Helicopters and Food. Oh, Boy!

I wanted to write at greater length about two topics I've already touched upon before: helicopters and food. They deserve a second mention, partly because they are not normally something that you get for free in the course of earning a paycheck, and partly also because they are two of the more sublime fringe benefits of being here.

The pilots will joke that they are glorified taxi drivers taking researchers to their various study sites dotting the tundra, but when it comes down to it, flying a helicopter over mountainous terrain fully loaded with people and their gear that often includes sensitive and costly scientific instruments, live samples, and sometimes dangerous chemicals, has to take a backbone of steel. Just prior to liftoff the cabin of the aircraft vibrates considerably and the sound is deafening (earplugs are always given to each passenger and headphones for hearing and communicating with the pilot must be worn, not to mention seatbelts). At liftoff, the helicopter makes a tremendous effort to get airborne vertically, after which the pilot is able to fly forward and gain altitude. For all that power, takeoffs and landings almost feel like levitation because they are so smooth, and, except for the engine noise, almost barely noticeable. One minute you are flying a couple thousand feet over what looks like a nubby carpet of vegetation, the next minute you see individual tussocks and shrubs just a few feet below, and before you know it you're on terra firma--with nary a bump to to indicate you've just made contact with the earth. If the pilot can't see the ground below, then he will not fly. Several times we had gotten ready to fly and were told we had to wait in camp due to heavy fog. On our last trip--to the Sag-Atigun Valley on Friday for a one-day sampling of four transects with a team of eight people--heavy smoke from a wildfire about a hundred miles south of our location almost totally obscured the view of the mountains surrounding the valley, and the pilot had to hurry to get both groups returned to camp in a timely manner as the smoke and dimming evening light was making it difficult to see. In situations where other groups are waiting out on the tundra for a pick up, we often "hot" unload our gear, with the rotors still turning. During a hot load/unload you are instructed to stand close to the aircraft, have one person in charge of unloading everything from the baggage compartment in the rear, and exit as a group at a 90 to 45 degree angle from the pilot's window, making sure that he sees all of you and gives you a thumbs up first before you leave. Also important is not approaching the helicopter from uphill--lest you run the risk of decapitating yourself!

That is it for now about helicopters. I wanted to say more about the food. Or just at least pay tribute to the fantastic made-from-scratch menu here through a litany of some of the dishes I've had recently:

Bell peppers stuffed with spicy chunks of beef and topped with cheese, Peruvian style; nectarines in sugar syrup with fresh mint over home made shortbread with creme fraiche; tandoori chicken and indian vegetable curry over basmati rice; sesame butter cookies; vegetable lasagne, caesar salad, and classic tiramisu; potato-kale soup; pumpkin pancakes with real maple syrup; apple cranberry muffins; apricot almond scones; arugula with peach poppyseed dressing; mexican chocolate cookies; classic flan; blackberry pie; seared tuna steaks with a black sesame crust; blue corn sourdough bread; African peanut soup (one of my favorites!); cold slabs of jerk chicken; buttermilk pancakes; roast cornish hen in apricot sauce; roast turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce; green bean casserole with french onion topping; carmelitas (mexican chocolate caramel brownies); Korean barbecued short ribs; macadamia nut torte; minted mango chutney over fresh vanilla custard; plum tart.