Road warrior Cheney packs Diet Sprite, trailer

Inside the C-17, Cheney spends hour after hour in his trailer in the middle of the cavernous plane. Known as the "silver bullet," it has a bathroom and a couple of sleeping and sitting areas where Cheney likes to read books, briefing papers and newspapers, listen to music and spend time with his wife.

On this trip, he was reading Rick Atkinson's "The Day of Battle," about the U.S. Army's campaign to capture Sicily and mainland Italy during World War II. He also had a collection of essays about that war and a book about the Revolutionary War.

Lynne Cheney spent time working on a new book proposal and editing a children's book coming out in the fall about the U.S. Constitution.

His wife gave him a wireless reading device called a Kindle on which he could download hundreds of books; he was not seen using it on the Mideast trip.

Cheney spends the bulk of his flight time getting intelligence briefings from a CIA employee who travels with him and poring over his briefing books. There typically is one white, three-ring binder for each country on his schedule. He scribbles on note cards he uses to organize his thoughts before heading into meetings. Cheney brings an exercise bike on the road, but he uses it more when his wife is along.

He is careful to get up and walk around regularly to maintain proper circulation. The Navy stewards responsible for feeding the vice president, serve him carrot and celery sticks instead of potato chips. He eats no-yolk eggs and fake sausage for breakfast most days, and snacks on 100-calorie-a-bag pretzels and popcorn zapped in the microwave on the plane.

Just like at home, Cheney is known to unwind with a scotch, and he and Lynne Cheney sometimes sip white wine with dinner. If he is done with work, the Cheneys often relax in the trailer or on Air Force Two and perhaps watch a movie. On this trip, Lynne Cheney brought along the medieval miniseries "The Tudors" and a review copy she obtained of the new HBO special about John Adams, the second U.S. president.

Cheney, with his iPod earphones on, was busy reading paperwork when Air Force Two stopped in Shannon, Ireland, to refuel for the last leg of the trip. When the plane touched down at Andrews Air Force Base, Cheney boarded a helicopter that disappeared into the dark sky for the short hop to the vice president's home.

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