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Sometimes when we were on sightseeing trips or re-supply missions, we would run into the craziest things.  As always, the TUSLOG Detachment 150 folks would make the most of it!

Halfway between Sahintepe and the city of Izmir, on the Balikesehir to Izmir highway, before you climb the mountain range to drop down to Izmir and the Aegean Sea, is this junction of five highways--right in the middle of nowhere.  No towns or residents anywhere around, but five highways came together with this large group of directional signs.  We nicknamed this place "The Middle of Nowhere" and used it as a geographical location when we called in by radio of our progress to and from the site.  Across the street from here was a Petrol Ofisi gas station and a restaurant which served, in an American style cafeteria, the best stew I've ever had--water buffalo stew over rice with vegetables!

On another supply run, we're cruising along and what do we see?  A Turk with about six camels.  You guessed it, we stopped and rode the camels!

Yes, I rode a camel  You would not believe how much that camel spit and snapped!  You can see our bus in the background with Master Sergeant John Friday in the center of the three guys.  The young man to the right was an airman first class in the radio maintenance section.  To the left of John is a good friend, Staff Sergeant Ray Margettin, a power production NCO, who was also a Mohawk Indian originally from New York State.

Of course, when we traveled, everyone had responsibilities, whether loading the bus, making sure we didn't lose anyone on a stop or gassing up the bus!  Here Technical Sergeant Harold "Horrable" Maier supervises "Doc" Feaster as he pours a jerry can of diesel into the bus.

Here's what our bus looked like on the way home on one trip.  That's Technical Sergeant Harold "Horrable" Maier on the left and Staff Sergeant Dennis C. Hoeck facing to the rear.  The gentleman to the right was a power production specialist, a senior airman, whose name I believe was Williams.  Sometime after this trip, one of our guys scrounged an aircraft cargo net and some tie-downs so we could create a net-wall to hold the cargo in place.

Sometimes your job was to be the navigator or just keep company with the driver while the others slept.  Here's my "riding shotgun" view out of front window of the bus as we follow one of our trucks back to the site from a base exchange resupply run in Izmir.  I was crazy back then--I preferred to ride in the bus' staircase well to look out as we went along. 

Now we didn't always eat at truckstops...we had this gorgeous view of the Aegean Sea one night when we stopped for a late supper near sundown.