We started the journey at the end of June in Ontario which lead us to Quebec, back to Ontario, over to Manitoba, back to Ontario, across to Alberta, and ending in British Columbia.  The summer was nothing less than EPIC!  I was able to see so many faces that we worked with in Afghanistan that I hadn’t seen in almost 4 years, so it was so much fun to at least catch up and say hi!  Once the final call came that ended our fire season, we started making our ferry trip flight plan back to the home base.  Here was the route:  Fraser Lake, B.C ~ Prince George, B.C.~ Edmonton, Alberta ~ Saskatoon, Saskatchewan ~ Dauphin, Manitoba ~ Dryden, Ontario ~ Geraldton, Ontario ~ Timmons, Ontario ~ Val-d’Or, Quebec ~ Wendake, Quebec!

We were able to work alongside some of the most professional and hard working crews that are in the biz, which made it enjoyable for everyone. I am amazed at not only the crew at HeliCarrier but all the crews and helicopter companies that “make it work” all summer.  The days and hours are long and arduous, they go weeks without seeing their families, they sleep in not always the best conditions…forget about your dietary needs and nutrition, as you never know when your next meal might be or how long you go without one.  If you have to do laundry at 10 PM just so you can have clean underwear for the next week…then that’s what you have to do. When they fly 8 hour days or longer, sometimes they hit the start button and don’t shut down until the day is done…so on fuel stops they hop out quickly to go to the bathroom and stretch their legs for 5 minutes and then back in the chopper they go.  Don’t even think about planning anything on what may come the next day, let alone the next hour as you never know if you’re coming or going.  Sometimes its the release phone call on a fire at 6PM and they relocate you 6 or more hours to the next fire…then it’s the hurry up and get there flight and logistics. The only thing you can count on and plan is ABSOLUTE RIGID FLEXIBILITY.  Don’t get me wrong, I loved every minute (well mostly lol) of being able to tag along and see what happens behind the scenes on fires….as I used to be the one digging the dirt on the ground…not in the air!  But it definitely takes a toll on ones body and mind and this lifestyle isn’t for everyone.  Aaron and I have a unique situation and I’m lucky enough to be able to take some time off and travel along…but 99.9% of everyone else can’t have their significant other tag along…so it can become a lonely journey for sure.  

So the next time you meet a chopper pilot or crew member of a helicopter company….make sure you thank them…as the work isn’t easy and those guys and gals go above and beyond to make sure you have trees, homes, structures, parks, National Forests and cabins to go home to…and to the crew members at HeliCarrier and more importantly my favorite pilot of all times….THANK YOU for this unbelievable and indescribable summer.  We are like family…and we all look out for each other. Until the next adventure……cheers!

After a few days in Rocky Mountain House we headed to Springbank Airport which is close to Calgary and stayed for only 1 day to be relocated about 2.5 hours south to Pincher Creek, Alberta where we stayed for about a week.  Pincher Creek has one annual event that the town lives for….The Pincher Creek Pro Rodeo and we hit it just in time.  Unfortunately hotel rooms were a bit of a nightmare trying to find rooms for all the crew….but I was able to catch a few hours of the local festivity as well as an afternoon trip to Waterton Lakes National Park which was absolutely stunning even with the smoked in mountains from the fire.  

Once we got released from Pincher Creek we got picked up in BC on all the fires there.   Logistics can get somewhat complicated as we are using a Uhual for our Service Van….the joke is a Service Van in every town as typically there are Uhual rentals everywhere and with this amount of moving from the East Coast of Canada to the West Coast of Canada…it only makes sense to use this service and it works out great storing everything that is inside the helicopter and setting up a makeshift office.  Sometimes the other helicopter companies are driving 30+ hours in their service vans to get to the next location…so this works out well for us at this point in time. But what I have found in Canada with the Uhual companies is not all of them allow you to pay the drop-off fee to dump them in another city.  When that’s the case, then logistics become a nightmare as sometimes we have to backtrack and drop off the Uhual where we picked it up and usually we are nowhere NEAR where we picked it up. This is where I become useful…as the engineer can go with the chopper and I become the drop off driver and meet up with the crew later.  This was the case when we left Pincher Creek.  We had a rental car that needed to go back to Calgary….as Budget was not willing to let us pay a service charge to drop it off somewhere else close to our location and the Uhual had to go about an hour and some change east to Lethbridge.  So I followed the engineer in the Uhual to Lethbridge, we dropped off the Uhual, and then I drove him back to Pincher Creek, they blasted off to go to Hope, BC and then I drove the 3 hours North to Calgary to drop off the rental car and catch a flight to Vancouver to pick up another Uhual that was only available the next morning and meet them in Hope. So I had a quick night all to myself in Vancouver and then an early morning pickup at the Uhaul place and then a few hours drive to Hope, BC.  

In all of my own personal days of fighting fire before I met Aaron working on the ground in the States and of all of the times I have tagged along with Aaron all over Canada and in Australia…this is the worst air quality I have ever encountered here in BC.  The articles in the news coming out daily is that BC is currently the worst in the world for smoke inhalation….it’s like smoking 7 cigarettes a day right now….and I have to admit….it feels like it.  When I landed in Vancouver you could barley see a half mile.  It was unreal.  The only thing that is going to put out these fires is old man winter I’m afraid…but we will continue to do our part and fight the good fight!  We stayed in Hope for a week or so and then got released to go home to Quebec.  We all know how this works so we decided to wait for a 24 hour period to see if things changed…as they always do. The next morning we woke up to “no new news” so around noon we all made plans to head home for about 5 days as we had a Whistler job that we needed to come back to at a later time.  So we got the helicopter all situated at another local helicopter company to keep an eye on, bought airline tickets, took the Uhual back, rented 2 cars as 3 of us had to catch flights in Vancouver and the other crew member was driving back home….gave the hugs and said our goodbyes for now…..and that’s when the phone rang…..we got picked back up on fires….destination Fraser Lake, BC….OMG!  So, all 4 iPhones were going, cancelling all the plans, making new reservations….and 20 minutes later…we were off to Fraser Lake!  I was able to travel along via the big chopper on this relo and see the stunning scenery below…and sometimes not too far below as the mountains are HIGH!  These are the moments that make it all worth it…to be able to tag along and see these sites is surreal.  I was able to spot a few black bears and lots of geese and other birds.  Doesn’t get any better than that.  

Once in Fraser Lake, we got the last 3 remaining rooms at the Fraser Inn….none of us are high maintenance, but boy oh boy…that hotel was something else.  I think after 10 days all of us were ready for clean bedsheets, a real working shower with hot water, and just anything better than what we just encountered.  When we arrived at the airport, there were about 18 choppers on the scene.  WOW!  They had the crane, 4 Kamovs, 214ST, 214B, 3 S61’s, a few 212’s, a handful of Astars, a couple of Jet Rangers/LongRangers, and probably some other one off’s I can’t remember.  It was a regular Air Show everyday!  We flew quite a few 8 hour days at the beginning, but once a lot of the the heavy iron was released the days became super long as they weren’t launching us until after 4 PM or later at night….so you sit there all day….just waiting! It was a loooonnnngggg 10 days! Nonetheless, we got an extra 10 days of firefighting and shut the season down on September 7th!  It was an EPIC summer of fighting fire all across Canada.  Next stop….QUEBEC!

I took the summer off to join the “Helicopter Groupie” road trip!  As I never get to see Aaron anymore, I figured this would be a great chance to escape the Arizona heat and spend some time with Big A as they had a power line pole job in Parry Sound, Ontario.  We left at the end of June together and had about a week in Parry Sound at the Grand Tappattoo Resort on standby and were able to catch one baseball game in Toronto with the crew before the fire season went absolutely nuts. 

This picture below needs a quick explanation.  After work we usually all went out to go to dinner and enjoy the local restaurants of Parry Sound.  Evidently Billy Baldwin was in town filming a movie and happened to be at the same restaurant as us.  I wasn’t in a position that I could see him, so I asked Aaron to sneak a picture for me so I could check him out….and yes…eventually brag that I got to see Billy Baldwin in person….and this is what I got…..I think Aaron did it on purpose….as he could care less lol!!!  Nonetheless, once he got up and left, he had to walk right past us to leave…so I did really see him and yes it was him…but we have to laugh at this barely visible half head shot that Aaron took.  The first call came in around 5 PM and they needed us on a fire in Quebec…about a 7 hour flight away.  Well, with no time to spare, we hurriedly raced to the aircraft (luckily we had it all loaded and gassed up the day before as we thought we were headed to another fire earlier in the week) and headed to HeliCarrier headquarters in Quebec as that was as far as we could make it given the time of day.  We stayed the night there and then blasted off early in the morning to get headed to Forestville, Quebec.  Once we crossed the border…nothing but French, luckily the other machine was also on the same fire so we swapped one French speaking pilot for one non-speaking pilot and away we went! 

We stayed in Quebec for about 6 days or so before getting called to another fire in Ontario.  I hate to say it…but we were all ready to leave the Province as our French wasn’t getting any better, nor was their English…so off we went to North Bay, Ontario where we would stay for about a week working hard on the North Bay Sector 2b Fire before getting relocated to Earlton, Ontario on the Lady Evelyn Park Complex Fire. 

Once in Earlton, “fire camp” operations were in full effect….3 square meals a day, a dining area, washrooms, laundry facilities….life was good!  We had a mini Molson Air Reunion as Darren Davies, Mike Woodcock, Jason Beaton, Aaron and myself were all there working on the fire…so it was great to see familiar faces and all work together. 

After almost a week or so on that fire, we got relocated to Britt, Ontario….out in the middle of NOWHERE on the Parry Sound 33 Fire!  They basically took a 2 acre parcel from a local farmer….told him to cut down the weeds, and then put about 15 helicopters on his land….which, 15 helicopters and that tiny area is nuts!  I guess they do things a little different in Canada eh! Stu Wild, another Molson Air employee joined our group there. Nonetheless, we worked out of there for almost a week before Alberta called in need of choppers….so after a 15 hour ferry flight….Rocky Mountain House….here we come…ready to bucket!  

Aaron and I had to make a really quick trip to Albuquerque in order to do our last little sign off for our 133/137 certificate.  We made a quick stop in Chicago where we went to a WhiteSox game due to the fact that the last year when we came we got rained out!  We had time to catch a quick boat ride downtown Chicago showing us all the architectural buildings….which was awesome.  After a quick tour of the city and some stellar ice cream, we ventured out to the stadium as our seats included the buffet.  Aaron and I were beyond exhausted from all the fighting fires and traveling from here to there that we only made it to the 7th Inning Stretch (we always have to get the song in!!!) and then retired for the evening as we had an early flight in the morning and lots to do once we arrived in Albuquerque After seeing the WhiteSox lose to the Royals….I am left with only 7 more MLB Stadiums to see….insert sad face! 

Once we landed in New Mexico it was off to the races in order to get everything lined out for the FAA Inspection…which is always a stressful ordeal.  We hadn’t seen the Red Rocket since we dropped it off in PA.  We had someone ferry it to New Mexico as we didn’t have the time to do it ourselves…so once we figured out the correct location of where it was being stored (inside joke), we got to it!  

Our first objective was to figure out if the Bambi bucket (which we had to lease for this occasion as they are very expensive and we don’t plan on bucketing with this machine) held water and was is good shape.  We had a few issues with the bucket at first, but with the help of a local helicopter engineer watching us from down the road and Aaron’s knowledge, we got it figured out.  Then we had to go burn off as much fuel as possible because the DA (density altitude) in Belen, New Mexico was extremely high.  So we took everything out of the helicopter to make it as “skinny” as possible, including the doors and took her out for an early evening sunset tour!  Once again, Aaron never ceases to amaze me with his flying skills and the fact that he can jump into any chopper at anytime like it’s not a big deal.  

We had one more day to make sure we were ready to go, so we used it as a trial run and got a few buckets of water and took a few videos just incase it didn’t go as planned on the big day.  It’s that time of year where afternoon storms are very prominent, so as scheduled, our afternoons were pretty much shot for further flying and testing….but we felt pretty confident that we were ready to go the next day!  

Our meeting was scheduled for 1 PM in Belen, New Mexico.  We arrived around 9 in the morning to get the helicopter and bucket out and ready to go.  Once set up we got out all our necessary documents and then just had time to kill (or pace back and forth lol). The FAA Inspector arrived on time but then we had to wait for about 30 minutes for his partner.  With the temperatures only continuing to rise, afternoon T-Storms in the forecast, and more anxiety….the other gentleman finally arrived and it was Aaron’s time to shine.  After about 3 hours and a quick demo in the helicopter….Aaron successfully completed our 133/137 Certificate.  There really isn’t anything Big A can’t do….and I am so proud of him.  

In June of 2017…we bought our retirement vehicle….well, ok…something we had been planning on buying once we hit the age of retirement (what age that will be for Aaron will probably be never…hence the early purchase).  We found a decent deal in Placerville, CA and in typical Lighter fashion…one minute we are drinking our morning coffee and the next we are on a commercial flight headed to Placerville!  So, on the 5th of June we arrived around 6 pm and by noon the next day we were headed back to Buckeye in N2205U with the help of another pilot to get us home safely as we didn’t have anytime in a Cherokee 6!  The previous owner was an attorney and didn’t use it as often as he’d liked to….so after only a few days on the market….we decided that you’re never guaranteed tomorrow…so let’s take the plunge and make it happen (folks don’t try this at home)!   So after a little negotiation…we were the proud new owners of N2205U.  Little did I know that Aaron had big avionic plans for this new baby….details to follow….but for the first few months we took and few short trips and she was a dream to fly around in.

Placerville, CA to Buckeye, AZ

After Aaron got checked out we headed to Oregon where we picked up his dad in John Day and then headed to Hamilton, Montana for his half-sisters wedding.  The view was spectacular and it was fun taking this first trip with his father…pretty special for all of us!

Hamilton, Montana

After a few short trips…it was time for Aaron to go back to work but not before he dropped the bomb about taking it over to Falcon Field to put the latest and greatest avionics in her!!!  Six months and many payments later…. we were back in business.  Oh Aaron….

Falcon Field Avionics Shop

Once she was bedazzled in avionics…it was off to the races…we went to Oregon to the 96 Ranch a few times, went over to see Zoey in Albuquerque, New Mexico, went to Harris Ranch, flew over Lake Tahoe, zipped over to Prineville, OR for some recurrent Forest Service training, flew to Lake Havasu to cross that off my bucket list and a few day trips for some $100 hamburgers.  Our only regret….is not purchasing her sooner!  Moral of this post….if there is something you want to do in life…DON’T WAIT…life is too short…sure there’s always the little voice saying now isn’t the right time….don’t have the money….save for later…etc!  But make it happen, take the risk….because once again…life sometimes doesn’t give you tomorrow.  So enjoy the perfect present.

Headed to the 96 Ranch, Seneca, Oregon 

Oregon

96 Ranch

Harris Ranch, Coalinga, California 

Lake Tahoe and Carson City, Nevada

Lake Havasu, Arizona

Kingman, Arizona

Prineville, Oregon

Aaron and I had about 2 weeks that we had left before fire season began so we knew exactly where we wanted to go during that time…..THE 96 RANCH and see our moo-moos!  We hardly get the chance to go there as often as we’d like, which leaves Mike to do all the work.  So we figured this would be a great opportunity to help out as much as we could while we were there and it’s always a great time to just be with his dad at such a beautiful, bliss, scenic place.  There is something to be said for places such as this…it just does something to your heart and soul….maybe it’s not being able to have cell service or many distractions…but whatever it is…we always love being there.  I had my first experience at an auction which was pretty cool.  We ended up buying about 6 or so more heifers, a pair, and a few steers to our collection. I had my eye on two in particular…and named them Wanda and Sykes…..I know, I know…first of all…never name them as you get attached to them…and secondly, uh…why those names lol!  It doesn’t matter….what matters is, we won them and took them to their new home!  

We were able to vaccinate and brand the spring herd and take them all where they needed to be pastured for the next couple of months.  We got in a few horseback rides, one afternoon snooze at the Luce Pasture, and a few Lifetime movies with his dad in the evenings.  We never have enough time there and always hate to leave….but when the phone rings and it’s time to go back to work and pay the bills…well, that’s what you have to do!  

We had been waiting for this moment for many months now.  When we were down in Puerto Rico with Big Blue on the Hurricane Relief efforts, we noticed a sad looking R44 stuffed in the back of a leaky hangar.  After many weeks of walking past it….Aaron decided to do what he does best and “make a deal!”  The gentleman that owned it had been meaning to overhaul it but just never could find the time….so Aaron made him a ridiculous offer….and well, the rest is history!  The biggest hurdle was how were we going to get it stateside in order to overhaul it.  I had already returned home so I was pretty much useless..but Aaron and his infinite wisdom got a sea container and arranged the container to be shipped to New Jersey via the good old Atlantic Ocean.  Ha…what possibly could go wrong!!!  After figuring out all the logistics in getting the container (which remember wasn’t easy as the entire Island was still recovering from a hurricane)…the logistics then became…how are we going to LOAD IT into the container!  Well, with enough educated coworkers around him and Aaron being Aaron…it got loaded without any damage and sent off to New Jersey where it would then be offloaded and head to Altoona, PA to get overhauled.  Once in New Jersey, the container was officially lost in the shipyard for 4 days, but once found, the only minor damage was a scrap to the passenger window!  Not too bad for our first ocean cargo voyage!  

After about 6 months, the overhaul process was complete and it was time to pick it up!!!  We had planned at some point down the road to finish up my Major League Baseball journey in an Epic Trip and take the R44 all the way down the East Coast and hit up the last remaining stadiums….which may happen at some point, but we didn’t have enough time allotted for that epic trip so we did a mini epic trip instead!  We got weathered out for a few days in Altoona, PA, but that gave Aaron a lot of time to look things over and get his check ride.  Once the weather lifted, we headed to Beach City, Ohio where we surprised my grandpa and circled over his house with the help of my Cousin Kelsey!  We stayed the night in Ohio and took everyone for a few rides out at the Beach City Airport.  The next day our plan was to head to Perkasie, PA to Carson Helicopters where we would leave the R44 until we made new plans, but we noticed a light flickering on the dash and we needed to get it checked out.  So back to Altoona we went…stayed the night and then left for Perkasie the next day.  

There is nothing better than flying 500 to 1000 above the deck….seeing everything from the air like a soaring Eagle….absolutely surreal.  Aaron never ceases to amaze me how he can jump in the Cherokee 6, the Cessna 150, the SK-61, and then the R44 like it’s no big deal.  He’s a pretty amazing pilot…but don’t tell him I said that as I need his head to fit through the doorway!!!  

We made it successfully to Carson Helicopters, pulled in the Red Rocket for safe keeping…caught up with the Carson crew like old times and then took a day and explored downtown Philly which was awesome!  We will have to come back…not only to pickup the chopper but to hit a Philly game as they weren’t in town when we rolled thru! Thanks for the ride Red Rocket…..until we pick you up…hangar well! 

There is nothing better than seeing a magical place through the eyes of a child! Aaron and I have each been to Disneyland a few times in our lifetime…but never with kiddos.  Sean and Laura weren’t able to come to AZ and visit us, so we did the next best thing and met them at Disneyland for a few days which was so much fun.  The kids had such a blast and Aaron and I had a great time just taking them on rides and hanging out.  It’s crazy how expensive it is…I’m sure it always has been…my parents ate the bill when they took us as kids…sorry mom and dad….so we were sure to not waste anytime and use our all day pass….ALL DAY!  From the moment the gates opened to the last possible minute the gates closed, we made the most of it.  Paisley had the royal treatment in the morning, as well as Lucas, and they both walked around all day in their special costumes…it was so adorable.  Sean and Laura are such great parents and their kiddos are amazing.  We are so lucky to have such amazing and special friends!  Thanks Inkster’s….can’t wait for the next adventure.  

In May, my brother Todd got his PHD in Professional Studies of Education from Delta State University.  He has worked on this for a long time and we were happy to be able to celebrate his big day with him.  Less than 2% of the population is able to achieve this…so kudos to you bud!  Also, any chance that we can get to see our little Zoester…who’s growing up way too fast….is always a good day. 

I got a little surprise of my own at the airport as Aaron flew in from Puerto Rico to surprise us all.  I walked right passed the sign he made as I was busy on my phone working on a Real Estate deal!  See….just another reason to get your head out of your phone and pay attention!  We were able to celebrate Aaron’s 38th birthday and enjoy our first ever crawfish dinner out on the carport.  Short but sweet trip nonetheless.  

Aaron worked 318 days this year and was either in Puerto Rico for the Hurricane Relief Efforts with N448JS or in Australia with Coulson Helicopters working on becoming the first ones to participate in Australian night-flying trials.  The trials took place with CASA in February of 2018 and were officially approved to suppress wildfires at night using night vision googles in June of 2018 and they will begin flying night operations hopefully this fall.  The video below shows Aaron doing what he does best.  We couldn’t be more proud of him and the role he played in making this happen.  He works hard everyday and now we truly have a “Rockstar” in the family!  Way to go bud.