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I left Greenland around noon on April 24th. That morning three of us were headed out on the flight to Copenhagen. Before finalizing our packing we walked out to the P3 one more time to say goodbye to the crew before they took off. They had one last hight priority mission over Eastern Greenland and this was the last day for the crew in Kanger. (The OIB team would then pack up and move their operations to Thule in northern Greenland for the month of May.) Even though the weather did not appear as if it would cooperate, the team headed out for that last mission. I never did hear back from them about how it went.
After packing we drove over to the airport and waited for out plane. The three of us ate one last high fat, veggie-poor meal in Greenland (I avoided the sausage and fries platter here) before boarding the 4.5 hour flight to Copenhagen. Even though the flight was "only" 4.5 hours long, the time change between Kangerlussuaq and Copenhagen is four hours! So by the time we arrived it was nearly 11 pm local time. And by the time I got my bags and checked in to the hotel it was after midnight.
Here's a short video showing how I flew home.
I opted not to sleep since my next flight departed at 6 am. I had work to do and it simply didn't make sense to tempt my body with the prospect of deep sleep.
My next flight took me to Amsterdam. While there I enjoyed the shops between gates and bought a few more goodies for my family. I forgot how many items the Dutch are known for - Legos, chocolate, wooden shoes, tulips, and windmills. The US-bound flight (this time to Seattle) required additional passport screening as well as the full body scan for all passengers. So with 90 minutes to go before departure officials whisked us through this additional security and into a sterile holding room until boarding. My shopping had ended.
If ever a 9+ hour flight seemed smooth and shorter than expected this was it. The flight attendants served us on no less than four different occasions, the in-flight entertainment was complimentary, and, most importantly, the flight was not full. I had two seats to myself.
My last flight from Seattle to Anchorage seemed most painful. Probably because this was the tail end of 32 hours of travel with no sleep. And this last plane was the least comfortable. Nonetheless I was excited to see my family - my kids nearly bowled me over - and great to be back home again.
I intend to write a few more journal entries with some final thoughts about my experience. I also have a few more pictures and a couple more videos I'd like to post. But right now I need some time to catch up on sleep and get myself back into sync with my students. The seniors have exactly two weeks remaining before they are gone.
Spending time with Operation Ice Bridge was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I often find myself thinking of the crew, wondering how the weather is treating them and what mission they are flying on any given day. It is difficult to simply drop what had become so routine for me - get up, eat breakfast, walk out to the plane by 7:30 am, go flying, etc. I have a great appreciation for that program and how they juggle the myriad moving parts (the rotation of the personnel is quite impressive on its own). The entire crew has earned my utmost respect.
For now I will rest, recuperate (as much as jumping back in to teaching will allow), and once again savor the taste of fresh fruits and vegetables.
More in a few days...
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