Reflections a year later

07/10/2008

Not sure if the new batch of Mitsubishi Coral Reefers are at Midway Atoll right now, but if they are, I'm very jealous!

I was at my good friends, The Trubes, house for 4th of July. They had their annual get together and firework tank wars (we match up 2 of those little firework tanks against each other and have tournaments....good times). Anywho, I started thinking about last years 4th and how my parents had joined in the fun because we all had to get up bright and early the next morning so they could take me to the airport. I left for Midway by way of Honolulu on 07/05/2007. I can't believe that was already a year ago! I know I mention it many times in the other posts, but I am so lucky that I got to participate in such an experience. I've never visited a place such as Midway and I'm pretty sure a chance shall never arise again. I still dream of the magnificent place quite often. The wildlife was spectacular and the crystal clear blue water would absolutely take your breath away! The people were all so friendly and hopefully I made several friends for life!!

Before I left for Midway, a friend suggested that I create a blog and that way people could check and see how I was doing and what I was up to. At the time I was quite blogly-challenged, so I just did it on MySpace. Now that I'm more familiar with The Blogspot (thanks to Pete's Midway blog...see below), I decided to transfer the MySpace blog to here. I added some pictures as well...they don't really match up with the days blog (still somewhat challenged, I guess), but you'll get the jist.

When we returned, Wendy passed along one of the US Fish and Wildlife employee's (Pete Leary)blog site. He got to stay there for a year and has posted some of the most spectacular pictures. He also gets into much more detail regarding the happenings at the Atoll. His internship there is over, which is sad for me because I would check the blog a couple times a week and used it as my connection to the wonderful place. He gets to go do work at French Frigate Shoals soon, so maybe he'll pick the blog up again. Anyway, here is the link to his blog:

http://peteatmidway.blogspot.com/

Sunday 07/29/2007

Sunday 07/29/07

Well I made it back late Friday (07/27/07) afternoon and my mom was crying. I'm not sure if she was happy that I made it back from shark infested waters or if she was happy she didn't have to babysit my animals anymore!! :)
We ate at my favorite Italian restaurant and it was so tasty! Not that those Thai's on Midway can't cook, but it was all starting to taste the same to me (well, except the brownies that I devoured at every opportunity...must have been "special" brownies because I couldn't stop eating the stupid things!!).
It was pretty funny because I was quite upset when I found out we were stranded on Midway, but once it was really time to go, I started crying like a baby and wasn't ready to leave! I met so many wonderful people and the island was so amazing! It's crazy to be back here making sure I lock my car/house doors after living on an island with 60 or so others without any care in the world about my safety. Quite a different atmosphere out there!!
This was an absolutely amazing experience and I'm so glad I was given this opportunity!!

Pictures:

-Momma feeding her baby!

-There's a tradition when anyone laeves, they take a ceiling tile down and it is decorated.

-Getting ready to board the plane to Hono - Pete, Steve, Kate, Michael, Barbara, Sea, Kristin, me, Luis

-Reef Hotel

-Luis relaxing in a reef pond at reef hotel

Wednesday 07/25/2007

07/25/07 Wednesday

LAST DAY AT MIDWAY ATOLL!! The G-1 airplane has a new GPS system and is in the air coming to get us. The extra week was nice, but will make it much more difficult to leave. We've gotten to know each other and the islanders much better, so it will be hard to say good-bye. Everyone is so extremely nice and I will miss them all!
Saturday, a Coast Guard ship came in as well as a NOAA ship, so they had a huge bonfire that night down at the pier. It was so much fun. We played sand volleyball prior to the bonfire and even though I'm horrible, it was a blast!
Monday we got to go to Spit and Eastern islands again to clean up debris that had washed up on the shore. You would not believe how much crap washes in from everywhere! We mainly worked on large ropes that the Monk Seals tangle themselves in. I grabbed a big chunk and took it into the water towards the boat. I had no clue, but several Gecko lizards took up residence in the rope I was carrying and once they hit the water, they figured they'd hitch a ride back to shore on me. I think the little guys are cute, but didn’t really enjoy them crawling all over me. They did give me a good rate on car insurance, though (get it...the Gecko from the Geico commercials?!). I felt one crawling on my head later. When we took the boat from Spit to Eastern, we saw about 150 dolphins and they swam next to the boat...it was amazing!! They swam with us for about 20 minutes, but the Wildlife manager wouldn't let us get in the water with them...BOO!!
We got to snorkel outside the reef yesterday and it was beautiful. We saw so many more fish and even saw another 3 foot black tip shark. I chased it to try and get a good picture, but it didn't like it very much.

Pictures:

-Someone taking a picture of me taking a picture of something...hmm.

-Reef shark

-White tern chick that doesn't look too happy that it had been disturbed!

-Albatross flying over a sea turtle (thanks, Pete!)

-Pile of debris collected in only a matter of hours

Saturday 07/21/2007

07/21/07 Saturday

Well, supposed to be in Honolulu now, but no such luck. We were all packed and ready to go yesterday and the island manager told us the one and only plane that travels to/from Midway/Honolulu has a broken navigational GPS system. I told them to stick a compass in there and let's go, but apparantly that's not kosher with the FAA. The part they need won't be in Hono until Tuesday, so best case scenario, we get picked up Wednesday evening and I fly to KC Thursday. I'm contemplating building a raft. Get's a little freaky when I think I'm on 1200 acres of land in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do and no way off. At least we're all safe!!
The plane that was supposed to pick us up yesterday had another supply of food for the island, so apparantly we're running a little low. Looks like we're going to have to start eating Albatross! No...I couldn't do that! They're even starting to get sparse because most of them are fledging (flying to the ocean to forage for their own food) or they're dying of starvation/de-hydration on the island. I saved one that was waterlogged in the ocean yesterday.
There's a plumber on my floor that is petrified of insects, so he bombs his room and the hallway with Raid a couple times a day. That sends the Godzilla sized cochroaches down to my room, so I've been killing a couple/day.
Well, off to try and reschedule my return flight. Hope everyone is well...have a great weekend!
Miss ya!

Pictures:

-3 of us gettin' ready to work!

-Jamie and Doc Potts on the way to go work!

-Hawaiian monk seal...so cute!

-Barry, the manager of the Atoll, invited all of the "Coral Reefers" to his house for dinner one night.

-Parrot fish - my favorite!!

Thursday 07/19/2007

Thursday 07/19/07

Last full day on Midway! I'm excited to come home, but will also miss it here. It was so nice not having to worry about the hustle and bustle of the real world for 2 weeks. It's almost like being at Cheers here...everybody knows your name and everyone is very friendly. I can't wait to have ice cream, though! OH, and a Chipotle burrito!!
We got to see the other 2 islands (Spit and Eastern...we're are on Sand Island...all three make up Midway Island/Atoll) and pick up debris. There's nothing on them except plants and birds...oh, and some seals and sea turtles. We found a dead baby seal which was very sad. It had bite marks from other seals on it's back. Apparantly there are Alpha male seals that get all the female seals and the less dominant male seals get angry and take it out on the female seals or the baby seals. They bit at this one and it drown. Very sad.
We got a historical tour of the island a couple evenings ago and it was VERY interesting. I guess the battle of Midway was the turning part of WWII. We saw places where Japanese fighter jets actually blew up portions of the island.
I don't think I mentioned prior, but the island is also used as an emergency runway for the Pacific. We had a Coast Guard MedEvac come last Saturday. There was a Japanese fishing boat a couple hundred miles out and one of the fisherman had and appendicitis (sp??). The wildlife manager met the fishing boat and picked up the ill fisherman, brought him back to the island and the Coast Guard plane took him back to Honolulu. Pretty exciting stuff around this place!!
One of the construction workers got bit by a centipede on the bottom of his foot last night. It swelled up pretty bad and he said it hurt quite badly. I think I'm more afraid of those suckers than a shark! I hear they're quite poisonous.
I've been biking around this island for 2 weeks...it's going to be so strange actually getting in a vehicle!!
Well, off to finish up work before we head out tomorrow. They're having a good-bye bonfire for us out at the cargo pier this evening, so that will be fun!
Have a great weekend, everyone! I'll be back in KC Sunday afternoon!

Pictures:

-Kristin retrieving tile cages that had been on ocean floor for a year

-Beautiful Coral

-The gang bowling at the Navy's old bowling alley

-Gettin' psyched to pick up that piece of netting debris on Eastern Island

-4 of us volunteers posing on Eastern

Tuesday 07/17/2007

07/17/07 Tuesday

Hello all! I can't believe I've been here over a week. A plane actually came in last night to bring in 2 construction workers and we got some newspapers that were newer than 2 months old. Wow...did you know the Tour de France was going on?! Wonder what else I've missed?! It's rained here the past 2 days, but the birds have LOVED it! They all flap their wings in unison and face their beaks to the sky to get a drink.

Let's see...Saturday got to go with the seal expert on a survey and saw 5 of them. We walked the perimeter of the whole island (7 miles) and got to see some of the forbidden beaches (closed to help seal and sea turtle populations). The refuge manager had all the "coral reefers" over Saturday night and then we went to a bonfire later that night. Stargazing is quite wonderful here. Sunday Barbara and I biked most of the island and we saw a seal pup and it swam up to us and blew bubbles...too cute. We've been trying to save the birds that get water-logged in the ocean. It must take too much out of them, though, because not one of the 4 that we've pulled out has survived. :(

Steve and I got to go back in the ocean yesterday with the biologists to the Coral Reef Hotel. It's some recreational place the navy built 30 years ago and has since been destroyed by a typhoon. I guess it's a great place to monitor coral growth. We got to dive down and place measuring tape on the ocean floor while one of the grad students took pictures. Another day of swimming for 5 hours - I was pooped and was sleeping by 9:30!! This morning we processed some coral tiles that had been placed in the ocean last year and collected yesterday. Just got done with lunch...sandwich day...yeah! I've been eating lots of rice because they serve fish quite often, but they also have wonderful desserts which isn't so great!

Oh yeah - we got to go bowling Sunday night! They have nothing on this island except the airplane hanger, some houses, 2 barracks, a cafeteria, a bar that's open 3x/week, a store that's open 3 hours/week and a room with 3 working computers. BUT they do have a bowling alley! It was left from the navy and we had to keep our own score, but it was fun. It's only open on Sunday evenings. It's been quite the adventure so far, but I can't imagine people staying here for months or even years. I guess we're a special case and typically the minimum stay is 3 months.

Tomorrow afternoon we get to go to Eastern Island and pick up debris. Thursday night we get to watch the island made Thai band play and they're having a little farewell party for us.
Well, back to algae tile processing. Oh, the store is open this evening. I don't need anything, but if the store's open, you might as well go, right?!
Hope everyone is doing great...miss ya!

Pictures:

--Hawaiian Sea Turtle (Honu) - again, thanks Pete!

--Kate, Kahi and I on Eastern Island - taking a small break from picking up debris

--Barbara and I on our way to work!

--Angie and John K. pulling debris out of the ocean

--Seal pup making friends with some turtles!!

Friday 07/13/2007

07/13/07 Friday the 13th...YIKES!

Wow, it's been a while! So much for updating my blog on a daily basis! I try to run in the morning, eat breakfast and then we usually go out on the water for 6 hours and I'm pooped! Actually had a land day on Tuesday and got to pick up Albatross puke. I guess the chicks vomit before they take off and try to fly and the scientists do experiments on what they yak up. It was amazing to see all of the plastic...bottle caps, toothbrushes, army men and even lighters. Eating so much plastic is a major cause of death to these birds, so don't litter and recycle!! I saw a parent that came back to feed it's chick yesterday and the chick was dead. The parent just stood there next to it and it was so heartbreaking!
We were out on the water for 8 hours taking pictures and collecting coral so I think we're on land again today. I saw a 3 foot black tip shark in the water yesterday. I was freaked for a moment and then I realized it was just as curious about me as I was about him (or her) and I calmed down. I swam back to the boat to get my camera, but of course it was gone.
One day next week we get to go to another island and pick up debris. Hopefully another day we get to go track the Monk Seals. I've seen a momma seal nursing it's baby 3x now. We're supposed to stay 150 feet away from them because they're endangered, but I might have gotten a tad closer than that!
Off to go pick up more bird puke! One more week of life on this remote island in the middle of nowhere. I can't wait to eat ice cream again! They have great brownies and cookies at the cafeteria, but no ice cream! Oh, and I miss Starbucks too! Have a great weekend!!

***Pictures

-An albatross chick; unfortunately we didn't get to see any at that stage while we were there. They had already lost their down and were getting ready to fly away. I stole this picture from Pete...thanks Pete!

-One of many attempts to save an Albatross that had flown into the water but let their wings drop - once that happens, the wings become too heavy and they just sit out in the water and die. :(

-Wendy and I climbing up on the reef wall

-Steve-O, Jamie, Angie, Barbara, Wendy and myself hanging out at the Clipper House after breakfast.

-Luis jumping off of the Cargo Pier

-Carcass of Albatross that had eaten too much plastic.