That Was Fast

Ok, if you're in the military, or know someone who is, you may be familiar with "hops". If you have no idea what I am referring to, let me clue you in:

The oh-so-generous military basically offers free rides to different bases. If the flight has enough room for extra passengers, they open the plane to the public. For example, here's what a hop from Guam might entail:

Guam to Hickam AFB, Hawaii
Hickam to Travis AFB, California
Travis to Memphis, Tennessee

(Which is an actually hop plan for this Sunday. More on that in a minute.)

A majority of the hops out of Guam go to either Hawaii or Japan first, then to California. You're really lucky if you get on a flight that's manifested clear to where-ever you want to get to, or close at least. That way you know you'll be getting there soon.
But there are pros and cons about taking a hop versus flying commercial.
Pros:
One, it's a heck of a lot cheaper. (Usually. If you get somewhere and have to do a lot of waiting, you can either stay in the terminal, or stay in hotel, which can add up.)
Two, if you get on a flight with barely anyone else on it, you can sometimes lay flat on the floor and go to sleep. Better than those cramped little seats on commercial.
Now for a few cons:
One, COLD COLD COLD! Now, I haven't been on one yet, but my mom has been on some, and every time, she complains about freezing her butt off. Go figure, they're cargo planes with non-existent insulation. But if you don't want to get hypothermia, you have to wear layers. That sucks considering it's 85 degrees outside...
Two, no real windows. The planes do have little bitty tiny ones at the top, and you have to stand on the seat to see out. I'm the kind of person that has to be able to see out while I'm flying. I get really freaked out when I can't. Not looking forward to that.

To get on a flight, you have to register a few days beforehand, that way the terminal has your information. When you find the flight you want to get on, you arrive at the terminal for roll call. If you aren't there for roll call, you do not get on. There's a chance you may not get on anyway, depending on the number of people that show up, and other circumstances I won't go into. Roll call is typically 2-5 hours before you even board. (Kind of like at a real airport, how they like you to be there a couple hours before).

Alright, so yesterday, my mom and I went to our base terminal to register. She told the man we'd like to get out hopefully next week, and asked what flights were scheduled for Sunday. One around 9 a.m. Too early for us because of the girl scout camp-out. We said we'd keep checking. Now, mind you, I was thinking it'd be at least Monday before a good flight came up. Perhaps even Tuesday or Wednesday. No. I was checking out the flight station tonight, and what do I see? A plane manifested all the way to Memphis. (We're trying to get to Ohio.) I go tell mom, because she may not have seen it yet. She has. "Yeah, that's the one we're going to try to get on. Roll call is at midnight." Greeaaat. There is nothing more that I hate than not being able to see out of a window on a plane except flying at night. Because then you really can't see anything.

Ugh... I thought moving over here was going to be confusing. (Still is a little). We're a day ahead of the people in the states. Actually, Guam's slogan is "Where America's Day Begins." A little odd because technically Guam is part of America. Oh well. Anyway, it's really going to mess me up going backwards because when we leave, in the states we won't have left yet. It's going to feel like going back in time...
This will probably be my last post before I leave. I will try to keep up with writing while on vacation.
Wish me luck!

God bless.