Church time!

Today marks the first Sunday in Alaska. We went to a church called Glacier view Baptist Church. Figuring out where the church is isn’t hard: drive out highway 1, until you see the glacier on the right. Slow down, because the church is going to be on the left soon. It’s not every day that your church overlooks a glacier. I wasn’t highly impressed with the worship portion of the service, but coming from what I am used to, its hard to keep up with it. Overall, it was a nice church, much smaller than Lifepoint, but bigger than New Life.

After lunch, I got online to go shopping for a new cell phone, cause mine died on Saturday. I still have yet to decide on which one I want. Any suggestions?

We went to a small church in Chickaloon that evening. The organ sounded like something off an old Nintendo game. The service was really good, the pastor went through the book of Ephesians.

Around dinner time, it the temperature dropped as a storm started blowing in. Dwayne joined us for dinner, so we had a great time listening to his stories and talking about other airplane things with him. He told us about his property. They leave during the winter, cause it is too cold to keep water running. He flight instructs somewhere in the lower 48, after going to Kazakhstan for 2 months and Letourneau for about a month.

We went out for a walk after dinner, around 10pm, to enjoy some more of the great Alaskan sunshine. Syd needed to mail something, so we headed for the mail box, and then went romping through the forest. We discovered some fur in the trees. You know, like the type that is caught as the animal walks by… At first I thought it was moose, but then I realized it was up a lot higher than I could reach. We were thinking bear, because the tree bark was deeply scarred as well as the fur being up so high. We found out way back to the runway, and headed home.

I helped Sydney figure out the E6-B (flight computer) before bed. She was planning on flying at 5:30 the next morning, and do her first solo flight. We will be getting another roommate on Monday, so we are looking forward to her coming.

a weekend to catch up

Sorry you haven’t heard from me since Thursday. We had a test on Friday, so I thought it a better use of my time to study for said test than to write. Then on Saturday we went to Anchorage, so I didn’t get the chance to update then, either. So starting on Thursday…

The day started as usual. Breakfast at 7, devos at 7:30, then class starts when devos are over. About two hours into class, Mr. Scroggins announced we would be having a cognitive exercise the next day. So much for hiking to the cell tower… I thought as I considered necessary study time. We got through the day all right. Erik and I shot 10 rivets, and never felt more successful. Then Erik ditched me to go flying… the loser. Just kidding!! It just left me to wander around, trying to find something to do until he got back. The excitement of that evening involved some studying and mostly procrastination on the study.

Friday… the test went all right. It was short answer, which posed the challenge of interpreting the question, trying to figure out what the professor wants, and coming up with a cognitive way to state it.

After the test, we went through more regulations (oh boy!) before lunch and hangar time. I got thoroughly frustrated with my project, and we put about 8 more rivets in. Really, based on how small the piece is, we should have had it done in a day. No such luck, the little bugger.
I was thankful when it was dinner time. After dinner, we hiked up the hill to the north of us, the one with the cell phone tower on top. It was sprinkling, giving everything a drab gray coloring that reminds me so much of home. We didn't make it all the way up, but took a side trip to a clearing that overlooked the ranch, with a perfect view of the final approach course. Hal was landing in his 170, which was awesome to watch.

We decided not to go all the way to the top, namely because ice cream and brownies with hot fudge sauce were waiting for us. After ice cream, we hung out for a while, played some rummy, and eventually headed to bed.

I woke up Saturday morning to Sydney asking if I wanted to go to the airshow. I had seen a flyer about it, and really wanted to go. It's called Arctic Thunder, and the thunderbirds would be performing. I rolled over sleepily and asked what time it was, and when they were leaving. In my half conscious state, I managed to calculate a grand total of 20 minutes to get up the hill and meet the convoy heading to Anchorage. I guess I wont be straightening my hair this morning... I thought as I dragged myself out of bed and headed for the breakfast foods. I also called one of the guys to see if they were going to wake up and come. Eventually, they all decided to come, but it took much persuading. Seriously, who would want to skip out on going to an airshow??

When we got into Anchorage, we realized that about two thirds of the state's population had turned up for the event. Cars were lined up for the exit about 2 miles before it even turned off. Lucky for us, we had Hal driving the lead car. Hal is an 80 some-year-old former Navy guy who could talk his way through anything, and knew his way around the base. He dropped us off at the gate, found a great parking spot for the vans, and we headed in.

We had a blast being flight nerds all day. We took hundreds of pictures of all the different airplanes, talked to some of the people showing off the planes, and settled in to watch the performances. I had seen the blue angels about 6 weeks before, so it was absolutely thrilling to see the thunderbirds as well, and have a good basis of comparison. Although nothing beats the mountains in the background, I think the blue angels put on a better show. No matter though, I still got to see a bunch of airplanes going ridiculously fast. It was a great day.

Sorry for the length, maybe I should be a little more consistent about daily updates :p

pictures!

pictures here!!

I will try to put some into the blog, but if you want to see right now, there they are!

day 2

Things were slightly more normal today. Dwayne got in yesterday afternoon, so order was restored. As restored as it can be when Dwayne is in charge… We worked a little bit before class; then I tried my hardest to stay awake through lectures about regulations. We had macaroni for lunch, and I once again passed out after my meal. The afternoon started as usual, with me and Erik fighting the bulkhead. While we were working on it, John Gregory came in and asked if anyone wanted to fly. Erik volunteered me to take it, and head down to pick up parts from Palmer.

It has been almost 2 years since I have flown a single engine aircraft. And I have never flown something as small as a 150. And I only have about 40 hours in steam gauge aircraft. And to top it all off, the winds in Palmer were strong: 20 gusting 31, about 40 degrees off the runway. It was exciting times, for sure. The best part of it was looking at the mountains as we were flying. I have never flown in anything other than flat, flat, flat Texas. We landed back at the Ranch just in time for dinner.

After dinner, some of the guys wanted to wander down to the river. And by wander down to the river, I mean that we tumbled down 200-300 ft through thick brush, blazing our own trail. When we got down there, we found a trail, so we were able to follow that back up. The river is awesome. It runs off a glacier, so it is freezing cold. And because it is from a glacier, it is brownish gray, full of silt. We skipped rocks, threw rocks in the water, and otherwise just hung out down there for a while.

We eventually decided to head back. It was easier since we found a trail, but it was still a rough hike. We couldn’t stop, because the mosquitoes were right there, and would start feasting on a stationary human. Eventually we came out, and I was very thankful to come and sit down.

I will post pictures later, I am working on dumping them on to my computer right now.

first day

I didn’t sleep well last night. A combination of thin mats on a hard wooden bunk and the crazy hours of sunshine kept me from getting a good night’s sleep. Nevertheless, I roused and headed for breakfast with Sydney. As we were walking up to the hangar, we spotted 2 moose, a mother and her calf. They walked right across the runway, no big deal. Craziness!! I guess the guys were a few minutes later, so all they saw were the tracks left by the beasts.

Breakfast was awesome. The food was good, but the company was amazing. It felt sort of like a family reunion. First there is John, one of the flight instructors. He will talk about anything airplanes, and was excited to hear about my multi experience. Even though he has years of experience, he has never done anything multi. Then there is John. He is from Vancouver. We talked a little bit of home, favorite college teams, that sort of stuff. I heard there is another John, but I didn’t meet him.

The clouds were still low in the sky. We knew there were mountains lurking out there, but their majesty was effectively cloaked by the heavy layer of clouds. We spent the morning wandering around the ranch, looking for stuff to do. We finally settled into the classroom, deciding to sit through 3 hours of torment. I was alternately not paying too much attention and trying not to fall asleep.

The afternoon brought sunshine. As the sun burned off the clouds, we were able to see some of the mountains peeking out. We eagerly started plotting which ones we will climb first. We found a little work to do in the hangar, usually interrupted when an airplane came in to land, or one of David’s helicopters.

Me, being the structures lab assistant, was assigned to the sheet metal project, with the help of Erik. That was a frustrating project… I wont completely bore you with all the details, but I will tell you what we did. We had to remove a small bulkhead out of a tail section of a crashed 152. We were putting it on another 152. Fun times… it proved to be more difficult than it looks. We are putting it on a different 152 that is being re-skinned.

That was about it for the day… the mountains were fully displaying their power as we walked by, in awe of their wonderful power.

Arrival

It was a long trip. We went from the 90s and turbulence (indicative of thunderstorms and humidity) in Houston to a chilly overcast 50 degrees in Anchorage. We arrived around 10 PM, with the sun still shining. We loaded up the van and made our way north on highway 1. Gas prices are in the 4.29 range for the cheapest unleaded. Highway 1 quickly transformed from a 4 lane with median to 2 lane mountain road just outside of Anchorage. It took about a half hour to get to Palmer, then another 45 minutes beyond that. Palmer is the closest grocery store, so it is a weekly run. We passed through Chickaloon before arriving at the Last Frontier Ranch, around 12:15, with the sky still a cerulean blue. It wouldn’t get much darker than that. I am in the cottage, in a small room with 4 beds (2 bunks). Our kitchen is there as well. I met Sydney, a 17 year old from North Carolina who is also here. She showed me around before I passed out.

SHV

Hello from Shreveport, LA! We have wireless here, so I am taking a minute quick to get on and say hi. I thought when we crossed the border into LA on the bus I was done with Texas for 2 months, but I have to go back. We are flying to Houston before the trip northward. So i still have a little more texas. But I can deal with it, since I am going to Alaska.

Yes, little sleep is bad for the Liz. Thanks for noticing.

anointed

I know they don’t plan church services specifically for one audience member, but that is really what I felt this morning. The first song we sang really means a lot to me. It is called Lead of Love by Caedmon’s call. The chorus is this:

Looking back You know You had to bring me through
All that I was so afraid of
Though I questioned the sky, now I see why
Had to walk the rocks to see the mountain view
Looking back I see the lead of love

What it means to me…

I first heard this song about a year and a half ago. I talked to Dwayne about flying in Alaska and into Russia, and it felt like a dream come true. Here is a guy who spent his entire life doing that which I could only dream. God whispered that those dreams were only a glimpse of what could come of my life. But I would have to walk the rocks. The next 4 months were filled with boulders. I fell hard. But that’s another story…

The rocks continued to be rough for another year, but I learned something when I fell. I learned I needed to let God lead me. He knew He would be the one bringing me through. I needed, and still need, the lead of love.

So this morning at church, the service opened with this same song. I am so excited to see the mountain view.

Then we took communion this morning. Now, unlike some churches, we only take communion about 4 times a year. So this is slightly more rare, and really a special time. I was reminded of the one whom I serve. He gave his all—his body was broken, his blood was spilled, so I could be here today. So I could go on this adventure to Alaska. I have so much faith in Him right now. I can see the rocks I had to walk through. I can see Him reaching out, asking me to trust Him to bring me through. And I am so thankful that God has enough faith in me to send me on this adventure.

God gave me an incredible morning, and I really felt like it was a modern day anointing. He reminded me of where I had been, the journey on which I have traveled thus far, and the whole reason I would even consider doing any of this.

Well, I think I will try to get a little sleep before this thing starts.

So it has been a little while... things got a little hectic with classes. What am I saying? I had plenty of time. I was just too lazy to write. Maybe nothing was coming to mind. Anyways, I am a mere 2 days from Alaska. I just got my Itinerary, so i thought I would put it up here. I will try to write frequently, but probably not every day like Owen is doing :p

Monday, June 23,2008

Travel from Longview to Anchorage

11:00 am Depart LeTourneau for SHV on an LETU Bus

1:45 pm Depart Shreveport, Arrive at Houston, 2:50 pm

5:25 pm Depart Houston; Arrive at Anchorage, 9:42pm

Van ride to King Ranch.

Tuesday June 24 – July 17 2008 (except as noted)

Inspections Class and Lab at King Ranch in Palmer, AK – More like Chickaloon, AK....

Friday July 4^th – Sunday July 6^th

Travel Via chartered Aircraft (Lake Clark Air) to Port Alsworth, AK at Lake Clark.

Friday, July 11

Travel via van (leave about 0500am) to Seward AK, for a Prince William Sound excursion with Kenai Fjords Tours. 10:00am Boat Departure.

Thursday, July 17

Everyone else leaves back to Longview. Then the real adventure begins...

Most of this time will be involved with the Bible camp up north of the arctic circle. I am not sure the specific dates, those are kind of up in the air right now. I will let you know as further details come.

Travel from Anchorage to Longview

Tuesday Aug 19, 2008

9:10 pm Depart ANK on Continental Flight 781; Arrive at HOU 07:00 am

08:40 am Depart HOU on Continental Flight 9522; Arrive at SHV 09:45 am (July 18^th)

10:00am Meet Transport to LETU