One week!

(This post is photo heavy. I apologize if you're on dial up...for a variety of reasons...one of which is that it's 2016.)

A week ago this morning we were fresh faced, well rested, and full of hope as we embarked on our second launch. I've had a few people marvel that we prepared for this launch in twelve days but I am quick to point out that it was actually one year and twelve days.

I'm still wading through the photos that we captured on the flight but a few of them are jumping out at me today. It's a bummer that the landing photos don't shed much light on why the SPOT and APRS gave us some misleading final data points.

Right above this text you can see the landing site in all of its tick infested glory. After wading through SPOT and Google Earth imagery for two days it's easy for me to pick it out of the pile. Little did we know that it was in the middle of the very symmetrical field. I wonder why that backwards, "B" of forest is more dense than the woods around it. I guess I'll never know because I'm never going back! (Until our next payload lands in Spring Lake again. Maybe I'll launch from Spring Lake! That'll show 'em.)

Here it is from higher up:

This is it in the bottom left.

This is the Baseball Center with the comfy shade and the pretty dog. You can see the break in the trees where we parked. In the bottom right you can see where I was standing when I saw the orange from the chute.

When I look at these photos I'm always like, "Ooh! Can I see the payload in the field?" No Julie, you can't, because the payload took these photos.

THIS.

STINKING.

POND.

A good thing about me, well maybe it's not a good thing...a THING about me is that even though I have a hard time with transitions, I adapt to new routines surprisingly well. I don't know where I learned this skill. So, like, on our second day in the field, wandering around this pond all day, err day I was just thinking, "Ok. This is it. I live here now. This is my life."

I'm still having dreams of getting whacked in the face by tree limbs and stumbling over briers. 

Stop. It's not there yet.

One week later my bug bites are still healing, the scratches on my legs are fading, I'm well hydrated, and the whole thing is starting to seem more like a fun adventure.