Happy 4th of July 2019. It is my seventy-first, and I am thankful to be free to enjoy it. Hale and hearty, though less so than on one while stationed in Iceland.
4th of July in Iceland
It was spring 1974, and I was a newlywed waiting for my next assignment. It came to Naval Security Group Activity, Keflavik.
There was a “critical” need I would meet. My sponsor welcomed me with open arms. He was the only one of our specialty and had been spending onerous hours on equipment failures. Now, he could get some relief. And I would not get a holiday off for some time.
One day I may speak to the work situation, but this remembers one 4th of July spent there. My wife and I joined another couple on a camping trip to the base of Mount Hekla. They drove their van, and we a Jeep Wrangler.
We settled on a location near the base of the mountain. The day passed as we toured the area around the campsite (where we left the van.) After dinner with our friends, my wife and I began to erect the tent. Our friends would sleep in their customized van.
Tent goes up, literally
The tent went up with a hitch. The lava did not accept tent stakes. We moved the Jeep, so there was a space between it and the van. We placed the tent in this area and tied the tent lanyards to the vehicles.
It became time to rest. We settled in our tent and them in the van. My wife was in her sleeping bag and me in mine.
Hours passed, and everything was fine. Until that is, a wind started. It started above us and blew toward the ocean. Our camp was in a slight depression that channeled the wind.
The tent began to shake, waking us. We laid for some time listening to the wind as it grew in strength. When the floor of the tent rose off the ground, bouncing us around, we vacated the tent. We saw the tent flapping, kept from flying away by the ties to the vehicles. We spent the rest of the night in the van at our friend’s invitation.
The tent was there the next morning and showed no signs of damage from the wind.
This experience causes us to laugh each time we relate it. It concerned to feel the tent floor rise with us on it, but looking back it is funny.
This fourth will see nothing exciting beyond dinner out.
Do you have a 4th of July experience or remembrance? Share it using the comment form. I will enjoy hearing it.