Fairbanks Day 4
Well well well.
Today, I travelled the 80+ miles to Clear Air Force Station. When I got there, the gate officer explained that they normally did not let people on base unless they had credentials (check), a military card (no check), and an air force base affiliation (again, no check). They finally let me through and directed me to the Security Office. There, they explained that they don't let people on base unless they need to be there, and that they'd basically have to keep an eye on me at all times. Great. This'll make an interesting and fun day.
Much to my suprise they were very nice and very accommedating. The Sgt offered me a dorm room should I need to stay the night. He was willing and happy to call up the people I wanted to talk to, tried tracking people down for me, etc. He drove me to the mess hall so I could get some lunch, then gave me a tour of the base and the area. It turned out to be a wonderful day, and everyone there was great.
To get to Clear, I had to take the Parks Highway (AK-2) from Fairbanks, through Nenana. This was an interesting highway for two reasons--instead of going around the mountains, like in Oregon, the highway went across the tops, and it was a single lane highway with a posted limit of 65 miles per hour.
The seargent on base told me that Mt. McKinley was viewable on clear days, but he could not point out to me which mountain it was. I took some pictures at two pull-over areas on the way home, but I left my camera in the car, so I'll have to post them tomorrow.
I HAVE to stop working tomorrow at 4:00. We're only allowed to work 60 hours per week, and I'm already at 52. Money will be nice.
Ciao, motherfuckers.
Today, I travelled the 80+ miles to Clear Air Force Station. When I got there, the gate officer explained that they normally did not let people on base unless they had credentials (check), a military card (no check), and an air force base affiliation (again, no check). They finally let me through and directed me to the Security Office. There, they explained that they don't let people on base unless they need to be there, and that they'd basically have to keep an eye on me at all times. Great. This'll make an interesting and fun day.
Much to my suprise they were very nice and very accommedating. The Sgt offered me a dorm room should I need to stay the night. He was willing and happy to call up the people I wanted to talk to, tried tracking people down for me, etc. He drove me to the mess hall so I could get some lunch, then gave me a tour of the base and the area. It turned out to be a wonderful day, and everyone there was great.
To get to Clear, I had to take the Parks Highway (AK-2) from Fairbanks, through Nenana. This was an interesting highway for two reasons--instead of going around the mountains, like in Oregon, the highway went across the tops, and it was a single lane highway with a posted limit of 65 miles per hour.
The seargent on base told me that Mt. McKinley was viewable on clear days, but he could not point out to me which mountain it was. I took some pictures at two pull-over areas on the way home, but I left my camera in the car, so I'll have to post them tomorrow.
I HAVE to stop working tomorrow at 4:00. We're only allowed to work 60 hours per week, and I'm already at 52. Money will be nice.
Ciao, motherfuckers.