Chapter 2

David opened the meeting. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are met to make a decision. Our next leg is to Magadan in Siberian Russia. It's one thousand, nine hundred sixty-five miles from here according to our information. As we have discussed before leaving, that's over half our range. If we don't find enough fuel, we will probably have to leave one plane to return here. We will have little ability to scout without cutting into our reserves of fuel. We all knew this. There are two airports close, Sokol and Magadan-13. We are planning on Sokol.

"Another thing I know is the weather situation in the city of Magadan. We can expect temperatures to be freezing or lower. We have a time differential to consider but we have done that before.

"We must be aware of the risks we are taking. With those somewhat sobering thoughts, I want to open the subject for discussion. Remember, if we don't have a plane, it's going to be a long, long walk in the cold. Who has something to say?"

Tom looked at Myra who nodded back at him. "My statement is the same that it's always been. We knew or at least had all this information before we left. To me, this was always the riskiest part of the trip. Once beyond it, we can move south and find more temperate climes. Fuel is a challenge always. We will have to be careful and think things through. In my mind, we are taking a calculated risk. Like any risk, miscalculating it will not be good. If we can't get a plane in the air with enough fuel to return here, then it could be a long walk. I say we go and that we keep going. We do have the radios and can reach our homes via twenty meters. At worst, it's a matter of holding on until help can arrive. However, I think it will work out. I'm packing for the cold weather we will find in Russia tomorrow."

We timed our leaving to reach Magadan in the early afternoon, local time. We flew in carefully. We made passes and finally landed in Duck. We had seen no activity. Myra and Tom were in front of the Humvee with SJ and Jacob in back. It looked cold. We soon had it confirmed from our outside party that it was cold, below freezing, with a wind chill. They made a tour of the airport and found no people. David had Mallard land and pull up close.

The next question was fuel. The Humvee party scouted until they found the fueling area. We found usable fuel but not much. There was enough to fill one plane and put enough in the other that it probably could make it back to Anchorage. At that news, my husband grimaced. He said, "Let's fill the planes and talk tonight. Duck gets a full load."

After supper, we had another meeting. David said, "Our next planned stop is Vladivostok. It should be warmer there and is likely to have more facilities. After that, we show Shenyang, China. I think skipping North Korea is still a good idea. If someone survives there, they may be looking for trouble. We are, however, at a risk point. We have enough fuel to go on or to go back. If we go on, we can't return to this place and make it back."

He sat back and waited while everyone thought things through. It was quiet for a while. It was, after all, a big decision.

Bess Moore, Doctor George's daughter, had her two children with her and her husband, Fred. She said, "Fred and I have talked to the children. We want to continue on. It's a risk but we didn't come this far to quit now."

After a few others spoke in favor of continuing, David spoke, "I don't seem to be able to dissuade you and I'm not sure I wanted to anyway. In the morning, we will continue on. Good night."

In the morning, we went over the planes once more and then took to the air. Four hours plus later, we finished fighting a head wind to see Vladivostok in the distance. We found the airport and made passes over it. The long runways were concrete and had serious visible frost heaves. The shorter runways were asphalt and seemed to have suffered less. I was flying and announced to all on Duck that we would make a short field landing. "Brace yourselves, it will be bumpy." It was. The surface wasn't badly broken up but it wasn't flat either. We bounced a bit before I managed to stop Duck and allow the Humvee to exit. It rolled away and I used two engines to roll to a better spot on the runways. The guns were ready though we hadn't seen a soul nor any signs of people.

There weren't any people and, from what the Humvee team could tell, there hadn't been anyone around the airport for many, many years. We found fuel but there wasn't enough to completely fill our two birds. Well, we already knew that we wouldn't return the way we came. David and I decided to stop here for the night. We found a sleeping area for our party and were able to make it livable. In the morning, we would leave for Shenyang and China. It would be another first.

In the morning, we flew for Shenyang just over four hundred forty miles away in China. We looked around and saw smoke! There were people living in the area! None of the smoke seemed to be very close to the airport. David brought us in for a smooth landing though used very little extra runway. My husband is easy on equipment. He had our guns manned and ready. As soon as we stopped moving, he released the Humvee. Mallard was in the air providing reconnaissance for any persons coming our way. Our one Chinese speaker was in the Humvee with her husband along with our usual foursome.

Amy and Bill Osborne were from Phoenix or the Valley of the Sun as it was known now. They weren't part of our original group but asked to join us on our way west. They were good people and hard workers. However, they weren't fliers or fighters. They had been learning the basics of our weaponry and were doing well within the amount of time used for their training. They did have one very important benefit. Amy was able to speak a number of Chinese dialects. She could also write the language well.