-- Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands (I took some pics from a HUEY!!) -- |
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Winds on Kwaj-377 viewsThe winds blow for MONTHS at a time. Even at 2 in the morning (I CHECKED)! Sad that there isn't a slope for several THOUSAND miles in ANY direction! Living in the Sierras; I'd forgotten how FLAT the ocean is. Duh!
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Airspeed indicator in a Huey-333 viewsThis is the airspeed in a Huey. We're doing 110knots. Notice the VIBRATION! That's why the photo is so blury. The thing vibrated horrendously. Absolutely flying junk. Beats me how they can last more than an hour in operation. Yet they do! They're work horses on these islands. I'm guessing the maintenance folks must be real busy.
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Stunning Sky. I saw a thousand skies in only a few days.-333 viewsThe skys in Kwaj are amazing. I shall not forget them.
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Chopper leaving me on a lonely island.-315 viewsLoneliest I've ever been was when the chopper left myself and couple other guys at the helipad of an outer island. I had no idea what lonely really meant before this. Even though I knew the chopper was coming back!
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Chopper Returns-347 viewsLuckily the chopper stuck to it's schedule and returned. Strange feeling. I still don't have a clue how those Hueys can keep flying. Looks like a maintanence NIGHTMARE. Never seen a machine SHAKE so fricken much! Flying junk; yet I loved that bird when it emerged on the horizon.
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Helipad on Illeginni island.-442 viewsThis is the helipad on what looked a lot like Gilligan's (sp?) island. But the romance was nothing compared to the distant lonelyness.
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WWII Japanese Bunker-573 viewsA WWII Japanese bunker. A lot of history happened here with a legacy of many dead US and Jap soldiers. A sobering reminder of something my life hasn't had to experience. My level of comfort was paid for with blood. I needed the reminder. Don't we all.
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Sunsets on personal watercraft at Kwaj.-458 viewsThe sun sets upon some personal water craft. Golden! But I confess the yellow hue, although cool, is not from me. It was the darned condensation on the lens. I'd wipe it off, take a picture and then have to wipe it again. Here I timed it right and just enough was on the lens to look cool. I only hope the salt in that moisture didn't hurt the camera. Gad, it was thick! I wanted a shower after just a few seconds.
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The dorm for temp folks.-736 viewsTaken from the huey; this is the dorm for temp workers on the big island. The flags on the left have a tough life. They get whipped to death in the almost constant wind. Note how NARROW the island is. It's hard to remember that there is an entire world beyond the horizon. Actually, while this is the dorm, it's not where I stayed. I bunked in a somewhat commercial type bldg just beyond the upper right corner of the photo. Apparently they were a bit booked up here. Amazing as that sounds.
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Top secret telescopes.-831 viewsSuper, double secret, high tech telescopes on Gagan (I think), an outer island. Kwaj has some of the best telescopes in the world but I really have no idea if these are them. Photoed from the Huey; did I mention how much that thing VIBRATED!
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A typical outer island.-620 viewsThis is a typical outer island. There are hundreds of islands nearly the same as this one.
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The big island of the Kwajalein atoll-1129 viewsThis is the big island of the Kwajalein atoll. The run way extends from shore to shore. They can land a 737 on it, saw that first hand. But, I don't know about the bigger birds. No other island is even close to big enough to land a commercial jet! I don't know how the pilots can navigate to something so small in middle of the ocean. Wow! My client (along with ~1200 others) lives here. Best client I've ever had the privilege of working for! A real good guy. Course living in paradise may play a role in that.
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An old antenna for who knows what type of radio signals. Don't know how old or what frequencies...-671 views
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One of the main swimming beaches on island of Kwaj.-739 views
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Mom trying to lead her child into the water.-727 views
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Chopper ready to leave Illeginni island.-628 views
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Chopper rolling away from the wind. Caught my attention.-598 views
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The Kwaj skies could fill a book.-594 views
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One of the highest points on Kwaj (~8ft!). Perfect for the symbol of what Christ did for us. Stunning!-588 views
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Fire station on Illeginni. Not a lot of fire fighting power needed I guess.-588 views
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The GBRP telescope. The dome is held up with AIR pressure. Didn't get to go inside unfortunately.-566 viewsHad a cool airlock to enter through. Looked neat from the door. Maybe some day.
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Private boats in the lagoon. Boating is pretty big on Kwaj, duh!-569 views
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Hermit crab desperately trying to leap off my hand.-569 views
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WWII bunker now used for ?? (if anything).-620 views
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Illeginni kitchen, switchgear and sleeping room! Guy getting in the fridge is the lone operator. Not exactly spacious.-615 views
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Primary switchgear on Illeginni. The note says "Don't F#*@$#@ turn this on!" Diablo Canyon it ain't.-611 views
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Illeginni generators. Tiny little guys at ~150KW.-599 viewsThey have a rough life. Ambient temps 80-90 deg. with HIGH humidity all the time.
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Illeginni generator building. WWII construction I assume of course.-639 views
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Rust is a big problem everywhere on Kwaj. And, getting blown off the island.-619 viewsConcrete is the best at withstanding the island conditions. Rumor has it that metal buildings have colapsed in just 1 year. Something about salt, water and galvanic reactions upon the rivots. Gravity eventually wins.
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A resident demonstrating the "Kwaj" bars. Don't know how they got popular but they are comfortable to ride.-781 viewsBikes are essentially it on the island. No car dealers ya know. The everpresent rust is a rampant epidemic on all bikes. Bikes go from new, to average, to old in about 14 minutes plus or minus. Epidemic! Nearly no bikes have multiple gears. No hills... no need.
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Another gorgeous Kwaj sky.-576 views
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They say the diving is world class. Again, major DUH!-756 viewsResident divers are amazingly low key about the multitude of SHARKS in the area. Makes my skin crawl!
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Industrial area of Kwaj. Photos taken in the air are always better! (even with the lens cap on)-691 viewsAmazing that thousands of tons of bombs were dropped on this little island. Sad that 400 marines died here. Even more sad that 6000 Jap soldiers died as well.
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Kwaj primary harbor. Photos taken in the air are always better!-687 views
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Kwaj power plant. Island's max load ~12MW primarily air conditioning!-688 views
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More super secret telescopes on an outer island.-722 views
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A particularly cute outer island.-586 views
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Pools cut into the coral at low tide. Great sky (of course) in the background.-593 views
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A research vessel doing who knows what.-649 views
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Light surf breaking in the evening.-608 views
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A lonely stump in the surf. I just like this shot. Don't know why, I just do.-612 views
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One of the many great sunsets.-568 views
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Sunsets on the swimming area.-569 views
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Wave breaks under the weight of a huge cloud.-576 views
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Kwaj version of a bus. Hauls Marshaleze (sp?) folks to the island they work on.-636 views
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Wind holding the wind indicator straight out on Illeginni island!-563 viewsTrade winds are a constant friend for many months of the year. Obviously, Kwaj pilots don't sweat the wind.
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A picnic area under medium winds (note the trees).-620 views
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The wind beating the stuffing out of some trees.-615 views
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