Awesome things you have seen!

[Caesar dude]

The space shuttle launch thing got me started on this idea cos I'm never going to see one!

But I have seen many other awesome sights, some natural and some scientific.

I'll kick off with an incredible sandstorm in the Middle East. I was on a flightline in the Arabian desert...it started to get a little windy..which cancelled flying! Yay!

So we started to prep the jets for bed, canopy covers and jet blanks etc...normal night time precautions for any jet fighter...but when the wind started to whip the buckles of the covers around our heads and the perspex we started to get a wee bit concerned...

Luckily we had started early so we were done when the storm hit properly...we rushed into our vehicles and started driving to safety of the hangar which was on higher ground

From the safety of this vantage point ( but still in the vehicles) I witnessed the most amazing cloud of sand being propelled across the desert. Obviously it was the wind just pushing the sand in front of it like a blizzard) but the sheer force of the wind was changing the landscape in front of me. The desert seemed to churn and change shape...whole buildings were being covered, our flight line was obscured and we were actually concerned about the safety of the aircraft! And you cannot imagine the noise! It was as if someone had opened fire with a thousand machines guns!

Within ten minutes the storm had passed and the blazing sun was back but fucking A!

We had to literally dig our aircraft out of the sand which had reached well up into the undercarriage bays.

The drive back to the City is another story entirely!

I will never ever forget the power of that wind....it's like a primeval force that cannot be reckoned with and actually the second time I've met it. On entirely different continents too!

I'd like to hear your stories dudes.

Peace.

[rev-jaholbrook]

Dude, a blowing sand storm is crazy.  When in Iraq we were finishing and oxygen test on our aircraft when I saw a dark brown "Wall of Fuck" coming our way.  For about 10 or 15 minutes we couldn't see a thing 3 feet in front of us.  Cleared up and then a dust fog settled in for a week.  It was crazy.   Then there is being chased by camel spiders.  Fuck those things.  Haha.

[DigitalBuddha]

I heard they used to call them "The Mother of All Storms;" kind of poking fun at Saddam's "Mother of All Battles" bullshit, only the storms were hardly bullshit! Something like this in Saudi Arabia...........

[DigitalBuddha]

Scuba Diving off the coast of California and Hawaii; nature in your face like kelp forests (Catalina Island) as high as redwoods! Like this..........

[Zen Dog]

HMS/M Courageous.About 23:10 zulu, late summer 1975 Arctic ocean on the surface.Flat calm,not a cloud in the sky.Not a sound except the sea breaking over the bow.Stokers traditional priviledge,10 minutes on the bridge.The lookouts got to see it all the time but it was a rare sight for us lot.And not a sight as such,but listening to whales singing,live.You could hear them through the hull when lying in your bunk.

[rev-jaholbrook]

I heard they used to call them "The Mother of All Storms;" kind of poking fun at Saddam's "Mother of All Battles" bullshit, only the storms were hardly bullshit! Something like this in Saudi Arabia...........

That is exactly what it looked like!!!!  That shit was crazy!

[revpurdy]

The crazyist thing I have ever seen was a seaside of a squerrail

[milnie]

I almost drowned when a rogue wave hit the beach I was body surfing at. I just remember being pinned to the bottom and watching the waves roll over. Really cool but then I was drowning so I may also have been hallucinating a bit as well

[DigitalBuddha]

Nothing like a good flashback to make a dude's day!

[DigitalBuddha]

HMS/M Courageous.About 23:10 zulu, late summer 1975 Arctic ocean on the surface.Flat calm,not a cloud in the sky.Not a sound except the sea breaking over the bow.Stokers traditional priviledge,10 minutes on the bridge.The lookouts got to see it all the time but it was a rare sight for us lot.And not a sight as such,but listening to whales singing,live.You could hear them through the hull when lying in your bunk.

Awesome!

[Caesar dude]

I saw a dark brown "Wall of Fuck" coming our way.

Love it! What a turn of phrase you guys have!

As for the camel spiders.... Middle East Night shift...waiting for the pilots to crew in ...I'm sitting on some aircraft steps reading Schindlers list of all things!

(Now this book is not a slim volume.)

I see a hairy arsed camel spider approaching me on the ground...so with a deft flick of my wrist I tossed the tome at said spider and it landed right on his fucking head!

Job done I thought.... Then the little fucker just shrugged his shoulders threw off the book and then made a beeline for me!!!

I tell you now dudes...I jumped off the steps and ran for the aircraft....jumped onto the fuel tank and then onto the wing, then up to the spine... These mofos can jump 6 feet!

I was still shitting myself ten minutes later when the crew arrived!

[rev-jaholbrook]

The wall of Fuck phrase I made up for the sake of humor for my story.  Haha.  And as for those spiders...  They are some tough fuckers.  I saw guys freeze one with liquid nitrogen, drown it in water and it still was trying to chase people.

[Caesar dude]

Wall off fuck! describes what we both saw! Awesome!

Yeah man those camel fucking spiders are pure arabian evil!

My puny book versus liquid nitrogen! What chance did I have !?

and then they come after you again!

I moved countries....hope that's enough!

Peace man.

[Zen Dog]

Did it let you have your book back?