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Date: July 19, 2004
Location: Arabian Desert, Saudi Arabia
Monday began badly, the range was a study in confusion, and me and Max went 4-wheeling for a couple of hours to let the Saudis figure things out... Found a herd of camels, hopped out of the car, and took a bunch of pictures... Got really close to one of them, who seemed friendly... Next time I have the chance, I'll probably see if I can feed and touch one... Will have to remember to bring carrots for that purpose...
Back at the range, the targets were finally up, and we spent the next few hours working with the Marines, still without ammunition. They were making progress, but Major Hoffstetter was clearly not happy... This was to have interesting consequences but... At noon, we returned to our little meeting room for kapsa and to escape the heat of the day... The Major wanted to make a phone call, but couldn't get a signal, so we hopped in the Explorer and followed Captain Sayeed towards a high hill where he thought we might get through... I used this time to catch a quick nap in the back seat of the Explorer, and...
1259 - And thats about the time we hit the wall of sand and the Explorer flipped over
There are few more interesting ways to awake from a nap than to feel the vehicle in which you are snoozing start swerving wildly on a dirt road... Realizing that this was perhaps the wrong time to not put on a seatbelt, watching helplessly as the car traces its final S-curve on the sand, heading for the berm, and then the world starts spinning. A moment before, I was napping in the back seat on the drivers side then I was upside down on the passengers side, staring up at the drivers side door, which had now become the ceiling. Did a quick check of the souls on board me, Max and Major Hofstetter all were OK Kicked open the door, climbed out of the vehicle, and assessed the damage. Passenger window gone, windshield smashed, car on its side, us standing on top. Definitely a different view from up there, and it lent a whole new perspective to the quality of the day that we were having
Max and I Coupla hams Our boss totals the ride and we pose for pictures
Well, that was interesting... The car was done for, so we rode around with the Saudis the rest of the week, often in the open bed of their little Toyota pickups... Wind in your hair, quite a lot of fun... Not too concerned, because it has never been my fate, my dan, my weird to die in a car wreck... Lord knows, if it was going to happen, there've been plenty of chances when it could have... No, I've got unfinished business with this world yet...
...after that, the week settled down into a routine of rising at 4 in the morning, coaching the Marines through firing their weapons, breaking at noon to sit out the heat of the day in our little air-conditioned trailer, eating kapsa and drinking gahwa and chai, napping a little... Then back to the range in the evening... Fired RPG's and the BMR main guns on the last day, when the Eastern Fleet Commander, General Fahd, came out to watch...
...rolled back to Jubail on Wednesday, slept half the day and all night, and spent yesterday cleaning house, working out, and reading... Found a bottle of Bordeaux stashed in a closet, and served that alongside fettuccine with a rich Bolognese, thick chunks of tomato, onion, garlic and beef soaking in a dark, fragrant tomato sauce... Watched "Goodfellas" and ate and drank... A good finish to an interesting week...
-- ed.
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