On Mon, Jul 12, 2010 at 7:09 PM, Martin, Jack <martin.jack_at_solute.us> wrote: > I'd much rather discuss the pink fart generated by the smoke canister > This practically begs for a digression..... so I'll add one. :) Some years back, I was working on a drill rig in the Davis Straits almost within sight of Greenland (we flew in and out of Sonderstrom Fjord). I say "almost within sight" because we regularly had the most intensive mirages that would let us see mountains on Greenland that were well below the horizon. But I digress... Greenland offers the most spectacular helicopter flights I've ever taken; and I've taken a bunch. We would rotate on and off the rig in Greenlandsfly helicopters that would occasionally take the scenic route back to the old former Air Force base at Sonderstrom Fjord. Several things remain in my memory but the most poignant and most entertaining is that of young Greenland children lining up around the helo pad in their small community and as the chopper's downdraft got larger and larger they'd invert their parkas and hold them cupped above their heads and lean in towards the aircraft. The downdraft would lift the kids and push them back until they were too far out to stay in the air and they'd touch down. Then they'd run forward to do it again as often as they could before the chopper either got too high (if taking off) or shut down (if landing). These Inuit children who lived - in many ways - a primitive existence had invented a game requiring one of the most sophisticated pieces of machinery available to mankind. A game only offered to children served regularly by helicopters in a culture that allows them to take risks and have fun. I always wanted to be one of those kids instead of a guy inside the chopper watching them. Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA www.nwkayaking.net *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon Jul 12 2010 - 20:45:46 PDT
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