chief assesses the situation, and takes steps to keep his Sailors safe.

We kept moving.  Berumen was covered in mud, and her arms burned from the exertion of sliding herself along.

"My butt's getting really beat up by these rocks!"
"Yeah but how many people can say they scooted down Helens?"


At 6:30pm, we were closing in on the trees. Up at the treeline, Master Chief was radioing me:

Master Chief: "Chief has to verify this is the right trail."
me: "It's not the right trail?" ....
....
....
....
Master Chief: "We're good to go, head towards me."
me: "Thank God. Let's get off these damn rocks."


Petty Officer Ashley Berumen, frozen hair and all.
I can't describe how good it felt to put my hand on a tree again. We joked that now Berumen had hundreds of friends to lean on while she hobbled along.

But we weren't in the clear. Sunset was on top of us.

Trees that had shielded us from rain that morning now blocked the sunlight. The trail rose and fell. Roots snaked across the path, threatening to take Berumen off her feet. It was obvious she was running out of steam. The temporary adrenaline rush of getting off the rocks was fading as fast as the light.

The forest was silent, an occasional bird call floated above.

With Chief and Siniff waiting at camp, Master Chief took over supporting Berumen. Timberlake and I went ahead, to get warm clothes in preparation for Berumen's arrival.

Thirty minutes later, I began to worry. Timberlake and I were moving fast, but still hadn't reached camp.

"I don't remember this trail being so long.
If it's taking us this long, how much worse will it be for Berumen?"

Finally, we rounded a corner and saw the parking lot. The journey was over for four of us. Timberlake went to change into dry clothes. I kept thinking about Jandik, Master Chief, and Berumen struggling along in the dark, with two flashlights to lead the way.

So I did the only thing I could think of to help them. I pulled my Jeep up to the trail head, rolled the windows down, and turned the radio up as loud as it would go. Standing in the rain, I watched the trees as the music penetrated the darkness.

Seaman Andy Jandik, who had the wits to keep taking pictures.

Thirty minutes passed, and they didn't appear. Chief told me to stay out of the woods.  Adding more people to a dark, narrow path was too risky.  Finally, on the radio:

Master Chief: "We can hear music."

At 8:30pm, after 12 hours on Mount St. Helens, Berumen emerged safely from the most harrowing experience of her life.  We met her with cheers to wake a volcano.



You may be safe in front of that TV, but are you making these kinds of memories? 
Chief Mike Jones.
Chief made it look easy.

MC3 Thomas Siniff.

Siniff, first guy to climb Helens in the snow while wearing jeans.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Hell in the Sky (part 2)

No turning back now.



 DISASTER.

Photos by MCSN Andy Jandik

The last leg of our journey up Mount Saint Helens began at 6500', and several members of the party were already showing signs of exhaustion. Our column was struggling to stay together, as climbers fell more and more behind. Jandik and I were in the rear, trying to give encouragement, while Master Chief Jon McMillan, the senior member, took the lead.

An hour later, at 7300', we were within an hour from the summit. The team regrouped and assessed everyone's condition. Timberlake was in bad shape. Her feet were made of lead, and she was running on pure determination. Helens gave us no respite. Her cold took hold of us within minutes, and we had to keep moving.

The final hour was straight out of a bad dream.

Everything simplified. Thoughts. Movements. Reactions. Step. Step. Step. Step. Rest for 10 seconds. Step. Step. Step. Step. Rest for 10 seconds. Timberlake and I were alone, the group had disappeared into the clouds above us. Whenever she paused in her step/stop rhythm, I tried to say the words to help give her strength to take more steps.


Timberlake takes it one step at a time.


"This is gonna be a huge personal victory.  Every step is one closer."

Then I got a call on my two-way radio.

"Slaughter, Master Chief."
"Go for Slaughter."
"Slaughter, we're below summit. What's your status?"
"Timberlake and I will be there in 20 minutes."


Suddenly the sun broke through the clouds. A blue sky appeared and I could see our group huddled together above use. THEY'RE SO CLOSE.

"Timberlake, look! We can see our shadows! Can you feel the warmth?"

"Yeah, that's really sweet."


What the sun had revealed to me was our team, standing 50' below the summit. What I couldn't know was what they were talking about. The conditions would change drastically in the next few minutes, and it would affect everyone...


Master Chief maps out serious danger at the summit.

At 2pm, at an elevation of over 8300', Timberlake and I were steps away from the other team members. I brought my Sony A1U up and began filming in anticipation of the victory.

Two things happened then. The most brutal wind I've ever felt slammed into me. Unbelievable, 50mph blasts of frigid air stabbed into every part of my body. And that's when I heard the shouts.

Jandik: "Turn around Slaughter!"
me: "What?! No way man, I've got to film the damn summit!"
Jandik: "Seriously turn the f-k around!"
 
I was within 20 feet of the literal summit, and my team was blocking my way up. I wanted a shot of the crater, even though I knew the visibility was too poor to see down that far.

What I didn't know was one member had just been lifted up by the gusts and almost blown down into that crater. The drop off behind Master Chief is the drop to the crater, thousands of feet below. The lines he was drawing showed where new snowfall had created a soft, deadly trap. Several feet further and anyone could have plunged to their deaths when the snow gave out.

me: "Get the hell out of the way so I can get my shot!"
Master Chief: "Slaughter, we need to get out of here, now."
me: "Roger, moving."

Attempting to shield the A1U from wind and snow.



We had been climbing for 6 hours, in some of worst conditions possible. Our group turned around and began to slowly walk back down from hell in the sky. I felt great to have made it up, even if my final shot was filled with people yelling at me.

Timberlake was now in the lead with me close behind. We had taken about 10 steps when I realized how bad our situation was.

The wind was freezing my eyelashes, making it hard to keep my eyes open. 

Ahead of me I saw Timberlake stop, wobble, and start to fall backwards. She had nothing left. To the left and right of us the volcano sloped down, and to fall to either side would mean a quick trip to the bottom.



Frozen eyelashes, frozen water tube.


I lurched forward, grabbing her jacket.

"Are you ok?!"
[barely audible] "Yeah I'm good."
 
80% of accidents on Mount St. Helens happen on the way down. This is because folks spend everything getting up, with no reserves to get back. Timberlake and several others had given their all, and now alarm bells were going off in my head. What the hell have we done? Was this worth it?

This continued for about an hour. We reached the lava flow and rested for a couple of minutes. The team began to feel a little better, but we were still pretty frozen. The magnitude of what we had just done was sinking in. We felt good.

And then disaster struck.

Descending the treacherous rocks, cold and totally fatigued, Berumen lost her footing and fell downwards, bouncing off several rocks.

Beginning the descent.  Berumen would fall minutes later, changing everything.
With sunset approaching, and thousands of feet up on this unforgiving volcano, we now had a shipmate that couldn't walk.

Hell in the Sky (part 1)

GUT CHECK.

 Photos by MCSN Andy Jandik

Our group of seven hit the trail head at 7:40am with a cold, steady rain on our backs. We were five males and two females. It was a group made entirely of U.S. Navy journalists. The sister team from Oregon hadn't been able to make it, but the Sailors had to continue anyway.

We weren't exactly a volcano climbing all-star team. One guy was wearing jeans, one gal was sick with an almost constant cough, and only two of us had any experience attempting to summit Helens.  (We both fell short on the other attempt.)

We cleared the treeline at 4600' and immediately lost what little cover the trees had offered us. The slow dread of a cold drenching began to set in. Rising up to meet us was an old lava flow from the 1980 eruption. A steep, slippery slope of rocks rose into the clouds.

Two hours into the rock scramble, petty officer Amara Timberlake told us she was losing feeling in her hands.

The rain had stopped only to be replaced by a bitter wind.  Petty Officer Andy Jandik and I had her take her soaked gloves off, and put her hands inside our jackets. Our body temperatures dropped but she gained feeling and flexibility after about 15 minutes.

We continued on and cleared the lava flow, but the worst was yet to come.  Mount Saint Helens would push every one of us to our limits.

Attacking the lava flow. 

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Mom!

Mama sent me a little pillow.  Photo by MC3 Ashley Berumen.


I opened my mail this morning to find this. My mom doesn't like it when I go too long without calling.

Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

Monday, October 10, 2011

Swim with the fishes

Harper Pier in Port Orchard, Wa.  Photo by MC3 Devin Wray.

Last Sunday, Wray and I and completed the basic NAUI scuba course.  We're now certified to dive at depths of up to 60 feet.  How do I feel?  OUTSTANDING.  I'm sure most of you have things you've always wanted to try...things you're pretty sure you'd love.  That's scuba diving to me.

The lead instructor shot a video of me performing a diver rescue on Wray.   Watch the video here.    I'm searching for his air pressure gauge, which has become stuck under his tank.  Checking to see if the unconscious diver has any air left is the first step.  The next step is to kick off the bottom, propelling both divers to the surface.


Adrian before our epic 20ft dive at Point Whitney, Wa.  Photo by me.

The classes are taught by a local dive shop, Sound Dive Center in Bremerton.  They go through MWR, so we get a discount on the 3-week course.  Cost for a civilian is $300, for military it's $275.  Because they're used to teaching Navy folks, the instructors were willing to adapt to our sometimes-complicated work schedules.

Adrian was our instructor, and our group of six was very happy with him.  I'd say he's just the right mix of stern expertise and love for the sport.  He was always on point when it came to the safety of each diver.


Bea gives EM3 Johnathan Villalobos a shot of no-fog liquid for their masks.  Photo by me.

 The course schedule goes like this:

Three weeks of classes/pool time, on Monday and Wednesday.
The final week, two open-water dives on Saturday, and two on Sunday.

The first was at Point Whitney, across the water from Bangor Trident Base.  Standing on the shore, I realized kiddy pool time was over.  This was the real thing.

Bea was the assistant instructor, and kept a close eye on everyone.  She made sure no one did anything stupid, like shoot to the surface too fast and explode their lungs.
Wray was SUPER psyched to be there.  Photo by EM3 Jonathan Villalobos.

If you look at the photo of Bea, you'll see she's wearing a different suit than us.  It's a dry suit, which requires additional training to use.  If you're wearing it, no water ever touches you.  Wray and I are wearing wetsuits.  When you get in the water, it's supposed to leak in, to be warmed by your body heat.

Are you getting an idea of how horrible it is to inch into that frigid water?

DRY suit  =  good
WET suit =  bad

I squealed like a little girl as the water trickled down my back.

Warm and happy.  Photo by Bea.

In between the first and second dives, I was glued to my jeep.  The engines's on and the heat's blasting.  I spent 5 years in South Florida, you know? 


Adrian tosses Wray his t-shirt.  Photo by me.

After demonstrating the necessary skills, including rescuing an unconscious diver, Wray and I graduated!  The Harper Pier dive took us to about 30ft depth.  Back at Sound Dive Center, Adrian held a debriefing with the group.  Each diver was given an assessment of his performance.  Then we got t-shirts!


I was born to wear a diver t-shirt.  Photo by MCSN Andy Jandik.

I've signed up for the advanced course, which means diving to depths of 100+ feet, night diving, and training in underwater navigation.  I'm looking forward to working with Adrian again.

Pilot's license is next. 

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Growing Gills


I'm in the middle of a scuba certification course, taught by Sound Dive Center of Bremerton, Washington.  It's a skill that will go well with my free ride around the world.
I realize the photo's not very compelling, but the instructors won't let me take pictures in the pool yet... too worried I'll drown I guess.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Mountain Passion

Mom, I normally wear a helmet.

“You’re moving through a wonderful natural environment and working on balance, timing, 
depth perception, judgment…It forms kind of a ballet.”

-
Charlie Cunningham, mountain bike pioneer


I keep this blog pretty tightly focused on MC-related stuff.  I will shamelessly divert from that primary focus when I find recreation opportunities.  It makes me happy to think of this blog serving as a sort of travel site, giving Sailors stationed in the area ideas for things to do.  Anyway, I've been mountain biking off and on for about 15 years. 

If you've never found yourself on a singletrack trail in the middle of the woods, add it to your list.

Fire road in Banner Forest, Port Orchard, Wa.

There are many, many trails to choose from up here.  Banner Forest is great for beginner to intermediate riders.  The trails lead back to the fire road, which makes it a good place to navigate from.

Why do you need navigation help?

Which way is out?

Because it's a maze in there.  Don't count on signs, either.  They're few and far between.   You'll probably see more black bear warnings posted.  Banner Forest, at over 600 acres, is HUGE.  You can disappear in a park that size... real easy.

That's why I carry bear spray.  It has a spray distance of 35 feet.  Here's a quote to put it in perspective:
This is for situations in which a bear is charging from a distance. You want the spray to create as wide a barrier between you and the bear as possible so it has the maximum amount of time to affect the bear’s eyes, nose, throat, and lungs.
If it is a grizzly bear and it’s going to make contact, drop to the ground and play dead and give the spray time to take effect. If it is a black bear, prepare to fight aggressively with any available weapons (fists, sticks, rocks, etc.) until the spray has time to take effect. Bear spray has been shown to reduce the length and severity of maulings.   
           - Center For Wildlife Information

Log bridge over nothing in Banner Forest.

Why ride a gym bike when you can navigate through this?


Wildcat and Beaver Pond Trail, near Bremerton, Wa.

Wildcat's a more challenging ride.  Loose rock on the trail makes traction difficult.  My back tire skids and sprays rocks on these sections, making me very, very annoyed.

Crashed in Banner Forest.

If you take up mountain biking, you will fall off eventually.  And that's ok!  It may sound weird, but I kind of like coming back from a ride scratched up.  We're so plugged in all the time, eating crap food, watching crap television, letting our eyes glaze over our computers...it makes me feel alive to get beat up a little.

Blackberries in Banner Forest.

A huge bonus to MTBing in my area is the blackberries.  They're everywhere!  At the end of the day, just pedal up to the nearest blackberry plant and dig in.  Not only are they really good for you, but they're free!

See you on the trail!

Check out my bicycle website at amazingbicycles.com for basic information on all sorts of bikes.