Midway

Excuse the crappy quality of the picture of the atoll...it's my little camera through a plane window.

Ok, now I have to figure out how to describe my trip to Midway. Guess I'll just start at the beginning and go from there.

First, I was nervous about going. Other people, including my boss, thought I might be too much of a "girly girl" to enjoy it. Now, I am a girly girl and I'm ok with it, but I can get down with nature, I can be a little rough and tumble...and I already knew I wouldn't have to pull weeds.

We charter a small plane every time a flight goes out to Midway. Here it is:

And here I am on it: (my boss man insisted on taking quite a few pictures of me, so you all would believe I was actually there)


Midway Atoll is about 1200 miles west of Honolulu. Because of the smaller plane, it takes about 4.5-5 hours to get there. It wasn't a bad trip at all because we all knew each other and chatted and had sandwiches and could get up and use a clean bathroom whenever we felt like it. I was also kind of amazed to fly in a plane without a bulletproof door between us and the cockpit. Oh! Fun fact about the plane -apparently it was LBJ's private plane when he was president. Awesome.

My boss had the pilots do a pass over the atoll when we got there so we could take pictures like the one you see at the top of the post. Midway Atoll is comprised of three islands: Sand (where there's infrastructure and people), Eastern (where there's tons of birds), and Spit (a teeny tiny island that is just for wildlife). I cannot begin to describe how beautiful it is here. I truly wish the color of the water was more vibrant in my pictures. The shallower water is the light green-blue color, and then there's a sudden drop off and the water is incredibly dark blue, like a sapphire. I'll have more pictures - my only problem is deciding which of the over 400 I should post.



Midway has a long history with the armed forces, more of which I'll explain as I go, and a lot of the infrastructure is left over from that time, like the first building you see above.

For me one of the most remarkable things about Midway was the people. As soon as you walk off the plane you're greeted by groups of people, all who are eager to welcome you to the island. I felt immediately that I was part of the family, and still can't get over the tight community these sixty people have formed.

Plus, they let me have the pink bike! Everyone rides bikes or golf carts around the island and ours were waiting for us when we landed. The other two women on the plane complained that they didn't want the pink bike, but I informed them that I had already called it in my head anyway, so not to worry.



Another pic by the boss. This was taken before I lowered the seat properly, so you might be able to tell I'm a tad bit uncomfortable. I hadn't ridden a bike in at least 6 years, but it turns out it's just like, well, riding a bike.

We rode from the airfield over to our barracks, where we would be staying. They were clean and comfortable, and we all had our own bathrooms, so I was completely happy. I loved how everything looked like it had come from a motel going out of business sale.



I probably should have told you this at the beginning, but I'm going to have a lot to say about this trip, some of which you may think unimportant or uninteresting, but I want to savor the reliving of an amazing three days.

To look forward to next time: orientation, some WWII memorabilia, meeting the chef, and the most beautiful stars in the world.